Monday, June 21, 2010

Oh How I Loathe Thee...

June 21st, 2010

"Andrea Albin and her wingdings at ADA Management Group aren't in touch with reality. She's heartless- steer clear of her."


"BEWARE OF THE SCRIPTOID WRITER'S CHALLENGE- they'll hack up your script and belittle you. It's a game to them- they don't care about feelings."


*Jumps up and down* Or my very favorite tidbit of information-


"... she's a heinous bitch."


This all reminds me of a Shakespearean drama- Oh how I loathe thee, let me count the ways.. anyone up for some Ten Things I Hate About You?


Day after day, I come across some blog, forum post, Facebook comment, or the like describing some bad experience some writer has had with me in the past. Hell, I'm sure this far into my career I have quite a few enemies on the block.


Here's the thing- Hollywood isn't going to baby you. This is a tough business and if you're not ready for it, there's the door. In my experience, many of these individuals who lash out at me on the Internet are writers that I have done one of three things to:


1. Turned down their submissions to my company based on lack of talent, boring subject, or just plain ignorance of common screenplay knowledge.


2. Signed them to our company on a development contract, tried to help them fix their material, and ended up driving them insane.


3. Generally just informed them that they lacked what it took to be a screenwriter.


If you've read these about me (or the infamous post on IMDB where I was attacked for being a nanny- we've all had a dayjob at one point or another)- then I'm sure you will see similarites.


Eli Roth said it best-- "Failure, in my book, is someone who lives in the safety of their laptop taking shots at those who actually achieved what they have been unable to do."


Here's what these people don't understand- I don't care. Talk shit about me. Throw my name under the bus. Encourage others to stay away from me. Make fun of my public material. Do whatever makes you feel better- because, in the end, you're still just another fish in a sea of hundreds trying to make it in a cutthroat business.


And what's sad is I'm considered one of the nice guys.


The morale of the story is this- Hollywood isn't kind. There are a million others like me who are going to tell you that your work sucks, don't quit your day job, and that you can/will be replaced. I know, it's harsh, but it's reality- if your skin isn't about a foot thick, you picked the wrong business.


Now- does this mean you quit?


Absolutely not. I've never been one to tell another to quit on their dream- but that doesn't mean you're entitled to anything. Hollywood isn't easy- and if you don't accept it now, you'll learn soon enough.


Furthermore- I hate quitters.


And who knows- maybe one day you'll meet a heinous bitch like myself who'll open up doors and windows for you. Or throw your script in a trash can- but hey, at least you can say you tried. :)


Peace, Love, and Heartbreak ♥
A

4 comments:

Lola7384 said...

I absolutely love this post. It reminds me of a lot of bitter, unworthy writers. If you aren't prepared to take criticism, you shouldn't be in this business. And I firmly believe that Mr. Roth said it like it is.

Andi said...

I've been fired. I've been told 'I suck.' I've been told a million times by a million different people that I'd never make it- and I just kept on moving. And not once did I trash anyone along the way. A mentor of mine once told me to never burn a bridge in the business-- great advice.

LSS said...

Hey Andrea! Love your blog. My FIRST review of a screenplay from a professional I was pretty much told that the only thing great about my screenplay was the subject matter...yeah, world war two was pretty epic, too bad it wasn't my original idea. i guess that's hitler-1, mar-0. im still thankful for all the 'constructive criticism' and that anyone aside from my mom read my screenplay. people that can't take criticism and get butt hurt over people not thinking that their work is genius, won't be able to succeed. My mom always used to say "Don't pretend you know everything, because you won't learn anything." Eff them.

Andi said...

Thanks for following! I hope that I'm an inspiration to you. I don't give a crap about what that professional said-- if you work hard, educate yourself, and continue to be creative, you'll make it. One way or another. Believe in yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. ♥