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Exploring Opportunities for Writers in Los Angeles

Erika Rasso
Mar 9, 2015
3 min read

As hard to believe as it might be, Los Angeles actually has a lot of opportunities for aspiring writers. I use that term broadly now, to mean any kind of writer, but I'm going to narrow it down as we progress. As an aspiring writer, I've been searching through some different options out in the great big city of L.A., known for swallowing up innocent dreamers like myself. The jury is still out on whether I'll actually be going there after I graduate, but hey, this girl plans for everything! For any and all writers, most of the jobs are at marketing firms or news sources. Buzzfeed has their office in L.A., and advertising agencies are always looking for people who can write. If you have that kind of experience, then great! You are on the write track (pun intended). I have marketing experience, so if all else fails I have those options to fall back on.

Now I'm narrowing the definition of aspiring writer in Los Angeles to aspiring Hollywood writer. What I've found so far has led me to break the different opportunities into three categories.

1. Graduate School

This is the first option I chose to act on. Some of the top screenwriting programs in the country are based in Los Angeles. Arguably, L.A. is home to the top three programs. The University of Southern California, the University of California - Los Angeles, and Loyola Marymount all have two year MFAs. Many of the courses are taught by successful screenwriters, and guest lecturers can be anyone from Woody Allen to George Lucas. It's great for networking and testing the competitive waters, that is, if you can get in. These programs are very competitive! UCLA also has a professional program in screenwriting that mirrors the first year of the MFA. It's expensive, but it can also count as a major step towards a career in screenwriting.

2. Writing Fellowships

The second option I have chosen to act on is a writing fellowship with a major network. If you thought getting into a graduate program would be the hardest option, think again. Acquiring a writing fellowship is like getting into grad school, accept grades don't matter, there is no degree, you get paid, and you get to write for the network. It's basically like getting a staff writer position with an added mentorship experience. I'd say anyone who gets a fellowship at one of the big four has nailed down their career and is sitting pretty! Some programs only take 10 people though, so it is highly competitive. I know I'll be applying to the fellowships offered by ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO and the WB. Wish me luck!

3. Grassroots

The final option I have looked into I have dubbed the "grassroots" option. This entails getting a bottom feeder job as a production assistant or mail room associate and working your way up the totem pole. For writers, this might just mean waiting for the write moment (pun intended again) to give an exec your script. Unfortunately, people in Hollywood don't really take you seriously until you're in your thirties, and if you blow your chance on a bad script, you're kinda screwed. But, if you can get one of these jobs, at least you have one in the industry.

All of these options are hard, and you have to be really talented and/or work really hard. Still, for a lot of the schools and fellowships and jobs, it takes a couple tries to succeed. On a forum I frequent called Filmschool.org, the average number of tries it takes for an applicant to get into one of the top schools is three! If that's taught me anything it's to never give up! And know that you have options!