Thursday, February 12, 2015

Great advice for young TV writers

... that doesn't come from me.  It's from Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who is currently the showrunner of Syfy’s “Helix.”   He posted a series of Tweets that blogger Kate O'Hare compiled (You still with me?  I know -- lots of names being tossed around.)    His advice was terrific (read: I agree with it) and worth passing on.  You can find it here.   I especially appreciate his suggestion that young scribes write specs for existing shows, not just pilots.  He'll tell you why.

6 comments :

metrocard said...

As somebody with zero experience or credits, this makes a lot of sense to me. I'd be terrified to try to create a pilot (I'm watching the Cheers pilot in the background as I type this), but trying to write an episode of something I'm already attuned to seems much more attainable.

Pat Hobby said...

Now this is where he and Jose Molina dish the awesome advice:

http://childrenoftendu.libsyn.com/

Johnny Walker said...

Wow. Great stuff. I really liked:

"the job is this: write ideas your showrunner didn't have but liked, and write them in the way the showrunner would have if s/he had!"

Johnny Walker said...

Actually there was plenty more that I liked, too. A refreshingly candid piece. Loved it.

Johnny Walker said...

@Pat Hobby: WOW. Thanks for sharing that link. I just came back to re-read Grillo-Marxuach's advice, and I thought to check out your link. (I suddenly remembered who Jose Molina was, too.)

Thanks so much for sharing that!

Bryan Thomas said...

Javi is a college buddy of mine. Going to panel with him at Comic Con on Friday. :)