MADE Legends Edition | Page 45

MADE FEATURES

CK: Everybody’s path is different. Mine
happened because God came for me. I got
a phone call out of the blue. I had an agent
CK: We do a season pitch at the beginning of
when I came out here and so it’s hard because
the season. We actually have broken the larger the easiest way that I know to get into the
strokes of the season in advance - in May we
system is to get an entry level job in a writer’s
do that. So, it’s not like each episode is sparked office. That’s how you meet writers, that’s how
by new ideas. We have a theme (and we’re
you know writers and that’s how you get the
working very hard towards those themes).
script coordinator boards. Everybody knows
That’s very systematic.
what jobs are coming up. It’s really about that.
for yourself to spark new ideas for the next
episode?

MADE: How would someone get through the
door with you? What would they need?
CK: They need to get a job as my writer’s
personal assistant or as my assistant or a
writer’s assistant or as a script coordinator.
I promote from within usually. I don’t hire
anyone who’s not an
aspiring writer. I only hire
aspiring writers. I don’t
hire people who don’t
write. So, even if you’re
the person getting coffee
at my show, it’s because
you’re a writer and I’ve
read your script and I
like your script because
I believe you can make
it on the show. Scripts
come in, but I don’t read
full scripts because that
could be dangerous. I go
PHOTO CREDIT:
through agencies - you
© 2016 Starz
Entertainment, LLC
have to get an agent.
There’s no substitute
for working on a show
and seeing how a show works. I think those
people who want to skip the lines, those
people who want to get their show on the air
right now (today), they’ll get their punishment.
Which it’ll work and then they’ll be out on
the streets. They won’t know how to run it.
And that would be very sad. When you have
no television staffing experience, you have
nowhere to go.
MADE: Do you feel like the traditional path
is the appropriate time to prepare for the
industry?

MADE: Sounds like you’re encouraging
people to be in the middle of where the action
is happening. Say, Los Angeles?
CK: The number one thing that you have to
do is move to Los Angeles. If you’re not in Los
Angeles, there’s no point. If you really want

this job, you gotta move. If you really want
this job, you gotta be broke. If you still have
a day job (right now) that’s paying a good
wage, it may mean that for one more year
you save your money to come out here in
case you don’t have a job for like six months
when you arrive. I know as a television
scripted writer, you have to live here. There
is no choice, you have to live here. You
could get to a place in your career where
you could move to New York, but you can’t
get on outside of LA. A lot of shows are
being shot in Atlanta right now - they’re not
being written there. Pack your bags, get out
here. Start getting coffee.

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