SPREAD THEM OVER HOT COALS

As the sun came up over a bleeding western sky, nine valiant film professionals arrived at their beachside locale with coffees in hand. It was a seemingly non eventful July morning. The stages were quiet as the trucks rolled in to the loading dock. Steadfast in their convictions and striving to make their mark they worked as few against the many laying preparations for the legions of Hollywood hopefuls that would follow.

On that cavernous soundstage in the sleepy southern California enclave of El Segundo the crew hoisted lights, painted flats, nailed and drilled set facades. By the second day nine men working as one were testing their lighting with a Director at the helm. Build it and they will come and soon the casting began.

Actors answering the call arrived from across California and beyond. Many were from out of the country. For eight grueling days under searing lights the crew endured and actors kept coming... All came with one goal in mind, to show that they are HELLBENT FOR HOLLYWOOD!

Actors are tough. Sometimes I wonder if you have to have a penchant for punishment to join their ranks. The wide-eyed innocence of new arrivals in the city of angels is all too often blurred by the smoggy landscape. Some loose their way and leave, some discover other fulfilling meanings to their life outside the craft. Unfortunately, some just keep making the same mistakes and repeating a vicious cycle. They never leave acting but they also never really accomplish anything of substance either.

Jamming with “Doors” guitarist Robby Krieger in his home studio is a fond memory of my late 20s. I was young and hungry and HELLBENT FOR HOLLYWOOD myself, riding high on an adrenaline rush of dreams untainted by age and the prolonged struggle to reach the top in tinsel town. Living my life I’ve discovered it doesn’t matter whether you make it or not. It’s the skills and relationships you develop along the way that have a life-long effect in defining who you are both as a performer and a person. It’s those same skills and the work ethic you build that decide where you fit into the industry hierarchy and how…

Here in sunny southern California, often there are glimpses of paradise on a clear day when the palm trees sway to the rhythm of a sweet ocean breeze. That could be a direct correlation to the careers of so many actors who by accident or not hit on a golden moment practicing their craft untainted by outside forces but those without substance are all too often soon to fade.

We’re at a turning point in the industry, a paradigm shift in how business gets done in Hollywood, who’s producing product and the distribution of that product… The music industry has already been decimated from the inside out, not due to illegal downloads as many would have you believe, but because technology has changed, distribution has changed and the old business models no longer apply.

The film and television industry is right behind the music industry in this paradigm shift. The television industry is being hit hard with change right now as viewing numbers slip and it’s becoming evident the old business models are crumbling. Their business is in transformation. However, many in the industry saw it coming years ago. The television industry is embracing digital technology. The networks realize they must adapt if they are to survive. What does this mean to the actor? To some it spells disaster and to others opportunity. It can mean a job for all who are ready to work and maybe there will be less megastars but there will be a solid stable of working utility actors that can tell a story and keep the public entertained.

Think about the 100 actors cast in HELLBENTFORHOLLYWOOD, their battle is about to get bloody as they stand on the steps of Hollywood. Some will bandage themselves and get back into the fray. Others won’t. Sit back and sip your favorite drink and get ready to watch to see who’s building a career and who’ll be going down in flames. It’s gonna be trial by fire. I say turn up the heat and let the games begin…
ON FIRE