How to Cope With the Hollywood Downturn (Mentally, Anyway)

As a fellow artist navigating the tumultuous waters of Hollywood, I wholeheartedly empathize with Phil Stark’s insights into the current Entertainment Industry Apocalypse (EIA). His unique blend of experiences as a screenwriter, author, and therapist provides a rare and valuable perspective on the struggles faced by creative professionals.

Currently, the show business world is facing challenging times due to the ongoing Entertainment Industry Upheaval (EIU). This period is characterized by rapid technological, economic, and social changes that are impacting us relentlessly. I witness these transformations in the industry through various sources such as trade publications, mainstream media, and my role as a therapist. Although confidentiality is crucial in talk therapy, I can discuss some recurring concerns that have been emerging among my entertainment industry clients.

Is it financially feasible for me to persist on this professional trajectory? This query pertains to a critical examination of our financial lives, essentially balancing income against expenditure. I often hear individuals express concerns over not only fewer opportunities currently but also reduced remuneration. It can be particularly challenging when they contrast their current earnings with what they used to make. The decline of syndication, the bursting of the Peak TV streaming bubble, production shifting out of state, rising living costs, and other factors have left many individuals longing for the old days, even if the old days didn’t seem so appealing at the time. Some dream about relocating and starting afresh somewhere with more job opportunities, where they could buy a 4-bedroom, 2-bath house with a 3-car garage for the price of a West LA condo. Others who are set on finding that next stable job question whether, even if they find it, their careers will be viable in the long run. They feel like mice perpetually searching for the next piece of cheese, and the futility of this search is causing them to wonder if it’s worth the effort. This brings us to the subsequent question…

As a gamer, I’ve been asking myself, “Am I still having fun with this game?” Money matters are crucial, but if the thrill of playing has faded, what’s the point? It’s a struggle many gamers face when they started gaming because of the excitement and the creative challenge, only to find that stress, burnout, and lack of rewards have turned something we loved into a chore. Some gamers might still enjoy the gameplay but struggle to find enough challenging levels or rewards to keep going. Others may realize they no longer derive pleasure from their favorite games, a realization that can be both eye-opening and uncomfortable. However, acknowledging this discontent is often the first step towards finding a new game that reignites our passion for gaming.

What The Hell Else Am I Qualified To Do? This is a question that can hit a client like a bucket of cold water. They’ve spent their whole professional lives building equity in their career. How could they give it all up and start over? It’s impossible! This understandable reaction does indeed make the idea of switching careers impossible, much like the idea of waking up tomorrow morning and running a marathon seems impossible. I work with these clients to break down an impossible task into manageable steps. They might consider what lateral moves they could make to take advantage of their skill set in a different position or related industry. I encourage these clients to reach out to friends who are working in other fields and pick their brains about how they got started. They’ll also be encouraged to speak with former colleagues who have made the transition out of their shared careers into another one. Hearing how someone further ahead down the path you intend to follow got there and what it was like for them to change can be instructive. I encourage these clients to take off their career blinders and imagine anything else they might enjoy doing, and even more importantly to give themselves the freedom to have a pie-in-the-sky approach and not limit the possibilities by focusing on the reality of actually making this change. Of course, the very real considerations about making this change are right in front of our face, sending us credit card bills and mortgage statements every month, so a final common question is…

How Do I Deal With All This Change? After considering all the previous questions we often land on this one. How do I stop feeling all this fear and anxiety? Unfortunately, the answer to this questions is: You don’t. However, I work with clients to reframe this goal by understanding that feelings like fear and anxiety don’t just go away, but we can learn to accept and manage them in ways that mitigate their power over us. Once we have considered if they can afford to continue on this career path, if they have explored whether they enjoy what they’re doing anymore, and considered what the hell else they’re qualified to do, then at least they’re taking tangible steps to address the problem and find a solution. At this point, we discuss things unrelated to work that can make us feel better. It can be easy to see everything in our lives through the filter of the EIA, but if we can deselect that filter we might find that getting more exercise out in the wonderful SoCal sunshine can make us feel better, that changing our diet to include more natural foods than processed ones can improve our moods, and that connecting or re-connecting with friends and family can makes us feel seen and supported.

Many individuals I work with express a sense of hopelessness when it comes to transitioning from their current professional state to one that brings them more joy, but I always reassure them that not only is such transformation feasible, but I myself have walked this path. Initially, I tasted success in my profession, penning scripts for popular shows like ‘South Park’ and ‘That ’70 Show’. However, after a period of prosperity, my career began to stagnate and eventually decline following the 2008 WGA strike. This was a challenging phase for me, and I found myself wandering in a metaphorical darkness for years, dissatisfied with my screenwriting career yet unsure about what alternative I desired. I grappled with the same questions that my clients now grapple with, and in essence, I eventually returned to academia, earned a psychology degree, and became a counselor. Today, my past experiences with career transitions guide my work with clients facing similar circumstances. I urge my clients to ponder these questions and balance their current stress and apprehension with optimism for the future, assuring them that someday they will look back on their lives and remark, “long story short,” recognizing just how far they’ve progressed.

Phil Stark serves as a screenwriter, having penned the script for “Dude, Where’s My Car?”, is also an author who has written “Dude, Where’s My Car-tharsis?” and additionally works as a therapist based in Los Angeles.

2024-09-26 17:25

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