episode 1

In this episode with Emmy award-winning TV screenwriter, Stephanie Coggins, we talk about her journey to becoming a TV screenwriter, doing the work, the importance of pursuing one's dream while making a Life and fulfilling responsibilities, and the power of relationships.

http://www.cinemacraptaculus.com

Follow Stephanie on IG @terror_tunnel and Twitter @escoalajlo

Follow on IG @cinemacraptaculus or Twitter @craptaculus

On moving past security

"Because I knew that there was going to be no forward momentum for me, unless I made that move. I had to take that leap of faith. And it really is sort of a leap of faith, No one's future is written. Everyone has to decide on a case-by-case basis, what's going to be right for them."

On being ready

"Preparation and luck work together, especially in this industry. You have to be ready. When your number gets called up, you have to be ready to act."

On experience, knowing what you want to do & who you are

"As we're talking about that period in my Life when I finally hit the bricks and was ready to go, was that I was doing several things at once. It wasn't just one thing. It was like several things at once, and I think that that helped a lot. It gave me more confidence, 

"It gave me the ability to network and when it comes to meeting people, it gave me a stronger sense of what I liked, and what I wanted to write, and the kind of work I wanted to do so that when I did meet people, I could talk to that. And that helped because the worst thing you can do is not know what you want to work on, or know who you are."

Guidance on asking

"Do you feel comfortable approaching your boss asking for something? I think that the important thing to remember is that you cannot ask anything of anyone unless you are 100% sure what it is you're asking for, and you have to know that that person is receptive to it. 

"The only way you can know that is to observe. You have to pay very close attention to that individual, and if they have the power to give you information, You have to be very clear about the information you need from them, and also be very careful on how you ask for that information."

Something to consider 

"You have to be very specific about your ask because no one's going to be able to help you, if you don't know what you want... Nobody knows what you want unless you tell them."

Takeway 1 

"You can't give up. You do have to have some fortitude in this business. It's not for the faint of heart. It's not for the overly sensitive. Doesn't mean you have to be a jerk because in fact, you shouldn't be."

Takeaway 2

"Understanding the other. Trying to find common ground in what you're trying to communicate to me, what I'm trying to communicate to you, especially in writing. It's just messaging, and we have to be very sensitive about the messaging we tell each other, the kind of things we say, the things we write."

Recorded September 2020