First of all, special thanks to Heather, a lawyer who responded to yesterday's post about protecting your work with the following advice:

"It may be that writers don't typically register scripts with the US copyright office, but I can tell you (as an attorney) that the ONLY way to get into federal court with a claim of copyright infringement is with a US copyright.

The WGA registration won't be enough (which is probably why screenwriters don't use it in court to claim copyright infringement).

Mailing a copy of the script to yourself (and leaving it unopened with the postage dated) won't do you any good either, legally.

This is not to say that Chad's advice here is incorrect; what is written here may very well be what screenwriters do. But legally, the US copyright is the only one that will stand up in court.

But even that will only protect the *expression* of the idea in your screenplay. Ideas themselves cannot be copyrighted, so the script must be extremely close to yours to fit the definition of copyright infringement. A similar plot won't be sufficient."

Heather-- this is a terrific, valuable info-- THANK YOU!

Secondly, Heather's post made me realize I didn't mention the #1 way most working Hollywood writers protect their work when sending it to studios, networks, production companies, producers or other readers and buyers...

They send it through an agent, lawyer or other type of middleman.

Most professional screenwriters use an agent, which-- in California-- is a representative legally bonded by the state and empowered to procure work and negotiate contracts (different states have different rules about who can be an agent and what they can/can't do). 

Others use a manager, which-- technically-- are simply supposed to be career advisers and can't legally procure work or negotiate contracts (but this doesn't mean they don't do it... the lines between agents and managers have become very fuzzy).

Rarely are lawyers used to submit material or procure work, but this doesn't mean it can't happen.  Still, most lawyers simply negotiate, proof, and execute contracts.

Of course, if you don't have an agent, lawyer, or manager, it's tougher to submit work this way.  If you have a lawyer friend-- even if they're not an official entertainment lawyer-- perhaps you can ask them to submit your material anyway.  It's not the usual mode of business, but at least there's some layer of legal protection... or, at the very least, the appearance of legal representation.

Having said all this, there's still no guarantee of protection.  As Heather points out, the only way to TRULY protect a piece of writing is through the U.S. Copyright Office, and-- to be honest-- I've never heard of a writer doing that.  And as I pointed out yesterday, I don't believe ideas DO get stolen in Hollywood... at least not on a regular basis. 

At any rate, as a writer struggling to break in, what you should be worrying about isn't how to protect your ideas... but how to get them in front of as many official buyers as possible...

A great clip from last night's debate... or not... (courtesy of Andrew Sullivan's "Daily Dish" at The Atlantic)...


Batman vs. The Penguin (the debate)

Hey, everyone--

You may have heard this news, which broke yesterday afternoon, but the Writers Guild of America is going to head with Ozzy Osbourne's new FOX variety show, The Osbournes: Loud and Dangerous, for refusing to pay its writers standard wages or agree to a union contract.  Yesterday afternoon, WGA presidents Michael Winship and Patric Verrone sent the following email to Guild membership...


To Our Fellow Members,

Last week, you may have become aware of our ongoing dispute with Tyler Perry’s production companies, which fired four writers because of their efforts to organize Perry’s series, House of Payne. Pickets were up at his new studio’s grand opening Saturday night in Atlanta.
 
Now, we write to inform you of another labor dispute.

Fox has ordered a primetime comedy-variety show featuring Ozzy Osbourne and his family, and has engaged FremantleMedia North America, the company behind American Idol, to produce it.  Because they wanted to hire WGA members to write the show, Fremantle contacted the WGAW to see if we would agree to a sub-standard contract.  Attempting to pay as little as possible to the writers on the show, Fremantle asked to treat it as “half-scripted” and pay greatly reduced writing fees to those writers who wrote skits, interview material, intros, and “outros.” Although all of the writing on the show is of a type traditionally covered by our MBA (in such shows as The Carol Burnett Show and Laugh-In), Fremantle wanted to treat certain portions of the show as “reality content," not cover the writers who create it, and lower the compensation of the WGA-covered writers, arguing that they would only be responsible for writing part of the show.
 
We refused to agree to such a deal because it would drastically undermine hard-won minimums and standards.  While we have covered some shows produced by Fremantle, they insist that other shows, including American Idol, The Price is Right, and Million Dollar Password, do not have writers and should not be covered by a WGA contract.

Now it is clear that Fremantle’s intention is to bring their low cost, non-union business model into traditional genres – first game shows, then comedy-variety. Soon, no WGA-covered writing will be safe from their aggressive undermining of our contract.  We cannot allow this encroachment to continue. 
 
Accordingly, WGA East and West members may not write for the Osbourne variety show (working title: The Osbournes: Loud and Dangerous).  Any members who perform writing services on that show do so at their own peril as they will be violating WGA Working Rule 8 and could be fined up to 100% of their compensation for that work.  Both Guilds notified agents and other representatives of this development through an Action Alert issued yesterday. 
 
The alert also reminded agents that they cannot send clients who are members of either Guild to write for Tyler Perry's production companies.  The WGAW has filed unfair labor practice charges based on the unlawful discharge of the House of Payne writers and continuing bad faith bargaining.  Members who accept these jobs will also be in violation of Working Rule 8.


We believe that denying Fremantle and Tyler Perry members of the Writers Guilds East and West may convince them that they will be unable to produce professional quality entertainment content and that they will see the wisdom and creative advantages of signing a WGA contract. 
 
There is already far too much writing done in our business by men and women without WGA benefits.  We cannot let writers of sitcoms and comedy-variety programming join their ranks, as we also work to reduce the amount of animation, reality, nonfiction, and other so-called “non-scripted” writing not covered by a WGA contract.

Thanks for your attention and your continued support.
 
Best,
 
Patric M. Verrone
President, WGAW
 
Michael Winship
President, WGAE

I tend to believe everyone has a story to tell, every life is unique, and the quality of a biography's storytelling usually depends on how you look at the life.  In other words, with the right storytelling, any life can be dramatic.  Or undramatic.

Never has this been more true than in the case of The Express, screenwriter Charles Leavitt and director Gary Fleder’s new film based on the short life of Syracuse University football star Ernie Davis (played by Rob Brown).

Davis isn’t the world’s most famous football player… or the world’s most famous civil rights activist… but he certainly did some remarkable things worthy of a story.  The problem is:

Leavitt and Fleder do little to make the actions and events of Davis’s life SEEM remarkable; they instead tell an overly-familiar, paint-by-numbers story of a young black athlete trying to come of age and play football in the racist mid-twentieth century.

To be fair, the opening seconds of the film show promise… it begins with college football teams facing off on the line.  “Ready for this, spook?” one of the white players sneers at Davis. “I’m gonna kick your black ass back to Africa.”  The play snaps into action, and Davis is buried under a mound of white players… who proceed to punch the shit out of him.

This “mini-scene” only lasts a few seconds, but it’s an effective way to kick off the movie.  Unfortunately, it’s the last scene with any bite for a long time… and most of the movie that follows doesn’t live up to the in-your-face violence of these opening moments.  It's not a "bad" movie; it's just uninspired and tame.

The story begins with Davis as a young boy growing up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where he’s harassed by white children… who try to beat him up but are too slow to catch him.  It’s obvious Davis has incredible football skills, but he doesn’t consider putting them to use until he and his mom move to Elmira, New York, where he becomes a high school football stud.  He’s also a top-notch student, and he eventually receives over fifty scholarship offers from various universities.

Meanwhile, at Syracuse University, head football coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) has a problem: his superstar player, Jim Brown, is graduating, leaving an unwelcome hole on the football team.  Schwartzlander has scoured the country looking for a replacement, but he’s found no one… until he watches a film of lightning-fast Davis on the gridiron.  At first, Schwartzlander doesn’t want to pursue Davis because black athletes are “too much trouble,” but with the help of Brown himself, he convinces Davis to give Syracuse a shot.

Much of The Express’s second act focuses on the Davis-Schwartzwalder relationship.  Davis is a black athlete who won’t use his celebrity to ruffle feathers and speak out against racism.  Schwartzwalder cares about only one thing—winning—and he’s willing to condone players’ and opponents’ racism in order to keep people happy and not jeopardize victories.  Over the course of the film, both Schwartzwalder and Davis come to realize “winning” is about something more.  Davis—prodded by his activist cousin Will (Nelsan Ellis)—learns he has a larger responsibility than simply scoring, and he begins speaking out against racism.  Schwartzwalder also begins standing up to racism (although thinking back on it, he really only does this one significant time).

The movie’s biggest flaw is that none of the racism… or the moments when Davis or Schwartzwalder stand up to it… ever seems all that fresh, palpable, or powerful.  This isn’t to diminish the evil of racism, it’s just to say that we’ve seen a LOT of movies about racism, and the racism in The Express seems… well… like “racism lite.”  Not that the racism itself is “lite,” but Leavitt and Fleder give it almost no visceral impact.  Sure, there’s a healthy dose of the “n-word,” and we see rednecks booing black players, and African-American athletes are told they can’t use front doors or sleep in white hotel rooms, etc., etc., etc.  But we’ve seen all this before… and this time, none of it lands with any force.  We don’t FEEL the pain of the racism because it’s all depicted in stale clichés.

As a result, Davis and Schwartzwalder never feel that heroic when they DO finally stand up injustices around them.  Sure, it’s an important moment when Davis—who has always avoided talking publicly about race—grows some sack and tells a reporter that when he’s on the field he only thinks about football, but “that doesn’t mean he forgets the color of his own skin.”  But come on… at a time when Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are taking enormous actions to overthrow the status quo, a flippant comment to a reporter feels a bit soft.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…

This isn’t the story of Martin Luther King or Malcolm X.  This is a smaller story, the story of a “normal” guy who takes a smaller—but no less important—stand.  And historically, you’re absolutely right.  Except for one thing…

In a good STORY, actions must feel huge.  Enormous.  GIGANTIC.  This doesn’t mean there can’t be tiny actions—like pouring a glass of tea or glancing wistfully at a stranger—but actions in a story must FEEL huge.  They must have massive emotional weight and impact.  A storyteller’s job, after all, is to HEIGHTEN action, so the audience feels as if these characters and actions—as they’re playing out—are the most important in the entire world.  And this is where The Express falls short.

If it wants to be a “smaller” story, a character study of a potential football legend who made brave choices (and all of us, no matter how “small,” should be making those same brave choices), fine—but it needs to go deeper into the complexities of Davis and his relationships.  But it doesn’t do this… Davis never transcends being a righteous hero to become a full-bodied, three-dimensional character with loves, fears, hatreds, inconsistencies and hypocrisies.  Neither does Schwartzwalder.

Thus, the movie is stuck in a tepid no-man’s-land… it paints by its numbers well enough to have some effective moments, but it never tackles its material hard enough to be truly powerful or special.

So I guess TODAY’S TAKE-AWAY SCREENWRITING LESSON IS…

Write fearlessly.  And I don’t mean that in a cheesy, write-from-the-heart kind of way… I literally mean: if you’re going to write something, write it to extremes.  If you’re writing a character who is cruelly racist, make him the cruelest racist ever seen in literature.  If you’re writing an action-packed car chase, make it the most thrilling car chase ever witnessed.  If you’re writing an angelic virgin, make her the purest character ever met.  If you’re writing a grotesque torture scene, make it the most stomach-churning sequence to be put on screen.  Do not be afraid offending anyone… do not play it safe… do not be afraid of “going too far.”  The human heart, head, and stomach can handle much more than we usually give them credit for… and I think writers and artists often believe they’re pushing boundaries, when—in actuality—the boundary is barely being touched.  

So while The Express in no way wants to be an “edgy” movie, I DO think that great storytelling—even in a family-friendly football movie—lives in extremes… and, as The Express proves, stories that refuse to go to extremes wind up going almost nowhere.  Or at least nowhere very interesting.

Having said all that… there’s almost nothing better than the sound of crashing football pads… especially when that sound is cranked full-blast over an awesome movie theater sound system.  Which means if the sound is good enough, almost any football movie will kick a little bit of ass.


THE EXPRESS TRAILER

Hey, everyone--

A few days ago, I posted a piece about screenwriter Tyler Perry and the four writers he fired for attempting to organize his hit TBS show, House of Payne, according to Writers Guild standards. 

This weekend, the WGA hosted a protest at the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios, in Atlanta.  Although I wasn't able to go, a fellow writer and WGA member, Vince, was on hand and sent me this report...

I flew from LA to Atlanta this weekend to support the four writers who were unjustly axed from Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" for the crime of trying to secure decent working conditions -- on a show that has already earned Perry's company about $300 million dollars in license and syndication fees!   I got into Atlanta Saturday afternoon, just in time to join the picket gathering outside the Tyler Perry Studios in southwest Atlanta, where Perry was hosting a black tie gala to celebrate the opening of his new movie lot.  Obviously, our goal was to send a message about Tyler Perry's abysmal labor practices to the Hollywood royalty he'd invited to the black tie affair.

With picket signs emblazoned with the slogan "Tyler Perry's House of Shame" in hand, we set up our picket line across the street and a few yards down the road from the studio gate (which, unfortunately, was as close as the local constabulatory would allow us to get to the studio.)   As it turned out, that didn't matter.   Despite our less than perfect proximity to the lot's entrance, we made sure we were seen--and heard--by every guest in every limo that made that sharp right turn into the studio gates.   As loud as we were, I'm fairly confident we were the talk of the celebs and well wishers who gathered on the red carpet a few yards just inside the gates.  

Fortunately, at least some members of the local press were willing to venture across the street to see what all the hubbub was about.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution included a couple of scathing quotes from the picketers' side of the street in their coverage of the Perry gala the next morning.  We also spoke to a New York Times stringer, as well as a reporter from the local alternative weekly.   But the best coverage of the day came from the local CBS affiliate, who filmed us for a piece they ran the next morning.   According to one of our people, who happened to have the TV on when that piece was broadcast the next morning, the local news anchor teased the story by announcing, "Coming up next: Tyler Perry throws a big party at his new studio...but all is not well outside the gates. Stay tuned."   If nothing else, we definitely prevented the local media from settling for the kind of fawning coverage Tyler must have been hoped for.

Even more effective than the Saturday night event outside the studio was the picket we organized the following morning in front of Tyler Perry's mansion, where the mogul was hosting a Sunday Morning gospel brunch.  Unlike the night before, this time we managed to set up our line directly across the street from the millionaire's front gate, in full view of every limo and town car that pulled into the mogul's gated driveway.

Beyond the positive press we were able to generate for the cause, I think the weekend offered a well needed morale boost for the four fired writers.  They had to be heartened by the near unanimous support we got from every one of the few community people who managed to get through the police line to our picket line on Saturday night.    Once they heard the woeful story of our writers' unceremonious firing four days earlier, most of these locals were more than happy to grab a sign and march right along with us.   One outspoken local was a beautician who insisted that her two teenaged sons join our picket as well.  Another, an older woman and self described Tyler fanatic, insisted that she was "shocked in awe" to discover how poorly Tyler treated his workers.  Before she left, she vowed to post a message on the Tyler Perry fan website demanding that the star explain himself.  Equally gratifying was the local, and very vocal, Atlanta SAG member who took it on herself to lead most of our pointed chants.   We were also joined by a local, and very vocal, Atlanta SAG member, as well as a handful of folks who worked below the line on some of Perry's other shows.   One supporter who sometimes worked as prop man actually turned down a chance to work at the party that night in order to stand with us outside the gates.

All in all, it was clearly a worthwhile event, and provided a righteous kick-off to what I hope is a very short campaign to convince Tyler Perry to do right by his writers!


Thanks to Vince for the front-lines report... and to all the writers and friends-of-writers who showed up to help Perry's staff fight for fair wages, residuals, and health and pension plans!

Click HERE to sign the WGA's letter of support... and to join the Guild's fight against Tyler Perry and unfair labor practices and to help fired writers Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson, and Lamont Ferrell!

Hey, everyone—

A few years ago, I wrote a screenplay which (unfortunately) never sold, but got me a bunch of meetings around town… including a meeting with the Disney animation department.  It wasn’t an animated movie, but it had some elements that were very animation-ish, so they asked me if I’d be interested in coming up with some other animated ideas I could pitch.  Which I did.

And none of them sold.

In fact, none of them were very good.

At the time, I think I kinda sensed they weren’t that great (except my idea for an animated Marco Polo movie, which I still think would be awesome), but I wasn’t sure what was wrong with them, or why they didn’t seem as fresh or exciting as they should’ve.

And now I know why…

I hadn’t read Animation Unleashed, a new book from Canadian animator Ellen Besen.

I’ll be honest: I’ve never been super-inclined to do animation.  I enjoy it, and the past few years have given us some OUTSTANDING animated films (The Incredibles and Wall-E are two of my favorite movies EVER).  But I think great animated writers “think in animation”… which is something I simply don’t do.

Having said that, Animation Unleashed: 100 Principles Every Animator, Comic Book Writer, Filmmaker, Video Artist, and Game Developer Should Know is a terrific book not only for writers and artists working in animation, but for any writer or artist who wants to think about their own non-animated work in new ways.

Before describing what Animation Unleashed IS, let me tell you what it’s NOT.  Animation Unleashed is NOT a book that teaches you how to draw.  It’s not a book that teaches you how animated movies or comics get made.  It also doesn’t teach you the rules of narrative structure or storytelling; you won’t get a beat-for-beat breakdown of Finding Nemo or Madagascar.

What Animation Unleashed does incredibly well, however, is explain the creative and practical principles of animation.  The book begins by detailing some basic creative theories behind good animation: using analogy as storytelling, “simplifying and exaggerating” animated elements to let them be more representational, uses of caricature, etc.

Now, lemme say two things…  

ONE:  this is NOT an academic theory book.  I’m not usually a huge fan of academic film theory, especially when it doesn’t serve to make people better filmmakers or artists… but Besen explains things in practical terms that make everything applicable to the creative process.  She’s not interested in simply analyzing animation; she’s interested in helping people MAKE animation… and she succeeds 100%.  (Like I said, I’m not really an animation guy, but Besen made me understand, appreciate, and think about animation in ways I had never before bothered to.)

TWO:  I don’t think anything Bresen says is necessarily earth-shattering… yet what makes this book so valuable, at least for me (as a non-animation guy), is that it makes me think about how animation works differently from other kinds of storytelling.  And in doing that, it forces me to think about animation’s unique techniques and philosophies and how to apply them to my own writing.

In her chapter about actual script-writing, for example, Besen talks about how animation tends to be a more visual medium than other kinds of filmmaking, so it’s often helpful to write action first… then add dialogue later.  I think she’s absolutely right… but I think this also applies to regular movies and storytelling.  Or, at the very least, screenwriters should be focusing as much as possible on telling stories visually, not verbally.  Not necessarily a groundbreaking revelation… but by giving animated worlds and examples,  Besen got me thinking about my own “traditional” writing in ways and contexts that I hadn’t before.

Some of Besen’s most provocative chapters are those about sound, timing, camera angles, and performance.  These are easily the most “animation-specific” chapters, but they’re also the ones that made me think about my own work in the newest, most challenging ways.  

In her great chapter about sound, Besen talks about using dialogue sparingly… and even how/when to use gibberish or pure silence instead of actual words.  I don’t know if I’ve ever written—or needed to write—a character who speaks in gibberish, but Besen’s point is that genuine WORDS aren’t always the best vehicle for conveying emotional intent.  It’s a point well-taken.  As a writer, I think it’s easy to fall in love with our words—with actual letters on our page—but Besen does a great job of reminding us that words are far less important than characters' actions or the emotions behind them.

Ultimately, Besen’s book was a surprisingly engaging read, and I recommend it for two reasons:

ONE: it’s a great guide for helping animators think about everything from writing to shot composition in ways that will help them execute it practically.  Again, it may not teach you HOW to write or draw… but it helps you think about exactly WHAT to write and draw (and WHY you want to write and draw what you want to write/draw-- which I is often key to doing it well).

TWO: whether you’re a screenwriter, novelist, playwright, or poet, I think you’ll find this book helps you view your own work from a new perspective.  Next time I’m blocked when writing a scene or an outline, this will be one of the first writers-block-busters I’ll turn to.  After all, what better way to crack writers block than to imagine how to tell your scene (or story) simply through sound design?  Or with no dialogue?  Or as a wholly animated sequence?  That-- no matter what kind of writer you are-- in an indispensable resource.

So check it out and lemme know what you think...

In the mean time, I’ll be spending this weekend at the L.A. Chocolate Salon.  Which means next time I post, I’ll probably be about fifty pounds fatter.  Fortunately, you won’t be able to tell over the blog…

(Coming up: we’ll talk about how to register and protect your work, we’ll have new entries in the Script Notes pitch workshop, special guests, and more!...)

Hey, folks—

Today’s reader question comes from E. Daniels, who asks:

“Is it possible for writers to balance a career and family?  With all the talk of being trapped in a room for 14 hours, I'm wondering if it's even possible to be a single parent and make a living as a TV writer, particularly given that most people move away from their families/support systems to start their career in Los Angeles.  Thoughts?”

Well, E. Daniels… I’ll be honest: I’m not a single parent, so I didn’t feel fully qualified to answer this question myself.  Which is why I tracked down someone who did… my friend Jennifer Vally, one of the other writers here on Reality Binge.  Jen has written on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilbourn, Reality Remix, Street Smarts, and many more shows for both broadcast and cable networks… AND she’s raised two daughters.

Jen was really gracious in letting me pick her brain for a while.  So without further adieu, here’s Jennifer Vally…

CHAD:  How did you begin working as a TV writer?  How did you get to where you are now?  Tell me about your path?
JENNIFER:  I started as an actress in plays in high school… in San Diego… and college.  I went to junior college in Orange College, and my second year I was hired by a professional theater group and I did summer stock.  From there, I decided I wanted to move to L.A. and find my fame and fortune.  

I didn’t find my fame and fortune right away, but I was very ambitious.  I always produced stuff, got myself on stage.  I joined a comedy sketch improv group and we got to be pretty famous.  We opened for Garry Shandling; we went around the country.  And then I got tired of writing by committee so I started doing stand-up.  And from stand-up, people started asking me to write jokes.  One of my very good friends who would ask me to write jokes got a job writing on The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show, and that was all I needed.  I was like, “if he can get it, I can get the job.”  So I got a job working on that show.  

Around that time, I was reading in the paper about the Oxygen network, and I said, “Boy, this is something I should really check: a network for women.”  Because even as I was working, I would be the only woman writing [on staff], or one of two, or one of a few.  So when I heard about the Oxygen network, I got very excited.  I literally did all the networking myself; I had no agent.  I just found out they were going to do twelve shows [and] called down to Sunset Gower, [where] I heard they were setting up production offices.  I hounded them and sent my stuff and they hired me to write for the show.  I was the only female writer, writing for a show called I’VE GOT A SECRET for two years… I wrote 112 episodes all by myself.  From there, it just evolved and I got jobs working on different shows.


Where in that timeline did you have your children?
I actually started doing stand-up when I was six months pregnant with my youngest one.  The day I had my child I was performing at The Laugh Factory.  I got offstage, my water broke, and I went to the hospital and had Hannah—the same exact night I performed.

It was tough because I was single.  I don’t have any immediate family in the area.  My parents are from overseas, my mother lives in San Diego, I have no relatives.  So I had to do everything on my own, [like] find sitters.  In the beginning, I had to take my kids with me to comedy clubs and have other comics watch my kids while I did my set.


How was that lifestyle for your kids?  Did they like it?  Did they understand what you were doing?
They couldn’t come to a lot of the gigs… because they’re in clubs; you have to be twenty-one.  But [one time, I was performing at a sober house and took my oldest daughter].  And I was telling some jokes and she got up and ran out of the room, in the middle of my set, crying!  Afterwards, I went after her and she was like, “I had no idea this is what you did!  You talk about me!”  I hadn’t even said anything about them!  I’d said that I had kids and she was mortified and ran away screaming!  It was horrible.  But then, when I started getting jobs on TV… then they were excited about it.


You've been working steadily as a TV writer for many years, so you have good traction and many contacts.  But starting out as a TV writer is a much different ballgame than continuing to work once your career is moving.  What are the biggest challenges, both personal and professional, faced by a single parent just trying to break in?
My advice to someone would be: CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES.  So many times people come to this town and give themselves deadlines.  People say, “I’m giving this six months, and I if I don’t make it, or if I don’t get a job in six months, I’m leaving.”  Well, you might as well just leave, because you are setting yourself up for failure.  Nothing is going to happen that quickly.  It’s all perseverance, working hard.


But how can people do this?  If someone moves to town with almost no contacts, how can they "create their own opportunities?"
Years ago, I started this cable access show.  This is a way someone new to town could [do something].  For thirty-five dollars, they’ll teach you how to edit and do all this stuff, and there are many cable access networks in the city.  You can use their facilities to tape whatever you want for two hours, with a crew, for forty bucks.  It’s professional quality stuff, so I did a show called Chick TV, and from that show I won two grants: a grant from the NEA, [and another] from private foundations, because it was a comedy show featuring women.  You just create your own opportunities.

There are writers groups all over L.A.  I get emails from friends of mine who are starting up writers groups all the time; someone writes a screenplay, or even just a page, and they’ll go with other writers and read each other’s work.  Or have actors say them out loud.  So even if you’re not working, you can still get your words read by other people… and see if you’re gong on the right track.

Also… UCLA and all these places have extension courses where you can take screenwriting classes and other things.  I’ve never done that, but people say they like it.

If you’re coming from out of town, I’d [also] suggest getting a job anywhere in show business.  I’ve worked on a lot of productions where even the simple P.A. moves up to another position.  So if you’re new and don’t know anybody, take a job anywhere at a production company.  Even if it’s just answering the phones, be nice, show them you’re creative, slip your head in; after you know the place, slip them a few jokes, some samples.  They’ll take a look at it because they know you and they know your work ethic.


Production assistant jobs are pretty low-paying gigs.  Is it possible to be a P.A. and support your family or raise children?
You’ll have to come out with some money saved because P.A.’s don’t make much money and work longer hours.  But that’s the best way for someone with absolutely no contacts or experience to get their foot in the door.


Is it possible to work as a full-time P.A., with a part-time job on the side?  Could you work as a P.A. during the week, but also work at a restaurant, or a movie theater, or as a secretary?
You might be able to.  [A girl in my office now] was our very own example.  She’d work on the weekends as a nanny and a P.A. during the week.


As you said, P.A.'s-- or any low-level entertainment positions-- often work brutally long hours for very little pay.  How does this impact your ability to be a good parent?  Can you still be a good mom or dad while working as a P.A.?
That’s something you have to really work at.  If you have a lunch break, you can run home.  When I first started working long hours at Oxygen, I literally had to have a team of handlers.  I would take the kids to school in the morning, then I had someone who would pick them up in the afternoon, someone else who would take them to their things, and someone else who would stay with them at night.  It’s tough.  Your weekends are very precious, and any down-time you have, you come… or you have them brought to the set.  You spend as much time [with them] as you can.  

The thing about working as a writer—or anything in show business—there are periods of unemployment.  [Also,] when you are working, you make enough money that you should learn to manage it [and] save it, so when you aren’t working, you don’t have to stress.  That’s when I catch up on all that mommy time.


That brings up a good point: being a TV writer is an incredibly unstable job.  Sometimes you work for many months; other times there are long dry spells of unemployment.  How do you and your family survive the dry spells... both financially and emotionally?
Keeping busy helps.  There are all kinds of freelance writing jobs you can do from home: grant-writing, writing for websites, writing for different organizations.  You’re not going to make the same amount of money, but at least you’re still keeping in it.

What’s great about [times of unemployment] is: that’s when you can volunteer at your kids’ school.  I was PTA president for six years at my daughter’s middle school.  So I was either involved 100% or involved 20%.  It gives you a chance to be involved in your kids’ lives when you wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise.  If you were working a nine-to-five job every day of the year, you wouldn’t have those opportunities, so it’s nice to have down-time every once in a while.


What are some other advantages you find working as a TV writer?  Some things you feel you've "gained" being a single mom writing for television?  Advantages in your personal life you wouldn't find if you had another job?
It gives you enough money to send your kids to the dance lessons, the gymnastic lessons.  So when you are working, they’re keeping busy, because you don’t want your kids to slip away or slip through the cracks or get in trouble.  Because I hate to say it, but if you have money, you have the resources to give them opportunities you wouldn’t working at a regular job.


And the follow-up question: are there things you feel you've lost, or personal disadvantages from working in television?
I don’t think so, because when my kids see me working, happy, productive, and being able to raise a family, that reflects on the kids.  I’m happy, so they’re happy.


How much harder is it to break into TV-writing if you're a single parent?
It’s just another job, so when you’re a mother you learn how to juggle a career and have kids.  But I will mention that for a woman, especially when you want to go into comedy, it’s a LOT harder.  The truth is: most guys—and I did comedy for years—they don’t think women are funny.  That’s the bottom line: “women aren’t funny.”  So you just have to break into that boys club.  I’ve worked on several shows where I was the only woman… or one of two.  So there’s that disadvantage, too.  But if you’re talented, people will hire you.


Breaking into TV-writing is always tough, but it's even tough for out-of-towners.  What advice would you give a single parent who lives out of town, but is considering moving to L.A., to help him/her make the transition?  What can he/she do before moving to L.A. to help the move-- and the professional transition-- go more smoothly?
If you haven’t done any writing in your hometown, I’d suggest you do as much of that as you can before you come out here.  I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities in any city to be in a theater group and write a play, or local news, or the local entertainment show. It’s hard to break in here unless you have a little bit of experience or are willing to take the time.  [Especially] if you’re coming out with NO experience, stay in your hometown a bit longer, get SOME experience, even if it’s just sitting at home writing a screenplay [or] spec script, then send it to people in Los Angeles before you make the move.  Get some advice, see if it’s the right move for you.


We always hear that in order to have a TV-writing career, you must live in Los Angeles.  is that true?  Does an aspiring TV writer need to live in L.A.?
Not in this day and age.  Every major city has the news, the “Good Morning, Mike & Mary,” plays, theater.  Start in your town before you come out.


Earlier you suggested people just moving to L.A. should start at the bottom as a P.A. or other low-level position.  But if you've spent many years building to a level of success in another industry... as a doctor or lawyer or secretary or fireman... it's tough to begin again.  If you've been successful in one career and decide to try your hand at writing, do you really need to begin at the bottom?
Yes.  If you have a field you’re already an expert in, find [writing] jobs doing that.  There are always writing positions in every job—law offices, doctors.  Everyone needs someone writing something for them, so start by writing for the doctors or the lawyers.


If you were advising a single parent just beginning a career as a TV writer, what are the top 3 "do's" you would offer him/her?  What are thre three things he/she should be sure to do to balance parenthood and a professional life?
Number one: have good samples of your work, whether it’s a play, a short story, a spec script, a bunch of scripts.  Have some samples to show.

[Number two:] do your homework.  Find out what kinds of job you want… what your niche is, what your specialty is.  Have in mind what you want to do before you set out.  I like variety, so that’s what I’ve been going for.  I like writing jokes, I like writing sketches.  

A friend of mine created a long-running sitcom, and she used to call me, crying about the hours.  Literally, she was working 18-20 hour days.  That job wouldn’t have worked for me with my kids.  As lucrative as it was, I just couldn’t do it.  So find what you like and go for it.  Do you want to be a sitcom writer?  Do you want to work on hour dramas?  Do you want to work on a talk show?  Watch TV shows you like and see what production companies make those shows. Then arget those specific companies.  Do some research and see if there’s a way in.

Number three: don’t expect help from anybody.  You have to do it all on your own.  Create your own opportunities.  Don’t wait for somebody to give you a job.  Be proactive.  When I was doing that chick TV show, I would put out ads in looking for women, different talent.  I’d talk to these women and say, “What do you do to further your career?”  “Oh, I wait for my agent to call me.”  Well, that’s not how it works.  You have to find your own jobs, create your own opportunities.  If you want to be a writer, hook up with an actress; write her something and do a one-woman show or a play.  Then you can invite people from the industry to see your work.


What are the top 3 "don't's" you would recommend?
You should NOT give yourself a deadline, a timeline, because that’s just setting yourself up for failure.

Don’t come to L.A. to be a writer if you’re doing it just for the money.  You’ve heard writers make lots of money and that’s why you do it.  You will fail.  You have to do it because you love it and that’s what you want to do; you would do it regardless of whether you’re making a lot of money or not.

Don’t be afraid to knock on doors you think will be closed: you never know.  Let’s say you love reality shows and would love to work behind the scenes on Survivor.  Don’t be afraid to go to Mark Burnett Productions and say, “Can I do something here?”  They need P.A.’s every day of the week… and people fall out all the time.

[And lastly,], don’t let anybody squash your dreams.  If you have dreams, go for it, but be proactive, that’s my number-one thing.  Don’t expect to have anyone really help you.  Don’t sit around and wait for someone to give you a job.  You have to do it on your own.  If you want to be a writer, write every day, even if it’s just writing in a journal.