Advice — interviews

Steven Priggé, a one-time assistant on the hit sitcom Spin City starring Michael J. Fox, has written a new book entitled Created By: Inside the Minds of TV's Top Show Creators. Between the covers, Priggé delves into the minds of people like Max Mutchnick and David Kohan (Will & Grace), Brenda Hampton (7th Heaven), Josh Schwartz (The O.C. ), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), Bill Lawrence (Scrubs), Ilene Chaiken (The L Word) and others, to ask the questions all aspiring TV writers want answered, such as: How do I get an agent? What spec...

WS: You graduated magna cum laude AND Phi Beta Kappa from a small, private liberal arts college, Macalester in St. Paul. What was your major and did it have any impact on your careers as house painter, apartment house owner, and prize-winning screenwriter? SLO: Well it was a funky mix of physics, psychology, philosophy and neuroscience that qualified me for nothing, except maybe a housepainter or a graduate student. I was trying to get at what consciousness was. As it turns out it was also good prep for being a writer. WS: One of your comments in your bio that...

Andy Cohen is the President of Grade A Entertainment, a production and management company representing writers, directors and authors in feature films, episodic and long-form television. Before founding Grade A, Andy spent ten years as both an executive and a producer. In all, Andy has been involved in the development, sale and/or production of over 40 film projects, seven Movies-of-the-Week and three series. He currently has an eclectic slate of feature film, episodic and long-form television projects set up at studios, networks and production companies. Upcoming speaking engagements include: Selling To Hollywood in Los Angeles and The Maui Writers Conference....

Originally an actor, Ray Gideon first took the turn into writing 20 years ago with fellow actor Bruce Evans, and the two of them have been working together ever since. It's a partnership that has yielded some impressive credits, first with short films then to feature films with their first sold script, 'A Man, A Woman and A Bank.' This first effort launched their career, which has included films such as 'Stand By Me,' 'Starman,' 'Made In Heaven,' 'Jungle' and 'Jungle 2' among others. Today, they work from their West Hollywood office, continuing their two decades of collaborative writing nurtured...

Kathryn Knowlton, Literary Manager and President of Creative Script Services talks with Bob Holman of Holman, Maybank and Live, a 'boutique' agency that represents screenwriters. Kathryn Knowlton: Bob, I know you've worked at both large agencies as well as so-called 'boutique' agencies. You are now a founding partner of a boutique agency. Can you tell our readers the difference between the two and why you chose to start a boutique agency? Bob Holman: The difference between a big agency and a boutique agency is that the big agencies represent all forms of talent: actors, directors, musicians, writers, technical people, among...