About

Under the Hollywood Sign started as a way of publicizing my documentary of the same name. It soon took on a life of its own, allowing me to explore in greater depth not only the topics in the film, but life in Beachwood Canyon and filmmaking in general.

Though it wasn’t always apparent to me when I was working on them, my documentaries share a theme: the history of misunderstood places and people. I felt the blog should do the same, though more expansively than was possible in my documentaries. Two-and-a-half years later, I’m amazed at how much research and writing I’ve done on local history, but even more surprised at how much I’ve written about current events in Beachwood. The latter was prompted by the huge increase in tourist traffic to the Hollywood Sign, thanks to GPS and the advent of small tour vans–certainly not, as one Hollywoodland resident suggested, because of my documentary, which is of no interest to those who just want a photo of themselves in front of the Sign. (For others, “Under the Hollywood Sign” is available on DVD at www.underthehollywoodsign.com My previous documentaries are available on DVD at www.hopeandersonproductions.com)

In the future, I would like to write more about Beachwood Canyon’s history, less about tourist traffic and more about filmmaking. Meanwhile, thanks for reading.

Hope Anderson