Another TV Job Interview- Suit Up!

So in the latest TV news I have a telephone interview with an executive covering a certain CBS one hour drama. I hear the show is pretty good but have only seen an episode or two. It does well in the ratings for whatever that is worth- a lot in TV land. I am going on the assumption as I have said before that they are looking for good writers versus people who are fans or intimately knowledgeable about the show. A show's aesthetic and style and structure can all be taught I think. Writing is something you should probably know how to do prior to the job. Maybe not.

So I may have to make a quick trip to LA if the call goes well to meet with some other folks. As always I'd be excited to get my first paid TV gig. That would be cool.

Hello- This is Me.

Who am I? I’m a writer who is about to graduate from Columbia with an MFA in Film. I’m also an assistant to a playwright- that pays the bills believe it or not. I’m in the beginning stages of my own writing career- one which will hopefully encompass a variety of genres and mediums. I have ideas and sometimes those ideas are best for the stage and sometimes they are best for the screen and sometimes the end up in the trash. Okay, rarely in the trash but somewhere deep in my hard drive.

In regards to television I don’t write specs any more- they seem silly to me. I’m going on the perhaps naïve assumption that producers, studios and networks are looking for good writers- period- not writers who can imitate a writing style. I think that can be taught and also depends entirely on who you are working for. My agent (who is great) seems to agree or at least has never asked me to write a spec. Great also applies to my writer/boss who is incredibly supportive of me and my work. I go to Los Angeles every few months for “generals” as I’ve learned they’re called. Where I talk to executives and we contemplate ways to get me in the system and developing shows for them. I can be cynical; I can be jaded. BUT generally I am optimistic because those other two states of mind just kind of blow. I don’t live in LA (NYC baby!) and refuse to move (actually move back) unless I have a writing gig- actually LA's okay. :) So that’s an incredibly small slice of my pie but perhaps I will reveal more moving forward…I guess that's the point of this blog.