Tag: Showrunner

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TV Showrunner, Sheryl J. Anderson

|Sheryl J. Anderson|

Sheryl J. Anderson is the Showrunner on the Netflix series, Sweet Magnolias. The streamer categorizes the beloved show as “Heartfelt, emotional, and feel good.” It’s a type of show we all seem to be craving these days.

Sheryl is one classy dame. I’ve had the good fortune to develop with her and she’s all the things you hope for: Collaborative, smart, creative, respectful and more than delightful.

And now with three seasons under her Netflix belt, she teased us with new development, how to pitch and where she’s headed on her next vacation.

RS: When was the moment you knew you could write for a living? 

SA: I felt that way briefly last week. I hope to feel that way again in another week or two.

RS: Did you come into the industry with any connections or did you initially fly blind?

SA: A friend of mine from college had come out here a couple of years before I did. She was my guide, but we were both learning as we went.

RS: Do you have a favorite mentor? If so, who and why are they (amongst) your favorite?

SA: I didn’t have a writing mentor (which is why I mentor now), but my first bosses in television were Rob Kaplan and Grant Tinker. They led by example, and taught me that being good to people encourages them to do their best work. And Grant said, “Hire the best people, then get out of their way,” which I try to do to this day.

Hire the best people, then get out of their way.

RS: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve ever received?

SA: The best advice: See Grant Tinker, above. The worst advice: “It won’t bump them.” It always does.

RS: Describe some writer-y pet peeves you have.

SA: I insist on good grammar, proofreading, and the Oxford comma. I also believe “that” should be used only when absolutely necessary.

RS: When first working on a project, how do you begin your process? 

SA: It varies, but most of the time, it’s some variation on “What if…?” “What if I were in this situation?” “What if this character and this character were in conflict?” I like to identify the central conflict and the core characters as soon as possible, though I know there’s an excellent chance all of that will shift as I dig more deeply.

RS: What would you consider your strengths as a writer? What do you struggle with?

SA: I believe characters and dialogue are my strengths. My producing director recently complimented me on the musicality of my writing, and I cherish that. My biggest struggle is with the opening scene of a new script; with apologies to William Carlos Williams, so much depends on that first line from that first character in that first scene.

RS: On your show, how have you moved the needle when it comes to diversity – in front of and behind the camera?

SA: In my first discussions with my fellow executive producers on Sweet Magnolias, I told them I was committed to a diverse cast; they agreed. So when we were hiring behind the camera, I again emphasized seeking out diverse candidates and, in particular, advocated for female department heads.

RS: More times than not, do you feel the pressure to take studio or network notes literally or are you at a place in your career where you feel trusted to hear the spirit of the note?

SA: I am at a place in my career where experience has taught me there is often “a note behind the note,” and I’ll ask more questions until I’m clear on the true meaning of the note.

On Executive’s Notes: There is often a note behind the note.

Then I’m better positioned to offer the options I have to address it. One of the things I love most about working with our executives at Netflix is their willingness to discuss notes and to listen meaningfully to my concerns in return.

RS: What’s the hardest note to receive from an executive? 

SA: “This doesn’t work for me.” Specific feedback leads to quicker, better resolutions of the places where we aren’t in sync.

RS: We’ve all had bad experiences at one time or another. What is one that you were able to spin into a positive? 

SA: I’ve been on toxic shows where I met remarkable people and learned a lot about how not to run a show.

RS: What did DAY ONE in the writer’s room of Sweet Magnolias look like? How different do these days look – from the start of production on S1 to S2.

SA: I think we got more goodies on Day One of Season One. Otherwise, the beginning of both seasons was a week or so of talking through stories we’d like to tell in the course of the season and how those stories might arc out. Lots of blue skies and broad strokes before we dove into specific breaks.

RS: For staffing, are you looking at the writer as a whole, or are you looking to assemble a room where the writers complement each other’s strengths?  I.E. One is great with story, one with character, one with dialogue?

SA: I look at the writer as a whole, because they are going to be responsible for an entire draft. Sure, some people have noticeable strengths, but I’m looking for well-rounded people whose samples feature memorable characters in emotionally dynamic stories.

On Staffing: I look at the writer as a whole, because they are going to be responsible for an entire draft.

RS: Are all of the writers the original staff or did you have to make adjustments?

SA: Two writers from Season 1 moved to other projects between seasons, so I hired two new writers for Season 2 (for a room of four writers plus me).

RS: When do you know a writer isn’t a good fit on a show you’re running? What are the signs? 

SA: I don’t like naysayers: I tell my writers they can’t say “no” to someone else’s pitch unless they have a fix for the problem. I don’t like lecturers – the writers who feel they must stop the momentum to “teach” everyone something. And, obviously, missing deadlines is a huge problem.

RS: Communication is key when in production, but more times than not, people struggle with it. Have there been instances where you’ve struggled?

SA: If you never answer in the heat of the moment, communication tends to be clearer and more productive. It’s amazing what taking a deep breath and a short walk can do to temper an answer.

On communication: It’s amazing what taking a deep breath and a short walk can do to temper an answer.

It’s also important to let the other individual express the entirety of their concern before you jump in, cut them off, and try to “solve” a problem you may not fully understand yet.

RS: What do you enjoy more… being in a writer’s room or being on set? 

SA: You’re asking me whether I like being in the kitchen or in the dining room, when what I really like to do is eat. I love the room because of the thrill of creating something with people I adore and respect. I love the set because of the thrill of seeing that something be brought to life by people I adore and respect.

In either place, I am there to make sure people feel supported, inspired, and appreciated. My biggest responsibility is that everyone feel safe, heard, and respected, and to help fix the problem if they don’t (the mantra I share, in the room and on the set, the first day of every season).

RS: What are some hard lessons you learned early on in your career?

SA: I thought “the work will speak for itself.” It doesn’t. You have to stand up for your work – and for yourself.

I have also learned, less early on, a certain personality type will take politeness as a sign of weakness. So, again: You have to stand up for your work and for yourself.

“The work will speak for itself.” It doesn’t. You have to stand up for your work — and for yourself.

RS: You’ve written some mystery novels. Do you think you’ll ever adapt them for the screen? 

SA: I think about it from time to time. We’ll see.

RS: On Instagram, your “tag” is, “Showrunner, SWEET MAGNOLIAS (Netflix). Author of the Molly Forrester Mysteries. And some other stuff you haven’t heard about… yet.” So… what is “some other stuff” we haven’t heard yet? 

SA: I have a couple of projects in development, plus a swirl of spec ideas. I look forward to sharing them when it’s appropriate.

RS: If you had a vision board, what would be on it? 

SA: Costume and production sketches for my next show.

RS: Do you have a favorite spot to write (when in development mode)?

SA: My living room couch. (I sit at my desk when I’m in work mode, because I daydream less there: The chair is less comfortable than the couch.)

RS: When you are pitching/selling, do you have an instinct in regard to how much to include in a pitch? From too little to too much?

SA: I find that balance varies from producer to producer. I think I have good instincts, but I’m always ready to revise. The goal is to have the buyer lean in because their appetite is whetted, not push back from the table because they’re full and don’t want anymore.

On Pitching: The goal is to have the buyer lean in because their appetite is whetted, not push back from the table because they’re full and don’t want anymore.

RS: What’s your favorite genre to write in? 

Family drama – whether it’s framed in a procedural, the supernatural, or “everyday” life.

RS: Most embarrassing moment(s)… while pitching, on set, in writer’s room?

SA: I’ve either been extremely lucky or I’ve blocked them all out.

RS: What’s a favorite book that you wish you could or could have adapt(ed)?

SA: Now you’re asking me to reveal my development slate!

RS: Your ideal vacation?

SA: Traveling with my kids and my brother. We have a wish list ready for when the world opens back up; it ranges from the Bourbon Trail to our ancestral castle in Scotland, with loads of marvelous places in between.

There you  have it… tidbits and wisdom from the incredibly special Sheryl J. Anderson.

Look out for Season Two of Sweet Magnolias… coming in 2022.

For more like this one, go to: https://rebecca-stay.com/qa-with-tv-veteran-donald-todd-showrunner-and-creator-of-the-upcoming-netflix-show-florida-man

Bio: 

Sheryl J. Anderson is the showrunner of Sweet Magnolias, a romantic drama for Netflix that just wrapped production on Season Two, and has a variety of projects in development. She began her writing journey as a playwriting major at The College of William & Mary. Lured to Los Angeles by the intrigue of television and the promise of 300 sunny days a year, she worked as a television studio executive, screenwriter, and half-hour series writer (Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Dave’s World). She then moved to writing and producing hour-long series, working on a wide range of series (Charmed, Flash Gordon, When Calls the Heart). She has sold pilots to Disney, SyFy, NBC, and Lifetime, and written movies for Hallmark, UPtv, and Lifetime.  Sheryl also teaches and mentors through a variety of universities and organizations.

 

 

 

 

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TV Writer/Director: Betsy Not Betty Thomas

|Betsy.Thomas|

Betsy and I met in a very L.A. fashion. Our kids went to the same elementary school and we were on the same committee to raise money for said school. We had much in common given we swim in similar work circles… six degrees or less from many.

She’s my kind of person… so witty with an enormous heart. On many occasions she’s been a wonderful sounding board when I’ve needed it and below is no different with the oh so many wonderful nuggets she shares.

RS: How many times throughout your career have you been (in name only) confused with director, Betty Thomas? (Sorry, I could not resist)

BT: Surprisingly not as many as you’d think! I mean, who knows what happens in executive’s offices or agencies or whatever before I hear about it – I’m sure there are lots of people that are often getting all that wrong. Betty’s terrific, we met once and she said she keeps getting my mail! I think when I start directing features it might get more confusing.

RS: If I believe everything on Wikipedia, you began your career with My So-Called Life, which was a drama (and one of my favs at the time), but then it seems you took a deep dive into comedy and multi-cam after that show… was that by choice?

BT: Yes. That was such an incredible show. But I remember after I turned my first draft into Winnie Holzman, she took it and rewrote it. I was young and new and had only written a couple of plays and a screenplay at the time, so I thought being rewritten meant you had terribly failed. After being in TV a while, I realized that rewriting – especially for a first season show—is just part of the deal to try to get the voice consistent.

On being a staff writer:

I thought being rewritten meant you had terribly failed. After being in TV a while, I realized that rewriting — especially for a first season show — is just part of the deal to get the voice consistent.

All of this is to say that in retrospect, my episode was NOT in the tone of the show and was way too comedic. So yeah, I figured – I think I belong in comedy. I’ll always go toward the joke instead of the drama.

RS: What was the biggest lesson you took out of working on a drama?

BT: I think the biggest lesson was not really “drama” related – but realizing that my job wasn’t to write my version of that show, but to write as close to Winnie’s voice as possible. That’s being a TV staff writer.

RS: As a writer/director, do you find you write in a bit of a shorthand because you see things visually as a director?

BT: I’m very aware that people will be reading the script and need to be led. If anything, I think I’m more specific and detailed with the stage directions because I have such a better sense of how it should look and feel, and I want that to come across very clearly.

RS: Did you ever shadow on a TV show before getting your first shot and if so, what show and what director? What was the biggest take-away?

BT: You know, being a writer and showrunner before I was directing allowed me to have a front row seat, so I never really needed to shadow anyone. And many directors I worked with knew I was interested in directing, so they would share their knowledge with me or answer my questions. But the hours and hours in editing are really what teach you about directing – learning what you have, what you need, what you wish you had – these were all the most invaluable tools.

On directing:

The hours and hours in editing are really what teach you about directing. Learning what you have, what you need, what you wish you had — these were the most invaluable tools.

I think because I come from the showrunner’s perspective, I am very cognizant of making sure when they get in the editing room (after my cut), they have everything they need to make a great episode.

RS: When directing various shows, do you have a trademark shot you use? Any Betsy easter eggs planted — that if someone were watching closely, would know it’s a wink from you? In other words, when you’re a guest director, you’re tasked with keeping within a template, but how do you inject a little of your own originality?

BT: Not really, but now I think I should! You know, I’m a yin-yang person in that I like opposites together – like sweet and salty, etc. So when I direct comedy, I really like to find at least one moment and play the real/emotional of it. My favorite movies and TV shows have always struck a balance between the two – there are hilarious moments in “Terms of Endearment” and super dramatic moments in “MASH” or “The Office.” I laughed out loud at “JoJo Rabbit” but also cried my eyes out. By the same token, in the two one-hours I’ve directed, I really try to push the comedy and find ways to dig out jokes or funny moments. I think in the comedy I do I try to give it a little “feely” moment.

RS: Do you still get nervous when directing? How do you tame those nerves?

BT: OF COURSE I DO! Oh my god, yes. Obviously confidence is the best nerve tamer, so when I go back to a show many times – like “Superstore” – I’m less and less nervous, because I know the cast and crew and writers and I feel at home. But going to a new show with people you don’t know? UGH, I fight the butterflies. I try to get to know people, touch base with everyone, and be really prepared and communicative.

Going to a new show with people you don’t know? I try to get to know people, touch base with everyone, and be really prepared and communicative.

That helps. During prep — go to set, meet the cast, the DP, spend lots of time with your AD, get to know the department heads – that all helps break the ice. If you worry about what people think of you – or whether you’re doing a good job – that’s a sure road to not doing your best. I think as a woman I put a lot of pressure on myself to do right by my gender – that it’s not enough for me to be good, but I feel like I have to be great to combat what I am sure is varying degrees of sexism and skepticism. I’m sure that’s getting better now (in society) and I wonder if young women directors feel that pressure, or if that’s just a long-lasting hangover from being a showrunner and director when it was mostly men.

RS: When directing, what comes naturally to you now? Is there any part of directing that feels like it’s second nature?

BT: I’d say working with the actors. I can watch a take and know instinctively what’s not working or what needs to be fixed and feel really confident about needing another take and what the note needs to be. I also know when we have it and it’s time to move on. Actors can be scary – I’ve definitely worked with some difficult ones and some screamers. But in general I really like actors and the process of getting a performance from them – even if that means landing a joke in multi-cam.

On what comes naturally:

Working with actors. I know when we have it and it’s time to move on. I never walk into the set until I know what the note is. They’re hanging out there, so vulnerable — they need to feel like you are at the wheel of this ship and you know exactly how to guide them.

The one thing I make sure – I never walk into the set until I know what the note is. I never walk up to an actor until I’m entirely sure exactly what I’m going to say. Sometimes that’s even – let’s just do another one” or “we have it, so let’s do one for fun.” But those poor actors – they’re hanging out there, so vulnerable – they need to feel like you are at the wheel of this ship and you know exactly how to guide them.

RS: What’s the hardest part of directing?

BT: Stamina. I’m really outgoing and love to do bits with the actors. I like to keep the set light and positive and fun, and all of that is exhausting – particularly in multi-cam. Multi-cam wipes me out far more than single cam. You just don’t ever have any down time – rehearsals go straight into run-thrus and show night is like hosting a Broadway show. As a director, I’m managing personalities between the actors and the showrunner or other actors or whatever – it’s taking on a lot of people’s fear or anger or frustration or whatever. At the end of a show night I am absolutely fried.

RS: How do you creatively challenge yourself? Keep yourself fresh… What does that exercise look like?

BT: I think it’s important for me to take opportunities that scare me a little – that might feel like it’s not in my comfort zone (for various reasons). Those situations always teach me incredibly invaluable things and boost my confidence.

On creatively challenging herself:

Take opportunities that scare me a little — that might feel like it’s not in my comfort zone. Those situations always teach me incredibly invaluable things and boost my confidence.

Like I directed an episode of “Turner & Hooch” and at first I was honestly really reluctant – go to Vancouver? (never had) To do a one-hour with dogs and action? (never done action) But it ended up being just a fantastic experience – I learned so much about directing action and stunts, working with a 2nd unit – I was in the woods for days and had to storyboard action sequences. I came out of there a different director.

RS: Do you have a preference… staffing or development?

BT: Well, my first choice is running my own show – that’s the best. But after that, probably development, just because it’s on the journey to getting my own show. Although I really have loved my last two staffing experiences – on Superior Donuts and Abby’s – it was super fun to just be another voice in the room instead of THE voice in the room.

RS: What is your writing process? How do you get yourself started?

BT: Oh, I procrastinate A LOT. It’s like standing at the base of a mountain and looking straight up wondering how the hell you’re going to get to the top. So I’ll do anything to avoid THAT. I cook, I clean my office – suddenly it becomes imperative that I take pants to be hemmed, start playing tennis, or scan and catalog my photos.

It’s been so many years now that I’ve talked myself into that “my brain is actually working on the idea, it’s simmering during this time.” But that could be bullshit and it’s probably most likely that I’m scared to open myself up again, which is what writing feels like – giving birth to an entire new world only so someone can come along and start picking it apart.

Ultimately after having weeks of a tormented inner battle, I get to a point where I HAVE to turn something in, so I just accept that I’m going to write pure shit, drop into a zone and push out a pitch doc or an outline or a draft, whatever – and then of course, I’ve fallen in love with this new world I just created, so now I’m hooked and feel good about it because I climbed the mountain and it’s not scary anymore. My writer friends who know me well joke that I write a pilot in 2 days.

Well, it takes a little longer than that, but I do work pretty quickly once there’s a gun to my head.

RS: As a showrunner, what does day one in a writer’s room look like?

BT: Single-cam and multi-cam are pretty different. With multi-cam we might be spending the morning breaking a story or punching up a draft, but then we go to the run-thru after lunch and see the little play of the show and do a rewrite afterwards. That’s why multi-cam hours can be so much worse for writers – sometimes we don’t even get started on that rewrite until 5 pm or later, so on run-thru days you’re lucky to get out by 7:30/8 pm. Single-cam, we might be spending the day going through a rewrite of a future script or trying to break a story for a future episode, then going through that story in detail so the writer of the episode can go write an outline.

RS: What’s your advice to writers taking their first baby steps when joining a writer’s room?

BT: Listen, learn, and don’t feel you need to be constantly impressing everyone. Everyone knows a staff writer has the least experience – your job is to help make the showrunner’s life easier and contribute in whatever way you can to making the show better.

Advice on entering your first writer’s room:

Listen, learn, and don’t feel you need to be constantly impressing everyone.

So you don’t need to be always talking or pitch everything that pops into your head. Pick your shots and figure out how you can be helpful and not take up the oxygen in the room.

RS: How are you personally trying to engage and change in support of more diversity?

BT: So I’ve been developing and directing for the past few years, so I haven’t had the opportunity to hire a staff – but I’m on the board of directors of the Writers Guild West, and we’ve been working on many new inclusion & equity programs and proposals – including a hopefully very impactful showrunner outreach program.

RS: At this stage in your career, if you could only pick one moving forward, what would it be… directing or writing?

BT: Well, writing is evergreen – I don’t need anyone to do it. I will always have it. I like the control and knowing I have within me an ability to generate my own work.

RS: Best & Worst advice you ever received?

BT: Well, this isn’t exactly an answer to this question, but – when I wrote my very first screenplay for Marshall Herskovitz & Ed Zwick, I remember vividly I had just turned in my first draft and I was called in for a notes meeting. When I walked in their office, Marshall said to me, with a big smile: “Well, the things you can’t be taught you know, and the things you can, you need to learn.” It has always stuck with me, and I have passed that sentiment on to others whose writing I admire, even though they may need help with structure, etc.

RS: Are there any outside the box things that emerging writers could be doing to get started?

BT: Um… everything? Back way before the internet, we made videos with a huge camera that nobody would ever see, just for the love of it. I wrote a play just to put it on for family and friends, having no idea it would be the beginning of my real career. CREATE, CREATE, CREATE. Don’t think about where it will lead you – think about where it will lead others.

What do you have to say that is going to help move the humanity ball down the field?

What do you have to say that is going to help move the humanity ball down the field? You have to write because you love it and you have no other choice – otherwise do something else.

RS: You always hear, “Write what you know” — is that comforting or frustrating to hear? And what could that also mean? How do you translate that in your head?

BT: Well, that kind of sums me up. That is always what I have done – write from my own life experience. But at a certain age, you start to run out of that – or at least for me, I realized I had to start to change what that meant. That writing from my own personal experience wasn’t necessarily fruitful anymore, but more importantly how can I write another story and imbue it with my emotional truths.

RS: Loglines are the bane of everyone’s existence. Any advice on how to write a logline well?

BT: NOPE! I hate them. Loglines and titles. If I could write that succinctly, I wouldn’t need 35 pages.

RS: Joke writing… is it a strength or weakness of yours?

BT: I really prefer character-driven jokes in general. My biggest laughs as a viewer are ones that come from even just a look or a one-line reaction. But I have gotten better at “jokes” as I’ve gotten more experienced, for sure. I still kind of hate them, but I am much more comfortable writing them.

RS: When writing a pilot, do you have go-to people you use to punch up your scripts? For an emerging writer, what’s some advice for them if they don’t have their “people” yet? What’s a good way to get help punching up a script?

BT: I don’t do a lot of pilot punch up (probably to my detriment) because I feel like it’s cheating, even though I know everybody does it. I would say instead, do a table reading of the script with friends and afterwards, just talk about it. Talk about the things that did and didn’t work. Open a couple of bottles of wine, let people open up with their ideas about things they liked or didn’t like.

RS: What’s a show you wished you created?

BT: “Fleabag.” FOR SURE. Particularly season 2. Massive creation envy. 2nd place: “Catastrophe” and “After Life.” Weird – I picked all British shows.

RS: Who are some of your fav writers and directors in TV? Why?

BT: Well, obviously Phoebe Waller-Bridge! Also Sharon Horgan. I mean, Taika Waititi (I probably spelled that wrong). Ricky Gervais – honestly, even more for “After Life.” Michaela Coel!

RS: If you could be a character in a show, would you be the lead or the best friend?

BT: I mean, I always write the lead! Who doesn’t want to be the lead?? I guess if I were actually acting in something though, the best friend has a lot more jokes… so then probably the best friend!

RS: What’s ten years from now look like for you?

BT: OH GOD. I can’t even imagine what 2 years from now looks like. I do hope I still have a chance to get another show on the air that people like – where I can really enjoy telling stories that affect people. I hope to direct a movie – that was my dream as a 21 year-old. And mostly, honestly – I hope to still be alive 10 years from now.

On the future:

I just want to be vibrant and crazy and loving, hurtling toward wisdom. The dream for me would to be to have a play I wrote and directed running in the West End of London.

This past couple of years I have lost so many people that I love, so I just want to be vibrant and crazy and loving, hurtling toward wisdom. The dream for me would be to have a play I wrote and directed running in the West End of London. But I’ll be thrilled to be alive and healthy and not have to worry too much about money. Being healthy and playing with grandchildren used to seem so pedantic and now it looks pretty damn good.

There you have it. Wise words from the beautiful Betsy. I’m betting that West End dream comes true and I’ll be the first in line to see what I can only imagine to be a magnificent play!

If you enjoyed this Q&A, you might enjoy this one:  https://rebecca-stay.com/a-moment-with-showrunner-austen-earl

Bio: 

Betsy Thomas grew up in Michigan and moved to Los Angeles with a used typewriter and no idea what the hell she would do. After lots of strokes of luck as a playwright, she wrote features and landed her first TV job on “My So-Called Life.” She moved to half-hour comedy with creating “Then Came You” (ABC), “Run of the House” (WB), and “My Boys” (TBS), which is where she began her directing career. She has also Executive Produced “Whitney” (NBC) and “Superior Donuts” (CBS) and has spent the past several years directing many shows including “The Carmichael Show,” “Superstore,” “The Neighborhood,” “Mom,” “The Unicorn,” “Turner & Hooch,” and the reboot of “Mad About You.” She is currently writing comedy pilots for TBS and FOX and will soon be directing her first feature film.

 

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Q&A With TV Veteran Donald Todd

|Donald.Todd|

I read somewhere that wisdom = knowledge applied, so who better than the honorable Donald Todd to talk about the craft of writing? 

Several years ago when I was working as a development executive, Donald and I worked together on a Warner Bros. project that was set up at CBS and the experience was so wonderful I’ve been stalking him ever since.  He’s my go-to person when I need advice or insights into whatever frustrating process I’m in the midst of; I love his honesty, his wit and dry sense of humor, and his no-holds barred look at our industry.  Moreover, he’s damn good at what he does.

He shares many gems including his writing pet peeves, what a perfect pitch should include and how to know when a script is really done.

RS:  In regards to your creative process, where do you draw inspiration from?  How and where do the ideas show up?

DT:  Since inspiration is unreliable, I’ve come to depend more on intention:  what do I need to accomplish here, with the effort?  Is there an actress who’s looking for a comedy?  A streaming service that wants a new fun procedural?  Did I just read a book in which a minor character was the uneducated bodyguard for a high-end call girl, and wonder if there’s a relationship there worth exploring?  Point is, I give myself an assignment, and the specificity of that one thing allows the many random connections and memories and old notions and themes that are swimming in my subconscious to attach to it.  I believe the subconscious contains amazing ideas and revelations — the joy and surprise of discovery is the whole reason I write — but trying to reach in and grab them doesn’t work.

Like catching a fish by hand.  I usually have to give my brain a job… then pretend to go home for the day.  Then the ideas can sneak in on the periphery and delight me.  It’s taken me a long time to give myself permission to let the good ideas come, and to not beat myself up when they don’t.  And by a long time, I mean I haven’t yet, but I hope I get there some day.  

But because this is a job for me, I can’t wait for ideas like a wildlife photographer camped out, hoping a lion wanders by.  So I write stuff down.  Anything.  The first thought, the most useless one, a scene idea, a character notion… it just tells the good stuff that it’s okay to come out now.  And I do it BY HAND — I’m a huge advocate for the connection between the hand and the brain.  I don’t use the computer until I’m actually writing.  It’s not for thinking, or creating, it’s for suddenly remembering that instead of writing I need to buy something.

The first thought, the most useless one, a scene idea, a character notion… it just tells the good stuff that it’s okay to come out now.

And sure, you’re saying, this is just what an old guy does, he doesn’t get that the rest of us think on our devices.  Okay.  And I’m saying no you don’t. 

RS: Has your process changed over the years?  If so, how? 

DT:  I bought a cork board.  I used to do it on the floor of my office.  Having dogs changed that.  Otherwise, occasionally I will use an app for index cards, and there are some better ones available now that we’ve been forced to work away from writer’s rooms… but they just don’t show enough at one time.  I want to see the WHOLE STORY, with different colors of cards for characters’ stories, and how it all feels together.  Once it’s digital, it just feels — and I know this is counterintuitive — set.  Digital is still my last step. 

RS:  Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to formatting?  

DT:  How much time do you have to argue about double-spacing after a period?  I’ve given up fighting it, but not given in:  I double-space because that’s how the Bible was written.  Or something.  I can’t remember.  But there’s no reason to stop.  Besides that, I just tell people, find a script and make yours look like that.  It’s not hard.  In single-camera scripts, the parentheticals do NOT go in the body of the dialogue!  That is lazy and makes you look like you didn’t make any effort to learn.  I don’t want to be your teacher, this is a profession, so look professional.  And here’s one that baffles me, but I see it a LOT:  don’t just end your script or act without putting END OF ACT or END OF EPISODE or whatever.  All the time, I read scripts where the scene just stops.  Is there another page missing?  I don’t know. 

RS:  What’s a mistake writers make when it comes to action lines?  What should you not include?  Is there a tip you can give in order to make them succinct?  

DT:  The answer to this one depends on what the script is for.  If it’s a spec, then it’s a sales document, and you have to consider the reader.  What is the tone you want them to get from your action lines?  I was raised to use as few descriptions as possible, but executives are less able to imagine, so you need to really set the scene.  Use exactly that many lines, not more.  If you’re trying to show how smart YOU are, cut it out.  Show how smart the characters are.  Shane Black is a helluva writer, but he introduced that smart ass, “we both know you’re reading a script” glibness that infected every spec afterward.  As if that’s what got him the million bucks, not the story.  So keep it simple, but do not assume the reader will do any work. 

RS:  Character Descriptions:  I worked with a writer that heard mixed advice when it came to dropping ethnicity into the description.  What’s your take? 

DT:  Only if it is key to the story or the life of the character.  Not just to describe them.  If the scene is about being of one ethnicity or another, or it would be different if they were different, then you need to put it in.  But don’t cast your script.  You limit the possibilities, and you want to allow all the reasons to say yes that you can.

RS:  Once you’re sold on what your next project is, how do you proceed?  Index cards, white board?  How do you organize your initial scribblings?

DT:  Back to that notebook, and a pen.  Could be a pencil for some; I use a fine-tip blue pen.  Always have.  It’s also the reason I use the same coffee cup every day — the sameness signals a mental readiness to write.  An association.  After letting myself write down every single thing I can think of about the idea, in no order, I begin to prepare a pitch (this answer supposes that I have to pitch this to sell it; for what I’d do if I was just going to write it, skip forward a bit).  That’s the hardest thing in the world, and I mean of any job anywhere, including crab fishing.  It’s like that final paper you had to do your senior year, except your livelihood rests on it.  This stage is organized by: how can I explain this idea so someone buys it?  It’s a sales tool, very simply, and designed to get you to what you want to do.  

If the question is, how do I begin once I begin, that takes me to the notebook again, but now we add INDEX CARDS.  In my scribblings about every single thing I can think of about the show, are scenes and lines and thematic ideas and random bits, and everything goes on a card.  Scenes go on white cards.  Ideas that might be IN scenes go on another color card.  Me, I use a cork board.  With push pins.  If I’m in a writer’s room and there’s money for a magnetic white board with magnetic cards, awesome.  But at home, it’s index cards and a board.  I need the visual feedback of seeing the story in front of me, in space.  Structure forms from there — asking what do I KNOW I want, where do I KNOW I want it… then I fill in. 

RS:  What’s some advice you wished you had gotten when first starting out?

DT:  Write shorter.  Start later in the scene.  Be less in love with the dialogue and more conscious of the emotional core of each scene.  Also, more practically: the executives or producers are not out to get you, or make the script worse.  Their notes might not be the way to make it better, but their intentions are positive.  So listen to find the intention, and if it’s unclear, ask.  Then try your best to do the note, if it’s not obviously bad.  There might be — generally is — a better way to get to where you’re going that you wouldn’t have found without trying the note.

RS:  With all of your experience, what’s still difficult to navigate?

DT:  What’s still difficult, and always will be, for any real writer, is to do the work:  to craft a story, to outline it, to give the characters genuine human motivations, to do the work.  It’s just hard.  I guess once I realized that, that made it easier, paradoxically.  I didn’t automatically assume that because I was stuck that I was terrible at this.  I mean, I am, but I don’t assume it anymore. 

What’s still difficult… for any real writer, is to do the work.  It’s just hard.

What’s easier — but only a little — is believing that when I’m stuck, I WILL figure out a solution.  That just comes from having done it enough; it’s based on observation and memory, even though my brain is still completely convinced I’ve written my last word and have been found out as a fraud.  I’m better able now to do what my wife does when I talk, and that’s to say “Mm, hm,” and not listen. 

RS:  What advice can you give for writers first entering a writer’s room?  

DT:  Wait for the showrunner to find a seat, and don’t sit beside them.  Or across from them.  Too much pressure.  Sit near the board, because you’ll probably be asked to write stuff on it because you’re new.  As for when to talk, how much to say… those are tough questions.  Whatever you choose will probably be wrong, at first, because you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s fine — everyone in the room was there at some point, and most are nice and encouraging.  Your job is to listen, and if you have something to contribute, do.  Don’t talk just to show you can, or to say you don’t like an idea.  These things are not helpful, and your job is to be helpful. Before too long, you’ll find the rhythm, you’ll understand better what the showrunner is looking for, you’ll realize your ideas are not worse than anyone else’s, and you’ll talk. 

Also?  Don’t re-pitch an idea that was rejected.  Just don’t.  Even if it might actually save the show.  Not worth it. 

In a writer’s room your job is to listen, and if you have something to contribute, do.

RS:  What does the perfect pitch include? What should it not include? 

DT:  Pass.  Okay, I’ll try, but I really have no idea.  I’m good at pitching, but they’re all different.  I’m writing one now (did I mention it’s my least favorite part of the job, by far?) where the producing partners want the pilot story and the first season’s major turns and surprises, plus the characters’ arcs, and it’s exhausting.  But to answer your question, the perfect pitch is one that paints a picture for the buyer of just what your show is.  They have NO IDEA what’s in your head, so make them see it.  Why do you want to write this?  Or need to?  That matters a lot.  Why now, that an audience can hook into?  What else is it like, so I understand the language we’re speaking here?  What is the key character dynamic?  What is the tone?  What will they care about?  That’s the big one: make the buyer feel the emotion.  A perfect pitch makes the buyer say of course we need this, I’m surprised we don’t already have it.  

RS:  How many drafts do you go through before the studio or network sees your official “first draft”? 

DT:  That depends on my producing partners, which I usually have — a pod or company of some kind.  I’ll do a couple of drafts before they see it, and usually several more — three, sometimes — based on their thoughts, before the studio does.  If I’ve chosen my partners well, by the time the studio gets it, the studio notes are minimal.  By the way, since I write on notepad first, the first draft I type on computer is already a second draft.  So I’ll be on the third, really before I deliver anything.

RS:  If you’re writing a script on spec and no one is waiting for it or you don’t have a studio or network involved, how do you know when it’s fully baked to your satisfaction?

DT:  It’s been awhile.  But I can say that I know when it’s done when I can say this was the intention.  It can take any number of attempts to find an expression of your intention.  You might change your intention in the looking for it.  So it’s done when you can support it and defend it and not apologize for it or make excuses or belittle it at all.  When you can say, ‘This is it, this is what I want you to read.”  The only spec drama script I wrote (which is the first thing of mine YOU read, “The Night”) took two weeks from idea to first draft, and the polished first draft is what I sent out. 

Your script is done when you can support it and defend it and not apologize for it or make excuses.

It just came out that way, and I was happy.  Well, as happy as I get, anyway.

RS:  Do you have an opinion on LookBooks? Have you ever created one for a pitch? Or a finished spec script?  

DT:  I hate them.  We’re just training the execs to be less and less able to listen and imagine.  And I hate extra work.  I will, however, bring in some photos to illustrate the setting or tone of the show.  A specific location, say, if it’s unique and key to the show, or a still of a scene from a movie this is like, so we can all say, “Oh, okay, I get that.”  If that’s a LookBook, then fine. 

RS:  And lastly, what’s a show on the air that you wish you created?  

DT:  Jeopardy.  So much money.  Other than that… Patriot, on Amazon.  Not “on the air,” but I guess everything lives forever.  Still being made now?  Succession.  

And there you have it… wise, wise words from the damn talented, Donald Todd.

For more like this one, try: https://rebecca-stay.com/writer-director-betsy-not-betty-thomas

Bio: 

Donald Todd created the Christina Applegate-starring ABC comedy series Samantha Who?, which won an Emmy and a People’s Choice Award.  He also has worked on NBC’s This is Us, ABC’s Ugly Betty and Fox’s Sleepy Hollow.  Deadline

 

 

ADVICE, Interview, People1 Comment

Happy Together: A Noteworthy Conversation With Writer, Austen Earl

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I met Austen several years back when I was President of FourBoys TV and he was knee deep into production with his CBS show, Happy Together. Patricia (Heaton) and I met him for a general meeting given they both had overall deals at CBS Studios. We wanted to see if there was something we could all work on together. We hit it off immediately — and born out of that first meeting was our mutual love of ancestry and so, we started down the development road working on a half hour idea called, Linda of Liechtenstein. LOL… at least for me.

We never got the chance to fully explore this seedling because Patricia’s show, Carol’s Second Act got picked up by CBS and Austen went on to sell about a zillion other projects. His latest is the feature, About My Father starring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro.

I hope for a day when we can resuscitate Linda, but in the meantime… Who is Austen Earl?

Austen is kind, honest, and incredibly gifted. I’m grateful to him for carving out time from his crazy schedule to have a conversation with me. He shares some great takeaways, his process and how zero days can be restorative.

RS: Describe yourself in five words.  

AE: ANXIOUS, DRIVEN, EMPATHETIC , NEUROTIC, PASSIONATE.

RS: You’ve sold multiple projects in the last few years. What makes your pitches successful? What are the special ingredients?

AE: I like to find a fun premise that sounds exciting in a logline, and then build it with a foundation I like to call an “emotional bottom.” While I realize this term may sound straight out of the personals section on Craigslist, it’s the most important part because people want their shows to be about something.

Austen:

People want their show to be about something.

For example, take the comedy I co-created for CBS (HAPPY TOGETHER). That show was based on the real-life story of the pop star Harry Styles deciding to forgo his superstar lifestyle to live in his friend’s attic guest room, which definitely made for a fun logline. However, it wasn’t the most relatable of situations. So, for the emotional bottom, we focused on the couple who hosted the pop star.

They were at that point a lot of married couples find themselves about ten years into marriage, where they’re in danger of losing that spark that once made them a fun and sexy couple. So, while the poster was about a seemingly dull couple hosting a celeb, the show was about a couple trying to keep the magic alive for the amazing person they married.

RS: When ideas are percolating, how much do you take into account what the buyer’s “mandates” are? 

AE: Very little. There’s so much turnover at these networks that those mandates change every day and you’ll kill yourself trying to chase them. I like to come up with the best idea I can and then assume there’s a good home for it. Oftentimes, the place where I was hoping to sell my show ends up not being its final home and I’d prefer to win or lose with my favorite version of an idea vs a version of the idea I created to predict what other people might want.

RS: Once you get started, how long does it take you from start to finish? For a pitch? An outline? A draft?

AE: It honestly varies so much depending on the project. I recently sold a movie to Lionsgate starring a well-known actor. It started over Thanksgiving with me receiving a text from the manager asking if I had any romcom ideas. I pitched an idea to her, met with the actor, wrote up the idea, then wrote the pitch and sold it by February. At the same time, I have a TV comedy pilot at FX that I sold in the summer of 2019 and it took over nine months for the deal to close, six more months for me to write the outline, and I currently owe them a third draft almost two years later.

In general, if the idea is good the pitch should come together quickly. The hardest part for me is always going from sold idea to figuring out what the best idea is for a pilot that distills the larger pitch down into one awesome episode. If you can get past that part, and take the time to figure that out and outline it well, writing the script should come fairly easily!

RS: What does a typical writing day look like for you? Certain hours? Amount of time? Is there a certain place (when not in production) where you like to write? 

AE: I’m a guy who likes to have a lot of irons in the fire. Yes, because I like to be busy, but more so the sting of possible defeat doesn’t hurt as badly because I know I have other things brewing. So, a typical day for me varies. I like to write out a schedule the night before I’m going to work so I can try to focus.

Typical days might include: Finish outline for one project, practice pitch for another, Zoom call for notes on a third. Other days I will solely focus on writing one act of one script. Some days I will read a book that relates to the idea I’m working on. Other days, I’ll do absolutely nothing but finish up errands, random phone calls, and go deep on TikTok. Long distance trail hikers refer to those as “Zero Days” and when used sparingly they can be restorative!

RS: What are some of your idiosyncrasies — as far as your process? 

AE: I have a personal theory that whatever I do first thing in the day will be the best thing I’ll do all day – whether it’s writing, jogging, playing with my kids, whatever. So, when I have something I really want to nail, I like to get up super early to just focus on that. When the sun is just entering the sky, I like to call that hour “Outline O’Clock” because I’m up and usually challenging myself to go crush something like an outline.

RS: As a showrunner, what do you feel your strengths are and what are your weaknesses? 

AE: My greatest strength as a showrunner is organization. On our CBS show, which was a multi-cam, we never ordered dinner as a staff. I like to brag about that, and often do, but we also didn’t get a second season so maybe I should shut the hell up. My greatest weakness is sitting in the room and fielding pitches from all the writers, especially during a group write. I just feel too awkward about making decisions with all those eyes on me.

Austen:

Knowing your weaknesses is just as important as knowing your strengths.

I prefer to trust someone else to run the room while I use my energy in other places, be that editing, rewriting, or breaking future stories.

RS: When taking notes from a network or studio, how do you go about addressing those notes? Do you pick and choose your battles carefully? 

AE: I have struggled mightily with this in the past, as I don’t totally trust the process of using testing data, etc. to drive notes. If testing worked, why do most shows fail?! Anyway, as I’ve matured (have I though?), I’ve started trying to remind myself that 15 years ago, I would’ve KILLED to get my stuff read by these studios and networks and now I get that opportunity all the time. At the end of the day, everyone is just trying to do their own job as best they can and I genuinely believe that very few people have truly evil intent with their notes.

So, yes, pick and choose your battles. For the most part, even if you don’t end up doing a note, just think about it for a while, because nine times out of ten they end up helping you improve your project. And fighting them, especially in real time, is a waste of energy and goodwill.

RS: For those first time staffers on a show who might not understand why their drafts are getting severely rewritten, what’s your advice to them on how to handle that process? 

AE: Someone from the show, NEW GIRL once said (paraphrasing here) “being sent off to script is the fastest journey from being home and thinking ‘oh my god I’m such a fraud’ to being back in the room and thinking ‘if they change one more word I’m leaving Hollywood’.” It’s so true. And I wish I could say there was an easy way to get through this.

Austen:

In reality, there are things happening in the show and the script that you could never have predicted while you were home and usually people are just seeing it now.

It’s almost never personal and you just have to dig deep, run to the bathroom to cry if you have to, and accept that this is the process. If you don’t want to do work in a group, it’s probably best to go write novels?

I will say that on my shows, I’ve stopped sending people home to write scripts and instead prefer to divide up outlines and group write the scripts in our offices, then we all rewrite them together. For me, it removes that feeling of personal responsibility that leads to so much pain and instead keeps everyone in a team mindset. But that’s just my personal choice as a showrunner. If you’re still struggling, I might also suggest a prescription pill in the anti-anxiety department.

RS: What advice did you receive early on?

AE: Two mentors of mine gave me great advice that I always try to pass on to new writers. The first was Tad Quill (Scrubs, Bent, Angel From Hell, The Moody’s) when I got my first staff job. He said, “As a staff writer, try to never be the big idea ‘but what if’ person who blows up stories. Leave that to the upper levels. Even if you think an idea is the worst thing you’ve ever heard, just keep pitching in support of it. And if you have what you think is a solution or better idea, wait until someone else points out the problem, then swoop in with your fix like a G-D hero.”

The second piece was from Greg Garcia (My Name is Earl, Yes, Dear, Raising Hope, The Guest Book):  “Treat every job you have like an interview for the next one.” His point is most shows will fail. You will want to get hired by these people for the next one. So, act like it.

Austen:

Treat every job you have like an interview for the next one.His point is most shows will fail. You will want to get hired by these people for the next one. So, act like it.

RS: Do you think zoom rooms will become a permanent fixture in the way a writer’s room works?  If they continue, would you consider staffing a writer in a different state? 

AE: It would depend on the show. Network comedies, probably not because you have to be there writing while you’re in production. Other shows, I would be open to it because I also don’t want to live in LA for the rest of my life either!

RS: Why do some comedy rooms go late into the night, work weekends, etc. while others only do so occasionally? 

AE: It’s all about time management. I feel like so many shows waste their initial weeks of preproduction by doing bonding exercises like trust falls, long lunches, and early nights. You gotta get ahead on stories so fast or you’ll spend the rest of the time falling behind. There are so many other reasons too – testing results, notes, difficult actors – but to quote the WGA’s Showrunner Training Program, focus on “Quality Scripts On Time.”

RS: When you read writers for staffing, what do you look for?

Austen:

I love scripts that are personal and very reflective of the writer.

AE: Like, if you were born on an oil rig in Northern Canada, I want to know that so I know a bit about your life before you even enter the room. Also, I like to fill up the room with people from different walks of life, so it’s nice to read samples that help drive toward that. I also love to hear good things from your previous colleagues. Not at Taco Bell. I’m talking about other shows.

RS: What’s the best part of the writing process for you?

AE: My favorite part is going back in after I’ve finished a first draft. Writing the original draft is so hard and I like being at the place where I’m just trying to make it better!

RS: Last question. What’s a series out there you wish you created? That sums up your style and your humor? 

AE: My style is all over the place but shows I’ll say that for are “Catastrophe,” “Roseanne” and “The Inbetweeners.”

And there you have it. Some amazing insights from the Awesome Austen Earl.

Trailer link to the film: About My Father: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txLSE7tpgr0

If you enjoyed this post, you might like: https://rebecca-stay.com/sheryl-j-anderson-finding-success-in-a-genre-were-all-hungry-for

Bio: 

Hailing from the great state of Vermont, Austen Earl is under an over all deal with ABC Signature, where he has five pilots in development (one for FX, Disney+, Peacock, and two others for the studio) and is currently attached to showrun the show ADOPTED, written by Jimmy Kimmel, Shawn Vance, and Daril Fanin.  Before that, he co-created and ran HAPPY TOGETHER starring Damon Wayans Jr. and Amber Stevens-West for CBS. Previous staffing credits include 9JKL, THE GREAT INDOORS, ANGEL FROM HELL, THE CARMICHAEL SHOW, THE MILLERS, and UP ALL NIGHT. On the feature film side, Austen also has a movie in production at Lionsgate centered around comedian SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO (with whom he also shot a TV pilot for NBC in 2016) and another romcom in development that is starring VINCE VAUGHN.