My Hero’s Journey to a Writer’s Room
After spending time in reflection on #BlackOut Tuesday, I realized it’s time to share some of my story with y’all. Nine years ago, I moved to LA to become the next Norman Lear. I still haven’t seen the inside of a TV writers room. For two years, I had several UNPAID internships. One of them required a 40-hour work week. I was expected to work for free, but I wasn’t learning anything.
One year later, I got my first paid temp job. It was one day. I had to quit my part-time job at the gym to be at Lionsgate’s beck and call for random one-day assignments. My sacrifice paid off. I got to work on a desk for a month. Kelsey Grammer’s production company.
Two and half years into my career in Hollywood, I finally landed a permanent gig. It was a part-time job in an unscripted TV desk. Before I took my big leap to follow my dreams in LA, I thought that working in reality TV was my worst nightmare. It turned out, two years of unpaid internships and 1-day temp assignments was worse. Yada, yada, yada, yada, I’m now a TV executive at Juvee Productions. I’m not surprised that the first company that recognized my value is led by the most diverse executive team in Hollywood.
I am not implying that if I was a white male, I would have seen the inside of a writers room by now. Fun fact: I have white male friends who moved to LA around the same time. They’ve all worked in several writers rooms. However, none of my white male friends have gotten staffed either. Staffing is hard. I’m not implying that they had an advantage because they were white males. I just know that they were making some kind of living wage, and I definitely wasn’t. I have no way to prove that my identity has prevented me from seeing the inside of a writers room.
Normally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to share my story with the internet at 4am. But we are not living in normal times. Now is the time for to step outside of our comfort zones and help remove the barriers of entry to people of color in our industry. If not now, when?
