Breaking & Entering

How do you break into the industry? It's an impossible question nobody can answer, but I can at least share how it happened for me.

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On Friday I did a live Q&A with about 100 aspiring television writers, via the Creators Writers Room, and we had a great chat about creating your own work and breaking into the industry. (They interview lots of TV writers, go check them out!) The conversation inspired me to tackle the topic here, too. It’s a daunting question for everybody that doesn’t have an answer! But here goes my attempt!!

People often begin as assistants and work their way up, or apply for the studio fellowships that help funnel people into staff writer jobs. These are both super solid ways to get started, so I wanted to mention them as options. But I can’t speak to those paths because they weren’t mine. All I can share is my own story, and what I’ve gleamed from the choices I’ve made.

Ready for my advice?

Do something THAT IS NOT WRITING.

There are several reasons why I believe this is crucial.

At my first meeting with a big ag…