I got this question recently:
“Hi there.
Do you think it’s worth it for a 20-year-old like me, to move from my country, Portugal, to Los Angeles or somewhere close, to follow the dream of writing screenplays?
I mean, if it’s a tough world to the American writers, isn’t it even tougher for a foreign boy to do well? Or if you’re really talented, it doesn’t matter?
I’d appreciate an honest answer, it’s very important to me.
Greetings from Portugal.”
It’s really a personal decision and I would never want to try and push someone in one direction or the other. It depends on how passionate you are about making your dream a reality balanced with how much you value time with your friends and family at home. There is no right answer.
It’s going to be very difficult to succeed as a screenwriter even if you have a lot of talent so if you’re not ready to work hard it’s probably not worth moving to Los Angeles.
I personally feel like Los Angeles is a great place to live and work, even if you’re not in the entertainment industry, so I don’t see a lot of downside to giving it a go even if it’s just for a few years.
I’ve written some posts about moving to and living in Los Angeles which you can read here:
https://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/tag/living-in-los-angeles/
Especially these two articles:
Moving to Los Angeles and preparing for the long haul
Do you have to live in Los Angeles to be a screenwriter?
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