RS: What was your favorite comedy growing up?  Why?

WS: One of my fondest childhood memories is walking home from elementary school and turning on “Scooby Doo.”  I wanted to be as confident as Fred, as cool as Daphne, as smart as Velma – even though I was probably more of a scaredy-cat Shaggy.  I laughed at the corny jokes right along with the laugh track.  I think I also liked the predictable structure that the bad guys would get caught and the mystery would be explained.  All was right with the world.

RS: I read that you’ve been involved with the development of over 140 comedy pilots.  How do move through it all without feeling overwhelmed?

WS: Well, I’ve worked in Comedy Development for a long time, so those pilots were spread out over decades.  The most comedy pilots we ever shot in one season was 20, and that year I was probably overwhelmed and exhausted.  And hungry, since I was eight months pregnant with my first child.  I could always be found near craft service.

Every television pilot is its own beast – even the ones that go smoothly.  There’s always something that needs to be brainstormed or strategized.  As far as feeling overwhelmed, it is inevitable during certain parts of the process; a former boss taught me to step back and look at the big picture.  He’d say, “What’s the most important thing that we got done this week?” and then we could enjoy that success before diving back into the weeds.

RS: Comedy is so subjective, how do you decipher what you think is funny and what you think America (or the world) will find funny?

WS: Humans generally all cry at the same things, but we find very different things funny.  We do not even laugh at the same things in my department, which is fascinating and fantastic!  Of course I only have my own perspective to gauge what I find funny, and at one point that was nerve-wracking in this new job of buying comedy projects. 

On Buying When Comedy is Subjective:

Between my own sense of humor, the senses of humor of my very disparate kids, the scripts I’m constantly reading, the pitches I hear from creators who have different life experiences, and the shows I watch… I have a pretty decent overview of comedy.

But between my own sense of humor, the senses of humor of my very disparate kids, the scripts that I am constantly reading, the pitches I hear from creators who have different life experiences, and the shows I watch… I have a pretty decent overview of comedy.

Also, the fact that I am buying for one particular outlet makes it hard and easy at the same time.  I love our brand, but I also hear funny pitches for shows that I firmly believe would not be successful on ABC and, therefore, have to pass on developing them.  Those tend to be the bawdier or darker comedy pitches.

RS: What has changed (for the better and for the worse) in comedy development?  How do you find emerging talent beyond the traditional ways (I.E., manager or agent)?  Where are those diamonds in the rough?

WS: Well, the fact that there are so many outlets for content is great for storytellers and consumers.  When I started at Warner Bros., we sold to the broadcast networks.  When I left, we had dozens of places buying our shows.  That being said, it has made it harder to buy a tiny show from an unknown writer that does not have bells and whistles in the form of producers, talent, or a big, marketable hook.  In an age of clutter, you also have to think about how a show will get noticed.

In the age of clutter, you have to think about how a show will get noticed.

Something else that has changed for the better is that creators can market themselves via the internet.  You can be living outside of LA or New York and get noticed for having a great short film or a social media presence.  Of course, the same rule as above applies…it’s hard to get noticed because of the glut of material on the internet.

RS: You’ve been on both sides of the fence: Buying and Selling.  Do you have a preference?

WS: On the selling side, I loved the tight relationships I would forge with writers by going through more of the process together.  I felt like I was in the trenches with them, especially working on a lot like Warner Bros. where I could jump over to the edit bay or the stage.  I also loved the thrill of a sale, and the opportunity to work on so many different types of comedy – broadcast, cable, animation, live-action.

On the buying side, I do love being able to advocate for my projects at a level I couldn’t when I worked at an outside studio.  I am not the final decision-maker, but I do like offering my opinion.  Also, many people are nicer to you when you’re a buyer.  It shouldn’t be like that, but it is.  It was palpable in my first months at ABC.

RS: Was there ever a time you wanted to experience another aspect of TV besides comedy development?  Ever interested in drama? Reality?  Producing?  Writing?

WS: I started my career as a drama executive after having been an assistant in comedy, so my choice to return to comedy was a calculated one.  I really enjoy the social nature of comedy.  I am also interested in “family programming,” since I think the television world could always use more opportunities to bring families together, but thankfully, I get to do that with ABC Comedy.

I anticipate that I will parlay the skills I’ve learned as a buyer and seller into a producing job someday.  I love writers and am passionate about helping them realize their visions.

RS: Are there ideas or arenas you feel are evergreen?  That can ride out fads and cycles?

WS: Family comedies will always be around.  Everyone has a family, most people think their families are absurd, and those stories will always be relatable to someone. 

Family Comedies will always be around.

The trick is finding new ways of telling family stories, so they don’t feel predictable.

The trick is finding new ways of telling family stories, so they don’t feel predictable.

RS: When giving writers notes, do you find there are times you realize you’re giving a note based on what you’d prefer creatively or think is more compelling vs giving a note that speaks to what’s not working?

WS: Well, comedy is certainly subjective.  However, I have learned that it’s best for me to give feedback about what I was feeling in certain places of an outline or script or cut.  And that feeling could be the result of so many different choices; maybe the structure isn’t quite right, or a character is confusing, or the tone is off.

On Note Giving:

I’m not going to offer an opinion on what I think the exact fix is.  Asking questions is sometimes a better gauge of determining what is not quite right.

Eight times out of ten, I’m not going to offer an opinion on what I think the exact fix is.  Asking questions of the creator: “What did you want me to feel here?” is sometimes a better gauge of determining what is not quite right.

RS: What’s the best part of your job?

WS: The best part of my job is guiding writers through a business process that is not entirely creative.  Advising them on what battles to fight and how the process might unfold.  My company’s goal and the goal of the television developer is the same – to create a show audiences will love – but the journey to that is not always smooth.  I like to think that I can help clear away some of the rocks on the path to allow the writer headspace to do his or her or their best work.

I also don’t mind laughing for a living with my co-workers, who are now close friends.  Even on a hard day, SOMETHING will make me laugh.

RS: What’s the hardest?

WS: The hardest part is saying “no” to most pitches, spec scripts and pilots.  I try to remember the hours put into each project, as well as the fact that assessing them is a very subjective process.  I always want the writer or producer to have felt the process was fair – so that they will think of me the next time they have an idea to sell.

RS: Do you still get surprised? If so, what’s something recently (in the job) that has surprised you?

WS: I am surprised that I am still enjoying what I do.  This was supposed to be a short-lived thing, to give me stability when I got burnt out from going on auditions.  I am surprised that I am able to use my college degree (Theatre) in the job I currently have (assessing scripts).  So few people can say that!

RS: What’s your most embarrassing moment on the job?

WS: I truly believe that my mind blocks out embarrassing moments to save me.  Otherwise, I would spend precious time obsessing about them.  I’m sure there have been many, but I cannot think of a biggie.

RS: In what ways are you still growing as an executive?

WS: I am constantly learning about the process, about management, about the financials, about storytelling, about collaboration – and I hope that learning leads to growth.  I pray that I’m a better executive now than I was six months ago, and that I will continue to grow, even if in small ways that not everyone sees.

RS: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned thus far?

WS: You have to have a life in order to write – or give notes – about one.  Choosing to spend time with your family is not selfish; in fact, it might give you a story or perspective that you will use down the line.

RS: What does reading out of enjoyment look like for you?  Magazines?  Books?  Short Stories?  Non-fiction?  Is it hard to turn off your development brain?

WS: Oh my gosh, I love memoirs – which sometimes do lend themselves to development – but there is also nothing quite like getting sucked into a work of fiction that is not comedic in any way.  I remember reading Rebecca Makkai’s “The Great Believers” and just stealing any block of 15 minutes I could find to read more and more.  Let’s be honest, a home design magazine or even a thick catalog is a welcome respite, too.

RS: Are there any books out there that you’ve read, that has made you a better executive?

WS: Early on in my career, I read a few books on the history of television.  And then I’d go to the TV Academy to watch the pilot episodes of the series referenced in the books.

Since I didn’t go to film school, I tried to self-educate.  Doing that helped me fit in when my bosses would reference those classic series and who had created them.

RS: When I google “comedy pitching,” over eight million results come up.  Is there a secret sauce to pitching?  What did one of your all time favorite pitches include?

WS: My favorite pitches spend 85% of the time describing characters, 10% of the time describing the wider world or places we’ll live, and 5% of the time describing a potential jumping off point or pilot. 

My favorite pitches spend 85% of the time describing characters.

The creator of one of my more recent favorite series prefaced each character description with, “Oh, THIS one is my favorite character!” and I could tell it wasn’t a bit.  She genuinely was in love with each and every character, they were all hilarious, they had great interpersonal dynamics, and we bought the show.

RS: What is a common mistake a writer makes during a pitch? During development?

WS: For me, describing seasons beyond the first – maybe a sentence about the second – is overkill when pitching to broadcast networks.  Also, if I hear (insert any city here) described as a “character,” I tune out.

If I hear (insert any city here) described as a “character,” I tune out.

Describe characters as characters, places as places, worlds as worlds.  And different executives might have different opinions on this, but I do not want to hear a beat-by-beat description of the pilot episode.  I’d rather spend that time learning even more about the character dynamics and why they are heartfelt and funny.

RS: In general meetings, can you pinpoint the moment you see the “IT” factor in a writer?

WS: The “It” factor, which is more “the moment when I decide to champion this writer for a job,” can be predicated on so many different things.

The “moment when I decide to champion this writer for a job” can be predicated on so many different things:

…the writer’s unique outlook on life, a wicked sense of humor, sometimes it’s how they talk intelligently about the show I’m staffing.

Sometimes it’s the writer’s unique outlook on life, sometimes it’s a wicked sense of humor, sometimes it’s how they talk intelligently about the show I’m staffing.

RS: Do you have a memory of a great meeting you had with a writer?  If so, what made it great?  Any uncomfortable ones… if so, what made them uncomfortable?

WS: The uncomfortable meetings are certainly more memorable!  I’ve had a few where the writer answered my “getting to know you” questions with one or two word answers, no matter how hard I tried to put them at ease.  I had to remind myself that good writers are not always good conversationalists.

RS: What are you currently watching?

WS: I know I’m behind, but The Crown.  Having just sent my oldest to college in the UK, I have become obsessed with the ins-and-outs of royalty. It’s just insane, and yet the family dynamics are still incredibly relatable.

RS: What show could you watch over and over and over without tiring of it?  What are the ingredients (within the show) that make it so re-watchable?

WS: Golden Girls.  Stellar casting, clear characters with both flaws and warmth, terrific writing that could tackle issues in funny ways.  My teenage son and I would curl up on the couch and enjoy it equally, so that might have something to do with my affection for the show, too.

RS: Have you ever gotten star struck?

WS: I am rarely star struck.  It’s sort of weird.  Whenever I’ve met someone of note, I notice how much they have in common with typical people – the emotions are similar, even if the lifestyle or career opportunities may not be.

That said, I imagine I might be star struck if I met Stephen Colbert or Rachel Maddow.  Both are such incredibly intelligent masters at their crafts, verbal acrobats (yes, I know they work with writers), and I just feel that the way they present their points-of-view on television are services to the public.  Certainly a service to my sanity.

RS: Proudest career moment?

WS: When a veteran writer I had just given notes to said, “Can you give classes to other executives in how to give a writer notes?”  Maybe she was blowing smoke, but it definitely worked.

RS: What is your motto in life?

Motto in life:  Be flexible.  Too much of anything is a recipe for disaster.

WS: Be flexible. Too much of anything is a recipe for disaster.

There you have it!  The wonderful Wendy Steinhoff.  In a nutshell.

Thank you Wendy!  So many insights and as a bonus, I know what book to put on my Christmas list (Hint for Hubby: It’s now in my Amazon “saved for later” cart).

If you enjoyed this, you might enjoy this one about The Comedy Pitch: https://rebecca-stay.com/a-conversation-with-erika-the-comedy-pitch

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