Land of the L O S T

One of the perks of living in Los Angeles is the myriad amount of opportunities to attend panels or Q&As with people working in the industry, and this week I had a particularly cool experience.

An anonymous friend (who likes fantasy sports and says "MERCY" at any opportunity) took me to an alumni panel of two of the writers and producers of the hit ABC show "LOST": Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis.

It was especially cool b/c this writing duo was also tapped to pen the new "TRON" sequel for Disney, which allowed them to speak about writing for TV and feature films..though obviously TV is their strongest suit so far.

Since it was an industry thing, most of the discussion and questions focused on writing, writing techniques, etc. But it was clear that anytime they gave examples from LOST everyone really ate it up. I thought that was funny, everyone trying to be "oh, i'm a professional writer, and will ask questions that reflect that." - an attitude I was probably most guilty of having.

Probably some of the best fanboy moments were when Adam and Edward talked about how the show "canceled itself" and they both talked a bit about the final season, promising that "there's a point". I was happy to hear that, because as much as I may have enjoyed The Sopranos final cut to black, I think if LOST did that I would flip out like Ben Linus' alcoholic father.

Another great little insight was when the duo discussed the scene in "The Lie" when Hurly recounts to his mom the entire history of the show in a desperate confession. They mentioned that originally the scene was almost purely comedic but as they wrote his speech and read it aloud it became clear that it was also very heartfelt and a crucial moment for the character and the episode b/c Hurly needs his mom to believe him. They said they were definitely surprised by the change in tone but that it ended up working better - something that often happens in writing.

They also had a few other cool stories about how they came out here, how they got their start, and all that stuff. All in all it was a pretty cool night.

I feel like any events like these that I get to go to are important to help me stay focused. When you get into a routine of working, class, or internships (plus when you spend time going to the beach, as I have a lot this summer), it is possible to temporarily forget I've moved thousands of miles from friends, family, and deep dish pizza to be here in L.A. to try and make it in the entertainment industry.

Hearing stories from successful people is great because they keep me motivated, remind me why I love this stuff, and probably, most importantly, save me from getting LOST.