A lot of people say how Hollywood and LA tech are two very different cultures. Hollywood is full of creative types and LA tech is full of, well, techies. But the two cultures really have more in common than you would think. The business operations, mindsets and ambitions of these separate, yet increasingly converging industries, are quite similar. Here are 10 reasons LA tech and Hollywood aren't so different after all:
They both rapidly build companies. Movies and television shows often start as a totally new venture incorporated separately from the production companies they come from. Dozens upon dozens of crew, cast and management come together to rapidly build sets, costumes and story in a short period of time. The atmosphere is a lot like a startup.
It's full of hustlers. There’s no hustle quite like a Hollywood hustle, unless you’re talking tech. Hollywood has long been known as a place were wheeling and dealing reign supreme. The Los Angeles tech scene is not so much different. Even the most product oriented companies need to secure funding, set up distribution deals, find business partners, neutralize enemies, and convince prospective employees to join up
Networking. Speaking of hustling, the best hustlers have a network. When you have to rapidly put together a movie or television production, finding the time to find the right people is too costly; being connected to the right people in advance makes projects go through much easier. The best entrepreneurs are connected to great professionals as well. How many times have you heard, ‘It’s all about the people?' Well it is. In an industry so reliant on creative skill, you can’t do without your connections.
They’re a little bit weird. Let’s face up to this fact right now: entrepreneurs and Hollywood-types are a little too self-involved and interested in their vision to conform to social norms. As Steve Jobs said “Here’s to the crazy ones.”
They have early mornings and late nights. The best time to shoot film is right after dawn because that often provides the best lighting. While in the tech industry your choice of light may not matter, the best time to work is often early in the morning too, when there is no one to call, email and bother you. Early mornings are a particularly favorite working time for Santa Monica-based Docstoc founder Jason Nazar. And just like building a startup, filming does not always go to plan. Often you will find yourself improvising and working late into the night, only to rise early again the next day.
They see opportunity and run at it. Aggression often gets a bad rap. But many things in this world would not happen if someone did not run hard to pull everything together. This is something entrepreneurs and film executives know all too well. When they see an opportunity, they don’t hesitate the execute. What would Hollywood be without agents like Ari Emanuel (dramatized as Entourage’s Ari Gold) and what would Los Angles tech be without the pugnacious Jason Calacanis.
They hire quickly. Filming is expensive and so is building a tech startup. You need to hire quickly so that your employees can contribute to the bottom line fast.
Persistence. Nothing good in Hollywood gets made without persistence. There is even a name for the great scripts that get picked up but never made: The Black List. For startups, Mark Suster, legendary Angelino, angel investor and partner at Venture Capital firm Upfront Ventures emphasizes overcoming obstacles with what he calls “polite persistence.“
Of course, there's camaraderie. Filming shoots can be infamously long and hard hours, yet that time in close quarters also tends to produce camaraderie. The ‘wrap party’ is usually a culmination of all of that hard work and unity. In the same way 12-hour days grinding away, shoulder to shoulder, on a startup also tends to create an intense team bond. It no wonder Hollywood and startup life can be so addicting.
They do it all over again. In Hollywood the best of the best rinse and repeat: they produce hit production after hit production. In Los Angeles tech, there is no titled more envied than a serial entrepreneur. Los Angeles’ serial entrepreneur Brian Lee is a great example of that. He has built three different companies: LegalZoom, ShoeDazzle and The Honest Company. Two of those were launched with Hollywood celebrities Kim Kardashian and Jessica Alba.
