SitcomWriter
Los Angeles, CA
Female, 33
For over ten years, I’ve had the extreme pleasure of being staffed on several half-hour network sitcoms, rising in the ranks from Staff Writer to Co-Executive producer. My writing partner and I are now developing our own material.
Whoops. Sorry for the delay. When a pilot gets picked up nine times out of ten it is only given 13 episodes. If it does really well it gets the "back nine" for a full season. If it does badly it's canceled even before those episodes are shot. So new shows rarely think past those first 13. Also each show and show runner is different. I've been on shows where each episode is a crapshoot. And I've been on others where the first thing we do is figure out what major thing will happen to each character and decided a time line to introduce that major thing and when we will pay it off. I have never been on a show that's thought past the season it was working on more than a wistful "Maybe in season six X and Y will start dating..."
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I assume everything is going to fail until it doesn't. Call it a defense mechanism.
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This is a hard one. Maybe I've been doing this too long, but everything feels done. Some do it better than others (30 Rock comes to mind), but no one is breaking any new ground.
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I’ve written everything from crappy multi-cameras that didn't make it through the first season, to Emmy award-winning single-cameras that I am proud to have on my resume.
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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Do you ever operate on guys who get their jaws busted in a fight?
Help Desk Technician
Are people appreciative when you help them or do they just treat you like a support monkey?
Track and Field Coach
Do you let your athletes play another sport in the off-season?
The laugh track question I can't answer. As to the second question: 1. They are well written. A well written show is timeless 2. They have amazing actors creating unforgettable characters. 3. They are simple premises and simple ideas so no matter what the year it is gettable and relatable and you can watch one episode and know everything you need to know about the show - which makes it all the more sad how today the development process is all about "Big ideas!" "big worlds!" (I'm not bitter...I swear.....okay....maybe a little)
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Honestly I have no idea. I can't imagine that number is very high. It might creep up toward the 30-40% mark if by "decent living" you mean any money whatsoever. There are so many more outlets now a days. Cable, internet, podcasts etc. But most of those outlets are not going to buy you a house in the hills. Actually some of those outlets aren't going to pay you enough for a studio in the valley. As for what they do when they drop out... I've seen people try to make a go at it as a standup. I've had friends take corporate jobs. I would say the biggest majority go on to get their teaching degrees. I guess it's the same as graduating from college...just a few years later.
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I always knew this is what I wanted to do. I assumed it's what everyone wanted to do. And since everyone can't be a sitcom writer they "settle" for being a doctor, lawyer, indian chief whatever. Imagine my surprise when I discovered people actually want to be things like doctors and save lives instead of writing dick jokes. Crazy. How would I reply to being told it was hard to make it as a writer? I guess I'd say I can't imagine doing anything else. This is my dream job. It's worth putting in the effort. Someone has to be the lucky one who gets to do it. Why not me? But I'd also say that I'm not under any illusions of this being a cake walk. I came to Los Angeles knowing that if I didn't find meaningful writing work in five years I'd go back to the East Coast and re-think my career choices. I wanted to be a writer. I didn't want a career as a want-to-be writer.
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