"If you're serious about the industry just move to L.A" -- A manager at a  pretty big agency told me that recently, he was about the tenth person that week to tell me a version of that very same sentence. Now I know that it makes sense, right? Just hop on a plane, land in L.A and the rest is easy. Well heres the thing, I'd love to, I can't though. It's not a case of I can't because I'd be so far away from home or I can't because I have to mow the lawn or anything stupid like that, I can't get a working visa for the USA and so my stays to the US are limited to how many days I can afford. 

Just in case there's someone reading this that hasn't figured it out yet, I'm European, I come from the little island to the west of Europe, the one with the leprechauns. Sure I can get a 90 day visa waiver type deal where I can visit the US, can't work though. Can't technically take meetings or pitch a script or movie idea, can't go busking for a few hours to make some pocket money. Sadly I'm one of those people who needs to work so that he gets paid and can use that pay to buy food, pay rent and generally exist in other ways like socially. 

So when people say "Why don't you just move to L.A?" It angers me. It angers  me because if I could I would, I'd mow lawns, clean pools, sweep roads, polish toilet bowls, cook food, walk dogs, wash windows, clean cars, take part in medical trials or any other low paid job that I could get just to live in L.A and really chase my dream, like everyone thinks is so easy.

I've wanted to work in Hollywood my entire grown up life, I've now got a handle on what it is I want to do when I get there (write and direct please) and I only have one obstacle in the way of achieving that goal... red tape.

There have been many proposals for new Irish only visas that would enable someone like me to visit the US for 12 months and work during that time, they have all failed. A new one is being held up again right now and all the people like me can do is sigh and hope that someone in a prod co picks up our script, loves it and manages to persuade the decision makers in their company to part with at least $70,000 for the script, that way we'd be people of special talent and we'd get in no problem.

But for now, all we can do is keep working and working and hoping that today will be the day that I connect with the person who can make it all come true for me, safe in the knowledge that if I lived in Hollywood I would make my dreams come true... but I live in Wexford and dreams remain dreams, for now.

Write On!