Noah Evslin - TV writer and Producer, and his journey there

Noah Evslin has a resume that would impress just about anyone. Someone I've been following on Twitter for quite some time, and now a huge fan of his screenwriting podcast he does with his friend Dan Rutstein, Screaming Into The Hollywood Abyss; I knew I had to reach out and see if Noah could take some time to chat with me about his career and how he started. Luckily, for me and for you, he actually said yes! 

Currently writing on NCIS: Hawai'i, Noah's also worked on shows such as Hawaii Five-O, Colony, The Catch, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, Scandal: The Secret is Out, and Private Practice. Impressed? I thought so. So keep reading on to hear how he got into writing and tips for writers looking to follow in his footsteps. 

How did he start writing?

He comes from a family of writers. His grandfather was a mythologist who wrote 70 books of Greek mythology, some Broadway plays, he was also a TV and film writer in Hollywood in the 1950's and 60's. His wife, Noah's grandmother, was also a writer. His great uncle was a U.S. Poet Laureate. Writing was extremely important on that side of the family. So he also wrote his entire life. Growing up, in Hawai'i, he'd visit his grandparents in New York every year and hear them typing or hear his grandfather talking into his audio cassette to dictate to himself. His study impressed him too and he thought, that's a great life, not realizing how financially risky being a writer is. He saw that there was sometimes lots of wealth in his grandfather's life and then sometimes nothing, but he didn't put the two together that writing and instability go hand-in-hand. 

The writing torch was passed onto him

Noah's grandparents flew to Hawai'i for his High School graduation. Then one day, his grandfather dove into a pool and passed away. It became Noah's job to tell his grandma what happened to his grandfather. So he went with his grandma to visit the morgue, as one does in this situation. And his grandmother said, "It's your turn now to be the writer in the family." And so he did. 

What type of writing did he start with 

He started writing a lot of poetry, even though he doesn't write a lot now. But from 18-25 years old he wrote hundreds of poems. He loved he was able to create snapshots of life in a clear and clean way. Then after that, he wrote three novels (that he says are bad, but do we really know?), during college and right after, plus one book of non-fiction. But that kind of prose didn't feel right to him. He started to publish some poems, but he knew there wasn't a career in that. 

When did he write his first screenplay?

He was 27-year-old when he started screenwriting. It felt like the perfect pairing of poetry and prose for him. He could create the types of scenes he wanted to. So he got a hold of every screenplay book he could find. And he wrote ten screenplays before he even moved to Hollywood. 

He really began earlier than that 

At 22, his brother-in-law at the time who loved movies, and was a writer, asked him one day, "Do you want to try writing a screenplay together?" He and his brother-in-law loved Brother's McMullen, which are the types of movies they liked back then, family stories, that were popular at the time. But they didn't even know how to start, they didn't even know there was a screenplay format. So they wrote part of a screenplay, but never even finished. 5 years later, that's when he tried again. Around the time of the TV show Lost, is when he realized people were writing TV shows and movies, and that it was a thing you could. 

What did he write first, TV scripts or movies? 

He started writing movies, because he wanted to write things about Hawai'i and where he was from. He also did admit, (embarrassingly) that he wrote a spec Entourage script, that placed in some contests. (I will admit that I did like watching it, even if he's embarrassed by it!) Then he also did an adaption of one of his grandfather's books. The combination of both of these scripts got him an agent. Hurrah! 

What made him make the move to LA? 

His wife was very instrumental in helping him make that decision. She felt after he had written a few screenplays, he had to see if he could give Hollywood a chance. And turns out his older sister had a close friend that was a staff writer on Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip for Aaron Sorkin, and his aunt's best friend's daughter was a mid-level writer on Gilmore Girls. His aunt said, reach out to Jennie and send a screenplay and she gave him her email. When he emailed Jennie he asked, what are my odds of making it as a writer? And he did the same with the writer on Studio 60. Both said after reading his scripts, they felt he should come to Hollywood. That Jennie turned out to be Jennie Snyder Urman, who is the writer and creator of Jane The Virgin and went onto be very successful. They're still in touch. His sister's friend ended up giving his two scripts to her manager who signed him and a week later had all his stuff sent out to agents and he was signed. Just as he was moving to Hollywood he thought, this isn't very difficult. But then cut to two years later and he still hadn't booked a job and left his agent. It was eye-opening. 

What did it take to make it? 

At the same time he was getting agents and managers, he had friends who were just as talented and didn't have the same momentum as he did. He attributes it to that same old adage we hear about time and time again: luck. He felt it was good fortune that these two people were able to help him and were willing to help him in a way, that he later learned was unusual. 

How do you know when you're ready?

Many newbie writers compare their writing to the worst writing they see out there. But Noah's advice is to compare your writing to the top in the industry. The Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkins of the world. LIke it or not, you're in competition with the best. He knew early on that was the line he had to cross. Even if now he doesn't think he's as good as an Aaron Sorkin, he says you still have to be in a sphere where it makes people lean in, and it makes them love your work. 

How did he know he was ready for the industry?

He has really mixed feelings about contests. They can be helpful as a gauge. But they're really expensive. And so many contests don't really help someone with their career. Even early in Noah's career once he had become a professional writer, and he would put those contests on his resume, people in the industry would say, you can take those off. He said once you've sold something, it won't matter once you've moved forward. What it did for him, when he was a finalist, top 3, it showed enough people liked his script. 

How long did it take to get into the WGA? 

It took him from 32-36 years of age to get into the WGA. Even though his Greek mythology project was very commercial and got him 80 meetings around town. Yes, 80! Two of his projects that he thought would make his career take off, they eventually fell through. (Oh, I know that feeling!) He can either say it took him 4 years from when he got to Hollywood to get a sale. Or he can say it took him 9 years from when he wrote his first screenplay. 

How soon after was the next sale? 

It was still a couple more years till the next sale. He tells me, you realize there is no roller coaster you get on, and that moment you make that first sale, and it takes you up and that's your career. It doesn't happen like that. You're only on your own clock and you have to break in all over again, and again, and again. 

How did you land your first industry job? 

His writer friend was friends with a high-level writer, who worked with Shonda Rhimes, and he told Noah he could bring him in as a Writer's Assistant (WA). This friend a year later became the Showrunner on Private Practice and asked Noah if he wanted to be the WA. It was a Writer's PA, there were three of them doing this job because there were multiple rooms at a time. He was 35 years old at the time, he had been a lecturer at University at Hawai'i for 7 years, he had a production/promotion company, they DJd and did live concerts, he had 130 employees, and 7 fullt-ime employees, they had a record company where they put out Hawai'i records. So he and his wife had to leave ALL of that and go to LA and try the writing thing. Wow! 

Saying good-bye to your roots

They owned a house on Kuaui and they felt they could go to LA and could always go back if they needed to. He felt all of that was still there waiting for him. Even 15 years later, he could always go back and continue on with that career if he needed. He was giving up a lot but it was always still there. Knowing he left that all behind, as a Writers Assistant, he's left being a boss and being in charge to get coffee for people. 

What would he tell other people wanting to be a Writers Assistant

Every Writer's Assistant that's been on a Shondaland project have all gone on to do well. Most of them were about his age, they weren't in their 20's, which is something we hear. They were all a little bit older and everyone who worked with them liked that that they were actually a bit older. Someone told him, "Take joy in serving coffee and just do a good job. Everyone knows you're a writer, they know you can write well, that's why you're here, just do a good job as an assistant." Within three months the Medical Researcher left the show and they gave the job to Noah. As a Medical Researcher on a medical show, he was in the room all the time, doing research, giving writers stories. 

What did he do well to get noticed for that promotion

He thinks because his father was a doctor, and his sister was a Phd Therapist, he understood the language of medicine. They wanted to promote internally and knew he could handle the job. 

The next job was a staff job 

From there his got his first staff writing job which was a freelance script. Then the show was ending and his mentor left the show. He thought that was it. So he went back to Hawai'i for vacation. And he got a call and the person said, "Please hold for Shonda Rhimes". (OMG that's the call we all want right?) She offered him a job to be one of her producers. He still doesn't know why out of 900 people, 3 shows, why would he fit that role out of everyone else. He said there were times before that they did work closely together, so whatever he did to impress her, it worked. 

His role as a Creative Producer 

He handled all the things Shonda didn't want to handle on the day-to-day stuff on her shows. He directed shorts, interstitial stuff, a lot of producing, some writing. They needed someone to handle all the rest; product integration, marketing, promo shoots. Then he also was in charge of their social media. And at the time, that's right when social media was starting. Kerry Washington mixed with Shonda Rhimes on Scandal, decided to live-tweet a show with actors. It ended up being the biggest social media in the industry. He came in at the right time. But it just wasn't where he wanted to be. He loved it but it wasn't what he really wanted to do. He wanted to be a writer on a show. 

How he turned that into being a staff writer 

Everyone on his shows knew he was a writer and knew he wanted to write. So when there was down time he kept working on his own scripts. But it taught him he could write anywhere, any time. He feels many assistants have this skill. He sold three pilots before he left Shonda Rhimes. His agent and manager told him stay as long as you can till you're staffed. (Good point, right writers?) He waited till he had so much work till it wasn't fair to his producing job. Then when that moment came, he went on staff. That was when he started as a writer on Colony. His job got much more fulfilling because it's what he wanted to do. But also was scarier cause there was no longer a steady paycheck. Once you're a staff writer, shows come and go and you have to keep finding work. 

Are there opportunities there for emerging/newbie writers? 

He does think there are. There's at least 500 scripted TV shows. (Maybe even 700). So if there are anywhere from 4 or 5 writers to 10-15 writers per show, that's upwards of 5000 jobs in play every year. That's all TV. Features, maybe a 300-1000 feature writers a year, not as many. There's still cache in TV about being a feature writer. If you're a good one, you can get on a TV show. But in the last five years good dramatic writing is in TV. There just aren't as many indie movies. The industry is looking more towards TV writers, they work fast, they have a style that can work for film as well, they're used to taking notes. His advice, come in on the TV side and you can always branch off into the movie side. Learn to write on a deadline, how to write to various bosses, learn how to work fast and get things to screen, and getting to production. 

What's the advice you'd give to writers entering this field 

"Make sure you love what you do because it's a hard journey. You don't get fired in Hollywood in a traditional sense. You might lose a job. There might be years in between jobs. But the only person that makes you stop this journey is you. The only way you lose is if metaphorically you take off those boxing gloves, or take off those skates. If you love it and you're determined, whether you're an aspiring writer or have one foot in the game, or are completely in. The length of your career depends on your ability to stay motivated, stay excited and stay in the game. There are very few short term wins. There are very few people that sell a big project. It takes a long time. If you can't wait it out, this might not be the right field for you. This is a 5, 10, 15, 20 year journey. If you have another job to sustain yourself as a writer, you're better suited to success in this business. Assuming everyone has the same amount of talent, luck. One thing that separates those from success is perseverance. You have to keep moving forward. There's also nothing wrong with stopping. Some people decide this isn't for me. I was surrounded by talented people that gave up. They had the talent. They gave it 2 or 3 years and realized it wasn't easy. But if you love it and stay in it, and have the right amount of talent. Which a lot of people have. Then it's just a matter of time. Wait it out. Put yourself in a position financially with another job, or living simply that allows you to wait it out or stay in the game." 

So much amazing advice from Noah Evslin. I could have kept talking to him forever. If you want to listen to his podcast, please check it out. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/screaming-into-the-hollywood-abyss/id1542533659

On The Page, again!

So about two years ago, me and two other writers, Mike Martin and Aydrea Walden, were asked to be on On The Page podcast by the wonderful Pilar Alessandra for our first time. She calls us the "Go Getters" which is really cool! Then recently, she asked us back again as returning guests. So since it had been a while since I chatted with these two other wonderful writers, it was really nice to be back on the podcast with them and see what they were up to. I will say, that I know I was super nervous the first time I did the podcast. I can't speak for the others. But I will say is we had a really nice relaxed energy together this time. Or maybe it was because I wasn't as nervous this time! haha Who knows. All I know is I hope it's as fun to listen to as it was for us to record. And of course, it's always wonderful spending time with Pilar. Please listen and hope you enjoy!

http://onthepage.libsyn.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-page-screenwriting/id262077408

http://podbay.fm/show/262077408

You win some, you lose some

First the good news. I heard from a producer that's been involved in some decently sized movies and he emailed to ask if one of my shorts was available because he might be interested in producing it next year. That's great news, right? I was excited to hear, of course. But...

Then minutes later, I get an email from an even bigger producer who I've been working on a few projects with over the years, and he says, he loves my new draft, it's really funny, loves the setup, but the comedy is out of his wheelhouse and he's so busy on movies going into production next year he won't be able to work on this with me. What??? No! This has been a relationship I've literally been developing, writing scripts, pitching ideas, meeting. I thought for sure, this was going to happen! And now, nothing? Ooh boy. Not what I wanted to hear. That's a huge blow for sure.

So of course I'm bummed. It's part of this business, I'm sure. I get it. But no one wants it to be them when it happens. So, instead of remaining bummed, which would be an easy thing to focus on, here's what I'm going to do to get out of this funk.

1. I'm going to focus on the first great news of the day, that the other producer is interested in producing my short! Yay! That's great news! Let me enjoy that for some time! It's not a definite, but it looks likely. And even if god forbid it didn't happen, this producer still did email me that he's interested. That's good no matter what happens.

2. If I wasn't working with the other producer, maybe I wouldn't have gotten this script into the awesome shape it's in. I plan to get it out to whomever I can next year. So who knows what great things can come from this.

3. I worked with Pilar Alessandra, story analyst, like I wrote in a previous blog, and she is getting me on one of her podcasts. If I hadn't been getting my script to that producer, maybe I wouldn't have hired her. And then that great thing of being on her show wouldn't have been an opportunity.

4. And let's not forget, the really big producer really did love my script and found it very funny. Funny! That's huge! I can't let that pass me up. He works with huge writers, and yet, he still did love my script. sigh. And even though it might not happen with him, I'm not going to ignore the compliment.

I'm sure there are more great things too I'm not quite ready to see. So, instead of sulking. I'm going to work on the outline for my newest script that a huge production company has already said they want to see the script for. Because one of the most important things about being a writer is to always work on the next thing. So that's exactly what I'm going to do instead. On to the next great thing!

When it finally all clicks

I was reading an article by a writer who's finally getting noticed by Hollywood. And she said how all of a sudden she knew her scripts were ready when it just all clicked. I know that feeling and maybe you do too. But if you don't, that's okay too. It just means you're still at the learning point of your writing career. It's not something you can force. It's not something you can rush. Developing the tools to become a writer that will get you hired and sell your scripts is like a fine wine, it takes time. It takes studying the craft, learning as much as you can, and getting comfortable with breaking the rules you've learned.

I always wondered if I'd know when I finally "got it". Believe me, I felt many times before that I was there. But most recently I've rewritten two scripts, one for a producer and one with a writing partner. And both scripts, I just could tell I'd be able to figure out how to fix these rewrites. I could see it clearly. I'm not saying it came easy. Oh no. Especially the one for the producer. Since that was a page 1 rewrite, I was basically starting from scratch. But once I knew the new story, then I knew what had to be done. And I could tell what beats to hit and what would make the story flow in the best way it could.

And the rewrite with the writing partner, I could see it as clear as day what had to happen to make it a strong enough script to be ready to go out. I could just tell that something had changed in my writing. Maybe it's like hiting puberty. You don't really know you're in it while you are. But when you get to the other side of it, and you've got boobs or a hairy chest (hopefully not both!) then you realize, wow, I've blossomed!

So keep at it if you're not there. There's no waste of studying your craft, no waste of reading scripts, analyzing movies. It all helps you get to where hopefully you will be having meetings and selling scripts and seeing your ideas on the big or little screen. We can all hope it's sooner than later!

In honor of mom

Well it is Mother's Day, so I guess I should write a screenwriting blog about my mom, right? My mom wasn't a writer, and she didn't follow her passion to be an artist. She did have talent, but she didn't believe in herself. So what exactly can I say about my mom that's encouraging when it comes to writing? Well, I hated seeing her not follow her passion and what she was talented in. But she grew up in a different time where women were homemakers no matter what. Sure some women broke that mold, but not many. So maybe I owe her that for encouraging me to fight to follow my passion.

And I will say she loved movies, she still does. She loved TV, she still does. She sees the world in movies and TV truthfully. Whenever she talks about life it's always another TV show or another movie she brings up. How much she loved it, or what message she got out of it. If it wasn't for her love of TV  and movies maybe I wouldn't be interested in writing movies and TV in the first place. Her love of watching these stories turned into my love of creating them.

So although we approached our passions for things in life and creativity in different ways, we're not that different really. And what I can say about my mom, is she's always proud of me. Proud that I'm following my dreams and not letting anything get in my way of going after what brings me joy. So I am thankful for that. I owe her thanks. Some writers wait till they win the Oscar to thank their moms. Maybe Mother's Day is all we ever really need.

Batman??? Really?

So yes, I know, there's been tons said on why Ben Affleck should or shouldn't be Batman. And yes, it's probably all been said to death. But I have my own opinion and here it is. But before I do, let's start at the beginning. First off, of course I was a Ben Affleck fan after he and Matt Damon won their first Oscar for Good Will Hunting. They were a true Hollywood story of kids seeming to come out of nowhere to go on to win an Oscar for their very first movie they wrote, plus starred-in. They had me at "I'd like to thank the Oscars".

Then Affleck goes on to do other movies, where I wasn't so fond of his acting. Shakespeare In Love, wasn't a fan of him, even if I loved the movie. Many other movies he was in, I chose not to see him, because I just wasn't sure acting was his forte. Maybe the Oscar was a fluke? I like many, I wasn't on his side. Then of course the years of where "Hollywood and its fans truly gave up on him"period. I was in that crowd too.

But then came the rumblings of how he was writing and directing and how great his movies were. Gone Baby Gone. Definitely impressed. But still, I was wary. Could this really be Affleck? Did he really have the talent we all thought he did? Or was it just a fluke? Then Argo happened. I went to see it willingly, happily, thinking, this movie is going to be good, and maybe yes, Affleck was a power to be reckoned with. I saw Argo and was hooked from the moment the movie started till the end. Yes, he was good, he was very, very good. When it won Best Movie, I was glad, and I knew it deserved it.

Then word comes of him wanting to play Batman. A role that many think is left for only the super stars of Hollywood. But the superhero fans think, nope not him. How dare he! Some stand behind him, but I doubt as many as the naysayers. But, you know what? I'm going to stand behind him too. Because you know why? Hollywood loves an underdog. And although he's proven himself as a director and producer, he still has yet to prove himself as a power house actor. At least when it comes to the fans. Because if he had proven himself, there weren't be grumblings of him being able to pull this off. I bet you he does it though, and surprises all those non-believers. Because this is his chance as an actor to redeem himself. And although he has redeemed himself as a producer, writer and director, he still wants to do it in acting too. I'm there, I'm behind him, and I want to see him pull it off. And something I never thought I'd find myself saying, but I'm on team Ben.

de Van Nuys

The reason I'm so giddy over this story about the guy who wrote a script and is directing it and Bill Murray is now starring in it, is because of what it means for us other writers. We all know that the road may be long. And we all may think who knows what can come of it. But we do know that we have to get our work out there and keep writing and keep sending scripts to who knows who. And then one day, just one day we may be lunching with Jack Nicholson or picking Bill Murray up from the airport with our script all earmarked with notes. It's what happens. And it could mean we're a 10-year overnight success too. I guess when I read it, I don't feel that far off from this happening to me. So maybe that's another reason why I'm so excited for this guy. I mean, I am working with a huge producer right now. And he's giving me notes. And the writers he works with are seeing their movies get made with huge stars, so I'm not that far from it being me. And then that means, if you're reading what I'm writing, then you're not that far off from it being you. These stories don't just happen to people in trade magazines, they happen to real people. And if you keep writing, and keep trying, you just may be next. So keep on keeping on! http://www.deadline.com/2012/11/weinstein-co-lands-bill-murrays-next-film-st-vincent-de-van-nuys/

Up and coming screenwriters don't need to watch Oscars

So this is the first year in my life where I didn't go out of my way to watch the Oscars. No, I'm not bitter. I don't hold any contempt towards the movies that do well or the writers who have made it. In fact, I wish them all the best luck possible and hope that someday if I write something Oscar worthy, I too could be there. But, the real reason why I didn't watch it, is because I am devoting so much time and energy and passion into my own writing, that I didn't think I should spend that much time watching TV when I could be writing on my own stuff. So write is what I did.

Like I've said in other posts, this is really the year where I put my writing first. Even if it means not watching the Oscars. And because of that, for the first time ever, I've barely seen anything that was nominated. Usually I'm the one who can tell you what deserved to win and what doesn't, and if someone was ripped off or slighted by the Academy. But this year, because I am truly focusing so much on my writing, I have no idea what deserved to win. And I kind of like that I didn't know this year. Because it means, I'm not using my only free time to watch other people's stuff, but to write my own things.

I remember years ago a writer I knew hadn't seen anything out in the theater. And I thought it so odd. I thought, how in the world will he learn what is out there or what is good if he's not watching other things? Well, you can. And you should. But watch what's in your genre. Or movies similar to what you get hired to write. We can't spend all our time watching every movie. So pick and choose what you have time to watch. And perhaps that means, not much at all.

I did watch the opening scene with Billy Crystal. I thought it was super cute. I did look on the internet today to see who wore the best dresses. And of course what actually won. But last night, while most of the world was captivated by who was going to win, I was writing and working on my latest comedy. So instead of being excited by the winners. I was excited by new pages that I wrote that I loved. I think that's way better than any Oscar any day.

Slow and steady always gets you there

That seems to be the message that keeps popping up right now for me in my life. "Slow and steady wins the race". I'm not supposed to be the hare in the tortoise and the hare fable, but the tortoise. Sure that tortoise is taking his own sweet time. But he's moving toward the finish line the whole darn time! And so am I on my way to see my screenwriting career take off and flourish.

So sometimes I have to remind myself, that's okay. That I'm moving forward. That my goals are getting closer. That I'm constantly hitting new and more exciting markers in my screenwriting career. And that I can't focus on the fact that I haven't passed "the finish line". Especially with screenwriting. Because there are so many finish lines with that any way. Oh sure, if you win an academy award or are hanging out with Angelina Jolie because she starred in your movie, sure that might mean you've hit some pinnacle of success. But it's such a gray area of where in your success you are at. There's so many possibilities!

I dated this one actor friend who's in movies and has a TV show now. And he told a mutual friend recently, that Hollywood just forgets your last thing. It's always, what are you doing now? And I can tell that to him, he hasn't reached his level of success he has hoped for. But by all intensive purposes, so many actors would give their right arm to have the success he has.

So the key is always to keep moving forward. Keep hitting different road markers on your goal to success. And that there were bill many finish lines in your career of writing. And as long as you are moving forward and striving for more, and heading forward. Then don't worry if you're going slow and steady. Because remember, the hare does not win. The tortoise always does.