Kevin Smith, the 27-year-old director of “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy”, is one young filmmaker who seems to have staying power. For him, the key to being young in Hollywood is figuring out how to maintain your indie credibility while courting mainstream success. “Writing a couple of drafts for Warner Brothers’ new ‘Superman’ was a blast,” says Smith with a laugh. “Then Tim Burton got on and they got rid of me. But I did my big-movie thing and got paid boatloads of cash. That’s sweet.” That cash is letting him make his next indie, called “Dogma”. (Another way he keeps himself from going Hollywood: he still lives in New Jersey.)

… But because of the direction the industry is going, more of these Hollywood wanna-bes will likely get the chance. And they _are_ having a good time. “Ours is the generation who says, ‘I never want a job I loathe’,” says Kevin Smith. “Making movies has less to do with the need to succeed than the fear of being trapped [in a dead-end job]. We have the folly of our youth on our side. If we f–k it up, we can make up for it later. Something will pan out. There’s always comic books.”

Yeah! Let “Dogma” soak up that press! And over 6 months before its release! Gotta love it.