I would like to share a personal experience with all of you. When COVID-19 hit, my initial response was very negative. I felt like I was living in a Sci-Fi movie. The lockdown made life harder for all of us. It made me feel depressed and worried about my family, my friends, my team, our Heart Of Hollywood Members and my company.
Things had done a 180 degree turn very quickly. I had to cut expenses and cancel all our in-person events and travel plans. Many of my friends' businesses were affected by the economic impact of this pandemic, and some of them may never get their businesses back on track.
For a moment I thought maybe it was time to close Heart Of Hollywood and do something different. I saw bills piling up and I knew income was not being generated. I wondered, how am I going to run a business? Fortunately, I quickly changed my perspective. I told myself “don't give up”.
I started Heart Of Hollywood Motion Pictures because I wanted to help filmmakers produce movies in an affordable way, and also because people needed a safe place to get information about the entertainment industry and connect with other people.
When I first came to Hollywood, I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have any connections, and I learned very soon that this can be dangerous. People may want to take advantage of you, especially if you're a foreigner or if you come from another state. Not everyone is bad, but you need to be careful.
I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that I have lost the count of how many people my company has helped in recent years. Whenever someone is looking for a job, trying to find the right connections for their career, or they simply wanting to learn more after receiving a consultation on filmmaking or private coaching, I'm always happy to share what I know.
Building my company was not easy. I will not give up, because I know many people are going to need encouragement to keep innovating and keep moving forward.
That is why I decided to take action and re-build my business virtually. I will continue to offer an open platform for individuals working in the entertainment industry. I am passionate about this and I truly enjoy working with others. I know it’s hard these days, but we are entering a new era. We need to be more familiar with technology, which has been abruptly introduced to many of us.
I‘m asking for your support by attending the virtual events that we will be hosting in the final months of the year, in order to practice social distancing and keep everyone as safe as we can.
Virtual Red Carpet Coming Soon! www.heartofhollywoodmagazine.com/events
