Had lunch today with Paul Rogan, a writer/performer who moved to Los Angeles last year with his wife Justin (an American) to see if he could get more work than he was getting here. He is. (That's Paul in the picture, at a picnic last year, not at lunch today). Paul and I wrote a musical a couple of years ago, of which more later; and we have written various projects since, but his move has meant that we've only been in phone and skype contact for the last few months. What makes his experience interesting is how diffrerently agents and casting directors operate over there compared to here. It his to be said that he was able to get work far more easily than if I were to try. Getting a green card is next to impossible, but being married to an American he has dual citizenship, so it made life a lot easier. He also got his SAG card very quickly and managed to hook up with some impro buddies and got an agent. He's since auditioned for Curb Your Enthusiasm, got a part in a sit-com with Jeffrey Tambour and John Lithgow and is in the massive Fed Ex ad which will be screened during the Superbowl. All in all, he's doing very well. It can be done, but the fact that he was legally entitled to work made a huge difference. He's talented, and was destined to do well, but that legal hurdle has stopped me going to the States for years. One of the main differences in attitude in LA is that the casting directors see no problem auditioning comedy performers for acting roles, whereas over here there is a sort of invisible wall that prevents anyone crossing that bridge (unless they become very famous of course, in which case anything is possible). When he was here, he wasn't seen for anything other than commercials, but as soon as he got an agent in the States, he was up for sit-coms too. I was also struck by how enthusiastic he was. I expected to see a buffed, tanned, LA version of Paul to arrive, but he looked exactly the same as when he left last year, it's his attitude that's moved up a notch. Everyone here is programmed to be negative. The system is hard both sides of the pond, but the barriers you have to breach here are mostly psychological. Everything gets done despite the system, over there, they just keep making stuff and don't seem to care if it fails. The other advantage to being English in the States is that they love you for your accent, your supposed breeding and de facto quirkiness. Over here I'm one of many English comedy voices looking for an outlet, over there, Paul is a quirky eccentric with great timing, and they can't get enough of that.
Paul's experience is probably not typical, but it does make you think that things are not always as bleak as they seem. I'm staying put for a while yet. I'm moving house, and that's about it. No Green card, no point in even going over there. Here, I get employed and I love the work, so why mess up a good thing? (because I want to win an Emmy, that's why).
