Category: The TV Biz

2 Decisions & an Accident – how ‘The Office’ became a Hit

As TVWriter™’s longtime friend the Old Billionaire used to say, “If you’re lucky, you don’t have to be smart.” Truth to tell, though, Michael Schur, writer-creator of The Good Place and former writer for The Office has both those things going for him and then some:

by Todd VenDerWerff

Michael Schur is one of the most adept minds in TV comedy. From his early days producing the Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon-era Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, to his work as one of the key writers on The Office, he has charted a career that spans some of the best TV comedy of the 2000s. read article

Herbie J Pilato Presents the Man Wonder – Burt Ward

Everything you need to know about the “Legendary Pop-Icon and Humanitarian,” by our legendary Contributing Editor Emeritus.” (That title means that Herbie, erm, outgrew us…and his professional growth spurt makes us proud.) Anyway:

by Herbie J Pilato

Burt Ward, pop-culture icon and world-renown humanitarian, was about three seconds late for our phone interview, and he apologized.

But the apology, of course, was not necessary, certainly because his delay was only a minuscule of a moment, and secondly because he was detained due to his non-stop efforts to rescues dogs. read article

Animation jobs are booming in Southern California

So ya came to L.A. to get into showbiz, didja? And things ain’t goin’ the way ya thought they would? According to the Los Angeles Daily News that’s because you’re looking in the wrong showbiz niche. Animation’s the future, boys ‘n’ girls. Here’s the scoop on how to join the parade:

by Bob Strauss

It used to be something of a Mickey Mouse business. But an exploding desire for animated entertainment content – supercharged but not entirely due to the expanding new medium of streaming services’ constant need for product – is turning cartooning into a rewarding career for, perhaps, more than ever before.

“It seems like a lot of studios are eager to capitalize on streaming and technology in general to present things in totally different formats than we used to,” observed Danny Ducker, who’s been drawing storyboards at The Cartoon Network’s Burbank headquarters for the past three years. “Which I am super for, whether or not every single experiment works.” read article

Indie Video: Big Buys at Sundance Mean Indie TV Is Real, and Gaining Ground

Yeppers, you read that headline right. The Sundance Film Festival has become a viable TV market, and this is very significant news, especially for indie creators:

by Ben Travers

It’s a familar story: Caleb Jaffe came to Sundance with nothing but a dream. After spending his college tuition money to make a low-budget indie, the 21-year-old filmmaker finished his project, submitted to the festival, and joined the thousands of hopefuls waiting on a phone call that could lead to the career-making experience of a lifetime. read article

WGAW February 2019 Calendar

Here’s what going on at the Writers Guild of America West this month. One of the best ways to network is to hang with the working writers there, plus there’s a ton going on that can help all of us, including non-members, in so many ways. So, for your edification:

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