5 Ways Burbank can Make Your Life a Movie

If you’re headed to Los Angeles to get a glimpse of the glitz and glam of the entertainment industry, you definitely will want to head to Burbank; the city where all the behind the scenes magic happens!

You may think Hollywood is where all the movies and TV shows are filmed, but it’s actually just over the hill in Burbank where most of the major networks, stations, production studios, and sets are! Burbank is even considered the Media Capitol of the World!

If you’re interested in getting that real genuine behind-the-scenes vibe, and making your own life into a movie, you need to head to Burbank! Here’s a few fun ways you can get into character there:

1. Get Clothes Previously Worn on Set

When filming, tons of clothes are typically “pulled” so that the actors and actresses can try on several different styles and sizes on set. Many stores don’t allow returns for pulled clothing (as you can guess, it happens a lot), so whatever isn’t used goes somewhere else.

One of those places is a huge two-story shop called It’s a ‘Wrap’ which sells previously worn (or rather just tried on) production wardrobes! That means you can get clothing potentially worn by someone famous, and used on a real TV or movie set! You can even see the show code (you may have to Google it) on the tag that the piece was pulled for!

2. Get Camera-Ready at Morphe

People head to Burbank specifically to come to this awesome make-up and brush store called Morphe, which sells the same kind of make-up brushes and tools that are used on most major film and TV sets! The place is poppin’ and typically there’s even a long line just to get in!

Aside from having high quality products, they’re also not terribly expensive! Plus you can get your makeup done there if you buy something…and if the line isn’t too long!

3. Take a Writing or Acting Class

If you want your life to be a movie, you should probably take a class to help you get ready! There’s tons of acting and writing classes in Burbank, and you can even find some free classes like this one at Writer’s Store in Magnolia Park!

Even if you’re not serious about an acting career or looking to write a script, it’s still always fun to see the behind-the-scenes of what the entertainment industry does to prepare!

4. Go Behind-the-Scenes on a Real Set

Make your life as close to a movie as possible by going behind-the-scenes on real TV and film sets in Burbank! The Warner Brothers Studio Tour is only about $50, and takes you on the actual sets used in productions like La La Land, Harry Potter, and Friends!

Or you can go in front of the scenes and take place in the audience of shows like Ellen and Conan for free! Just be sure to get your tickets in advance!

5. Hang at Celebrity Hot Spots

Since so much filming is done in Burbank, that means many actors, writers, producers, directors, and other entertainment industry stars often live or stay there while filming. That means they also tend to have their favorite local hot spots to hang at, especially in the Media District and Magnolia Park!

Coffee Commissary is a popular coffee shop in the Media District where you can typically catch a celeb, and Porto’s Bakery is pretty much everyone’s favorite, celeb or not! Porto’s is a bit of a celebrity itself; it topped Yelp’s list of top places to eat in the U.S. in 2016! Definitely stop at this delicious Cuban bakery and cafe, and try the guava pastries,  and cheese rolls!

Where to Stay:

Burbank is literally in the middle of it all, and aside from its own awesome attractions, it’s also close to all the major LA attractions as well! Burbank also has hotels that fit all budget levels, and many include awesome perks!

I stayed at the Coast Anabelle Hotel, which is one of Universal’s preferred partner hotels. That means it included a free shuttle from to and from not just Universal, but to the Warner Brothers set tour, the airport, and anywhere else you may want to venture to in Burbank!

You can also get $50 off of any hotel stay when you book it through VisitBurbank.com!

Be sure to follow Visit Burbank on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in the know about local happenings and what’s going on behind the scenes!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Visit Burbank. The opinions and text are all mine.

Alyssa Ramos

I’m Alyssa Ramos, a full-time, self-made, solo traveler who’s been to over 85+ Countries, all 7 Continents, 7 World Wonders, 7 Wonders of Nature, plus I recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and dove the Great Barrier Reef! I created this life of full-time traveling completely on my own, and my goal is to give you as much information and inspiration as possible to make travel happen for you too!

View Comments

  • I'd definitely want to try this out someday and take the Warner Bros tour for sure.. Thanks for this informative post :)

    • It's definitely a cool place to visit if you're into seeing the behind the scenes of the entertainment industry!

  • I didn't know about the pulled clothes shop. That's pretty cool. I loved the Warner Brothers tour when I was there a couple years ago. I'm not a big movie/tv buff so I almost didn't go, but it was a lot of fun.

    • Same, I mostly just really love Harry Potter and feeling like I'm at a theme park haha!

  • I love that post! I will definitely try to do that next time I come to LA! Pinning it :-)

  • I didn't know you could buy the 'pulled' clothes from TV shows - that's so cool! :)

    • Right?! Someone told me they ended up buying the sweater Lindsay Lohan wears in Mean Girls LOL!

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