How I Got My Start
No, don’t go that far back…I’ve been writing for this site for a year and a half, and I’ve been dreading this post since I began.
It didn’t take long after the launch of The Artful Writer for The Question to be asked. It’s been asked a lot since then. A lot. Honestly, I’ve been resisting those words “How did you get your start?” for two excellent reasons.
Firstly, I find it terribly boring.
Secondly, I don’t think it’s going to have much relevance to anyone else.
Still, people keep asking, so here it is. I’m going to write it long, because I’m too tired tonight to be concise. Wherever I find places to possibly draw conclusions that might actually be helpful, I’ll bold them out. If I were you, I’d skip all the non-bolded text, but hey, you might be one of the people who asked The Question.
In the beginning (also known as 1992), I was a college lad who wanted to go into show business. I ran a public affairs radio program at school that had been started ten years earlier by a student named Garth Ancier. My experience writing, editing and producing media for broadcast sort of lit a fire in me.
One of the other alums of the radio program was working on a new sitcom called “Brooklyn Bridge,” and he promised me a production assistant job in the fall. I was thrilled. I’d graduate, spend one last lazy pot-smokin’ summer, and then hit L.A. in the fall and begin my career in the biz.
Two weeks before I graduated, the alum called to tell me that one of the other producers gave the job to a nephew. Honestly, I can’t remember if it was actually a nephew, but that makes it sound more annoying.
There are no sure things in this business. You have acheived something only when you can talk about it in the past tense.
I didn’t panic. No sir. After all, the summer before, I had interned at the Fox Network, and I was picked from hundreds of applicants, so obviously I was special. I would make it. Sure I would.
(later, my first boss, Dan McDermott, then the VP of Current Programming, would tell me that he chose me because I was, and I quote, “the least dorky.”)
And so, on July 5th, 1992, I packed my meager possessions into my meagerer Toyota and began driving across the country. I had $1400 to my name. I pretty much knew no one.
You don’t need to “know someone.” However, I definitely recommend having more than $1400 in your pocket. That was stupid.
I arrived in Los Angeles and quickly got an apartment to share with another college buddy who had come out to L.A. too. After first, last and the safety deposit, I was basically one month away from homelessness. Time to get a job. I went to The Friedman Agency to get a job…any job…but I figured since they placed you in the entertainment business, that was a plus.
Mind you, at no point had I ever considered writing. Okay? I just wanted to get a job. Sure, I had noodled on some spec sitcom scripts and thought myself a budding comic genius, but I never once thought that writing was something sane people could actually do for a living.
Louise at the Friedman Agency wasn’t interested in my fancy degree or my GPA or my permanent record. All she cared about was that I could type 110 words per minute.
Learn to type.
My first gig was at The William Morris Agency. In 1992, their employee manual was still xeroxed endlessly from an original hard-typed document. Yours truly was paid eleven bucks an hour to type the entire thing into Word Perfect.
If you work at William Morris and have read your employee manual…YOU’RE WELCOME.
My next temp job was at a boutique advertising agency called Jacobs & Gerber. Their gig was basically to produce promos for CBS shows. My position? Xerox temp. Because I applied myself diligently to my tasks, I was granted a permanent position as Xerox Boy.
Is writing your Plan A? Is your current job Plan B? Switch the letters. Make your current job Plan A. Why? The better you do what you do, the more opportunities you will receive…and opportunity is the currency all prospective writers need the most.
It was late October, 1992. I was a $20,000 a year Xerox Boy, and I was happy. So happy, that in a fit of anarchic mirth, I created a silly Halloween memo with fake blood stains and everything and passed it around the office.
An hour later, I was summoned to the office of the President of the company, an extremely sour and unimaginative creep named Albert Litewka.
And he fired me. Improper memo protocol, or something equally inane.
Sometimes you get fired.
As I cleaned out my desk in a stunned state, I got a call from the Creative Director of the agency. He liked my memo. “Yeah, well, it got me fired.”
He got me unfired.
Talent helps.
Having appeared on the radar, I was quickly moved from Xerox Boy to junior copywriter. And while I had only made a jump from $20,000 to $23,0000 a year, the difference to me was enormous. I wasn’t an assistant anymore. I was a writer.
An awful one, but a writer nonetheless.
For the next two years, I churned out scores and scores of ads. And in those two years, I learned something that I wish every writer would learn before attempting to write a screenplay.
I learned how to write for production. That skill is something that simply isn’t taught at your UCLA extension or your USC class. It can’t be. Production is expensive. Even if the ads were only thirty seconds, I still got to write a ton of stuff that then got prepped, shot and posted.
Try and write for production any way you can. There simply is no substitute.
An exec at the agency was pals with a young marketing executive at Disney named Oren Aviv. Oren was looking for a guy who could write copy for movie posters and trailers. I was hired.
My career as a studio executive began. And for a while, I lived and breathed marketing. You can read about some of the lessons I learned (and their relevance to what we do) here.
Oren was a pretty ambitious guy (which clearly paid off…he’s only President of Production at Disney now), and he wanted to reach beyond marketing and into film production, so he encouraged me (and my then writing partner) to come up with ideas for movies.
Note again…I would not have been in this position had I not made Plan B my Plan A.
My partner and I saw Apollo 13, and while we enjoyed it, we thought it would have been much better if one of the astronauts was a complete idiot.
We pitched “Space Cadet” to Oren, he pitched it to Roger Birnbaum…
…and Roger bought it.
So there you go. Hard work and typing skills gets the boy into the right place at the right time, and he’s finally given his big break.
All I had to do is actually prove that I could write. And prove it I did. The script was good. The movie? Not so good. But the script? Good. Or at least…good enough.
I’ve been working as a screenwriter ever since.
Boring? I thought this was one of the more interesting entries lately. I guess you lived it, so its mundane to you, but as an aspiring screenwriter, I always dig stories of how people made it in the business. Thanks for the read. Shameless plug Australian readers, vote for me in Project Greenlight thursday night (www.projectgreenlight.ninemsn.com.au).
Really good and interesting post. “Unfortunately” it once again shows that you oughta move to LA in order to become a writer.
I gotta agree with John. Which in turn is agreeing with August and Friedman. They’ve proven (oh, ok…you too) that you need to post more personal stories. They’re waaaay more helpful than you think.
Plus, it’s always nice to know that there’s another writer out there that started out as an executive.
More, please.
Great post!
I live in Los Angeles (I was actually born here, believe it or not) and have thought about trying to get a low-level job somewhere “in the business,” but since I don’t have a car, and my current job pays better than most jobs at my skill level, it doesn’t seem like a do-able career move.
Though I disagree (and I know I’m in no position to disagree, NOT being a pro) about the make your career Plan A and your writing Plan B. The better I do at my day job, the more work they give me, and the less time and energy I have to write. If I do even better they might (god forbid) promote me, and then I’ll have no time/energy left at all.
Hey Craig,
Great, sensible advice is always interesting, and the fact it grew from direct personal experience makes it doubly so - thanks.
And the idea that you created something that got you both fired and then promoted is a triple threat-treat.
Thanks again and happy Halloween!
Not boring at all - second installment please i.e. how you went from selling pitch to profi screenwriter
I agree with Craig, the bold nuggets are the only information relevant to other writers. Having said that, personal anecdotes may not educate, but they motivate.
I went to film school, and while I know how to work a moviola, nobody told me upon graduation to get a low entry job to start my writing career. It was all about making a short film that would win every festival on the planet and consequently get you an agent… So any insights from the real world are valuable for new recruits.
Though I disagree (and I know I’m in no position to disagree, NOT being a pro) about the make your career Plan A and your writing Plan B. The better I do at my day job, the more work they give me, and the less time and energy I have to write. If I do even better they might (god forbid) promote me, and then I’ll have no time/energy left at all.
It sounds to me that this only applies when your day job is involved with The Biz in some way - like he said, make it Plan A when it can lead to opportunities for plan B. Sounds like your day job has no upwardly mobile possibilities.
Like Craig, I packed up after college and moved out West (from michigan). Unlike him, I ended up a little south, in Orange County, thanks to the friend I brought with me. But I ended up with a script writing job for one of my favorite video game companies. I’ve been here almost a year, and I’ve just been put in charge of co-developing a game, where I’m helping to oversee and edit the story (not writing it myself…yet). We work with a few people that have their hands in both games and movies, so even if there’s no direct advancement, I have a couple contacts for if/when I want to try to make the jump.
Nice - not borin at all. And it offers valuable insight. Cuz it wasn’t your typin or xerox skills that got you noticed, it was your imagination.
Imagination is key. The unimaginative creep fired you, but the creative director (w/ a big imagination?) got you unfired. Imagine that.
Mariama
The Little Craig who Could.
Great story, Craig. I liked the bold text. You got fired for making a mock-up memo? Dude, that’s harsh. Reminds me a bit of The Hudsucker Proxy: “Incoming articles get a voucher, outgoing articles provide a voucher. Move any article without a voucher… AND THEY DOCK YOU!”
Anyway, sold the movie rights yet?
Very interesting and motivating ! Keep on writing about these “boring” stories that seem to please to everyone :-)
It looks that all these events happened without you to wish they happen. But I think sometimes you HAVE TO take the control of your life if you want things happen. Nevertheless, you seem to say that you didn’t want “so much”, so that’s a very special part of a lucky guy’s life ;-)
Ditto all of the above.
Thanks for sharing, Craig.
Craig,
You left out the part in your story about your bargain with Lucifer. Please elaborate.
Derek:
You kiss him under the tail. Under.
Folks, I have to say, I’m actually shocked that you enjoyed this. Shocked and confused.
A good story beats a good analysis any day of the week….
“Folks, I have to say, I’m actually shocked that you enjoyed this. Shocked and confused.”
And that virtually sums up the big problem with movies today!;)
No, I meant basically, not virtually…
I stink.
Craig,
how many scripts had you written before you sold that pitch?
Feature scripts?
One.
Showed it to no one, really.
Why, oh why did they change the title from SPACE CADET (brilliant) to ROCKETMAN (sub-brilliant)?
Apparently this jerk named “George Lucas” had already registered the title with the MPAA.
Never mind he’s never made said “Space Cadet” film. We had to change the title.
Why didn’t you give the rocketman a sidekick and called it SPACE CADETS…?
What I’m really asking is: could you have, legally?
No.
shocked? but why? It has a theme, three acts, compelling drama and character journey and a happy ending, why wouldn’t we enjoy it?
Personal stories, if well told, are just as compelling, if not more, than those of the imagination, don’t you think?
Josh:
Yes, but…
…ah, nevermind.
I’m tiptoeing dangerously toward false modesty, even though it’s true modesty, but it will sound like false modesty, so instead…
YES!
I RULE! :)
Sooooooooo cute XD
Learn this, guys :
The screenwriter is not a writing success machine. Behind the creator, there is a man. With feelings. hug
So how did Oren know that you were capable of writing anything other than copy? Did everyone at work know you wanted to be a screenwriter?
He knew I had aspirations, and he knew I could write in at least one format for production. Most importantly, it cost him nothing to send me off to try and create a pitch.
Pretty good investment strategy.
This is a much better post than free stuff. If i were doing coverage on this post I would recomend. And I’d spell it like that.
Craig, one script then a sale? Damn. Very impressive. Makes me think I should quit.
Did you ever have any major roadblocks/dryspells/etc., in your career after the first sale? Or are you simplly number 1?
And the rest is history, as they say! Nice story.
Did you perchance have anything to do with the latest Zucker ad? Very funny, and very effective, even if Drudge misses the point about where this ad will find its audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h3GPc_yMCE
Major League:
Oh, there have been some bumps in the road. Sure. But nothing too tragic.
Gary:
I can neither confirm nor deny…
Yuck.
I’d be shocked if Craig didn’t have something to do with that AD.
Craig, after all this, do you still really support Bush???
Much as I’d like to see a political cage fight btwn Craig and Kevin, it’s probably better not to engage in that topic - we can vote in four weeks whether or not we trust this administration with our young men and women, whether they be in uniform or congressional pages.
Seriously though, Craig, this story you posted is fascinating to those of us who make up artful writer’s audience because you essentially became a working screenwriter without writing a screenplay - (you mentioned that you wrote one but did not show it to anyone) or using an agent. You did it by demonstrating great writing skills (in particular writing for production) in another field and by writing a great pitch.
You mentioned in a previous post (see, I do pay attention) that you feel pitching is your strongest asset and I sure as hell believe that, especially now.
Dude, this isn’t something you should be modest about, it’s a great story for those of us still working out the nooks and crannies of this industry, so that’s why it’s something we’re cheering - yeah, it took work, but still it’s an admirable achievement.
Budding screenwriters are told to write great screenplays and either win a contest to get an agent or blind submit to an agent - get an agent, in other words, at all costs. And yes, we should try to write great screenplays, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t, nor do I say you are, but you got someone to pay you to write one before you wrote it, without writing it for free. How cool is that?
You got in, by knowing what you wanted to see, what made you laugh and most of all, how to present it (again I refer to your post on pitching) by demonstrating you could write and it wasn’t luck. So yeah, this post worked for me, even though I may disagree with your conclusions from time to time on various other topics, and I found this to be one of the most enlightening posts of yours (the theme and pitching posts are number one and two, in my book) and personally inspiring to me, as a writer transitioning in from another field. So thanks and, like Oliver said, more please.
And just to prove I ain’t kissing up, Bush sucks, bleah!
Yay for personal stories. We’re writers; of course we love hearing stories.
It also helps us feel like we’re in the know about how the world works, since many of us have no direct experience. When we get in the room to pitch, stories like these help us know what to do.
Double Ditto, Joshua!
I think another personal topic that would be helpful to hear is the journey from writer to producer. What’s the story behind School for Scoundrels?
Oh yeah, Bush sucks.
You guys do realize that I never voted for Bush, right?
I didn’t know that.
But you did support that horrible war so…
…Bush sucks!;)
Shoot, Craig, vote for who you want, your right, after all - let’s talk shop about writing!
However … Isn’t it true that no one in Hollywood can publicy admit to voting for Bush without fear of retribution, except for Chuck Norris (who lives in Texas) Bo Derek (who maybe should move there) and the creators of 24 (who, let’s face, can write like the dickens, though someday it’d be nice to stop torturing poor Jack Bauer. Every notice that when Jack tortures someone, he gets the info he needs right away but when someone tortures him, he can magically resist. But I digress).
The rumor is one can’t come out in Hollywood as a conservative because then you godless liberals would punish true believers for supporting the Jesus loving annointed Shrub President. At least, that’s what Hannity said. Or Coulter. Or maybe it was O’Reilly, I get those guys mixed up.
Shoot. Just vote y’all, would ya?
I don’t understand all the details in this ad (well I’m French so I don’t really know so much about american politics) but it seems it’s an ad AGAINST Clinton’s foreign politic. Not automatically FOR Bush’s foreign politic.
But if someone could explain me all the subtilities of this ad, feel free.
Hi Craig. Great post. How old were you when you sold that first pitch? How long had it been since you first drove to LA?
Good grief —
Is that what political ads are like in the US?
Anna:
Actually, no. :) They’re not. I don’t think there’s ever been anything quite like that before. :)
Giggel:
I was 24. It had been about three years and change.
I’m sorry, I’m trying hard to resist the siren song of the political debate that threatens to derail the comments here, but…
I just don’t get that ad or the administration’s current publicity pitch about North Korea. The ad is funny, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t follow the logic. Clinton got N Korea to shutdown its nuclear reactor and agree to abandon its nuclear weapons development. Now, six years after Clinton left office, N Korea claims to have tested a nuclear weapon. Somehow we’re supposed to believe that Clinton is more to blame than the current administration?
Back on topic, I loved the personal story. It was more informative than you think, Craig. Others have already covered that aspect adequately though, so I’ll leave it at that.
Spin! Dammit, that’s the word I couldn’t think of until 30 seconds after hitting the “post” button. That sentence above should read “…or the administration’s current spin on North Korea.”
I want to say “let’s avoid getting into politics here,” but I also want to say “Clinton got North Korea to SAY they would shut down their reactor and abandon nuke devlopment, but he didn’t actually get them to DO it.”
Anyway, let me add my voice to the chorus of “these sorts of personal stories are interesting and useful.”
he didn’t actually get them to DO it
I’m sorry, but you must have most of us here mistaken for people a whole lot more gullible - that’s a load of horse-hooey, plain and simple.
You have no proof that they didn’t actually shut down and it’s simply convenient for you to state Clinton said this but now, since they’re operating SIX years later, he obviously didn’t. But there’s a lot that could have or might have happened in that six years that had nothing to do with Clinton. I think you’re simply stirring the pot, and I think it’s crap.
I’m not a Clinton fan, but please cite reliable sources before you spout Hannity nonsense.
Personally, Barry Eisler’s breakdown of Korea is well thought and reasoned, plus his area of expertise (besides being a good novelist, he worked for the CIA) so why don’t you visit there and see what he thinks of that opinion. http://www.barryeisler.com/blog.html
I’d be happy not to talk politics, as I’ve said, but this was a nonsensical right wing drive by and I’ve vowed never to sit quiet for any more of those ignorance-spreading bombs.
Oops.
Craig, sorry if I got a little hot about the Korea thing - I posted and sent while still fuming a bit and for that I apologize -
Guys, seriously, I love me a good political smackdown, but if we do it here we’ll never get to the writing stuff that we really wanna rumble about - Barry’s blog is specifically for political discourse, so let’s take it there, Aaron, if you want to throw leather on the issue.
Craig,
“…personal anecdotes may not educate, but they motivate.”
It was soooo thrilling and VERY motivating to my students…thanks. :)(I just took a peek and almost feel sorry I came in so late to this piece as per it is soooo fine, I personally loved it as well!)
We have/had a pact here at this Tutorial Lounge with all my adult Russian ‘contingency’/students…
‘no computer/blog reading 2 weeks prior to a standarized exam’ - the S.A.T.’s are this Saturday and the G.M.A.T.’s are just ‘round the corner. :)
We have been working since January and the Grammar, English, and Comprehension we are inside of is quite different on a standarized level.
They promised…they swore…they signed in blood :) and tried to keep it quiet, however last night they were so distracted I couldn’t help but inquire as to what all the chatter was about, and they willingly disclosed that on the train to Long Island they’ve been reading you on their laptops and cranking out their assignment either super early or dreadfully late so they could banter about how ‘filling’ your post was. :)
Two in the group are heading for writing, and were sooo hyped up they could barely not blurt their enthusiasm for such a “perfect American moment”. (As they have labeled you…)
From the words of Yuri,
“To this site, we Thankyou Mr. Mazin and Mr. Elliot, your site serves so much of us…Posted by: Yuri at September 14, 2006 6:48 AM”
I’ve asked that they all refrain from posting until 12 noon on Saturday - they grumbily agreed, but on behalf of Galina, Yuri, Rich and TR, a huge ‘spla-see-bah’ - thats ‘thanks’ in Russian.
:)xoxoLL
Joshua, I will tolerate any number of things…but asking people to prove a negative is a crime worthy of capital punishment. :)
Laura:
Thanks so much for your comment. That’s very encouraging, and I’m always glad to help people who share my Russian blood! Well…mostly Ukrainian, but close enough, right? :)
For your students, I simply offer this advice.
WORK!
Hey, we found a better ad here :
Don Lafontaine voice “Craig Mazin : A Perfect American Moment”.
Or maybe change your nickname like Prince and be called “PAM” !
Hmm… wrong idea.
Rather than argue my point, I’ll simply state that … I’ll take a capital spanking from you any day of the week, Craig, as long as it’s with a firm hand in harsh, disciplined strokes.
At least, I will this year;)
You say zat you do not vote for ze Bush. But I am asking to you, monsieur Maz’an, would you fight zis man? Would you fight ze president if you have ze shance?
“Unfortunately” it once again shows that you oughta move to LA in order to become a writer.” (Posted by: scribosphere at October 9, 2006 5:30 AM)
Scribosphere,
Possibly I not reading sarcasm here? But isn’t it more like, ‘when your talented, your talented? Not too much of where I should live?
Craig?
Yuri
Yuri:
Shouldn’t you be working right now? :)
Anyway, I think Scribosphere is half right. It’s certainly easier to make it as a screenwriter if you’re in Los Angeles, simply because you have a better chance of coming into contact with people who can read, recommend or purchase your work.
However, if you write a great script, you could live on the moon and you’d still sell it.
Proximity isn’t the be-all end-all, but it helps.
“Shouldn’t you be working right now? :)”
Craig, you have same work ethic as Prof. Laurichka - this is why we come to America.
I took nap yesturday - had been four hours taking S.A.T. Just glad our double passage was beginning of exam. We were well prepared, I will look forward to the G.M.A.T. with Professor’s assistance.
Thank you for reply - we agree here at Tutors Lounge - ‘good is good’ and ‘greatness will always find it’s way, so always give greatness’ - even from ‘moon’, as you say.
Today is Sunday and we are all just entering teacher’s lounge to prepare for next exam, yes we are working/writing/working/writing. :)
Yuri
Joshua,
I think you may have misunderstood the intent of my post — I was just responding to the prior statement that Clinton got the DPRK to shut down their nuke program. (I have no doubt that that was his intent, but I don’t believe that Kim ever intended to comply with the agreement either — my ire is directed at Kim, not Clinton.)
Anyway, thanks for the link to the Eisler site. It’s very cool (and I didn’t see any refutation of my point there, either ;) ).
Thanks for sharing Craig. You’ve inspired me.
Thanks!! Scribe
Everyone’s story is more interesting to someone else than themself. Of course, not all of them make great movies. ;)
Hey CuzCraig:
Does you still have the silly Halloween memo with fake blood stains that got the ball rolling?
Hey CuzBilly:
Funny, I was just talking about you today (mostly about how my dad was a mistake baby, but that turned into a larger discussion about my family).
You know, I don’t have that memo anymore. Sad, huh? But you know…somewhere I have something even better…the piece of paper I used back in July of ‘92 to make all of my notes about finding work at temp agencies.
I gotta scan that and post it up here. :)
a bad job
a bad job
From a former Jacobs & Gerber temp employee (worked there with you for a very brief year in 93 - in the back with Nancy - and storyboarding), I’m happy to see that I wasn’t in the minority about thinking Albert was a pill.
Good for you, man. Happy to see you made it out of there and onto much greener pastures.
Bill:
I remember you well! Thanks for checking in!