Who Am I?

Well, that's a loaded question. People usually define themselves by their job - "I'm a doctor," "I'm a teacher," "I'm a social worker." I guess this makes sense, since most people go to school or train for years to work in the field that they are passionate about (or at least the one they think will make them the most money). Though in my experience, people in Hollywood will tell you both their job AND their passion, which are inevitably two separate things and neither of which tend to involve much money - "Well, I work as a waitress right now but I'm also a singer-songwriter."

Well, OK in that case my name is Justin Messina - I work in entertainment marketing but I'm also a screenwriter, singer-songwriter, and filmmaker. There. Now you know me.

So why the blog? Mostly it's a collection of my random thoughts and musings as I navigate the entertainment industry and my own creative process. But it's also an invitation to join me on this journey into the "wondrous land of imagination," to quote the Twilight Zone.

As a huge fantasy and sci-fi buff, I spend much of my time living in other worlds - some very much like our own, some that could not be more different. I moved to LA from the east coast right out of college and it was very much like entering another dimension. Perpetual sunshine, plastic smiles, and an entire city founded on the things I grew up loving but was always told weren't "real" careers - film, TV, music.

At its best, Hollywood is a community of creative minds - competing, collaborating, struggling to have their own voices heard, all wanting to build something meaningful. At its worst, it's an industry fueled by greedy execs who dilute creativity and destroy artistry for the sake of being "commercial." Yes, Hollywood is its own strange dystopian society - shiny and perfect on the outside but with a dark and flawed underbelly.

And so this blog is just one man's attempt to navigate this strange land - hoping to learn and grow from the adventure while still holding onto the pillars that define him. Join me, share your stories, and perhaps together we can make it out alive.

You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, Hollywood!