Jonathan Prince Answers Your Questions

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of chatting with Jonathan Prince (creator of The Cleaner; American Dreams) regarding the FAQs of aspiring writers.

Spec Materials

If you only have one writing sample, Jonathan recommends it be an original pilot, feature film, or a piece of writing from your field of writing, ranging from a one-act play to a group of original poems.  Essays and short stories are acceptable submissions as well.  For instance, here is the short story John Hughes submitted to National Lampoon that was ultimately developed into National Lampoon’s Vacation.  According to a number of agents and executives I’ve spoken with, many readers appreciate shorter, less time consuming samples, especially during staffing season when the industry is overwhelmed by stacks and stacks of samples to read.  If you can express your voice in any format less time consuming than a 60 page script, you’re more likely to be read by certain executives and producers.  However, there are an equal number or producers who refuse to read anything other than scripts.  The moral of the story is, the more samples your have, the better your chances are of being read.

Agents, executives, and showrunners are looking predominantly for one thing -- your unique voice.  Why should they hire you as opposed to another writer? What voice will you contribute to the writer’s room?  That said, one of the most important skills of a TV writer is mimicry –- you need be able to mimic the sound of the show you are working on, which is why a spec of a current show can be vital to your body of work.  Please note: Your spec should be of a current show.  Many executives and producers will not read specs of shows no longer on the air.   Your killer Will and Grace isn’t going to cut it.

Jonathan encourages writers to know their own voice as well as how to represent it.  If your submit a sci fi pilot and a 2 ½ Men spec to the showrunner of Fringe, they’re going to be very confused;  are you a sitcom writer or a drama writer?  Your submission needs to match the tone of the shows you submit it to.  I have a Grey’s Anatomy spec, a Friday Night Lights spec, a drama pilot, and an In Plain Sight episode.  But my agents can’t submit any of that material to the showrunner of Breaking Bad because my writing samples don’t prove how I can write for that genre.  If I want to work for shows like Breaking Bad, I need to write a sample that shows my ability to write for an edgy, male-driven shows. 

So what should you write?  A pilot and spec for every genre you want to be considered for, a one act play, an essay, and group of poems?

Yes.

You hate me right now, don’t you?  Take it one sample at a time.  Start with pilot or a spec.  Pass it around and be prepared for the question, what else do you have?  Chances are, a reader is only going to read one of your samples but if they like it, they will often ask what else you have in your pile.  If you have something, give it to them.  If you don’t, be working on it.  Tell them about it.  They just might say, I’d love to read it when it’s finished.  Always be writing.

One last thing: Jonathan emphases that your samples must be submitted to readers in the correct format –- a PDF file.  Final Draft is also an acceptable format, assuming the person opening your attachment has Final Draft.

Writing Contests

Should you submit to writing contests?  According to Jonathan, absolutely.  Anything that makes you stand out from other writers is beneficial.  Did you win a writing contest at your university?  Were your poems published in a local publication?  If so, put it on your resume.

For more on writing contests, click here.

Entry-Level Jobs

What entry-level jobs best prepare you for a career as a writer?  Jonathan says a writer’s assistant or writer’s PA position is the best preparation because it puts you in the writers’ room, witnessing the staff’s process and developing relationships with them.  Writers LOVE a good writer’s PA.  Your main task everyday is to place the lunch order, deliver it on time, and make sure everyone gets what they ordered.   If you nail the job, you’ll be everyone’s hero.  Eventually you can ask the writers to read your work or even pitch a joke that may make it onto the show.  My second day at In Plain Sight, my boss asked everyone (assistants included) to type up five story ideas.  He bought mine.  You never know what opportunities may present themselves.

There are other ways to get your foot in the door as well - PA, personal assistant, or executive assistant positions, etc.  Over the course of Jonathan’s career, he’s been an actor, director, sitcom writer, drama writer, and feature writer. The great thing about the entertainment industry is that you can continually reinvent yourself… but you have to have the material to go with it.  If you want to jump from drama to comedy, you have to write and comedy pilot or at the very least, a comedy spec.   Crossover is absolutely possible, but you have to prove yourself.  The fact that you’ve worked in drama for 10 years doesn’t mean squat to the comedy department.  You’re like a heart surgeon who’s been operating on hearts for 20 years and now wants to become a brain surgeon.  They’re not just going to hand you the scalpel. 

Be patient, yet tenacious. Always be meeting new people. Always be writing.