“My life in Hollywood sucks because…”

April 6, 2010Jon Brooks 1 Comment »

If you’re out of work, you might find it hard to conjure up sympathy for someone who has actually landed a job in Hollywood. On the other hand, ever see the movie Swimming With Sharks, about an assistant to a Hollywood bigwig who is also the world’s biggest SOB?

But there’s even a lower life form in the Hollywood pecking order than assistants, apparently. From Hollywood Temp Diaries, this description:

Temps are the lowest life form in Hollywood. They are lower than assistants. Lower than those in the mail room. Lower than everyone. Why? Because they are completely disposable. You don’t like the temp. Get a new one. (Oh and we don’t get health insurance, paid vacation, 401k, etc.)

This post is called “My life in Hollywood sucks because…”

My life in Hollywood sucks. How do I know this? Yesterday I interviewed for a short-term gig answering phones (yes, they required an interview for that) and didn’t get the job! Yep. That’s pretty bad considering my educational background, work experience and comfort level picking up a telephone receiver and saying “Hello.” But that got me thinking, it might be fun to know how your life in Hollywood sucks. At the end of the day we can all compare who has it worst. Misery loves company.

So use the comments section below to finish the sentence, “My life in Hollywood sucks because…”

Answers:

it’s 8:15 a.m. and the only thing I have left to look forward to today is washing my underwear.

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I work in a basement.

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I can’t even get an interview for a temp job just answering phones…

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I’m a 24 year old woman who isn’t willing to sleep her way to the top.

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I haven’t gotten a day off in two-and-a-half years.

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Out east I had a management position in radio – amidst contacts that said I was assured a job and an interest to climb the entertainment ladder further than Baltimore would allow. I moved to Burbank and began applying for jobs. I have management experience in an office setting and personal assistant work on my resume, but can’t even get a job offer washing dishes, much less temp work.

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I have to play with my boss’s dog who just pooped right by my desk, and if I quit this job I get deported…

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My temp pimp has only called me for 2 one-day temp jobs since the end of August.

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I moved from the East Coast with five years of experience and a load of LA contacts. Regardless, it’s like I’m starting over. I’ve worked three days since February. Burn. Thank you unemployment extensions!

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I am working my ass off on an amazing film, but not getting paid a single dollar…

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2 Ivy degrees, assistant and management experience, 4 months of free work, 1 day of paid work since January. No unemployment, poor and selfish ass family, rat friends.

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My life doesn’t suck. The recession sucks. The music business crashing and burning sucks. Being unemployed and feeling professionally irrelevant really sucks. Interviewing for five jobs I “almost got” this year definitely sucks. Unemployment running out by December sucks, but it will force me to pick a path and go forward. Financial insecurity sucks. Writing it down and sharing it with all of you somehow makes it suck a little less. We will all look back on these days and be stronger and more reilient for not letting our employment status define us.

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Because for some incomprehensible reason, it’s still legal (more or less) to hire vast numbers of interns to perform slave labor without pay, instead of sucking it up and hiring a few more assistants.

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Because I just realized I spent 7 years in college, 3 of those in grad school, to come out into the real world and learn that it was all for nothing. And now 21 year olds have a better chance of landing that dream production job than I do because they can land internships for now and come out of this recession at 23 or 24 years of age. I’m 26. Who’s going to hire a 26 year old post-grad intern? That’s like 85 in “industry” years. And 2 or 3 years from now? Forget about it.

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Anyone here pick up their bosses viagra? I have… Worked as an intern with them for 2 months and quit. Guess who didn’t get that letter of recommendation.

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Because the only one who responded to my cover letter was a Nigerian scam artist trying to send me fraudulent money orders.

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I live on my sister’s futon.

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I work 11-12 hour days without ANY breaks, and I’m not paid hourly.

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I worked 10-12 hour days and I dont get paid at all and am basically threatened I wont be able to use my boss as a reference anytime he is upset with anything not even concerning me.

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I usually don’t work at a job long enough to collect unemployment.

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2 years without a job….I was let go from my last job because a certain A-lister didn’t like my voice, nevermind I just had my end of the year review two weeks prior and was given a positive review.

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I’m getting tons of calls for internships but not for jobs… working for free is what the American economy has come to.

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…I’m earning less full-time than I was as a temp.

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