Meet a Member is Andrew Jonathan Smith who lives in London
Since you don’t live in Los Angeles how did you end up joining Brits in LA?
A friend told me how amazing it was after I was in LA for a month last summer – and she was totally right!
What is your impression of LA?
I love it so much – obviously Southern California is a place of extreme beauty, and coming from the UK it’s always nice to be in a bit of sun! But what makes LA really special to me is the friends, family and community I have here; it’s the city that some of the people closest to my heart call
home.
Do you think you could ever see yourself moving to LA, if not tell us whatkeeps you in London?
After visiting last summer and falling in love with the city, moving to LA became the dream. I feel really at home here, it’s just a case of waiting for the right time and opportunity.
Do you have a hidden gem in London you’d like to want to share with us?
Whenever my American friends visit the UK, I seem to end up taking them to Kahaila cafe in Shoreditch. It’s a cool place with great social engagement. All their amazing cakes and pastries are from Luminary Bakery: a social enterprise designed to equip women from vulnerable backgrounds with practical and transferrable skills for the working world.
Why would you recommend other overseas readers joining Brits in LA?
I’ve ended up spending a lot of time in LA over the last year and Brits in LA is great for constantly keeping up to date with all the cool events.
Why would you recommend other overseas readers joining Brits in LA?
I’ve ended up spending a lot of time in LA over the last year and Brits in LA is great for constantly keeping up to date with all the cool events and opportunities that are going on – it makes me feel connected. It’s also great because you know you always have a place to go when you need a bit of advice!
We hear you have been working on an exciting project. Care to tell us more about it?
My short film, Jellyfish was screened for the first time outside of the UK at NewFilmmakers Los Angeles event as part of BritWeek.
I’ve also recently started pre-production for my next short which looks at the relationship between two cousins: one who sees violence as a means to resolve conflict and another who will avoid conflict at any cost.
Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“Stop comparing yourself to other people.” It’s so weird this compulsion that we have to constantly compare ourselves to others. Everyone has their own story and it’s not worth trying to bend your story into the shape of another one, because it just won’t fit!
Lastly, how can we find you on the Internet?
twitter and instagram: @andrew_j_smith
website: andrewjonathansmith.com
