Screenwriter Tom Vaughn Drops 10 Truths About Sustaining a Long Career in Hollywood

The useful part

Well, veteran screenwriter Tom Vaughan has been working in this town for 29 years and teaching for most of them, too. Recently, Tom tweeted out ten unfiltered observations on what it takes to navigate the long game of a screenwriting career, and I thought we had to share them here. I will say that, for me, this is the war I feel is always raging inside me.

How it works

• Networking in Hollywood involves establishing genuine working relationships by offering real value to the execs in charge of y...
• It's who you meet and how you add value to that relationship.
• So much of this is managing the psychological fallout of hearing "No" over and over again.
• Having a contact list full of industry names means nothing if you don't have a new spec that's commercial enough for them to buy into.

Details worth keeping

The truth is that breaking into Hollywood is hard. Staying in Hollywood feels nearly impossible. Your career will have years that suck and moments that rock.