Interview (Part 6): Murder Ink

My interview with Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana, and Jana Savage, the writing team behind the 2021 Black List script “Homecoming.”

Murder Ink consists of three writers (Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana, and Jana Savage) who wrote the comedy feature script “Homecoming” which not only landed on the 2021 Black List, but also sold as a spec script to Lionsgate in January of this year. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with the trio about their backgrounds, the inspiration and writing of “Homecoming,” and where their careers have gone after making the annual Black List.

Today in Part 6 of of a 6-part series to run each day through Sunday, Brandon, Hudson, and Jana provide advice for writers who are trying to break in as a film or TV writer.

Scott: You all are writing, directing. Five to ten years from now what’s going on with you all?

Hudson: The goal is for Murder Ink to continue to evolve, and it’ll eventually become a fully functioning production company. Brandon directs, Jana is an actress, I’m interested in becoming more experienced on the producing side. If we can write something that we love and are passion about and have the ability to go out and execute it, find the money, and produce it that is great. We want to get to a point where we don’t necessarily have to have a big brother, or somebody holding our hands through the process. If we can create the content and direct the content and produce the content, that’s definitely a goal for us. But it’s also our goals to not just do our own projects. We love to collaborate. The idea of being able to collaborate with other creatives is a plus.

Scott: You got those high school kids that Jana knew with $100,000. That’s your funding right there.

Hudson: Keep the hot air balloons scene.

Jana: It’s nice because obviously we have different sensibilities and sometimes there’s an idea that one of us might have or comes our way that the others aren’t passionate about it. As of right now it’s, “OK, well, this is a project that I’m going to work on, on the side.” It would be great to be able to say, “I don’t know if that’s something I want to write, but I’d love to be able to be a producer” and support each other in that way.

Hudson: Jana had a project recently that she did with Jean Smart. She brought it to us and said, “Hey guys, I have this project. Are you interested in it?” Brandon and I weren’t interested but it was, “Yo, do your thing.” We were glad because it was this… it didn’t speak to us, but it was a cool project. She did it and it’s been produced now and they’re in post on it. That’s an example of the thing where it would have been awesome if we had the capability to do it under the Murder Ink banner.

Jana: That’d be a dream.

Scott: Final question: What advice can you offer to aspiring screenwriters about learning the craft and trying to break into the business? I’d like to have each one of you give me your sage wisdom here.

Brandon: I’ll go. What I had found out here is that, it’s so cliché, but it’s not about being the most talented. It’s about being the hardest working person. I didn’t think as a young writer that I realized how much I would have to write because it is not about one script. It is not about one draft of one script. [laughs] There is no silver bullet. You have to write so much to be successful as a writer.

One, because you just need different things in order to catch your fish or whatever. But also you only get better from writing so much and that has been our key to success. With the three of us, it allows our team to be prolific. We are constantly able to have a new script to go to the town with. That’s my biggest piece of advice is always be writing, you have to write so much.

Jana: I say don’t write at all.

But seriously, there are two main things I’ve found helpful — that helped me get to where I am. A, having a life outside of writing and outside of the industry. Finding things that give you some sense of self‑worth that are not attached to this industry. For me, it’s dog rescue. I always felt no matter what, when I was doing that, I [laughs] felt good about myself.

B, is being open to your path looking different than you think it’s going to look. For me, that I thought I was going to come here to be a dramatic actress. I don’t know why. But if I had said no to Brandon and Hudson when they asked me to write because I wasn’t a writer, I wouldn’t be where I am. And I’ve actually gotten more acting gigs that way. It may look different than you think but if you’re not open to it, then you might shut yourself off to some great opportunities. You might meander off your path but you might get to the goal quicker than if you go straight, somehow. I don’t know.

Scott: Yep. That reminds me of Joseph Campbell, he says, or I think he’s riffing off someone, somebody else said that, “Basically, when you align yourself, we follow your bliss, the universe will create doors where there once were walls, and you may not expect to see those doors. There may be doors that lead to something entirely different but that can be the path you need to take.”

Jana: I like to hear that my wisdom reminds you of Joseph Campbell.

Scott: Hudson, how about you?

Hudson: Yeah, I agree with everything they said. I would add that obviously, there’s the clichè, “Writing is rewriting.” People hit you up all the time like, “Man, I’ve got this idea for a script.” I’m like, “Well, write it. Even if it’s not that good, your first draft might not be that great, but just write it.”

This young kid, he had something that he had written. He had gotten into a really impressive room. He somehow got the script to Issa Rae and met with Issa Rae. I’m like, “We’ve met with execs from her company, but we never actually sat down and met with her. You’re doing something right.” She wound of passing on the project, but I was like, “If you have other ideas, even if it’s just a nugget of an idea, continue to develop those as well. You might have a great script, but they may have a project that’s similar, or they’re not looking for something like what you’re pitching. But you could have pitched them another idea you were thinking about.” We’ve definitely been in meetings where they didn’t like something that was generally the first reason we were meeting, but we pitched this little nugget of an idea and that sparked something else.

I’ll tell people, “Whatever that idea is, write it. Think of the other five things you want to write and start fleshing those out a little bit more, too. You’re going to need more than one thing.” If we were sitting around waiting on this one project, waiting on Homecoming to go, we can drive ourselves crazy. You put too much pressure on this one thing. You have to have multiple irons in the fire. I have a friend out here I used to bartend with. He’s been writing his sports movie for 12 years now. Even if this is the greatest script ever, that’s so much pressure on this one project. Just have multiple things that you’re continuing to develop and write your ideas. You’re just going to get better.

Like Brandon said earlier, through the process, we’ve gotten better. One thing informs something else. Even if nothing happened with that project. We have a project that Jana wrote that we all developed the story together. We’ve gotten more business and more meetings from that one project than any others, and that still hasn’t been produced.

Jana: [laughs]

Hudson: …that’ll come around and get produced because we really believe in it. You’ve got to have multiple irons in the fire, would be my advice.

Scott: Work your ass off, create the content, and be open to possibilities. Does that seem like a pretty good summation of the three of what you’re saying?

Jana: I would say so.

For Part 1 of the interview, go here.

Part 2, go here.

Part 3, go here.

Part 4, go here.

Part 5, go here.

Murder Ink is repped by APA.

Twitter: @BrandonQreative, @HuddyRozay, @TheSavageJana.

Instagram: @murderink_llc.

For my interviews with dozens of other Black List writers, go here.