Shot of the Day #292: L.A. Origins

Shot with iphone, click to enlarge.

It all started here...

I'm on the 405 South, trying to get home from the Valley, when I'm stopped in front of the Holiday Inn (or at least I think it is, might have been sold) that Bri and I stayed at back in March of 2002 when I was commissioned by Burly Bear TV to do a bunch of national TV spots for Amp Energy Drink. We were set up to go to three cities; New York (where we lived), Colorado and finally end up in Los Angeles, doing "Man on Street" type commercials of people enjoying/enduring the powerfully death-inducing drink (the smell of it makes me sick now). the first two shoots went really well (aside from the AIDS Squirrel in Washington Square Park that bit me, but that's another story) and in LA, which I had only been to once before (for Trent Haaga's wedding in 1999), we had a GREAT shoot outside UCLA. The production manager at Burly put us up at this mod hotel that overlooks the 405 and gave us a very romantic, picturesque view of the landscape. Between the great shoot, meeting my friend Yale on the Sony lot, a free preview of PANIC ROOM in Westwood we just happened upon, an impromptu meet up with Dino from FEAR FACTORY and being in this hotel with Bri watching CREEPSHOW...all of this for some reason made me wake up one morning while there, saying proudly..."I think its time we moved to L.A.".

Sometimes I wish I could eat those words, put them back in my mouth. Then again, all minor annoyances and grievances aside, Im glad we came out here, because if we didn't, I'd probably still be working small-time TV shit in NY, or maybe given up on moviemaking all together, or not have met so many great people and had the opportunities I've been lucky to experience, or maybe Bri and I wouldn't have stayed together, and then there would be no Remy. One big "Choose Your Own Adventure" and all in all, Im glad I "Turned to Page 16".

But just seeing this hotel, its an icon of that decision I made that sunny L.A. day, and comes with SO many emotions.

...if I can only get out of this fuckin' traffic now.

Joe