Podcastastic

It's always a good idea to listen to others talk about their craft. Even if you're already successful it can help you learn about new ways to approach things or maybe even inspire you. Chris Hardwick, a stand-up comedian, the host of Web Soup on G4, a successful blogger and technology writer now just added another thing to his plate - the Nerdist (that's the title of his blog) Podcast. Chris has had great guests (Drew Carey, Jon Hamm and others) so far talking about writing, comedy and various geeky things. If you get a chance you should check it out. If you enjoy Chris and all he has to offer, you can also follow him on twitter.

Harry Potter and the Importance of Failure

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Okay, yes the title is a bit of a cheat to catch your attention, but it's J.K. Rowling in the video, so it isn't a total fake out. I recently happened upon this video of J.K. Rowling giving a commencement speech at Harvard where she talks about how important it is to fail at times and how failing at something even if it hurts can help to lead you to the path you should be on. The speech is charming, self-deprecating, funny and inspirational. Take a few minutes to watch when you can.

Be Inspired By Others

If you haven't seen the trailer for Avatar, the upcoming opus from James Cameron, you should check it out. It might not be your cup of tea and the jury is still out if it's totally up my alley, but I'm certainly intrigued enough to see it. He has made some cool movies over the years, but the one lesson that is a great take away from him is that he always tries to do something a bit different in terms of story or utilizing a new technology (Avatar is in 3D). It's inspiring to see someone keep changing and trying to keep things fresh. If you are spending time creating something you should keep this in mind and try to bring your unique voice and/or a new take to it to get people interested.

Valuable Lesson About Writing

I have just about a minute to blog today, so here's a quick link to a great article by Junot Diaz about his struggles with writing. It's helpful to realize that even Diaz (who won a Pulitzer for The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao) has had his moments of insecurity. It should give hope to everyone who wants to follow a creative path.

Success Doesn't Always Happen When You Expect

Most of the people reading this blog probably don't want to be an assistant forever (and if you do - that's great as well). It can be really tough at times to keep your spirits up and believe you will succeed at what you want to do, whether it's writing, acting or whatever creative pursuit you aspire to. The thing is you never know when or how you might break through and it doesn't happen for everyone at a young age. This weekend I saw Julie & Julia (which is AMAZING - Meryl Streep truly is the greatest actor alive) and it made me really reflect on the topic of success and when it happens. Julia Child succeeded professionally and personally later in her life. Julie Powell, the girl who started the Julie and Julia blog/cooking project that inspired the book the movie is based on, also didn't hit her writing stride and have success until she was about thirty. This issue really hits home with me because I didn't really give writing a shot until a few years ago. I also left the business for quite a few years to go up to the Silicon Valley and then ended up coming back, but I'm trying to still have a tiny bit of hope, so if you can, try to as well.

Study People Who Do What You Want To Do

I always say how it's important to not only develop your own style and habits, but to study people who are successful at what you want to do. On that note, watch this video interview from Making Of with John August (screenwriter of Go, Big Fish, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and writer/director of The Nines) to see him talk about his process. You never know what you might learn or how it will inspire you.

Realizing You Are Meant To Do Something Else

Here's a hilarious clip of Judd Apatow from his Inside the Actors Studio episode last week. He has talked often about how failing -- well not failing, but realizing that he would never be as good a stand up comedian as the people he was coming up with (Sandler, Jim Carrey, etc.) and how it helped him to get on the right path. It took him not really getting what he wanted to help him find his way to being a writer/director and that's taken him pretty far. I left the entertainment business in 1999 for about 5 years or so and headed to the Silicon Valley during the first boom because tech and business had always been my two other passions. I had burnt out on the business and thought I would get on a new track to happiness. I did well and got promoted at a at a big media company, but I wasn't really that happy. I would go to see a movie and my heart would ache a bit to be back in LA and in the business. My promotion proved to be a mixed bag, as I had ended up in a much more vulnerable position and many rounds of layoffs later, I lost my job. I thought about staying up north, but eventually I found a job back in Los Angeles working for a director and came home. At that time, I finally really got my nerve back to give writing a shot. I still haven't quite succeeded yet, but I'm making some progress and working as an assistant to pay the bills. I'm hoping that I ended up not staying in the Silicon Valley because this is where I'm meant to be and that I will eventually succeed. Who knows, but I still have a tiny bit of hope. Keep this all in mind when you get thrown off your path a bit because you might end up right where you belong.

Creativity Trumps Perfection Most Of The Time

I seriously laugh out loud every time I read about the new Food Network show called What Would Brian Boitano Make. I would have to assume that the people at the Food Network are making a bit of an inside joke with the title, but they might not have a clue. Most people my age would remember that in the original South Park video Christmas card that went around town (and eventually launched the creators into the stratosphere) -- the kids are struggling with something and they ask what Brian Boitano would do. Moments later, he skates by to talk to them and it's random and hilarious.

As I reflected on that original South Park video from way back it made me realize something that is helpful to assistants who eventually want to do something creative like writing and that's that generally creativity trumps perfection. If you look at the old video it certainly is not the best animation you have ever seen (far from it - it's actually fairly crudely done), but you can see the spirit of the eventual show within it. Even that short video is controversial, irreverent and pee in your pants funny. This concept is hard for me, as I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but I know if I will ever thrive I have to let go of that and get out of my own way. Try to embrace this and it might just free you to create your masterpiece.

Orleantastic

When I'm feeling uninspired and need to get excited about writing again, I often find that if I see a great movie, read a good book or see an interview with someone I admire talking about how and why they do what they do, it helps me to get focused again. Yesterday I was reading this great Newsweek Author Roundtable that included Susan Orlean, Kurt Andersen and others and it got me excited about working on my new tv spec. Hearing about why all of the writers in the piece write and how was fascinating and made me realize that many different paths and processes can lead to creative success.

The Thing You Think Makes You Weird Is Often What Makes You Special

Another late night post because it's hard to blog at work during lunch so far. If you haven't already seen writer and comedian/humorist John Hodgman speak at the 2009 Radio & TV Correspondents Dinner go watch it right now. You will crack up and it will improve your day no matter how bad it has been. He's a guy who became more successful later in life and is truly enjoying it. He got where he is not because he's movie star handsome (although his boyish dork thing is kind of adorable in a certain way), but because he has fully embraced who he is and is proud of being a nerd/geek. You likely will recognize John from his role as the PC in the MAC vs. PC commercials, but that's only one part of his career. If you like his speech, check out his book or one of the public radio pieces he has done, like this one. Try your best to follow this example and embrace what about you makes you different because it's likely the thing that makes you special.

An Alcohol Free Martini Shot That Will Make You Laugh

Anyone still hoping for an boozy filled post will be sadly disappointed. A Martini Shot is the name for the last shot of the day on a film set and not some cool new drink at a hotel in Hollywood. That's not the Martini Shot I'm going to talk about today though. The Martini Shot I'm talking about is the show/podcast that writer Rob Long does for KCRW. He has his own very distinct style and manages to instruct without lecturing. I probably should have included him in this piece I did back in April about letting those around you inspire you. He shares bits of wisdom and anecdotes from his years in the business. I often laugh and learn something at the same time. Listening to the pieces doesn't require much of a time commitment, so you certainly have time to check him out on the radio, via Itunes podcast or on his website. Listening to him often inspires me to stop procrastinating and actually do some writing. He's also on Twitter here, if you want to follow him.

The Making Of A Great Site

A new resource that I'm really loving is the site that Natalie Portman co-founded called Making Of. It features interviews with writers, directors and actors and gives you an unusually candid view of the entertainment business. It's invaluable to listen to people who are doing what you do or want to do and find out how they approach it. If you're lucky, maybe you can pick up a tip or two. Here are a few videos on the site that I really enjoyed:

Natalie & director Jim Sheridan discussing movies in general and their upcoming film Brothers.

Aaron Sorkin discussing writing.

Mark Fergus talking about writing Iron Man.

Jeff Daniels talks about acting.

Lather Up & Jot Down Your Best Idea Yet

A week or two ago on Twitter, I commented that I have many of my best ideas in the shower and that maybe my destiny was to get rich creating some kind of paper and pen that was waterproof. I knew the moment I tweeted it that:

A) The item probably already existed.

B) That Twitter being what it is, I would soon get tweets from companies that made such products.

That night and the next day I did indeed get two tweets regarding such products:

Aqua Notes

Rite In The Rain

As goofy as it seems, it's really important to be able to harness your creativity when it strikes, so I would probably buy this. I'm the queen of using post it notes and any method I need to in order to stay organized as a personal assistant, so these could come in handy for remembering something crucial that pops into my head for a boss.

Own Your Category & Be The Best At What You Do

On the web especially, but really in any part of the entertainment business it's crucial to try and aim to be the best at what you do and own your category if you possibility can. You might not get there at first, but it's best to aim high. There's so much noise on the web and so many outlets for people to get information and entertainment offline and online, that if you don't keep people interested and provide something valuable people will move on and do it quickly. Here are three people who I think own their category and are the very best at what they do on the web:

Whitney Matheson/Pop Candy Blog @ USA Today - I've been severely addicted to this blog ever since I started reading it. Whitney has her finger right on the pulse of all things pop culture and she never fails to share entertaining and informative stuff about television, comics, music, movies and more. Back when I was working in content/programming at Netscape tracking and sharing trends in movies and other parts of the arts, she was an invaluable resource to find out about new stuff and to make sure I was on the right track about what I was following. There are PLENTY of pop culture blogs on the web, but for my money, not one of them even comes close to Pop Candy.

Dooce Blog/Heather Armstrong - This blog is in my opinion the best personal blog that currently exists on the web in terms of content and execution. I only started reading it in the last couple of years, but I know it's been popular for quite some time. What makes this blog great is that you don't have to relate to every topic she writes about to enjoy it. She often writes about her ADORABLE and hilarious 5 year old named Leta and her current pregnancy. I don't have kids or necessarily even plan to have them, but her writing is so personal and full of such wit and humor, it's irrelevant. She also takes truly amazing pictures of her dogs and various other things. In my dreams, I aim to be as witty as she is in my writing (not on this blog, but with my other things I work on), so she serves as a constant source of inspiration to work harder. She recently wrote a book that I ordered and am planning to read it right when it arrives. In a related note, one fan of Dooce who has a blog that I recently started reading when I discovered her on twitter is Karyn Murphy. She's a producer and was Ashton Kutcher's assistant, but she's also a great writer. She was able to take inspiration from the blog she loved and mix in her own snarky sense of humor and write a blog that truly makes me laugh out loud. She did what I suggested in that she found her own angle and perspective on the world and is on her way to leading her category of best blog about not wanting to have kids! Please take time to read both blogs, I promise it will be the highlight of your day. Both women are on Twitter, so if you want to follow Heather, click here or Karen click here.

I'm aiming to own my category and do my best with this blog. I've been a personal assistant (and aspiring writer) for many years and had not seen someone really sharing great tips and all it takes to be a fantastic and creative personal assistant, so I'm trying to fill that niche and be the best at what I do. I might not be there yet, but I'm giving it my all.

A Podcast & Magazine I Can't Live Without

As an aspiring screenwriter, I'm constantly seeking out information about what I want to do for a living and trying to find people who do it well and see what I can learn from them. One resource I love is Creative Screenwriting Magazine. It's full of tips, interesting interviews and stories of how people succeeded. If you don't want to subscribe to the magazine, they also do a fantastic podcast that features some of the most talented and successful writers and filmmakers in the business. The podcasts are always interesting and super insightful. I could not get myself to the gym without them.

Check it out if it interests you, but if you aren't a writer try to find a resource you love that inspires you to do your best.