GreenbArg
What are some valuable lessons you’ve learned professionally so far?
Under promise and over deliver. Agnostic serenity prayer. There are three sides to every story. Writing is rewriting.
Please share some of your most valuable lessons from your years of experience.
Listen more than I talk. Don't go full GreenbArg too early.
What do you think sets your work apart from other Writers?
Thucydides, an Athenian historian and general, said something to the effect of "stories only happen to people who know how to tell them." I know how to tell stories. And, for better or worse, story-worthy things always happen to me.
How is your approach towards each of your creative skills different? Is the starting point the same?
The first ideas are usually the right ones. But they take refining and researching to turn the phrases perfectly and memorably.
Kindly take us through a particular project of yours that you cherish.
Writing for TV. It's like the book and movie Life of Pi - you're trapped on a lifeboat with a bunch of animals for months trying your darnedest to survive while breaking an entire season of TV. It's the absolute best and worst.
I’d love to hear more about your experience! Can you tell me about a project you found particularly challenging, and how you managed to overcome any obstacles?
Every narrative project has its own challenges but, through repetition, I've developed a shorthand. Besides, there's only like 9 ways to be funny. If one of the 9 isn't working, try another.
What was the first project you worked on professionally, and how did you land it?
I was given an episode of the Netflix series Paradise PD after being a writers assistant on the show for the first two seasons. In those first two seasons, I pitched stories, plot points, jokes, and dialogue with a success rate that rivaled the best writers in the room.
Did you always know your creative calling? How did you find your way toward it?
At a very young age, I learned that a bully doesn't beat up a nerd who makes them laugh. I've been using comedy to avoid pain physical and emotional my entire life.
What was your most challenging project to work on?
Anything that doesn't have jokes. It's like being naked in public, I have nothing to hide behind.
How do you walk the line between being unique, giving a good user experience, and having commercial appeal?
I'm an ardent follower of the MAYA principal. Most Advanced Yet Acceptable. The very first thing I do is figure out the upper and lower boundaries and then do my best to play within them.
