Writing for television is a great job. And it's a job. Most people watch TV and have a comment about one or two moments of an episode - whether they love it or hate it or something in between. To come up with every moment of an entire season of a TV shows is heavy lifting.
I decided to try to make a show of my own where I could invite an audience to obsess about race the way I sometimes do. So it was an attempt to dig into the race and history in America, and to make it personal and dramatic.
Coaching is my way of helping aspiring and professional writers get the kind of help and guidance that it took me years to piece together. I do workshops and coach people one on one. It's really fun and I'm happy that I can support artists who are looking to move ahead in their work and career.
Balance is a tricky thing. I love my work and that helps. And I work a lot. So I spend a fair amount of time trying to make sure I'm taking time off, exercising, meditating and things like that. I also have a powerful support team (including my partner, Kelley) to keep me grounded. I don't always feel like I have the balance I want, but I have awareness about it, which I think is key.
I'm really fortunate to have been to the schools I've been to, and to have the experiences I've had. And, partly since my parents are retired teachers, I've got the desire to give back. When I knew that I had that instinct, I got certified (through the Creativity Coaching Association) and I started working with artists of all kinds - though now I focus on writers.
I often say of my background: "That and a Metrocard will get me downtown." Honestly, I think the upshot of my training in acting and writing is that I've been trained to be adventurous. There are so many moments in conservatory where I was encouraged to push the envelope and color outside the lines. I think that sense of bravery flavors what I do. It allows me to take chances that I might not otherwise take.
In the beginning this was just an idea. Then it was a short story. Then it was a script. Each step was pretty exciting to see people come on board to support the project. It's gratifying to know that more people are seeing my work in this form than my work as a playwright. And it's been fun to hear people's response to seeing it. I've been having some deep conversations with strangers and friends about how much it has made them think about slavery and its impact today.
As a writer I'm committed to exploring what I call "The invisible things" - the things that people aren't talking about. I think that's where the juiciest conversations and the juiciest drama lives. My goal with the series is to get people talking about and reflecting on how issues of race play out in their own lives. Since I've spent a fair amount of time watching time travel shows and movies where the leads are White (and can blend in really easily no matter the time period) I thought I would turn that on its head and see what might happen.
I've always loved theatre because it's so immediate. The challenge of it is that, career wise, it's easier to get traction in the industry if you do film and TV because the audience is larger, and because the work can be seen for a longer period of time. I did solid work in a series of regional and Off-Broadway shows, but the work I did on TV or film will have a longer life with a larger audience (and with services like Netflix). Ultimately, there's something intimate about TV, because the storytelling and the actors come home with the viewer. It can be powerful because of that.
I honestly think if I had made a ton of money as an actor, I wouldn't have done anything else. (Hah!) Then I turned to writing plays. If that paid me well, I don't know if I would have turned to TV. Or coaching. I've now devised a combination of things partly because I'm having fun, and partly because I'm piecing together a way to make a living.
