The Hollywood Sign is recognised and loved the world over because it represents hope, the Chairman of the Hollywood Sign’s Board of Trustees has said.
Built in 1923, the sign has become perhaps the most famous American landmark after the White House and Statue of Liberty.
Originally, the sign was a real estate advert and it read ‘Hollywood Land’ to advertise the plots of land being sold below it.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took charge of it in 1949, removed the ‘Land’ section of the sign and it has remained essentially unchanged ever since.
Towering nearly 14 metres tall, to Chairman Jeff Zarrinnam it is a symbol of all that is great about the city he calls home.
“The Hollywood sign is a symbol of hopes and dreams for everybody around the world,” he told Newstalk reporter Henry McKean.
“It represents Hollywood, of course, and the entertainment industry, the film industry.”
Around the world, thousands of people dream of making it in Los Angeles and to Jeff, nowhere is the American Dream more tangible than in LA.
“You have gone to heaven, if you can dream it and hope it, that’s where you’re going to be,” he said.
“That’s what Hollywood is all about.
“We transport you to wherever you want to be.”
Chairman of the Hollywood Sign Trust, Jeff Zarrinnam takes @HenryMcKean through Mulholland Drive and tells us about the restrictions put in place there 🚗🥾 pic.twitter.com/mytsmDHHz2
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) March 10, 2023
The sign is monitored by dozens of security cameras and only a select few people are authorised to take people up to visit.
For Diana Wright of the Hollywood Sign Trust, it is always a huge privilege to take people up there.
“When you see the Hollywood sign it reminds you of home, it reminds you that you’re here,” she said.
“It reminds you that you made it in this city - that is pretty challenging on a day to day basis.
“It’s also inspiring how many people love this sign; I love working here because whenever I bring down a crew they’re so excited to be here.”
Main image: The Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. Picture by: W. G. Murray / Alamy Stock Photo
