My First Writers Room Gig Recap

So I recently wrapped my first job working in a Writers Room!Here are a few highlights:

I got to work with some really funny, kind, smart, and talented people.

Greg Fitzsimmons, Frances Callier, Angela V. Shelton, and me in the Writers Room on set.

My goal was to get Greg to laugh so hard he lost his breath, cried, and/or fell to the floor before the gig ended. No cigar. I did get him to throw his head back and make this face twice. (Yes, I counted.)

Greg also paid me the best compliment: "No matter how talented you are, if you want to work in a writers room, people have to want to sit in a room with you for 12 hours at a time. You've got a great personality. And I don’t mind having to spend 12 hours in a room with you."

Yes, I wrote that down. And then I explained to Greg that I’m like a stray cat…He should have never fed me.

I Photoshopped the words off of the segment cards on the storyboard because I'm a lawyer, and I read the contractual language in the employment paperwork that prohibited me from sharing behind-the-scenes work product. I'm also eerily good at Photoshop. (See my "Media" section. Photoshop is magic.) But I didn't bother to Photoshop the glare off of my forehead because I thought that would be unfair to Greg.

I met a lot of famous people. This includes the talent and their famous friends who were hanging around on set.

At the office, there was an impressive amount of free food at our disposal at all times. In addition to all of the crunchy, nibbly, carby snacks that they provided around the clock like Doritos, Cheetos, Oreos, animal crackers, and other things you would find in a 3rd grader’s lunch box, the production company also found an excuse to regularly provide free pizza and BBQ.

They also had a CHAI LATTE MACHINE in the office!!

But my mind was really blown by the extraordinary amount of food being peddled on set by craft services.

Frances and Angela waiting for their breakfast order on the first day of shooting.

Frances and Angela waiting for their breakfast orders on the first day of shooting.

There was a food truck, from which you could order from a list of about 30 menu offerings from chorizo burritos to balsamic glazed salmon to chicken marsala to Korean BBQ. Then there were at least 3 or 4 tables of buffet-style grab-and-go snacks for you to pick up throughout the day. They also rolled out freshly made goodies all day. And THEN, the kind craft services people walked the food around to you like cater-waiters. C’mon, maaaan, at least make me get up and get it!

I’m sorry I went on so long about the food. I mean, I ate well as a lobbyist, but I've never seen anything like this.

Oh, and Comedian Leslie Jones called me hilarious three times in one conversation. Woot, woot!

So that was that, folks. My first job in a writers room.

I learned so much about how a TV show is made -- from creative concept to writers room etiquette to post-production. I also got my first paycheck for working for a TV show (!!!), a line on my resume, an IMDB credit, and some great references.

OH, and I had a BLAST!

I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity. And I can't wait until the next one!