Not all artists make an impact on pop culture like Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino is among the greatest filmmakers ever, thanks to his signature rat-a-tat dialogues and cinematic violence. A true sentient of film knowledge, this artiste is still relevant since his debut with ‘Reservoir Dogs.’

Like his movies, Quentin Tarantino’s road to Hollywood is full of deviations. As a kid who dropped out of high school at 15, things didn’t look bright for him. But his passion for cinema and storytelling led him to become Hollywood royalty. But long before the Oscars and getting to work with A-list actors, he was a video store employee.

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Quentin Tarantino Worked At A Video Store

The most conventional way to become a filmmaker is to go to film school. But that’s not how Quentin Tarantino did it. He famously said that instead of attending film school, he watched films. A lot of films, as is evident by his encyclopedic knowledge of cinema. After dropping out of school, he worked as an usher at his local adult movie theatre during the 1980s.

Quentin Tarantino also worked at Video Archives, a video store in Manhattan Beach, California. Working here was the most formative years of his life as he expanded his cinematic horizons. He also met Roger Avary, with whom he would go on to write the Oscar-winning screenplay for ‘Pulp Fiction,’ at the video store.

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Tarantino’s Road To Success

Quentin Tarantino was simultaneously writing various screenplays, trying to break into Hollywood. In 1987, he co-wrote and directed a short film titled ‘My Best Friend’s Birthday.’ It was never completed since some film rolls were destroyed by accident. At a friend’s barbeque, Tarantino met producer Lawrence Bender. He told Bender about his heist film, which became his directorial debut ‘Reservoir Dogs.’

Thanks to his encouragement, Tarantino wrote the script which Bender passed around. Once it found its way to Harvey Keitel, the film and a budget and a green light. ‘Reservoir Dogs‘ was released in January 1992 and screened at Sundance Film Festival. The film received glowing reviews, announcing the arrival of a genius talent. Since then, he has won two Oscars and created flawless filmography.

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