To male TV writers who didn’t get staffed this season:
1. I’m sorry. I’ve been there. It sucks.
2. If your agent told you that you didn’t get staffed because of #MeToo, that’s bullshit. And here’s why:
1. I’m sorry. I’ve been there. It sucks.
2. If your agent told you that you didn’t get staffed because of #MeToo, that’s bullshit. And here’s why:
A woman didn’t take your job. One of the many, many other men who got staffed this season took your job.
While there are now a few shows with all-female or majority-female writing staffs, the overwhelming majority of employed TV writers are still male. (Despite the fact that women make up 51% of the population.)
By telling you a woman took your job, your agents aren’t just furthering sexism & misogyny in our industry; they are trying to blind you to the real reasons you didn’t get staffed. And that does you a huge disservice.
By scapegoating women & #MeToo, your agents are trying to cover up for their own failure to get you a job.
And they’re turning your focus away from what you can do to make yourself a better, more employable writer.
And they’re turning your focus away from what you can do to make yourself a better, more employable writer.
If you didn’t get staffed, it’s because you got outcompeted, plain & simple. Other writers, both men & women, had better samples, better recommendations, & better meetings. It’s okay. I’ve had years where I got outcompeted, too.
So instead of blaming this on women or #MeToo, take this as a challenge: to demand more of your agents & yourself, to work on how you present yourself in meetings, to challenge yourself to write better samples.
If you focus on raising your game instead of buying into the bullshit that the system is rigged (it’s not), that next job will come your way. Trust me.
Hope this helps, & I wish you the best of luck.
Hope this helps, & I wish you the best of luck.
p.s. Since this thread is getting way more attention than I expected, credit where credit is due: I only know this stuff because brilliant, talented women in my life like @LadyKateBond, @absegel & so many others have explained it to me.
The fact I’m getting credit for saying things plenty of women have been saying for years is only further evidence of the problem. Listen to women when they say things the first time.
