The first time I moved to Los Angeles, it was August 1993. Within my first week here, I had attended two networking events, started up with an acting class, begun doing what were then known as “CD workshops” (not at all what they are today), and done extra work on the set of a studio feature film for the first time. I have no idea how I knew to be so plugged in before I got here, but I do remember doing a lot of letter-writing and phone-calling among friends who’d left Atlanta before me, and among friends of friends who were happy to put me in touch with folks who might be helpful.

One of the first people I met at the first of the networking events — this one put on by the Hollywood Creative Directory — handed me a business card with the word “hyphenate” under his name, above his phone number. I was intrigued. I was also taught a healthy distrust of most folks who called themselves a hyphenate back then, as it was really just code for an egomaniac who wouldn’t relinquish control of anything on a set… or for someone shady who really just wanted to take “meetings” with pretty young girls.

Fast-forward nearly two decades (eep! I’m old) and the hyphenate is to be celebrated. Many hyphenates wear so many hats, they may be considered “multi-hyphenates” (but please, never refer to yourself as such. It’s precious. And to say you’re a hyphenate is to already admit to your many talents. Let’s not get carried away).

I thought about how cool the hyphenate is, now, as I sat across from one over tea last week. (The fun part is, I regularly sit across from hyphenates, and we discuss our many projects in development. LOVE this.) The conversations are never exactly the same, but they always fascinate me. We’re always working on multiple projects, each at different stages of financing or development, no one of them from the same vantage point — seeing as we’re hyphenates and that means on one, we’re producing, on another, we’re directing, on still another, we’ve written, and on yet another, we’re performing.

It’s a ridiculously complicated task, keeping this many pots and pans on the stove, all at once, but somehow the hyphenate knows how. The hyphenate isn’t afraid of one project going away or financing falling out on another. That sort of thing is always seen as an opportunity to shift focus to one of the many other projects in development. Yippee!

So, when — one day after a conversation in which I was talking about casting a project in development for the scripted division of a well-known reality-programming production company by the showrunner (who is a hyphenate, of course) — my husband took a meeting as 1st AD on a project being shot for that exact same production company’s scripted division, I smiled and visualized the pots and pans on the stove, each bubbling and simmering at different stages. My husband came here as an actor. He’s since developed a series, ghost written a half-dozen feature scripts, and now this. I came here long ago as an actor, started writing about casting for actors (in Backstage), began working in casting, and have produced webseries while AP-ing selected feature films for which I’ve been hired as casting director. Launching a web distribution channel exclusively for self-produced content from actors (and hyphenates) with my hyphenate husband and our hyphenate business partner was a no-brainer.

And we’re all still new at this Hollywood thing.

One of the things I want to share with y’all (and I know, I put a lot of links in my column each week, so thanks for checking them out) is something I recalled during the above-mentioned hyphenate meeting over tea. As many hyphenates do, when talking about their many projects, we began discussing the mindset that goes along with successfully spinning so many plates at once in this town. The 10,000 Hours thing. And this, from Sean V. Walker (so important I’m going to embed the dang vid, rather than just linking to it):

Yeah. Want it. Hustle for it. Take every ounce of downtime and make something happen. Even if you have no desire to be a hyphenate, you can use the energy that inspires you to create — every single moment you’re in need of inspiration to go on. This career takes endurance, for sure. Patience, too. And wanting it. How badly do you want it?

Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!

Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001270.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.