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Hadley Davis graduated with a degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. She worked as a "D-Girl" at Wind Dancer Films (Disney) and LeFrak Productions (New Line). Her first gig in the movies was as an intern and then a script reader at Warner Brothers, where she rejected such classics as Beauty and the Traitor: The Mrs. Benedict Arnold Story. She became a TV writer in 1996. In 1999, she published the book Development Girl: The Hollywood Virgin's Guide to Making It in the Movie Business." Her book received a series of cruel reviews on Amazon.com. Here's a sampling: LA Reader writes: "Yes, D-Girl is a useless book written by a pathetically unqualified woman, but this is Hollywood, folks. Since when is talent rewarded? Give her some credit for not letting an utterly unspectacular career stand in her way. Frankly, I wish I had her flair for shameless exaggeration and opportunism. She parlayed a silly little assistant job into a stupid little book, then hitched her wagon to a writing partner with a fancy TV job. Such flagrant self-promotion is nothing to sneeze at. I guess karma is a boomerang, though, since Davis got axed from the show a short time later once they realized who the real talent of the pair was." NY reader writes: "Hey, I worked in the NY development community when the book proposal of D-Girl went out from an assistant agent at WMA. It was quickly faxed around to all the NY dvelopment and scouting office so we could all laugh at it. Shocker when Doubleday bought it, and even worse that some readers are now taking it seriously. I am 25 and female, but thank god I never got a job because of my Prada accessories or aerobicized ass. Hadley seems to forget that the average entry level salary is about $30,000, no overtime. And that the job is hard. Hadley also omits the fact that she was the assistant in a 2 person office that lost its studio deal, then went to a notoriously third rate company after months of unemployment." LA Reader writes: "When I worked in "the biz" in New York, Hadley was unaffectionately known as "Hadajob" for her series of lateral, entry-level moves. Perhaps the reason the book is so empty and silly (although, I must confess, I actually couldn't get through it)is because the author never got beyond the cubicle. Instead of a chapter on something truly helpful, say advice on honing scriptnotes, we get tips on xeroxing. As they say in writing programs, write what you know." LA Reader writes: Hadley represents much of what's wrong with her generation. Like many of the young people who are attracted to Hollywood, she has no real talent or brains -- instead she relies on image, superficiality, and appearance. While there were some funny bits that rang true, there was no substance to the book -- it was a just series of silly remarks from the mouth of a silly girl. New York Sun 7/18/02 “For the most part, the only people you see in L.A. with the latest designer duds are starlets who get them for free or face-lifted 45-year-olds valet parking at Neiman’s at 11 a.m.,” says Hadley Davis, a bicoastal television writer. “In L.A., really all you need is a new T-shirt to go with the standard anytime, anywhere, office-to-premiere-to-chic-restaurant outfit: jeans and a leather jacket.” Ms. Davis confesses that she feels much more pressure to break out her more polished designer clothes when she’s in New York, lest she be branded an interloper. “I’m self-conscious when my New York City friends tell me, ‘You look so L.A.,’” she says. “I always wonder if this is a passive-aggressive fashion dis since it’s usually followed by: ‘Look at you in your sweats!’ or ‘Look at your sparkly L.A. flip flops!’”
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