Need moving-to-L.A.-advice plzz

[DandyFop]

So yeah uhhhh I am pretty sure I'm going to be moving there next year, I'm shooting for February (right after the Sundance Film Fest).
Long story short, I've made an amazing connection with Dancing with the Stars and the chick I work for is
pretty much pumping me up to the people there so I can get hired on next season (starts in March), in LA.

So I've been there only a few times (including the famous incident of going to meet the old director dude) but yeah I don't
know the place at ALL. I know some of you do so please help me! My dad knows the area as well and
I'm sure when it comes down to moving he'll be there to help me find a good spot because his instincts in that area
are amazing, but I'd like to not feel completely uninformed.

So, halp! I looked at Craigslist for an idea of rent but the problem is I have no idea what's good
neighborhoods, bad, etc. I'm guessing I should look for a roommate situation (hell maybe I can convince someone I
know here to come with me), but other than having a generalized idea of the place I'm totally blank.

Thanks californianites. You better believe we're gonna party it up when I hit town! jesus christ could I sound any gayer?

P.S. If anyone gives a crap, yes I was planning on moving to NY, but I would be really dumb to pass up this job/opportunity.
So NY will wait...for now.

[Auton]

my advice is don't. i mean, if you're moving to burbank or whereabouts, cool. if hollywood... no. so where exactly are you thinking of moving to?

[DandyFop]

That's my point, I have no idea what I'm doing, I don't know what the area is, what's around it, etc. Talk to me as though I'm a 5th grader.

[Auton]

find somewhere in burbank or glendale. avoid actual hollywood at all costs. really. i'm sure cosmo, steger, or skye would be better people to ask- they all know this area really well.

[Loppfessor]

How the heck are we supposed to make sweet love next time I'm in SLC???!!!:eek:

[ericlee]

You want movin to L.A. advice? Move to N.Y.

[DandyFop]

Okay eric want to hook me up with a great entry level job to the film and television industry?

[ericlee]

I'm sure bionic could help you with that stuff. That's why the boob hasn't been showin his face much around here. He's doin some great stuff which involves film and the tube.

For sure if you're lookin for film and t.v. jobs, it shouldn't be too hard to find here. If I were you, I'd just start shooting resumes in both L.A and N.Y. and see which ones give the bigger bites.

Actually, L.A. doesn't sound too bad. Man, it's gettin cold as shit over here lately. I'm gettin too old for that stuff. Soon I wouldn't be able to practice on my roof anymore.:(

[DandyFop]

I was being sarcastic. If I have a hook up for a good job in L.A. I should take it, hands down. I know more friends in NY, but I have more family in California.

Yes I'd rather go to NY but there's no reason I can't in the future.

[ericlee]

I know you were being sarcastic. I'm just being jealous cause it's going to start snowing here in a couple of months. I've been thinkin about how much I'm gonna miss hangin outside till the wee hours of the morning in the comfort of my own home..

You want more L.A. advice? Don't be driving around with a hot cup of McDonalds coffee between your legs during an earthquake. The contents may be extremely hot.

[Loppfessor]

Damnit I demand an answer to my question...

[mikizee]

So yeah uhhhh I am pretty sure I'm going to be moving there next year, I'm shooting for February (right after the Sundance Film Fest).
Long story short, I've made an amazing connection with Dancing with the Stars and the chick I work for is
pretty much pumping me up to the people there so I can get hired on next season (starts in March), in LA.

So I've been there only a few times (including the famous incident of going to meet the old director dude) but yeah I don't
know the place at ALL. I know some of you do so please help me! My dad knows the area as well and
I'm sure when it comes down to moving he'll be there to help me find a good spot because his instincts in that area
are amazing, but I'd like to not feel completely uninformed.

So, halp! I looked at Craigslist for an idea of rent but the problem is I have no idea what's good
neighborhoods, bad, etc. I'm guessing I should look for a roommate situation (hell maybe I can convince someone I
know here to come with me), but other than having a generalized idea of the place I'm totally blank.

Thanks californianites. You better believe we're gonna party it up when I hit town! jesus christ could I sound any gayer?

P.S. If anyone gives a crap, yes I was planning on moving to NY, but I would be really dumb to pass up this job/opportunity.
So NY will wait...for now.

Hey if ya goin to sundance a short film i was involved with is showing there..... its called You Better Watch Out, a very dark christmas comedy, its got actors from the castle and chopper if you have seen those films. Its fucking hilarious, be sure to check it out!!!

[Yeti]

I saw a documentary about a Hollywood Hotel called Camp Hollywood. It is called the Highland Gardens Hotel.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439489/usercomments

Live there for a couple months so we can get reports. It would be fun. It has a swimming pool and the room are inexpensive.

[hpdrifter]

My advice is to live close to where you work. If you're going to be in film and TV you'll probably be working up in Century City and Burbank would be a good choice. Sherman Oaks, West Hollywood.

I happened to like living in the city. Santa Monica is nice, there is some affordable housing along the miracle mile. At least there was when I lived there.

You know the neighborhoods to avoid, pretty much anything in the south or east part of town.

[cosmo105]

hey man, steger works in century city and the drive is brutal. no good direct routes there.

the valley is cheap, but really burbank and glendale (to a lesser extent) are about the only tolerable cities in it. i've heard really good things about silverlake, and studio city.

most of the actual studios are right here. we're literally down the street from a couple of them.

if you can, find or bring a roommate. it's ridiculously expensive. unless you don't mind living in a shoebox, which is fine. you'll need to bring your car unless you live really, really close to where you work. bring sunscreen.

[Dorothy Wood]

some of my good friends live by LAX (forgot the name of the neighborhood) and it's pretty okay. some other people I know live in El Segundo. the houses are super cute over there.

venice beach was my favorite part of L.A. when I visited. however, we didn't really go many places. Silver Lake is where all the cool people supposedly live.

[hpdrifter]

Huh. Yeah I never really made my way up there very often when I lived in L.A.

So yeah, I guess live even closer to where you work than I thought.

[cosmo105]

oh, and toluca lake's not bad. anyway, i'd say search under the "sfv" (san fernando valley) area on craigslist when looking for apartments.

[hpdrifter]

Don't live by LAX. Its in Marina Del Rey, waaaaaaay south and the 405 and i-5 are a clusterfuck.

Its a nice area but don't live there if you're gonna work in Studio City.

Venice Beach is awesome, btw.

[hpdrifter]

All this talking about L.A. is making me miss it so much. When I left I was like fuck this town. There's a lot about it that's messed up but damn, there is some cool shit too. Griffith Park and the Observatory, the Santa Monica pier (is it still there?) and 3rd street, fuck it, I liked Rodeo drive. West Hollywood, Melrose.

And go just a little south and you've got the most beautiful beaches, La Jolla, even Manhattan and Huntington (while very yuppie suburban) are so beautiful.

I miss Malibu. I miss the L.A. clubs. Yeah, they're messed up but damn it if I didn't have some fun.

Fuck, I need to go for a visit soon.

[DandyFop]

Thanks everyone! Especially the cosss

I have a friend that lives in Silverlake and likes it so I'll probably look around there plus some of the other areas you mentioned.

I don't think I'm going to be able to find someone to move with me and finding a room mate online is so uncertain, but we'll see. I don't care about living in something super tiny.

[beastieangel01]

I never lived there but I LOVE Silverlake.

This sounds like a really great opportunity, Barb. :) I am happy for you!

[ScarySquirrel]

Living here is the best decision I ever made. I'm not super familiar with everything yet, but I'll give you my city recommendations.

Glendale, Burbank, Toluca Lake, Valley Village, and Studio City are the ones I'd shoot for as first choices. Any of 'em. I live in Koreatown and it's alright here too, I'd check into it as a backup. My area is pretty centrally located in relation to almost everything so I like that fact.

I rent from a place that has about 12(?) properties around the L.A. area and they've been really cool and helpful every time I contact them. Plus my manager is pretty cool too, so check out Swelgroup (http://www.swelgroup.com/) and see if they have something that looks interesting to you, in your price range, etc. Also, make sure to check out your place before you get here, man. I'm sure you know that though... but, yeah, do it. Hit me up on AIM or anything and I'll give you some more of my tidbits on my moving experience, what I've learned so far, unique experiences to note... something educational. I dunno.

[ggirlballa]

come to the eastern part of L.A kick it with me and my eses holmes;)

[YoungRemy]

i am living in West LA, near Westwood, Santa Monica and Venice... my neighborhood specifically is called "Palms" and its pretty nice out here...

its a hop skip and a jump from the 10 freeway, close to hollywood, beverly hills, and less than 4 miles to Venice Beach, which is my favorite neigborhood so far...

its also close to the 405 freeway and about 10 miles to LAX and the South Bay. Redondo Beach is a nice area, its near Torrance and Gardena...

I have only been here since March, and I like NYC better and miss it bad, but its not so bad out here... the entertainment industry is not a fun place to be. I was an extra on the set of "Walk Hard" and had a decent time, but people are desperate to be discovered and do extra work as a career and its pretty sad.

Production Assistants will work 14 to 15 hour days for about $100 to $150 a day and if they stick around long enough get connections with other productions and it pays off eventually...


then there are the talent agents, managers and their assistants. thats what I did for a couple months until I realized it was a load of shit. if you dont plan on being an agent, being an assistant is the worst possible job to have in Hollywood. they come a dime a dozen and they get completely shit upon and blamed for everything... the producers and casing directors are absolute shitheads, and everybody cc's everybody on every e-mail and eventually communication gets lost somehow, the assistant gets blamed always...

im working with kids again, for a non-profit and am completely satisfied...


but what I really want to do is direct;)

[Documad]

Remy, why did you move to LA? Was it for non-work reasons? You don't need to say, but I'm sorry that the business thing wasn't so fun and happy for you to be working with kids again.

My friend used to live in Santa Monica. She had a job as a junior executive with a large corporation and she had a nice but tiny apartment on a nice street, but she shared with two other people. She met one of them via an online roommate matching service and I don't know how the third person came along. I'd rather live in a shoebox than have a roommate, but she had a great time for a few years (and then when she was no longer enjoying it she moved back to Ohio). I think I'd enjoy living in LA for a year or two. I hope you get an offer.

[hpdrifter]

i am living in West LA, near Westwood, Santa Monica and Venice... my neighborhood specifically is called "Palms" and its pretty nice out here...

its a hop skip and a jump from the 10 freeway, close to hollywood, beverly hills, and less than 4 miles to Venice Beach, which is my favorite neigborhood so far...

its also close to the 405 freeway and about 10 miles to LAX and the South Bay. Redondo Beach is a nice area, its near Torrance and Gardena...

I have only been here since March, and I like NYC better and miss it bad, but its not so bad out here... the entertainment industry is not a fun place to be. I was an extra on the set of "Walk Hard" and had a decent time, but people are desperate to be discovered and do extra work as a career and its pretty sad.

Production Assistants will work 14 to 15 hour days for about $100 to $150 a day and if they stick around long enough get connections with other productions and it pays off eventually...

This is why I didn't like it. People used to give me their resumes before they even said their names.

[YoungRemy]

yeah thats the court that some of "White Men Can't Jump" was filmed if I am not mistaken...

also parts LA Story as well...

i moved for my lady, we rented LA Story on our second night and it couldnt have rang more true... I'll have a double half caf decaf with a twist of lemon...

next on the list for her is Swingers, Pulp Fiction and THe BIg Lebowski..

stay out of Malibu!