Are you a Hollywood writer? I'm a Hollywood writer! Hey, I'm also a Hollywood writer!

It seems everyone I've met in the past few weeks has been a writer. I write for a living but my writing is not related to the entertainment industry. I write about plastic surgery so I work on news stories and medical articles with board-certified doctors all over the United States.

I also work with different clients across the country on blogs and social media.

In this town, writers can be found everywhere. They are working on screenplays, network pitches, reboots of their favorite TV shows from the past, grim and gritty/adult versions of childhood favorites and video game scripts. It seems the only writers I don't meet are the ones working on their version of the Great American Novel.

To give you an idea about the amount of people in this town that want to be a writer in the entertainment industry, check out this list of discussions I've had with multiple writers over the course of the past few weeks:

1. "A Hulk reboot that ignores all of the Marvel movies in favor of a Hulk that is gray, lives in Compton and drives a taxi."
2. "A game show where all of the contestants can only answer in 150 characters or less even if the actual answer is more than 150 characters. It's a game show where people that text will rule the game!"
3. "Boy meets girl. Girl meets another boy. First boy meets second boy. It's a love triangle mixed with a touch of The Amazing Race."
4. "What if Luigi tried to buy out Mario's share of the plumbing business? What is Mario's second act? The game is Mario trying new professions. The unofficial name of the game is Mario's Mid-Life Mania"
5. 'What if we did an SNL-type show on the web but it was on 3 nights a week for 5-7 minutes each night? It's SNL without the filler!"
6. "I'm writing a screenplay about a guy that writes scripts that are never produced for a living. That way, if it doesn't sell, I look like a man that really knows his subject."
7. "It's like the Real Housewives franchise except all of the women are mistresses instead of wives."
8.  "It's a show kind of like Dallas but, instead of oil, the family is fighting over 1000 acres of avocado farmland."
9. "I'm rebooting the X-Men franchise. No one asked me to do it but, if I believe enough, I will manifest that job opening through the power of positive thinking."
10. "It's the story of an all girl band if they were actually house painters instead of musicians."

Once again, I write about plastic surgery for a living so I might not be the best judge of those wanting to write screenplays for a living. I will say that all of the above ideas seem like they need a bit of massaging before they are ready to be seen on the big screen, the small screen, an iPhone screen or an Xbox near you.

This actor is studying screenwriting in college.

Yearly Meeting Recap for an Actor: The Year Ahead for Zach Louis

It's still close to the start of the New Year which means it is time for Zach's "year in review" meeting with his manager. Dana had to work so I was picked to go with The Artist to the meeting.

I know each actor has a different relationship with their manager but Zach always enjoys going to see his manager. We first met her when Zach and I visited Los Angeles in August of 2011. We were with a group of actors from Minneapolis (long story...Hi Craig! Hi Leah!) visiting various agents and managers to get a better idea of how the business worked.

DL (his manager) was the first person "in the biz" that we met on the trip. We landed at LAX on a Wednesday morning. We checked into our hotel and started our journey. The first stop was DL's office for a chat with the group and some insights into being a working actor.

She took notice of Zach and talked to me after the session. DL told me she was interested in talking to Zach one on one and that he should come meet with her if we decided to make the move to Los Angeles.

I thanked her for the kind words about Zach but I didn't think too much about it. It's not like we were really going to uproot our lives and move to Los Angeles.

Flash forward to 5 months later (January 2012) and Zach signed with her management firm.

Flash forward (again) to 2019 and our annual meeting with DL.

The meetings have evolved over the years:

• The first few years were all about getting Zach out there and established as an actor
• The next few years were focused on using the connections he built to continue his success
• Last year was focused on balancing his youthful look (Disney/Nick look) with the desire to move beyond that arena

This year, we discussed a few key targets for 2019:

• Build his social media following - If you are so inclined, you can check him out at: 

1. https://twitter.com/zachlouis4sale, 
2. https://www.instagram.com/zachlouis4sale/
3. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA7aUdiBGf8_4l7cJJYYE2w

• Work on writing packets for specific TV shows
• Prepare for a (hopefully) busy pilot season
• Get a plan together for comedy clubs he has not been able to play in the past because he was not 21 years old
• Follow-up on an opportunity with a NBC show that premieres later this year

The meeting last week was our 8th official planning session with his manager. We chat a lot during the year and touch base on various issues but it is always nice to sit down and make a focused plan for the year ahead.  It's also great to look back at the past year and see where we stuck to the plan and when we went in a different direction (as well as how that turned out for Zach).

He is excited for the challenges of this year. His manger is excited about the plans that are being put in motion. I am excited that I get to be part of the evolution of his career.

I am also looking forward to sharing his success stories with you in 2019.

The year has started strong for this actor.

Discover what 2019 Means for Zach Louis in Acting, Stand-Up and Film School

Now that the holidays and 2018 are behind us, Zach is looking forward to 2019 as he continues to focus on his long-term career goals. The New Year is barely two weeks old and he has already performed two gigs related to comedy and improv.

The first gig was performing as one of the improv professionals at the IMTA (International Models & Talent) Convention in Los Angeles. The week-long convention is attended by thousands of people looking to break into the entertainment industry. They want to be seen by the hundreds of managers, casting directors, agents, music producers and network reps that attend the convention searching for new talent.

As I mentioned above, Zach attended the show as an improv professional and conducted seminars and sessions with the attendees of the convention. He showed them how improv works and how you need to listen to your partners on stage in order to keep the scene going and play well off of each other. This convention is one of the biggest events at the start of each year in Hollywood and it is an honor to be asked to teach/perform for the attendees as well as the industry veterans attending the show. It is also a huge vote of confidence for your skills as a performer to be invited to appear on stage as a professional teacher.

His week of comedy continued two nights later with a stand-up gig in the main room at Flappers in Burbank. It was the first weekend of comedy in 2019 at Flappers and Zach was booked by the owner of the club to perform in the main room. It was a good chance for him to debut some new jokes and refine some of his older material in a club setting.

While his live performance skills have been on display this month, his confidence and skills behind the scenes continues to grow. As part of his studies at film school, he has been working on writing and creating his own films. He still enjoys acting and performing but his interest in working behind the scenes has grown in the last year. His college is attended by film students from all over the world so his influences and way of looking at the art of making films is evolving as he works with others.

He wants to focus on his writing and the ability to control the creation of his projects from start to finish. It has been a decision that has been a long time in the making and I am glad to see him taking the necessary steps to guide his career in the path he desires.

Plus, it is fun to see the excitement on his face when he shares photos and footage created while filming his scripts. We want him to enjoy his chosen career path and it is great to see him having fun on stage and behind the camera.

This actor has been busy to start the year...And he plans on remaining busy in 2019.