Congratulations, James! But that title does not match the premise at all. It sounds more like the name of a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie.

What is success? Selling a logline off a gimmick website for scale? Which btw will be broken up in steps and since it's an idea and not a script AND you instantly have a bunch of cooks in the kitchen, who knows how long it will take to actually get commenced for your first little bite of this little deal. It might take you a full year or more to complete the steps and then it gets put into the queue with all the other hundreds of projects vying for the handful of spots that actually get made at said studio. And since we are talking a first timer, it probably doesn't even matter if the final product is any good. If they even think for a split second that they might actually want to make this movie they will bring in an A lister to completely rewrite it to make them feel okay about spending a bunch of money on it. CYA comes first, always, and if the movie tanks with first timer's name on it the execs look really bad. If it tanks with Tony Gilroy's name on it then the finger pointing veers onto director - marketing, etc. You get the picture. And sorry for the reality check here, and I'm genuinely stoked for this writer selling his concept. One of the best feelings ever and a real opportunity for him, but the premise of this article is that you don't have to live in LA to be successful and yes, this is possible, sure, just like it's possible to hit the bulls-eye on the dartboard from across the street in the parking lot. Which is exactly what this writer did. If he is smart he will get his ass to Los Angeles and milk this opportunity for all its worth. He has a very small window here and he should be taking meetings and getting involved with other producers and networking like crazy. That is how you go about "making a living" as a writer in this town. Otherwise it's back to the parking lot across the street and the dump truck full of darts it'll take to even hit the board again, much less the bulls-eye. And my fellow working screenwriters hate posts like I'm making here because it's really in our best interest to let Darwin weed out the field and the lion's share of the aspiring screenwriters out there can stay put, enter contests, put your ideas up on sites, etc. Versus moving out to where the business is conducted and deals are made and the person you want to read your script is sitting across from you at the diner. The dartboard you're trying to hit is here.

Crash, the thrust of the two posts I did back to back is this: There are big advantages to living in LA, but the simple fact is you do NOT have to live in LA to make your break [both stories illustrate their respective points]. I agree with you: Now that this writer from Des Moines has made his break, he should move to LA to make the most of the opportunity. You may not need to live in LA to make your break, but if you want to build a career as a screenwriter, your best bet is to live in SoCal.