Wednesday, November 19, 2008
BREAKING IN AS A TV WRITER - THE FIRST FEW RUNGS OF THE CAREER LADDER
Great post over at Chad Gervich's Script Notes on the job progression for entry level TV writers.
I know there are other ways in besides the ones that Chad describes. Fellowships like Disney. Workshops like WB. Playwriting. Comics. Gaming. Crossovers from features.
Still, every working TV writer I've met has broken in via the PA - writer's assistant route. It's tried and true, but it's tougher than ever in these lean times.
It's been years since I've worked in production, and the prospect of living in a closet sized apartment isn't nearly as appealing as it was in my twenties. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I do sort of like living someplace without regular gun play and rampant vermin.
I'm keeping the day job. Not just that, I'm thrilled to have a half way decent job with halfway decent pay and halfway decent benefits and half way decent working conditions when so many people are losing theirs.
I'll just have to figure out what I can do to network nights and weekends. That and working the phones. Maybe Shonda Rhimes needs a pool boy.
Great post over at Chad Gervich's Script Notes on the job progression for entry level TV writers.
I know there are other ways in besides the ones that Chad describes. Fellowships like Disney. Workshops like WB. Playwriting. Comics. Gaming. Crossovers from features.
Still, every working TV writer I've met has broken in via the PA - writer's assistant route. It's tried and true, but it's tougher than ever in these lean times.
It's been years since I've worked in production, and the prospect of living in a closet sized apartment isn't nearly as appealing as it was in my twenties. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I do sort of like living someplace without regular gun play and rampant vermin.
I'm keeping the day job. Not just that, I'm thrilled to have a half way decent job with halfway decent pay and halfway decent benefits and half way decent working conditions when so many people are losing theirs.
I'll just have to figure out what I can do to network nights and weekends. That and working the phones. Maybe Shonda Rhimes needs a pool boy.
