Farewell Los Angeles

April 8, 2015

What I kept coming back to was my favorite street art mural my Kim West entitled “Welcome To Hollywood, Everyone’s Gotta Dream. Some Come True, Some Don’t”. So early on Sunday March 22nd, I drove to the Arts District and stood in front of the painting depicting wolves violently fighting each other. In the stillness, the dust started to settle. Then the whirlwind of interviews, skype sessions and phone calls of that Friday finally felt real. I was going to be Brooklyn bound to assist Joel Fields, the showrunner of “The Americans”. The exact opportunity I had my sights set on in order to evolve into the writer I want to be. This was after weeks of countless warnings that it was impossible, and that I must remain in Los Angeles to be a screenwriter. I couldn’t help but feel like I beat a flawed system and for that - I am proud.

When I was young, my father handed me John Steinbeck’s “The Pearl” and told me to read it then keep re-reading it as I grew older. This might have been the moment I started to become a writer. That’s when I began to take what I read as more and began to hunt for understanding in all things. It wasn’t until I fled to California, the backdrop of much of his work that I harnessed my own voice as a writer. For this, I am forever grateful to the many people who have supported me over the past four years. Those who were in the trenches with me during late nights filming, those who gave me endless notes on drafts, those who let me pick their brains over coffee, those who made calls or sent emails on my behalf… and everyone in between.

The pursuit of a creative passion comes with the feeling of always being misunderstood. So the fact that I have a network of people who support me, who helped me attain this opportunity, and who I can celebrate with is just incredible. What I cherish most about this recent experience is the fact I was able to do it on my terms without compromise. A challenging feat in Los Angeles where you can fall into the wrong hands, but their persistent support allowed me the strength to stand my ground. I sincerely couldn’t have done it without every single one of them. You better know who you are - Christ, I hope so.

So although I am determined to make them proud, it is also very bittersweet, as I must leave them for the moment in order to work toward my ultimate dream. Below are some of the places that were near and dear to me in Los Angeles during that time – the Kim West mural, the refurbished single house theater of the Ace Hotel, the rolling hills of John Steinbeck novels, and the always-inspiring LACMA street lamp exhibit.

Now, onto the next chapter…