Behind The Scenes With TV Writer and Showrunner Michael Jamin
Expert advice and insights from someone who's done it all.
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📣 I recently spoke to Michael Jamin about his time as a TV writer (because I love TV and writing!). Micahel’s worked on a lot of fantastic stuff over the years and he’s recently made the jump into Substack. If you’re interested in the world of TV writing and production, you’ll love this one.
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Michael, tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Michael Jamin, and I’ve been a professional TV writer since 1996. Some of the shows I’ve written include: King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-Head, Just Shoot Me, Wilfred, Maron, Rules of Engagement, Out of Practice, Brickleberry and Tacoma FD. I live in Los Angeles, but I’m originally from New York.
What has your journey as a writer looked like so far?
I’ve been fortunate enough to make a living exclusively by writing television. I’ve worked with the same writing partner for 30 years. Together, we’ve sold a dozen or so pilots and two feature scripts, but mainly, we work in TV. Writers have more creative control in TV, as opposed to film.
How did you get into TV writing?
Ever since a was a kid, I dreamed of being a comedy writer.
Being from New York, I didn’t have any connections to Hollywood or the entertainment industry. After college, I drove across the country to Los Angeles, and pounded the pavement until I broke in as a production assistant.
It wasn’t the career I wanted but it was helpful to be so close to the people who had that career.
What exactly does a showrunner do?
A showrunner is the head writer and executive producer of the show. They decide what stories are going to be told, and how they’re going to be told. It’s a huge responsibility.
My partner and I have been showrunners on three series. The fact that there’s two of us means we can divide responsibilities.
I’m amazed by showrunners who have the energy do it on their own.
Why did you decide to join Substack?
I think people are surprised to learn that as a tv writer, I don’t write what I want to write. I write what people pay me to write.
The idea of writing something just for myself hadn’t occurred to me in years. Why would I do that? I need to make a living.
One day, I had a crazy idea and I shared it with my wife. I was thinking of writing a collection of personal essays. I’ve long been a fan of David Sedaris, and wanted to write my version of what he does. I told her it would take years to write, and even if I sold it, I’d barely make any money.
“Oh my God!” She screamed. “I love that idea!”
She recognized the importance of writing just for the joy of it. My book is called, A Paper Orchestra, and honestly, it think it’s my best work to date. It’s intimate and vulnerable, but also funny.
People sometimes ask if I plan on turning it into a television show, but I doubt it. If I did, the studio would want to make changes to it. And that would be reasonable, considering they’re paying me. But with this work, at least, I didn’t want to compromise my creative vision. It’s too personal to me.
To get the word out, I post daily on social media. I talk about my experiences as a television writer under the handle @MichaelJaminWriter. I only recently expanded to Substack and it turned out to be a great idea.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but my Substack followers take the craft of writing very seriously. I share my knowledge and experience, and because of this, many of them are interested in buying my book.
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And what can readers expect from your publication?
Currently, I post 3 times a week about the craft and business of writing. One is public, two are for my paid subscribers (although anyone can sample a paid post for free).
On my other social media platforms, my followers tend to either be fans of my work, or people who are just curious about the entertainment industry. But my followers on Substack seem to be more serious about the craft of writing. Even if they don’t have ambitions to turn pro, they just want to improve their writing… which I find to be so admirable.
Theirs is the purest form of writing. They’re not doing it with the expectation of a paycheck, but rather for the joy of self expression. On Substack, I can talk about writing in ways that might not be appreciated on other platforms. I can go deeper.
Where would you like to be in 5 years?
Recently, I started performing my stories as a one-man show. We’ve played venues in Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Boston, New York, Chicago and we always adding new cities. Afterwards, I sign and sell books.
I really hope to be doing more of this in the coming years. That is to say, writing and performing my own work in small to medium sized venues. A list of upcoming cities can be found on my website.
What's your number one piece of advice for aspiring TV writers?
Aspiring screenwriters are usually so desperate to break into the business that they’ll write anything: drama, comedy, horror, thriller, mystery, etc.
“I’m a jack of all trades!” they tell people.
But no one wants to hire a jack of all trades. They want to hire a specialist. When I’m hiring for a comedy, I really don’t care if you can write a mystery. I need a great comedy writer.
So my advice is to become a specialist. Get really good at the one genre you want to be known for. Don’t be afraid of putting yourself in a box. Boxes are how writers market themselves. Boxes are how employers understand what they’re getting.
If you want to be hired, it’s good to be in a box.
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Interesting read. Thank you for the interview. I have shared a Note about this.
This was insightful. Thank you for sharing.