When I create a TV show, it's so that I can write it. I'm not an empire builder; my writing staff is usually a combination of two kinds of people - experts in the world the show is set in, and young writers who will not be unhappy if they're not writing scripts.
More than often, what you see, or what we've been able to recreate, has usually been a tampered-with version of what I have in my head, because the original idea has always been bigger. Every time I am in the mode of creating a show, there's always some level of gravity that comes in play, either of a monetary sort, or there's a space issue.
I got an office where I just go and put together shows, you know.
TV is a hard thing to do. It's a hard thing to get a show.
You spend a lot of time studying, and you want to do something with that. Something that's tangible, like creating a show, writing a screenplay, making a difference.
I worked on a show called 'West Wing' before. I didn't work with Aaron Sorkin, but he created the show and set the tenor of the show, which was you follow the words of the script perfectly because there's a dramaturgical thing behind it.
I probably get more satisfaction from making a show than being on a show.
When you create a show, and create characters, these people are like children to you.
I learned in my early years in the theater that I would never become the guy on top. I'll never create a show; I don't have a brain expansive enough to see the whole picture, in a way that would behoove anyone.
I've had such an amazing opportunity to work on so many different types of projects that continued on to Broadway. Unfortunately I didn't always continue on with them. Still, you know, I always had such a great pride in kind of helping the authors and directors create the show.
I created a show called 'Crash' for Starz, which was their first original drama, and that was not a good experience. I had a great time working with the cast and crew, but it was a young network and an intrusive studio, and to be honest I didn't really enjoy the movie 'Crash.'
I found the idea of trying to create a show that everyone can enjoy really appealing.
I want to create and write scripted and unscripted shows, digital shows, stage shows.
I'm looking for one of two things and sometimes they dovetail: I'm looking to go into a theatre and see a certain kind of show. And if it's not there, I'd like to do it myself so it would be there.
I'm often asked for advice on how to go about making comedy shows like the begrudgingly accepted 'IT Crowd'.
I doubted Black-ish , and I'll tell you why. Because it doesn't matter if a writer wrote it for you. He could've written it with you in mind. But TV is a collaborative art. It involves producers, networks, studios, and many people signing off on you. And a lot of times there are deals in place - actors with studios that they're looking for shows for.
Working in MTV's development team, my days would consist of pitches and deciding which concepts we wanted to buy. We would then develop those into a pilot. Very few ended up making it to a full series, but if they did, I would manage the project alongside the show's creators.
I like the idea of conceiving a show and putting on a show, and especially when I got to the place where I could play theaters.
I think it's a lot easier to put together a reality show than to actually create a scripted show.
My goal when I make my show is to make a show for women. I don't make a show for men.
I'm very conscious of who I work with. Because I want to develop and nurture my writers so they can have their own shows, take on whatever is next for them.
But I like the process of putting a show together and the impact that Edinburgh has on me as a performer.
You look at who's actually created shows for FX that have succeeded, and there are a lot of first-time showrunners - Ryan Murphy, Denis Leary, Louis C.K., the 'It's Always Sunny' creators, Kurt Sutter, Joe Weisberg, Pamela Adlon, Donald Glover.
I would really like to create my own show. And I really wanna meet Oprah.
I've been doing some acting, writing classes, and taking a holistic approach so I can actually be good at this craft. But ideally I'd eventually want to get my own show and make my 'Atlanta' or my 'Master of None' - whatever that would look like - in whatever media landscape that would best suit it.
