Becoming a TV Procedural Writer with Ryan Lee

Show notes

Ryan is a story editor on CSI: Vegas (check out his next episode coming out 4/21/24!) In 2018, he participated in the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, and in 2021 he part of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program.
Today we’re getting into how Ryan turned his day job into the final thing that made the showrunner of CSI Vegas want to hire him, Ryan’s final application strategy on the time he was accepted into the Paramount Writers Program, how to be prepared for an interview with a showrunner for a TV writer position, how to deal with burnout, and so much more.

Breakdown

1. 1:41How Ryan got a job on CSI: Vegas
2. 7:21What makes a good director for a writer to work with
3. 8:41How to communicate with other departments as a staff writer
4. 10:11Are Zoom (Writers) Rooms the future of TV?
5. 11:41Getting hired on a show you’ve never watched
6. 12:53Should you work on procedurals?
7. 15:31Writing features vs. TV
8. 18:40Rejected from the Paramount Writers Program seven times before getting accepted
9. 20:54Cape New Writers Fellowship
10. 25:20Interview questions for a TV writer (CSI: Vegas)
11. 27:10How day jobs in writing contributed to landing a job in TV writing
12. 30:20Working through burnout
13. 34:00Write a procedural, not a Succession spec
14. 37:10Don’t get precious, you need many scripts
15. 40:20Day jobs for writers
16. 52:53Getting your first rep while still in college
17. 55:15Decision to not have a manager
18. 59:40Ryan’s “A story”! Example of how to pitch yourself in a TV writer interview
19. 1:02:40Deciding: USC vs. NYU
20. 1:05:20Advice
21. 1:09:57TIME CAPSULE