What if you got your first big break in Hollywood at age 24… and then didn’t get another for 25 years?   In this incredible first confession of our second season, we hear from a fearless aspiring filmmaker who scored a job directing a studio feature film when they were barely out of college. But as thrilling as it sounds, the experience wasn’t what they expected…   "One day about halfway through, I woke up in my hotel room after 12 hours of sleep, and I couldn’t move. I laid in the bed. Looked at the ceiling, and I was like, it’s only week three. I have four more weeks. I’m not going to make it.”   After enduring the intense highs and lows of being a first-time director on a multi-million-dollar film, our confessor gets a major win… but somehow it still feels like a loss. The decades-long struggle that follows highlights how hard it can be to maintain a career, even after your first big break, but it also leads the confessor to some powerful revelations.   “It dawned on me that if one mode is no longer yielding the results you want, you have two choices. You can blame everybody else. Or you can change your approach.”  In this episode, we get into the following:           1. The difficulties of maintaining a career in the entertainment industry – even after you break in    2. The truth behind the saying, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” 3. What it takes to keep pursuing your goals in your darkest moments Finally, we top off the episode with a shoutout and a call to action – to you, our listeners! Our goal is to make #fessuphollywood a movement. A community of creative people who all want to make Hollywood a happier place. Let’s build that together! Connect with us on socials @fessuphollywood. Share this episode with a friend. Leave us a review and rating here. And join us in two weeks for another episode of the Hollywood Confessional!   Other episodes we think you'll enjoy:   "Clipboard Girl" - A tough aspiring filmmaker faces a disaster her first day on set but finds a way to turn it into a win for her career.   “The Sound of Silence” - An audio technician discovers working for one of the most famous people on earth is far more stressful than it sounds.   “Stranded” & “The List” - A PA desperate to find work gets abandoned by a producer in the wilderness, while an office worker in the urban jungle realizes their boss is keeping a list of every mistake they make. Connect with us: Instagram Facebook Twitter Website Hollywood Confessional is a Ninth Way Media production, produced by Meagan Daine and J.R. Zamora-Thal. Sound Effects and Music provided by Zapsplat and Pixabay. Keywords: How to Break into Hollywood, Entertainment Industry Jobs, Entertainment Industry Podcast, Screenwriting Podcast, Filmmaking Podcast