Kelly Jo Brick: The Write Path With SUPERNATURAL’S Davy Perez, Part 2

A series of interviews with hard-working writers – by another hard-working writer!

by Kelly Jo Brick

Aspiring writers often wonder how the pros got where they are. The truth is, everyone’s story is different, but there are some common elements: dedication, persistence, hard work and not giving up.

Persistence and positive attitude were major influences in the development of Davy Perez’s career in entertainment. Born and raised in East LA, Davy became involved with a sketch group and worked as a background actor before following his creative passions as a writer. Acceptance into multiple writing programs helped lead the way to him becoming a staff writer for the highly acclaimed TV show AMERICAN CRIME. He now writes for the CW series, SUPERNATURAL. read article

Kelly Jo Brick: The Write Path With BETTER CALL SAUL’s Gordon Smith

A series of interviews with hard-working writers – by another hard-working writer!

by Kelly Jo Brick

Photo by Arnold Wells

Aspiring writers often wonder how the pros got where they are. The truth is, everyone’s story is different, but there are some common elements: dedication, persistence, hard work and not giving up.

Emmy-nominated writer Gordon Smith credits much of his career success to luck. A friend got his resume to BREAKING BAD just as they were looking for a PA. After landing that job, Gordon’s career grew from working as a writers’ PA and assistant to Vince Gilligan, to landing a position as a staff writer on BETTER CALL SAUL. Now a producer on BETTER CALL SAUL, Gordon signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures TV earlier this year.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER? read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 10/4/13

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are

  • Blake Herron (THE BOURNE IDENTITY) will write an untitled action drama for TNT about a super agent. (Who just might remind some of the audience of a certain Jason Bourne. Totally coincidental, of course.)
  • Josh Heald (HOT TUB TIME MACHINE) is writing a TBS comedy  which also is untitled but probably won’t be anything like THE BOURNE IDENTITY. (Although some viewers might wish it was.)
  • Vince Gilligan (BREAKING BAD, natch) has sold an 11 year old drama spec to CBS and will share showrunner/writer duties with none other than David Shore (HOUSE). (The show’s about two “very different” cops who team up to inflict justice on the town of Battle Creek, Michigan. And after hearing that description all we can say is, it better be fucking funny.)
  • Josh Harto & Liz Garcia (MEMPHIS BEAT) are adapting Anne Rice’s Songs of the Seraphim novels into a series for CBS. (And we’re going way out on a limb here to tell ya that the series will be so much better than the original books it’ll make Anne Rice’s head bleed. No, we haven’t seen any advance script pages we just luv MEMPHIS BEAT. Watch it if you can and see why. Go on. We dare ya.)
  • Emily Goldwyn & Sasha Spielberg (newbie daughters of famous dads) are writing an ABC comedy pilot called GIRLS WITHOUT BOYS, which we really, really, really hope is about lesbians cuz we’re sort of bent that way.  (And regardless of whether it is or not, we’re hoping even more that the father of one of these fine lady writers stays totally out of the loop of the show cuz let’s face it, Stevie S. doesn’t exactly have the best TV track record in the world.)
  • Joel Hlavin (UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING) is writing the pilot for OASIS, a si-fi thriller, for CBS. (And while we’re getting a little tired of science fiction everywhere we look, we admit to being curious about any show about “the inhabitants of a new…perfect community, who discover there may be danger….” Actually, what really makes us curious here is the understatement in the announcement. It’s so unlike good ole broadcast TV.)

BREAKING BAD Creator-Writer-Showrunner Talks about…BREAKING BAD

Sure beats listening to (just about any) star:

Creator Vince Gilligan Talks BREAKING BAD, How His Vision for the Show Has Changed over Time, the Possibility of a Movie and More
by Tommy Cook

“Because I said so.”  Have four words ever been so chillingly, yet rousingly, delivered? Walter White’s Season Five conversation ender put the definitive mark on his transformation from mild-mannered science teacher to ruthless drug kingpin.  The brilliance of Breaking Bad is that this transformation can be viewed either as a triumph of Nietzschean ‘Superman’ ethics or as the moral turpitude of hubris run amuck.  Sure Walter White is a badass – but he’s also a very bad, bad man.  Breaking Bad is one of the only shows in recent memory that can ‘have its cake and eat it too’ – at once both celebrating and decrying Walter’s actions.  How does it get away with this? Because it’s just so freaking good… ‘Because it says so’. read article

Episodes You Must See to Truly Appreciate BREAKING BAD

From creator Vince Gilligan’s lips to our ears:

‘Breaking Bad’: 11 episodes you need to watch, with suggestions from creator Vince Gilligan
by Rick Porter

“Pilot”/”Cat’s in the Bag …”/”… and the Bag’s in the River”: Gilligan suggests watching the first three episodes of the series in one shot, as it introduces Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) dilemma — stricken with cancer, the high-school chemistry teacher decides to start cooking meth to earn extra money for his family — and “kind of set up who Walt is.” read article