Hollywood advice you can use
My Best Articles
• 3 Essential Steps to Writing a Killer Logline
• How to Create Great TV Bibles & Treatments
• My Number #1 Tip For Writers: Self-Compassion
• 6 Ways to Turn Your ‘General Meeting’ into a Job Opportunity
• How To Give Good Meeting... And Get the Job, Part One
• How To Give Good Meeting Part Two: Four Key Strategies
• How to Write a One-Pager that Gets Traction
• What is a “Leave-Behind” & When Do You Need One?
• Get your Sh*t Together! 10 Ways to Organize Your Creative Life
All Articles & Blog Posts
The Top 6 Screenwriting Competitions to Spend Your Time and Money On
There’s a lot of controversy out there on whether or not screenwriting competitions are effective in breaking in to the screenwriting world. There are hundreds to choose from, and 99% of the time they cost money, so which ones – if any - are worth your blood, sweat, and hard earned cash?
How to Get Your Foot in the Writers’ Room Door
Every person’s story of how they got into a writers’ room is different, and there’s no one way to do it. However, there are ways that I’ve seen it happen time and time again, so if the writers’ room feels an impossible dream, consider me your guide to navigating the dream.
3 Essential Steps to Writing a Killer Logline
How do you make a logline, and better yet, how do you make one that’s good? I have boiled down the infamous logline into three simple (and essential) steps that can be the difference between a pitch and a sale.
How To Create a Hollywood Resume That Gets You to the Top of the Pile
I have some advice on how to turn your blinking cursor into the Hollywood resume that leaps out from the large pile your potential future employer is sloughing through.
How to Get That Elusive Hollywood Mentor
When you’re starting your screenwriting career, you’re hopeful, excited, and pretty confused on how to get ahead, so of course you’d jump at the chance of having a Hollywood mentor take you under her or his wing. Now, for the question everyone’s asking: how do I get one?
The Top 6 Screenwriting Books to Read Before You Write
There are countless books that claim to have all the knowledge to turn you into the next Aaron Sorkin, but which ones are the best? Here’s your go-to guide on screenwriting books to pick up before you break out Final Draft.
The Top 7 Podcasts for Screenwriters
Bring the knowledge of Hollywood’s best and brightest with you with these podcasts for screenwriters you can’t afford to miss.
5 Spec Script Mistakes to Avoid Like the Plague
If you’re an aspiring screenwriter, make sure to avoid these common spec script mistakes that stick out like a sore thumb.
There’s No Crying in Show Business… Unless You're on Screen.
Crying on cue in front of the cameras is an impressive talent. On the other hand, crying in the midst of a tantrum, always complaining or just plain being difficult, can put you on the dreaded LITS list.
Everyone Gets Fired: 6 Ways To Bounce Back From Rejection
So one of the most painful experiences of my executive career was when Amblin didn’t pick up my option for a third year. I wasn’t surprised – and they didn’t fill the position for two years after that – but it still hurt.
Breaking into Hollywood: 3 Mistakes To Avoid
I have a secret. I have the ability to tell, in the first five minutes after meeting someone who wants to break into Hollywood, whether or not they’re going to succeed.
Myth of Hollywood Overnight Success Stories
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Shawn Ryan, creator of the ground breaking TV series, The Shield several times. He talks about how he won a playwriting contest when he was in college.
How Do You Get To Be a Showrunner?
I can’t tell you how many times people ask me, “How do I get to be a showrunner?” Maybe the best way to answer this question is to explain what a showrunner does.
How To Give Good Meeting Part Two: Four Key Strategies
During my tenure as a TV executive and director of the CBS Diversity Writers Mentoring Program and the WGA Showrunner Training Program, I’ve had more than a thousand meetings where I helped decide the fate of the person across from me.
How To Give Good Meeting... And Get the Job, Part One
Whether you’re interviewing to be an assistant or it’s your fifth showrunner meeting and you haven’t been staffed, here’s how to master the five steps of the meeting “dance.”
I Want To Be A TV Writer But I’m Not 22
Does ageism exist in Hollywood? Absolutely.
How To Navigate This Insane Business
It’s no secret the entertainment industry has emotional and financial ups and downs and more than its fair share of difficult personalities.
5 Steps to Developing the Most Important Hollywood Skill
What makes you irresistible to decision makers is not your award-winning student film or even the ivy league college you graduated from — although both are appealing assets — it’s simply having the right Hollywood attitude.
Six Things Your TV Spec Script Needs to Stand Out
I had the recent pleasure of joining Pilar Alessandra as her guest for her On The Page podcast: "Sex, Death and Other TV Tips..."
Signs You Have Blazing Hot Material
To succeed as a writer in Hollywood, I believe you need to master these four areas...