Max Beaudry
Baby Shark’s Big Show!
After a stint as a Production Intern on Nickelodeon’s T.U.F.F. Puppy, followed by a work and travel abroad break, Beaudry landed back at the studio as a Production Assistant on Dora and Friends. Working on his own stories and keeping an eye out for opportunities, he joined Bunsen Is a Beast as a Script Coordinator, where he earned his first writing credit. After that came freelance projects until his first staff job on Muppet Babies in 2018.
How would you describe your job?
Being a staff writer is like being a pizza maker. I’m Italian, so just go with me here. We take a blob of dough (an idea), then we toss it around, spin it in the air, and slam it on the table (expand the idea), throw on the special toppings (specify the jokes and story points), then toss it in an oven and hope it comes out perfect (writing the script). Sometimes the customer says, “This pizza’s delicious, but it could use more pepperoni and less basil (network notes).” So we change out a few ingredients (sometimes a lot), and we ultimately wind up with a pizza that everyone is happy with (the final script).
What does your work day look like?
A typical day starts with a writers’ touch base meeting in the morning. Our Story Editor will check in with everyone to see where they are in the process of their respective episodes. The rotation usually works out so that someone is [working on the] premise, while others are on outlines and scripts. Wherever I fall in the rotation, that is what I’m working on that day.
What is your favorite part of being a staff writer?
I love that in this one arena, the writers’ room, we are encouraged to pitch the weirdest, silliest, darkest, most action-packed ideas that float through our brains. I also really love seeing other writers’ processes—it’s comforting. When you only read someone’s script, you don’t get a true sense of the hurdles it took to get to the end. But when you’re deep in the trenches with talented writers, you realize that they also start on a blank page and think, “Welp, here goes nothing…”
Do you have any advice for aspiring staff writers?
Keep writing. Even I still get agita whenever I start a new script. But you just have do it. And don’t judge yourself! Seriously. You absolutely need to be open to critique, but it’s imperative to find the balance so that you write something that’s true to you.
Meredith Kecskemety
The Legend of Vox Machina
The head of Titmouse knew that his Executive Assistant, Kecskemety, wanted to write—and when a job for a writers’ assistant opened on a new show, The Midnight Gospel, she was given the chance to freelance on an episode. During this time, a group she knew at Critical Role was trying to launch The Legend of Vox Machina. She reached out, “shamelessly asking if I could be a writers’ assistant.” By season two, she had been promoted to Staff Writer.
What does your work day look like?
Generally, when we are in the writers’ room, we all gather (on Zoom at the moment) for a few hours in the morning and try to break an episode, listing out broad story beats. Then we usually take lunch and revisit the episode in the afternoon with fresh eyes. As we start to turn in episodes and get notes back from the network, we will have additional meetings to address those notes throughout the week.
What is your favorite part of being a staff writer?
I like that I get to pitch the craziest idea of any scenario and blue sky solutions to story problems. Since writing is the first part of creating any show, it is literally the time when anything goes.
What are some of the challenges?
I think the hardest part for me, having come from production, is being so far removed from the rest of the animation process now that I’m a staff writer. I encourage anyone who is in a writers’ room to go out of their way to form a rapport with their production team because it can only make your writing better.
Do you have any advice for aspiring staff writers?
Always have a solid writing sample ready because you never know when someone is going to ask to read you. Make sure it is a strong representation of your voice and really showcases what you can bring to the table.
Paul Chang
The Ghost and Molly McGee
After graduating from college with “a liberal arts degree and a whole lot of panic,” Chang chose a safe career path as a corporate consultant. But his passion was comedy and writing, so he spent nights scribbling stories in hotel rooms while on the road for work. The turning point was a CAPE New Writers Fellowship that he calls “a crash course on the industry,” helping him refine his writing sample and getting him a meeting that led to his being staffed on The Ghost and Molly McGee.
What does your work day look like?
Most of my time is spent writing episodes at various stages—a one-page premise, an outline, or a full draft of a script. On any given day I might also have: a story break meeting (where the writers figure out the beats of a story as a group), a notes meeting (where the writers get notes from studio executives), or a punch-up meeting (where the writers do a table read of a script and pitch jokes to make it as funny as possible).
What is your favorite part of being a staff writer?
I love breaking stories in the writers’ room. I feel so lucky that I get to hang out with a bunch of funny people and create stories that will hopefully bring a little joy into people’s lives. Also, pitching a joke that makes the room crack up always makes my day.
What are some of the challenges?
Early on, the biggest challenge for me was learning the voice of the show and how best to bring the showrunners’ vision to life. Another challenge, having been on the show for a while now, is coming up with fresh story ideas that fit the show, but don’t feel too similar to episodes we’ve already done.
Do you have any advice for aspiring staff writers?
Join or start a writing group. It’s a fantastic way to get notes on your scripts, build a writing community, and stay motivated with deadlines.
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