ShowBiz

"The Biz" refers to show business — all show business. If you are involved in "the biz" that means that you are involved in the entertainment industry in some capacity. Employees in "the biz" include everyone from the grips to the stars to the producers and directors. Makeup artists, hair stylists, and costume designers are all employees in "the biz."

Hollywood, California, and New York City, New York, seem to be the two hubs around which "the biz" revolves. Hollywood has movies and New York has television; sometimes the lines get a little blurred but that's basically the way "the biz" operates.

Every day of the year, young people show up in both New York and Hollywood with stars in their eyes and dreams in their hearts of becoming STARS of movies or television or BOTH. For most of them that dream stays just that — a dream. Some, however, do make it big in "the biz." Some make it very, very big.

I think the award for the biggest winner in "the biz" today would have to go to Steven Spielberg. Spielberg has earned more that 330 MILLION dollars in "the biz." That's a lot of bucks! That's not too shabby for a Jewish kid from Cincinnati, Ohio, who tried to get into the film school at the University of Southern California School of Theater but was turned down because he didn't have but a "C" average in high school.

Lots of others have, of course, come to town with nothing more than a dream and succeeded. But the fact is that most of those "overnight successes" that you read about are actually the products of years of hard work and struggle that finally paid off.

"The biz" is a tough industry and audiences are unforgiving, but there are those who can dream of nothing but the fame and fortune of show business in their future. So the young people keep coming to Hollywood and New York in droves.