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Fox execs Terence Carter and Carolyn Cassidy, Bones EP Jonathan Collier, The League’s Jeff Schaffer and Dan O’Keefe, and Fox Writers Studio co-head Nicky Weinstock are among the mentors of Harvardwood’s third annual “Most Staffable TV Writers” program this spring. The Harvard University-sanctioned nonprofit each year selects five writers based on original TV pilot submissions and sets up each winner with a one-on-one mentorship with a pair of TV pros. The 2013 honorees are Sam Chalsen, Forensic State (one-hour drama); Sue Chung, Shrouded (one-hour drama); Allison Kiessling, Elixir (one-hour drama); Matt Roller, Homeschooled (half-hour comedy); and Ryan Slattery, Market & Castro (half-hour comedy). In its previous two years, writers selected by the program went on to score agency representation at CAA, ICM, Circle of Confusion, Management 360 and Echo Lake. Members of the Harvardwood Writers Program have nabbed gigs on FX’s Justified, HBO’s The Newsroom, Fox’s Family Guy, NBC’s Awake, USA’s Covert Affairs and TNT’s Perception. The organization is open to Harvard alumni, students, faculty, and staff as well as non-Harvard-affiliated figures in the arts, media and entertainment.
Harvardwood Names Most Staffable TV Writers Of 2013
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This organization is great as Harvard Grads deserve the help to raise their numbers as writers on TV shows. That’s what TV needs. MORE HARVARD WRITERS!!!
As long as the writing is good, TV does need more of these writers.
How special for them.
Two women. One Writer Of Color. Impressive, Harvardwood. MOST IMPRESSIVE.
And we wonder why primetime is in so much trouble.
Thank goodness! A program that gives those downtrodden Harvard grads a leg up. It’s so hard to get ahead with a pedigree like that.
I’m sure all these people really need a leg up in life. Keep up the good work people who are too inside the industry they can’t even see straight!
Nice to see everything that’s wrong with the TV business summed up in one post. A bunch of Harvard grads staffing Harvard grads is already why all network TV reads and sounds completely alike.
Just gross.
My grandma thinks I’m a swell writer, and we both graduated from the School of Hard Knocks. Want to publish that?
N-E-P-O-T-I-S-M, and that’s how you spell nepotism.
At least a Harvard grad would know the difference between nepotism and cronyism.
Having worked in an Ivy League admissions office, I wouldn’t be so smug, darlin’. Given the special weighting for alumni children, it’s probably a mix of both.
Huh, so apparently those that can’t do: teach AND work in admissions.
(Sigh) of course, even the best admissions committees can make mistakes.
I hope you got more out of your time in Cambridge than a lifetime of dropping the H-bomb.
any dictionaries at harvard? because nepotism by definition is applicable here. you don’t have to be related. whereas cronyism is the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications. and really how can a smug harvard grad think another harvard grad isn’t qualified for anything? especially somehow working that they went to harvard into any conversation. Jackhole.
As your username and ignorance suggest, you obviously went to community college. Nepotism is derived from the Latin “nepotem,” and refers to the practice of granting an appointed position to an unqualified nephew. Ipso facto [more Latin, you plebe!], nepotism is not applicable here.
The Harvard Mafia’s dominance in the TV writing ranks is why most TV is so bad now. These elite Ivy League snobs are so far out of touch with the majority of viewers but the system perpetuates itself now we have more of them.
Wait… Terence Carter still has a job? Must be that Harvard connection.
What’s with all the vitriol? If this were a UCLA or USC or AFI program would anyone be making these kinds of snap judgments without reading the scripts first?
Deadline comments are always great for confirming this rule of the internet: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19
Oh I get it. “Ivory Tower.”
I don’t want to be like the bitter and resentful commentors spewing their diarrhea all over this board, but as a 22 year-old who did not go to an Ivy League/Top 20 school (I attended Emerson) and are probably not as well read or clever as those who did, reading this type of news is daunting. I always think I should give up on pursuing a career in writing tv comedy, just because from what I’ve seen in Hollywood, save for a few outliers people cite for a self-deluding coziness(Ryan Murphy, Marc Cherry, Harris Wittels) if you didn’t get a top notch education from a top school you’re likely to be just griding fruitlessly until you can’t grind anymore.
Am I wrong?
You’re only partially wrong. It’s not the education part that drives this town, it’s the connections part. Those who make it these days do so almost solely based on who they know. If you don’t know some top flight people, or have a path to access them, you’re probably wasting your time. Who you know, and who likes you, is much more important than writing talent, luck or anything else. Harvard is like a big social club, and its members help other members. But they probably are not any better read or knowledgeable than you.
Hi Eric,
For personal reasons, I gave up and took a job on the periphery of the industry. I read Deadline for nostalgia and “what if’s”. Because the biggest “what if” is seeing people who came to town at the same time I did become major showrunners. Over the years, I came to realize the biggest difference between us wasn’t luck, connections, or talent; it was that they had the confidence not to give up, no matter how many times they were told no.
I was given this advice many times, and I still believe it: If you want it 100%, you can get it. But if there’s ANYTHING that you might want even a little bit more, you’ll lose focus, and not break in. If you’re thinking, I can’t get it, because other people are more connected, you’re wrong. But if you’re thinking, I can’t get it, but maybe I’d rather get a teaching degree anyway, then you don’t want it enough.
Concrete advice: Take writing classes at UCLA extension, take improv classes, join writing groups, volunteer at industry-related charities and events. Try to meet Stanford grads (they have an amazingly connected alumni association). Network, network, network…and write your ass off!
Good luck–and don’t give up!
Thanks for the wonderful advice! If you don’t mind me asking, what do you mean by periphery? Could I get your contact info?
Hi, Eric –
Please don’t be discouraged by this announcement. Harvardwood was actually inspired in part by an Emerson College program in which current students come out to LA for a week to learn about the industry (did you get a chance to participate in that during school?). Similar volunteer-run alumni organizations exist for many colleges/universities, including several that Harvardwood helped get started (e.g. UVA, Colorado College, Columbia, U Michigan, U of Chicago). I don’t know if Emerson currently has an alumni arts/entertainment organization — if not, I highly recommend you take the initiative to start one, it is a great way to meet people with common interests and develop that all-important skill of networking.
Sure, it would be nice if Hollywood — and the world in general — was a straight-up meritocracy, but it’s not and never will be. And that applies to all people, regardless of educational background. Talent does matter, but people also enjoy working with folks that they know and like, that’s just human nature (especially if you’re going to be hunched around a writers’ room together for days on end). So part of succeeding in entertainment is knowing and developing good relationships with people in your field — before you get your first break, you can still find/form your own friendships and communities around things that are meaningful to you, like where you’re from, where you went to school, your hobbies, your career goals, etc. And, simultaneously, keep working (writing, rewriting) your butt off so that you’re prepared when you earn, network and/or luck your way into professional opportunities. As many posters have noted, plenty of the most successful people in the industry did not go to Ivy League schools — and since Harvard grads are apparently in the process of ruining television, there will be plenty of job openings in the near future.
Oh, also — if the subject matter is of interest, you might want to check out this “tales of Beijing” screenwriting competition that Harvardwood is sponsoring — there are two categories, one of which is specifically for college students and recent grads. And yes, it is open to all, regardless of where you went to school: http://writebeijing.org/competition
If you have any questions or want to chat, feel free to contact me. I don’t think they let you post email addresses here, but you can Google or Facebook me. In fact, anyone who wants to discuss any of this can contact me directly. If you want to spew vitriol and/or attack me personally, that’s your prerogative — but at least sack up and tell me who you are so we can have an actual conversation (internet anonymity is for cowards and pedophiles).
Mia, thank you for being willing to take the time to respond to a lowly Deadline commentor. Sorry for all the derision you’re facing, especially when your intentions for starting this program are nothing but pure. I actually spent a semester in Los Angeles interning on behalf of Emerson College, so I did spend a good chunk of time in LA and worked for Jaume Collet-Serra’s company. It did discourage me a bit, however, when I got a good look at how many struggling writers there were in every single cafe I studied in, desperately plugging away (or maybe going on Facebook, I don’t know). Also, just the plethora of dreadful screenplays that came through my company was unbelievable.
There’s a big suit and tie Emerson alumni network in LA, meaning development and production folks. I guess I should be more active in it than I’ve been so far. Glad to hear that Harvard people are getting inspired by Emerson. It was a big deal when Emersonians Harris Wittels and Joe Mande got on the Harvard-driven Parks and Recreation.
Thank you so much for your insight and encouragement. It means a lot coming from a prominent and highly accomplished Asian-American entertainer like yourself. I myself am Chinese. It’s so cool that you worked with Michael Kang, The Motel is one of my favorites.
I plan to write something for “Tales of Beijing,” and despite the fact that Harvardwood will make the industry more competitive for me, I wish both it and you the best of luck.
Eric, I’m glad that you’re planning to submit to the Beijing writing contest. The fact that your comments are well-written (and grammatically-correct) already gives you a leg up over most of the competition! I do recommend that you reach out to other Emerson folks in the industry — you might be surprised how open and willing they are to sit down with a fellow alum for lunch or an informational interview (and the worst they can do is say no). The same goes for the Asian-American entertainment community — have you looked into CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment)? http://www.capeusa.org
Best of luck!
Thanks for the advice and links, Mia! I’ll be sure to look into CAPE!
Emerson has an unbelievable alumni association. There are tons of execs around town from Emerson. Do your homework.
Good to see Harvard kids finally catching a break.
The most successful shows on TV today are run by people who didn’t go to Harvard (Levitan & Lloyd, Chuck Lorrie, Kurt Sutter, Vince Gilligan, Matthew Weiner…) If the geniuses from “Harvardwood” knew anything, 90% of shows they put on the air wouldn’t tank.
Jeez guys, calm down. It said the program was open to “non-Harvard-affiliated figures in the arts, media and entertainment.”
Just apply!
That means they’ll allow influential non-Harvard people to become the MENTORS to Harvard kids (how generous!), NOT that they’ll let anyone take the place of these precious Harvard kids.
Avoid Circle of Confusion like the plague. The name is apt.
How stupid do you have to be to call yourself Circle of Confusion or, “The Cartel”? (An actual name of a management firm.)
Really? Because they manage me, and I’ve been working steadily for 3 years. They got me a feature deal and multiple staff jobs. They’re great.
They’re great. They manage me and in the last couple years I’ve sold a pilot, gotten staffed, and gotten a feature deal. So I don’t know what your experience has been, but it’s definitely not universal.
That was a response to the guy who was angry about Circle of Confusion.
zero point zero
The people you mentioned were either prodigies or they trained under/worked with Ivy league grads when cutting their teeth. Weiner especially.
Weiner (Welsleyan, USC) must be a prodigy, because he trained under Diane English (Buffalo State College), Victor Fresco (Hampshire College) and David Chase (NYU). No Ivies there.
David Chase also went to Stanford.
I don’t get where this idea comes from that comedy writers need to be from the Ivy League. Shows like SNL, the Simpsons etc. are almost all made up of Ivy League writers and they are almost always terribly unfunny.
While it’s true that people who are funny are smart, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are good students, in fact it is more likely that they are not. One can graduate from Harvard and not necessarily be that bright anyway, as school in the US is more about diligence, memorization and following rules than actual intelligence.
It would be nice if people from Ivy Leagues chose to enrich society and leave comedy writing jobs to people who have talent. Instead it seems like Harvard grads either choose to become writers and make terrible shows that no one watches, or else go to Wall Street to help destroy the US/Global economies.
Basically, our higher education system is broken, and our elite institutions are largely churning out idiots.
Bro, I think you’re kind of deluded. Where did you go to school? Recent episodes of Simpsons and SNL written by Harvard grads are arguably bad, but the episodes that left their imprint on modern comedy were also written by Harvard grads. Funny enough, people often blame the downfall of The Simpsons on the tenure of Bill Oakley, who never went to college. The Lampoon is probably the best comedy writing workshop in the world. The early years The Office, all of Parks and Rec, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and other influential shows all come from Harvard grads. Even if you don’t like these shows, they are timeless and usually the gold standard for creators of other shows. And even something silly and dumb like Family Guy or The Cleveland Show hires Ivy Leaguers. You’ll be hard-pressed to find sitcom writers, or even big-time alternative comedians who didn’t go to great schools/ are not hard-working. I think this has to do with the fact that to make it in entertainment you need both a tireless work ethic and a good network. Top schools require their students to demonstrate the former so that they can be rewarded the latter.
This also seems to be true in Britain, where the majority of comics past and present (Monty Python, Mitchell&Webb, Stephen Merchant), hail from top Universities.
And all this is coming from somebody who is neither from a top school or particularly hardworking.
You can always go do comedy for the working class crowd, I guess.
I’m sorry, that’s not Bill Oakley, who also went to Harvard, but Mike Scully who was self-taught.
I like how all the shows you mention that were guided early on from Harvard writers are all shows that had low ratings early on.
I have worked with Many Harvard Grads. Some overrated, some not. Just like every other job in this world.
Thanks for sharing your real world experiences. They provide a more realistic look at the industry. What field are you in, if you don’t mind me asking, and how did you get your start?
I do think The Simpsons was an instant hit, though. It was one of the fledgling Fox Network’s claims to fame. And my point was not that these shows were immediately popular, but that they are timeless and innovative forbearers of today’s comedy, due in part to the brilliance of the writers. Absurdism, meta-humor, complex callbacks, condensation of age old philosophical principals into one-liners (I’ve done everything the Bible says — even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff!) and social issues into 22 minute episodes (HOMR, Homer’s Enemy).
British higher education is different; it’s not based entirely on rote learning and memorization like in the US, there’s more thinking involved. I think 20+ years ago (early Simpsons) Harvard grads were better writers, as the quality of education in that era was probably more well-rounded than today. You can come out of Harvard or somewhere similar today and literally know nothing if you had a fairly easy major.
If the US version of the office, parks and rec(!) and even family guy are considered “classics”, we are in trouble. Larry David went to the University of Maryland, and he’s the best comedy writer there is. Woody Allen didn’t even graduate from High School, I think. Trey Parker and Matt Stone went to the University of Colorado.
Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, etc. didn’t go to college at all, yet they would be on everyone’s list of the all time greatest standups. TV writing, particularly network sitcoms, is very stale and terrible because it’s all coming from one viewpoint ie upper middle class ivy league white male.
Are you an aspiring comedy writer? You sound like you are.
Not all Harvard grads come from privilege & are simply talented& work very, very hard as true of at least one of the recipients. As for Harvard grads promoting Harvard grads its called networking & even community college grads do that.