Tips From a Movie Mogul in the Making

So you want to work in Hollywood? Leave the book on film theory at home, return the tickets to that Truffaut retrospective, and get in the real world. Frederick Levy, 29, is a movie development executive with hiring power and a little advice.

“I don’t like it when somebody comes in for an interview and starts quoting me a film school syllabus,” says Levy. “That’s not helpful in today’s Hollywood. I need someone who knows what’s No. 1 at the box office.”

And don’t be timid. “Have an opinion. It’s amazing to me how many times I’ll meet somebody who wants to work in the film business and they can’t think of what their favorite movie is. It doesn’t have to be the same as mine, but have one.”

Knocking on doors in the entertainment industry is intimidating, assuming they even let you that close to the door. But Levy’s offering some help. He’s written “Hollywood 101/The Film Industry: How to Succeed in Hollywood Without Connections.” The paperback spent two weeks on The Times’ bestseller list in April.

Equal parts how-to book, L.A. survival guide and tales from the movie trenches, “Hollywood 101” gives hints on landing most industry jobs you’ve ever heard of. Movers and shakers as well as unsung craftspeople tell Levy how they succeeded and how others might follow. Publisher Renaissance Books won’t disclose sales figures for Levy’s book, but it’s ordered a second printing, and an informal survey of bookstores and Web sites confirms “Hollywood 101’s” popularity.

“He’s a vice president of development, he comes with credentials,” says Robert Jarzen, 33, an actor from Sherman Oaks who started with the screenwriting chapter. “Sometimes you read these books and it’s like, who is this person?”

Levy is vice president of development and production at Marty Katz Productions (“Reindeer Games”) in Santa Monica. He hunts down scripts, works with writers and packages potential movies for Katz, a former Disney exec who now has his own company.

Books like screenwriter William Goldman’s “Which Lie Did I Tell” (still a bestseller) focus on one industry profession. Levy’s takes a shotgun approach. But how else is it different from the myriad books offering Hollywood secrets? “Some of the others I’ve read are discouraging,” Levy says. “They’ll say, ‘If you’d be happy doing something else, do it.’ I wanted to be positive. I’m not tricking people into thinking it’s easy because it’s not. It’s a difficult business. But if this is where your passion lies, follow it.”

Levy is smart and has a cool job title, but can you be a career expert before age 30?

“I didn’t want to write from thin air,” Levy says. “I can talk about development, that’s what I do. But I wouldn’t feel right writing about jobs I don’t do. This advice isn’t just from me but from dozens of people I interviewed in these different fields.” Industry pros heard from in the book include director Jon Turteltaub (“While You Were Sleeping”), producer Debra Hill (“The Fisher King”) and screenwriter Daniel Yost (“Drugstore Cowboy”).

Ariana Dane, 39, a Los Angeles writer, thinks the book bears sage advice. “There are no rules in Hollywood, but if you don’t listen to other people’s journeys, you’ll flounder around a lot longer.”

Some critics say parts of the book are exercises in the obvious (purchase a Thomas Guide, invest in a pager, read Daily Variety). But Levy says it has something for everyone--Midwesterners debating a move to L.A., and those already here.

OK, say you’ve finally decided to get serious about a career in Hollywood. You’ve bought that map and you’ve tracked down Levy. What’s next?

“Make an impression, research my company,” Levy says. “Where is our current deal? [Miramax Films.] What movies are we doing? [“Impostor,” with Gary Sinise and Madeleine Stowe, due in August.] Look through past issues of the trades. Can you find anything on the Internet about us? Were you aware I’ve written a book? You don’t have to come in and brown-nose, just be yourself.

“Spell my name right. It’s incredible how many writers send me letters asking me to read their stuff and they spell my name wrong. It’s just uncanny to me. It will bother some people more than others. There’s a lot of ego in this business. If you’re trying to come off as a professional, little details like that are very important.

“Do your homework. If this is the business you want to work in, know the end product, know your films. Have a firm understanding of how the business of Hollywood works. I’m impressed if people find out how to get in touch with me, send me a letter that’s well put together, come in and are confident.”

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Levy’s office has the requisite movie posters on the wall, as well as a local-boy-makes-good certificate from his hometown, Stoughton, Mass. He’s enthusiastic and animated in conversation--this is energy you don’t learn from a book.

He moved to L.A. at age 17 and graduated from USC (in marketing, not film). Early jobs included tour guide at Universal Studios and various work on the TV shows “Love Connection,” “Studs” and “Bedroom Buddies.” A turning point came when he signed up with a temp agency specializing in the entertainment industry, a move he recommends. Through work assignments at Disney, he met Katz and eventually was offered a job as his assistant.

“I said, ‘I’d love to be your assistant as long as it’s only for one year, then either promote me or help me get a better job,’ ” Levy says he told Katz, who agreed. “I would schedule his racquetball, get the coffee, sort the mail, answer the phones, anything that an assistant would do. I made a great impression and that’s why I got promoted. Six years ago I was an assistant. Today I’m the vice president of the company.”

As Katz tells it, “I gambled and gambled well, I guess. I was blown away at his ability to problem-solve. It’s something you can’t teach. And he cultivates his people skills. To succeed in this business you need to engage people. Frederick has a charm and creates a feeling about him that makes people want to help him.”

Levy tries to help his own interns similarly. He proudly names some who started in his office and “are now on their way.” KristieAnne Groelinger is director of production at Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Stephanie Palmer is a creative exec at MGM. Jeremy Garelick is director Joel Schumacher’s assistant. Tiffany Faigus is director Jon Avnet’s assistant. Others work for producers, agents, production companies. A few have sold spec scripts. “All of a sudden I have this incredible network I can draw on,” he says.

Levy loves selling himself. “You constantly need to be your own best champion.” Name recognition is currency in Hollywood, so he jumps into outside projects, but the list is a little dizzying.

He teaches at night after work, at Emerson College’s L.A. branch, at USC’s School of Cinema-Television and at the UCLA Extension Writers Program, where he’s the youngest person in the room. “I hate the expression, ‘Those who can’t, teach.’ I think it’s good to get a mix of professional teachers and industry professionals in the classroom. Someone with experience who comes into class is invaluable.”

His second book is due out in September, a look at today’s boy-band phenomenon. A deal is in the works for a book about TV, and he plans yet another about acting. He writes a monthly development column on the new Web site https://www.hollywoodlitsales.com, and will soon begin online discussion forums through Creative Planet about breaking into Hollywood. And he’s got https://www.hollywood-101.com, a Web site addendum to his book.

“It’s like nothing is ever enough,” he says. “I think many successful people in Hollywood are like that.

“The more visibility you have the better it is for your career. When I first started, only a few people took my calls. Today most people take my calls. Maybe they say, ‘Oh, this is the guy who wrote that book. He’s got a lot going on. He’s someone we should know.’

“Somebody once said I’d make an incredible agent. I think I would, except I don’t want to work that hard on somebody else’s career. I want it to be on my own career. If I’m not at the office, I’m at home reading scripts, working on a book, off interviewing somebody, teaching a class.

“I don’t have much of a social life, but don’t feel sorry for me. My days consist of going to screenings and fancy lunches, talking on the phone, having meetings. That’s not such a bad way to spend your life. I don’t feel I’m missing out. I’m young. I have time.”

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Levy’s Logic

DO

Network. Be willing to call or approach anyone and introduce yourself. Contacts are the lifeline of Hollywood.

Make a good impression. You must go above and beyond. Little things are as important as big ones. Your boss won’t remember you were the one who made the best coffee--he’ll only remember you did a good job.

Take advantage of the environment and learn through osmosis. Listen to every conversation. Read every memo you fax, copy or file. Read every script you can.

Have an opinion. When you’re asked for it, shine. Never say, “I’m sorry, I’m just an intern, I didn’t read that script.”

Be resourceful. If someone asks you to find something, don’t try one avenue and be done with it. Try 10 different ways to get the info.

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DON’T

Don’t expect anything to be handed to you. No one owes you a job.

Don’t create drama. Your job is to make your boss’ job easier.

Don’t be a suck-up. People see right through that. Do a good job and your work will be rewarded.

Don’t be so focused on one particular goal or job in the business that you let other great opportunities pass you by. There is no one direct path to any career in Hollywood.