There’s some very strong truths to the saying “Good things come to those who wait”.  As fast as things move and change in this industry, it’s funny sometimes how hard it can be to just sit back and be patient.  And in Hollywood, patience has a whole new meaning.

Now, before I go on here, it’s important to understand something about me… I’m a “doer”, no matter how difficult the task or how unlikely the odds, I’m the kind of person that once I’m passionate about something, I’ll set my mind to it and drive full steam ahead until I accomplish my goal, no matter how hard the task or how long it takes.  That said, since my move to LA, this industry has been giving me an extended lesson in patience. With as much as has been going on in my life over the past year, and how busy I seem to always be (I pulled another 23 hour day yesterday, the second such back-to-back day this week, and won’t likely be the last) there are even more, bigger things on the horizon, some of which have been in the works for more than a year.  Now, I’d generally consider myself a pretty patient person, but even the most patient of people can get frustrated or even give up after months or even years of “imminent” possibilities, waiting for that phone call that you know is coming, but you don’t know when, could be tomorrow, could be three years from now.   I found that most people who are new to this industry just don’t seem to understand (as I didn’t prior to jumping head-long into this biz), its that in Hollywood patience has a whole new meaning… here, patience can often mean years of waiting, whether it be for a deal to make that next big project, or even simply waiting to hear word on whether or not that 15^th draft you sent back to the studio for notes (after 8-months of back and forth) is finally the one they like.

Now, it would be unfair for me to write about “Hollywood Patience” without mentioning this: I’ve worked very hard and I’ve had the incredible support of many wonderful people which has made me EXTREMELY fortunate to be in a position which countless industry folk have told me is some 10+ years ahead of where I should be at my age, but even so, that doesn’t make the waiting any easier.  Sometimes you just have to tell yourself that whenever that call comes, it comes. Until then, keep busy and no matter what, never stop working toward your goal. When that call does eventually come, you need to be ready, but even more so, when the call comes, understand that no matter how long you’ve waited, the answer could still be “no”.  Deals fall through, people change their minds, life happens… and happens more frequently than anyone would like.  Don’t wait around hoping to get an answer on just one project, instead, get a dozen more out there in the meantime, you’ve got the time, there’s no reason not to.

All that just to say, if you’re reading this and are to take anything from it, I’d hope it would be this: First is that patience is a universal necessity, and a quality you MUST have to succeed in this business, and Second, patience is NOT the same a laziness… you’ll always be waiting for something, what you choose to do with the time while you’re waiting can and often will make the difference between getting that “Yes” or “No” answer when the call does finally come.  Last but not least, Third, never forget that there will be 1,000 “No’s” to every 1 “Yes”, so don’t be discouraged from getting “no” after “no”, it only takes one “yes” for everything to change.  In this industry, the people who persevere, prosper. Never forget it.

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