“I got my first TV writing job at 55”

Craig T. Williams shares the story about how decades learning the craft, writing scripts, and networking resulted in landing a TV staff writing gig.

Here’s an inspirational story. In a recent first-person Business Insider essay, writer-producer Craig T. Williams recounts how landed his first TV series writing gig at the age of 55. He and his wife own a New York-based production company which produces short films, documentaries, and videos for the health department. That’s how they pay the bills. But Craig has always wanted to be a TV writer. Here are some excerpts from his essay.

The way I got my first writing job was through a 20-year-old relationship. I have a manager, but that’s not where it came from. I was in the WarnerMedia Access Writers Program, which was a great experience, to be chosen as one of 20 writers out of thousands of applications — but it didn’t come from there. Ultimately what got me this opportunity was being consistent and making my creative community aware of that consistency.

Whenever I’d place in a writing contest or get a new opportunity, I’d share about that on social media. Those things built my credibility — and showed the creative people I’ve been building relationships with all these years what I’d been doing over time. It really is the community you make that will help you kickstart a writing career, more than any other thing that you can do. My story is a great example.

The way I got my job felt sudden — a showrunner I know called me up a couple of months ago, and said, “I’m on my third season of this show. I got a little bit more money to have a writer’s room, and I want you to be one of my writers.” He hadn’t read anything I’d written.

I ultimately sent him a script, because he’d said to send him a sample just to be sure. But because I had social proof that I’d been working at my craft, winning awards, and mentoring other writers, I put the energy out into the world that I’m a TV writer, before I had any real TV writing job. All this person knew was that after 20 years, I was still out there hustling and living my craft.

That’s a remarkable path to landing a TV writing job. Some takeaways from the rest of the article:

• Craig entered writing contests ad nauseam: “…entering contests gave me confidence in my writing because it showed me that people who didn’t know me or love me were responding to it.”
• He got past the fear that he was too old. Craig took a pitching class from a TV showrunner who told him, “You are not too old. We are in rooms with a whole bunch of middle-aged guys who are doing this, and they’re vibrant. To be frank, some of them aren’t half the writer that you are.” That was a breakthrough moment for Craig.
• He focused on finding his writer’s voice: “When I let go of that thinking, I was able to concentrate on honing my voice, and decide what I want to say as a Black man, as a creative person, as a father, and as a husband. I started to write the things only I could write… I started winning contests and fellowships, and that’s when I got into the WarnerMedia Access Writers Program.”

As unusual as some of the specifics are about Craig’s journey into a TV writers room, I see some dynamics which are common to success: Persistence. A lot of writing. Building a network of connections in the business. Putting one’s work out there.

But the biggest one of all: Find your voice. I hear this all the time from managers and TV people: They’re looking for writers with a unique perspective and the ability to express that outlook on the page in a distinctive, engaging way.

Congratulations, Craig!

Twitter: @RedWallPro

To read the rest of the Business Insider essay, go here.