NY v LA for entertainment industry?

Dec 30, 2020 57 Comments

Would love to get some general thoughts, particularly from those those have experienced both cities. Currently NYC based but considering a move to LA for weather/proximity to family in SoCal. Work in BD in media, but open to other (related) opps

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 TOP 57 Comments
  • New
    NateFAANG

    New

    NateFAANG
    Cities don’t matter... in the biz it’s who you know that matters
    Dec 30, 2020 1
    • New / Design
      ⚡️🤝⚡️

      New Design

      BIO
      Zen Out 🐐
       ⚡️🤝⚡️
      To get to know the right people you need to be in the right places. Most entertainment related events are in those two cities
      Jan 5, 2021
  • MindShare
    mnd/mttr

    Go to company page MindShare

    PRE
    MindShare
     mnd/mttr
    Aside from work, take it from a guy who’s from LA but now lives and works in NYC - there’s no grind or motivation in LA. It’s a really relaxed lifestyle and I’ve seen a lot of family and friends succumb to that. If you have the discipline, then by all means enjoy the weather. But if you enjoy the fast pace environment, there’s nothing wrong w NYC. (Btw there’s a trend of companies leaving LA that i would pay attention to in next couple of years)
    Jan 5, 2021 5
    • Slack
      neighboor

      Go to company page Slack

      neighboor
      Yeah - I think that’s true of CA generally too when compared to east coast, a lot of talk. But I will say when you find those motivated people in LA (especially in the indie scene), it’s fun riding waves of projects with the same group, especially as people make more connections and projects gain traction.
      Jan 5, 2021
    • Disney
      neUF50

      Go to company page Disney

      neUF50
      Completely false based on the context of the OP. The grind in entertainment / media is real. Hollywood where dreams are broken rings true. This industry grinds up and spits out more people than most.
      Mar 17, 2021
  • Google
    doug1234

    Go to company page Google

    doug1234
    I work in music (previously at a major record label, then a large indie label, then marketing for a management company, now at YT).

    The first 5 years of my career I was based in NYC. After 5 years I was worn out and tired of the city. I was looking to move to LA for the weather, hiking, beach...and then I just happened to be offered a job in LA. It was the same pay but I took it to get out of the city.

    When I got to LA I almost immediately realized it wasn’t for me. A lot of music I was working with was in Hollywood and downtown, so I lived in Hollywood. When you live in Hollywood it’s an hour to the beach so you almost never go because of traffic. Weather is nice but I really missed the rain and snow more than I thought I would.

    I moved to Culver City my last 2 years because of my job at google and being close to the Playa office. I almost never saw my friends because they wouldn’t come to culver and I wouldn’t drive to Hollywood / downtown.

    Ultimately I was just lonely in LA. I knew about traffic in LA, but what I didn’t know was just how badly it would affect my daily happiness. I missed the shared experience of being around people in the morning and evening on a subway. I missed random encounters with strangers (good and bad). I missed chatting with a coworker at 5:30 and then just deciding to hop in the bar on the corner for an after work beer. I almost never grabbed quick beers with coworkers because everyone had to drive home, or get ready for an event, or take a nap before going out for the night.

    I also found it hard to get into a steady group of friends. Partying is on a different level in LA, which is fine every once in a while, but in my late 20s/early 30s I didn’t really want to party every night. If partying every night was my thing, my entire experience would have been different.

    I wound up relocating back to NYC in March 2020, 1 week before everything shut down. Even though it’s been kind of lonely with the pandemic, there’s still a sense of community here that I just didn’t feel in LA. Even when NYC was the epicenter of the pandemic, I still would have rather been in NYC than LA.

    Also worth noting that I have zero family west of Kentucky and travel to home wasn’t easy / cheap.

    Sorry for the long reply!
    Jan 5, 2021 3
    • Google
      doug1234

      Go to company page Google

      doug1234
      If you ask me in 5 years, I might hate NY again and want to move back to LA.

      I feel a stronger sense of community everywhere in NYC during the pandemic. Someone started a group whatsapp with everyone in my apartment building and we all actually use it. The last time I lived in NY I couldn't tell you a single one of my neighbor's names or what they looked like.
      Jan 5, 2021
    • IMG
      SYIL70

      IMG

      SYIL70
      I hear what you’re saying.

      I don’t think NY is the forever solution, but in my work journey, I sure feel happy to have leapt for it rather than remain unhappy or “feeling stuck”.

      I was run down from commuting, but with work from home, work feels a bit more manageable.

      Happy new year!
      Jan 5, 2021
  • Intel
    Benzy

    Go to company page Intel

    Benzy
    I've worked on entertainment initiatives over the years, have several family members and a number of friends in the business - I'd say LA is the larger EI market. NYC is it for theatre and they do have a large number of TV & film productions there but LA has all the major studio headquarters, a huge number of facilities & entertainment technology dev seems to be focused there since that's where the content is. One of my producer relatives moved from NYC to the westside of LA a few years ago, absolutely loves it there and will never go back to NYC.
    Dec 31, 2020 1
    • New / Design
      ⚡️🤝⚡️

      New Design

      BIO
      Zen Out 🐐
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      Facts
      Jan 5, 2021
  • Wayfair
    QgnE66

    Go to company page Wayfair

    QgnE66
    This reminds me of Marriage Story
    Jan 5, 2021 2