Field Notes: The Media School Travel Blog

The fourth-floor terrace of Hollywood & Highland — home of the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Dolby Theatre, which is itself famous for the Oscars.

An odd way to start a story, I know. But it was standing on this terrace that I first felt at home in L.A.

I had just left the El Capitan Theatre with a friend, where we watched “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings“ for the second time. We left the theater with our popcorn and walked down Hollywood Boulevard.

I’m a massive fan of superheroes, especially those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Those movies are a large part of why I chose to pursue filmmaking and storytelling as a career. Needless to say, this was a good start to the adventure.

I hadn’t paid much attention to the stars on the sidewalk until we were at the street corner waiting on the passenger light. I looked down and saw Ruth E. Carter. I blinked and gasped. I had met Carter when I worked at IU Cinema, and she came to do a Q&A after a screening of “Black Panther.” My day just got a little bit better.

We continued on, crossing the street and heading back toward the Hollywood & Highland mall. At the time, some of the other people in our program were talking in our group chat about getting together to grab food or go hang out. We were already out, so naturally, we invited them to join us.

In the meantime, we walked around the mall, stopping in a few stores here and there before I noticed a sign giving directions to a mural of former NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Where? You guessed it. The fourth-floor terrace.

Now you must know, Kobe was my first favorite basketball player. I always say I grew up with “basketball in my blood” because basketball is something passed down through generations of my family. There were many nights when I was younger where my dad and I stayed up late to eat snacks and watch a Lakers game.

Surprisingly, the mural itself wasn’t the big “thing” that struck a chord with me. It happened when I turned around and looked out over the street. Directly across from where we stood was the El Capitan.

I’m not sure what it was. Perhaps it was the theater itself and dreams of premiering my own film at the El Capitan. Or maybe it was seeing Hollywood Boulevard from a higher vantage point and soaking it all in. Whatever the reason, in that moment, I felt content.

More than anything else I’ve experienced thus far during my time in L.A., this moment made me feel like I could carve out a little place for myself in this city and in this industry.

To cap off that rush of good feeling and excitement for future life and career opportunities, we went down to the TCL Chinese Theatre and walked among the hand and footprints of the stars, the people I’ve looked up to and even modeled my storytelling and filmmaking after.

While the fourth-floor terrace and this particular section of Hollywood Boulevard may not connect with you the way it did with me, I encourage you to find something — a place, thing or event that inspires you to take on this big city.