Editing Quentin Tarantino (section)

===1980–1989: Early jobs and screenplays===
Through the 1980s, Tarantino had a number of jobs. After lying about his age, he worked as an [[Usher (occupation)|usher]] at an [[adult movie theater]] in Torrance, called the [[Pussycat Theater]]. He spent time as a recruiter in the [[aerospace manufacturer|aerospace industry]], and for five years he worked at [[Video Archives]], a video store in [[Manhattan Beach, California]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Quentin Tarantino: The Pocket Essential Guide |last1=Holm |first1=D.K. |date=2004 |publisher=Summersdale Publishers |isbn=978-1-84839-866-5 |pages=27–8}}</ref><ref name="IGNFF-Strong">{{cite news |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/19/an-interview-with-danny-strong?page=1 |title=An Interview with Danny Strong |first=Ken |last=P. |date=May 19, 2003 |work=[[IGN]] |access-date=July 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728200116/http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/19/an-interview-with-danny-strong?page=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was well known in the local community for his film knowledge and video recommendations; Tarantino stated, "When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, 'No, I went to films."<ref>{{cite web|last=Webb|first=Daisy|date=December 26, 2019|title=Iconic directors who avoided the classroom|url=https://filmdaily.co/craft/directors-who-swerved-the-classroom/|access-date=September 24, 2020|website=Film Daily News|language=en-US|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210115204022/https://filmdaily.co/craft/directors-who-swerved-the-classroom/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|Actor [[Danny Strong]] describes Tarantino as "such a movie buff. He had so much knowledge of films that he would try to get people to watch really cool movies."<ref name="IGNFF-Strong" />
}} In 1986, Tarantino was employed in his first Hollywood job, working with Video Archives colleague [[Roger Avary]], as [[production assistant]]s on [[Dolph Lundgren]]'s exercise video, ''Maximum Potential''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/dolph-in/maximum2.html |title=Maximum Potential |website=DOLPH :: the ultimate guide for |publisher=Jérémie D. |access-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-date=October 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021224404/http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/dolph-in/maximum2.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before working at Video Archives, Tarantino co-wrote ''Love Birds In Bondage'' with Scott Magill. Tarantino would go on to produce and direct the short film. Magill committed suicide in 1987, after which all film shot was destroyed.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rife|first=Katherine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xV9YAQAAQBAJ&dq=love+birds+in+bondage+quentin+tarantino&pg=PT14|page=14|title=If You Like Quentin Tarantino...: Here Are Over 200 Films, TV Shows, and Other Oddities That You Will Love|publisher=Limelight Editions|date=October 1, 2012|access-date=March 9, 2022|isbn=9780879103996|via=[[Google Books]]|archive-date=March 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312234614/https://books.google.com/books?id=xV9YAQAAQBAJ&dq=love+birds+in+bondage+quentin+tarantino&pg=PT14|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, Tarantino attended acting classes at the [[James Best]] Theatre Company, where he met several of his eventual collaborators for his next film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livingmgz.com/glamour/the-man-the-myth-the-legend-quentin-tarantino/7.html?br_t=ch&fab=1|title=The Man, the Myth, the Legend: Quentin Tarantino|website=Living Magazine|date=July 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120132329/https://www.livingmgz.com/glamour/the-man-the-myth-the-legend-quentin-tarantino/13.html?br_t=ch|archive-date=November 20, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/quentin-tarantino-after-sandy-hook-has-america-lost-its-appetite-blood-and-guts-8448649.html|title=Quentin Tarantino: after Sandy Hook, has America lost its appetite for blood and guts?|date=January 11, 2013|first=John|last=Walsh|website=[[The Independent]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120132422/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/quentin-tarantino-after-sandy-hook-has-america-lost-its-appetite-blood-and-guts-8448649.html|archive-date=November 20, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref>{{efn|While at James Best, Tarantino also met Craig Hamann, with whom he would collaborate to produce his second film in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trainwreckdsociety.com/2020/02/03/craig-hamann-interview/|title=Craig Hamann [Interview]|date=February 3, 2020|website=Trainwreck'd Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924045346/https://trainwreckdsociety.com/2020/02/03/craig-hamann-interview/|archive-date=September 24, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref><ref name="IFH">{{cite web|last=Ferrari|first=Alex|date=November 5, 2016|title=Quentin Tarantino's Unreleased Feature Film: My Best Friend's Birthday|url=https://www.indiefilmhustle.com/quentin-tarantino/|access-date=August 18, 2020|website=Indie Film Hustle|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116213225/https://indiefilmhustle.com/quentin-tarantino/|url-status=live}}</ref>}} In 1987, Tarantino co-wrote and directed ''[[My Best Friend's Birthday]]'' (1987). It was left uncompleted, but some of its dialogue was included in ''[[True Romance]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brevet |first=Brad |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/587142-read-quentin-tarantinos-first-produced-screenplay-best-friends-birthday |title=Read Quentin Tarantino's First Produced Screenplay for 'My Best Friend's Birthday' |website=ComingSoon.net |date=January 1, 2014 |access-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116213636/https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/587142-read-quentin-tarantinos-first-produced-screenplay-best-friends-birthday |url-status=live }}</ref>

The following year, he played an [[Elvis impersonator]] in "Sophia's Wedding: Part 1", an episode in the [[The Golden Girls (season 4)|fourth season]] of ''[[The Golden Girls]]'', which was broadcast on November 19, 1988.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/hey-let-s-remember-the-time-quentin-tarantino-was-on-g-1798259532 |title=Hey, let's remember the time Quentin Tarantino was on Golden Girls |last=Neilan |first=Dan |work=News |access-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921115013/https://news.avclub.com/hey-let-s-remember-the-time-quentin-tarantino-was-on-g-1798259532 |url-status=live }}</ref> Tarantino recalled that the pay he received for the part helped support him during the preproduction of ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]''; he estimated he was initially paid about $650 but went on to receive about $3,000 in [[Residual (entertainment industry)|residuals]] over three years because the episode was frequently rerun due to it being on a "best of..." lineup.<ref>{{Cite AV media|title= Quentin Tarantino Reveals How The Golden Girls Helped Get Reservoir Dogs Made|work=[[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon]]|date=January 8, 2020|medium=[[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqR7iDUU1lk&feature=youtu.be |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/UqR7iDUU1lk| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=January 19, 2021}}{{cbignore}} [https://archive.org/details/quentin-tarantino-reveals-how-the-golden-girls-helped-get-reservoir-dogs-made Alt URL]</ref>