My thoughts after a pretty fun evening......... Tonight was a pretty interesting night. Everyone who knows me and who reads this knows right now I am in Los Angeles getting my degree in photography. This is something I really enjoy, and something I hope I can do for a long time. This seems to be one of the best towns (if not the best overall) to be in for the creative arts. I’ve met some pretty good people in my classmates that, someday in the future, I can see myself going to a movie or maybe a Hollywood premiere of something they are putting out. The creativity around here is pretty surreal sometimes. I really had no clued what to expect when I came out here. One of the briefings they gave during orientation was, I guess, somewhat of a warning about the possibility of sleaze in LA. Maybe you’re an actress, or a model, photographer, cinematographer…whatever. At any point, someone could come up to you, say they like your look, what you do and would like to work with you in the future. Some of these people are legitimate. Some of them are going to be pure slime balls. Ultimately, it’s up to you do some research on the person and see what they are all about. Once I got here, I found out about a new group called VFT, Veterans in Film & Television. The purpose is to allow veterans in the industry to network. It also allows veterans (through their hard work and professionalism) to make a better name for themselves in Hollywood. Apparently, at one point, very few people in the entertainment industry wanted to hire any of us. There was a bad stigma on us, and at one point, almost nobody would admit to being a veteran. Now, there are companies who are looking specifically for veterans for certain things, such as this Call of Duty commercial. They have meetings, usually once a month, with a guest speaker from the entertainment industry. After the meeting, there is also a chance for everyone to network. There are TONS of actors, directors and producers amongst everyone, and that’s how some people have been cast. These guest speakers have also found people they were looking for to work on certain projects at these events. Overall, it’s a pretty good thing. I went to my first meeting tonight, at the Hollywood American Legion. Pretty nice place. Our guess speaker was the one and only Stan Lee. Yes, Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee. I will say that one more time, STAN FREAKING LEE. Until this event, I didn’t know how old Stan Lee was. He turns 91 in December. I will say that one more time as well. STAN FREAKING TURNS 91 YEARS OLD IN DECEMBER. From seeing him and talking to you, you would NEVER know. The man truly knows how to control a room. Smart, snappy, quick witted….I could go on and on how awesome it was to sit in the front row and listen to this guy. And I’m not even a comic book fan. He really is just that awesome. What I didn’t know as well, is that Stan Lee is a WWII veteran. He was already doing comic books when the war was going on, and he was told he could apply for, and receive, an exemption. He volunteered to join the Army anyway. Once in, he was part of the signal corps. Right before he was supposed to ship off to Europe, they found out who he was. He was pulled, and he ended up doing comics for the Army and helping to rewrite and “dumb down” training manuals for the troops. He was apparently pretty good at it. But then again, what do you expect, it was STAN FREAKING LEE. Once he was discharged, he went back to work doing comics. He told us how he started the Fantastic Four, took some jabs at DC Comics (all in a playful way) and talked about putting the Avengers together. Probably the best part was in the beginning. When we start, everyone stands up one by one, says their name, what branch they served in and what they do in the industry now. It seems Stan is a sneaky old guy, because he snuck in on us. Next thing we know, he announced: Stan Lee. U.S. Army. Cameo Actor. The entire room erupted in applause and laughter. He is still writing (although retired from comics) and pitching story ideas to studios at the age of 90. He talked about how he will get a call from Marvel out of the blue, telling him to be in a certain place at a certain time, so he can film his cameo in their movies. He doesn’t have anything to do with the movies or story at all. He said he has met some of the actors and directors, and absolutely praised Robert Downey Jr., saying there is nobody else who could have played Tony Stark that well. Once he left, we figured that was it. Everyone would network, talk and just relax and have a good time. Then we got our fist (or I guess second if you count a 90 year old man sneaking in the room on us) surprise of the evening. Ricky Schroeder was stopping by. Yes, Ricky Schroeder from NYPD Blue and Silver Spoons. Apparently, he has a production company. Last year he did Starting Strong, a series with the Army about civilians getting a chance to see what the Army is like before the decide to enlist. The show is coming back for another go-around this year (which means if anyone out there knows anybody eligible to join and wouldn’t mind being filmed, let me know). He wants to hire an ALL VETERAN crew for this production. He was actually giving out his information, asking for people to send him resumes to start putting the crew together to film early next year. Pretty cool. Not for any other particular reason, other than he has tremendous respect for the military and wants to give something back. Met, shook hands with him. Seems like a pretty cool, down to earth guy. While he was there, he stepped out in the hall and got a phone call. Next thing we know, he was asking everyone not to leave, as he had a surprise for us. About 15 minutes later, he told us his guest was here. The next thing you know, Billy Ray Cyrus. Yes, that Billy Ray Cyrus. Seems those two are friends. Billy Ray doesn’t live that far away, and passes the American Legion pretty often. When he found out Ricky was there, he decided to see if it would be okay for him to do an impromptu little show. First, no, nobody said anything about Miley to him. Second, he was very down to earth as well. He busted out his guitar, and asked if anyone had a harmonica. Somehow (who carries a harmonica around with them anyway???????), someone did, so he got to jam out with Billy Ray for a while. He performed a few songs for us, to include an acoustic version of “Achy Breaky Heart.” I’m not a big country fan, but even I have to admit, it was pretty cool. He (Billy Ray) actually wants to come back and put on a full show for us. Overall, it was a pretty good night. I got out of the house, and had some fun. I’m actually putting together a small project for VFT that I hope can kick some things off for me and help me out a bit. The one thing I heard over and over from different people tonight was “In this town, it’s not necessarily what you can do, or what you know, it’s who you know”. I am starting to see this a bit. The journey ahead of me is still pretty long. I know this. I don’t expect anything here overnight. I don’t expect to not have to put in some long hours and hard work over the next few years. What I do expect is that I will find a way to make this work. I will find a way to get my name and what I can do (whatever that is when I figure it out) out there. And I do expect that I will remember everyone who was there for me when I needed it, no matter how small it was….. mcgeorge36.wordpress/
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 07:58:20 +0000
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