Cynthia offers advice, insights and her “secret sauce” for making it in Hollywood. She also shares some fun stories about the “real” people in show business, including Bono of U2 and the incredibly talented Ryan Gosling. If your teen or someone you know is thinking about a career in the entertainment industry or if you just want to be entertained, this episode is not to be missed!
About Cynthia Hsiung
Cynthia and I met a LONG time ago while working at Warner Bros. Online. Cynthia was working in Content Development and I was working in Online Community. This was during a time when the Internet was first launching online programming. It was during the very early beginnings of YouTube and other content that some people couldn’t stream yet due to a lack of broadband.
Cynthia grew
up in New York and began her career there working for HBO and MTV in
development and production. She then
moved to Los Angeles to follow her Hollywood dream of storytelling (narrative)
and scripted programs. Because most of the shows Cynthia worked on in New York
were unscripted, like MTV and video music awards, she moved to Los Angeles
where most of the scripted shows were happening.
Cynthia’s first role in Hollywood was producing a show called Young Hercules, starring Ryan Gosling. Then Cynthia started having children and wanted a job with more predictable hours. So, she moved to Warner Bros. The new frontier at the time was online, so Cynthia was brought on by Warner Bros. to develop content and original programming. After that, Cynthia began doing more of her own writing with feature films and pilot and series development. She has continued working in writing, producing and directing on both scripted and unscripted series.
Episode Highlights
- Temp Jobs Are a Good Path Into the Entertainment Industry
- Advice from Cynthia for Advancing in the Entertainment Industry
- What Exactly is a Showrunner?
- The Progression of Television and Streaming Series
- How Streaming Has Changed the Entertainment Industry
- You Don’t Have to Live in Hollywood to Break Into the Business
- Do You Need a College Degree to Pursue Your Hollywood Dream?
- Cynthia’s YouTube Channel: Your Hollywood Dream
- Dispelling the Myths About the Entertainment Industry
- Hollywood People Are Just Like Us, Including Bono
- Meeting Ryan Gosling
- Cynthia’s Secret Sauce for Success in Hollywood
- Cynthia’s Advice to her Teenage Self