The 3rd Coast

I've been asked a lot lately what I know about "The 3rd Coast?" Honestly I didn't know what to say, so I did my research and actually learned about it at an audition I had a few months ago. I recently moved back home to Texas from Los Angeles in an attempt to get back on track with my career and goals. I was doing very well out in LA but ran into financial problems, lost my day job and then stopped being motivated. Well, I moved home and got my life straightened out and back on track. I started auditioning quickly after I moved back home and ended up having one of the biggest auditions to date out here. While I was in the audition room they noticed my area code on my phone, which is a local LA number. They asked, "You live here locally?" and I said, "Yes. Just moved here." They then responded, "Good choice. A lots going on out here now." I was confused knowing what everybody else in the industry know...LA and NY is where you need to be. So i asked, "What do you mean?" That's when I heard about "The 3rd Coast." Basically it dates back to the '20s and the Great Depression. With the Great Depression came people fleeing the East coast in search of new jobs and what not. This was the boom that created Hollywood, California. Quickly after the Depression, as you all know, films started hitting theaters everywhere and the golden age of Hollywood quickly followed. Well, with the recession happening in modern times apparently it started again. Big time studios began searching out America for the next town they can build studios in. Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta...all good cities, all already built up with very little space. This is the creation of "The 3rd Coast" ie Shreveport, LA. I know, Shreveport?! I was flabbergasted too but then I thought about it. Shreveport is the opposite of all those cities I just listed. Its still a fairly small town with a lot of open space and tons of room to grow. It's a great central city for talent from Austin, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans...etc. They call it the 3rd Coast because you have New York (1st Coast) Los Angeles (2nd Coast) and now Shreveport. If you watch Conan or Letterman and they interview and ask actors where they filmed they talk about Shreveport being the new place to go. I recall Jack Black talking about it for "Year One." The recession is doing much better which may have hurt Shreveport's chances but they have built and have shot films there. Only the future can tell if Shreveport, LA becomes the next glamour city.



Cheers,
Jonathan Baca