Ask A Genius 959: Writing Comedy Used to be a Better Gig
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/06/19
Rick Rosner: You are in a much more difficult situation than I was because the financial opportunities available now are much worse. When I worked at Kimmel, we got paid 52 weeks a year, even though we only worked 46 weeks and had six weeks of paid vacation. It was a dream job, one that nobody gets anymore. Back in the day, like in the 70s, a TV season might consist of 26 episodes, and you could be employed for 39 weeks writing those episodes. A TV season might have just six episodes, and you could be employed for only six weeks to write those episodes. And you’ve worked incredibly hard to get that job.
In 1973, if you got a job, you’d be employed for 39 weeks a year writing for a show like Mannix for three or four years. You’d be set; you could buy a house. Now, you work hard, get employed for six weeks, and then go back to driving for DoorDash. The conditions are terrible.
My tip, though I haven’t worked under the current conditions, would be to try to sell yourself as a producer of the project and even as an actor in it. When I was pitching, pitches were on paper. Now, people expect to see samples. It’s easy to produce short test episodes of your show using current technology. When you pitch your ideas, people will likely expect to see something on video.
That’s all.
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