Move to L.A. Work as a P.A. Produce multiple crossover hit flicks.

Just like that.

Because "when you move to LA, your options are somewhat limited in terms of the different things you can do," says Matt Alvarez, the other half of film and TV production company CubeVision. During his early studio days, Alvarez became friendly with one O’Shea (Ice Cube) Jackson, who asked him to sign on as a partner when CubeVision launched in 1999 and quickly established itself as a hit-maker by way of the Friday and Barbershop franchises. On the film front, there’s more to come with the August release of the comedy Lottery Ticket and an N.W.A. biopic set to begin filming next year.

The notoriously tricky world of television is what keeps Alvarez busiest at the moment, although he's making it look easy with movie-turned-TV series Are We There Yet? In Tyler Perry--or shall we say CubeVision--style, the show is on track to get picked up for another 90 episodes. Catch this season's final episode this Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on TBS. Catch up with Alvarez by reading on.

Breaking into the business: I started as a production assistant on a Roger Corman film titled Not of This Earth 2, which starred Michael York. Then I began an internship with New Line Cinema, where I was eventually hired.

On the job: I usually show up at 7:30 a.m. I read the paper, a script, and go through e-mails. Meetings typically start at 10 a.m. These will usually be with writers or directors coming in to pitch me their film or television idea. The afternoon usually consists of one more meeting and either editing or shooting on set.

Claim to fame: The Friday and Barbershop movies. Both have very strong followings. Friday is more of a cult flick, while Barbershop is more mainstream.