Times were good, but I kept envisioning them getting better. I was still working the door at Mom's Saloon, but with these occasional MTV gigs picking up, I was not only thrilled but I could feel the roots of my life in L.A. starting to firmly plant themselves. My mindset was simply to work as hard as possible, be as positive as possible, and the rest would take care of itself. The wetness behind my ears was now closer to morning dew at this point.

The hard work I put in at Yo! definitely paid off and because of it, I started working for other New York–based MTV shows that would occasionally shoot in L.A. That spring, another moment occurred that helped to push me further along on my journey. MTV decided to open up offices on the West Coast. The initial office was tiny, less than 10 people, but they were going to need full-time office P.A.s and I was fortunate enough to land one of those two spots.

It was actually a wonderful time in my life. I had a full-time job working for MTV, I was making a steady $300 a week, and I was rockin' the sickest used Toyota Corolla FX hatchback in Hollywood—a sweet five-speed, because apparently four speeds just wasn't enough, that had more miles on it than Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion grotto. Its character was firmly enhanced by the sun-faded and chipped red paint, which I would always describe as “having an iridescent flare.” Its tires were almost too thin to put on a ten-speed Schwinn, and any time I'd drive over 40 mph it would rattle worse than a Yahtzee dice cup. Obviously, the rattling had to be fixed. I was no mechanic, but I knew what to do. I installed a used Kraco stereo under the dash and turned it up to 11 every time I drove. Now the rattling just seemed like a cool subwoofer bonus feature. Problem solved.

Having an office in Los Angeles meant that MTV would start producing original content on the West Coast, and I was fortunate to be a part of that as well. Some of the show's I worked on were classics like Headbanger's Ball, Totally Pauly, The Big Picture, and Rockline with the one and only O.G. VJ, Martha Quinn. Anyone who grew up watching MTV needs to know Martha is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Yes, she's crazy talented, but more so than that, she was kind to everyone, from the biggest bosses to the lowliest of P.As, i.e., me. In a bizarre sort of MTV universe irony, we've also been neighbors in Malibu for the last 20 years, and if you're curious, yes, she still looks like she's 25…and I still get her coffee for her.