Introduce Yourself : Expanded introduction by Rob Tobin

Hi. After re-introducing myself to the Stage 32 community in a very brief way, I read some of the extremely well-written and inspirational posting guidelines. I was, in fact, inspired to maybe add a few words in the hope that it will... I don't know... entertain some of you and perhaps even be somewhat heuristic.

So, I came to L.A. in the early 90s, and enrolled in the USC Master of Professional Writing program. To give you an idea of how far we've come from that stone-age time, all script submissions were hard copy. standard letter size paper, three holes punched on the left side, but only the top and bottom holes were EVER to be bound, using these little brass things called "brads." The first piece of advice I remember getting was "brads are worth their weight in gold." That meant that when we shredded the hundreds of scripts submitted every week to us, it was IMPERATIVE to save the brads.

Back then, everything was analog. I was interning and then later working for a producer who had a "housekeeping deal" with Davis Entertainment in the "Die Hard Building," the one they blew up in the first Die Hard film. We occupied the 26th and 27th floors, I believe. Ronald Reagan occupied the top, 28th floor.

The highlight of my career in that building (I think it was 28 stories) was walking up to the bank of elevators and seeing President Reagan standing inside, grinning, waving me in. Two secret service agents who looked like NFL fullbacks stood near the former President, and their hands slipped inside their suit jackets as they glared at me and subtly shook their heads. For some reason, I entered the elevator and the former President grinned at me, wordlessly, perhaps invitingly, but all I could see were the two giant men glaring at me, daring me to twitch or speak. I got off on my floor without having said a word to the man who had once been the most powerful political figure in the world and was now wordlessly inviting strangers to share an elevator with him.

That internship, which eventually turned into a job, was my introduction to the development end of the film industry.