Thread by @CubanMissileDH

THE CUBAN MISSILE’S PRACTICAL GUIDE TO TV STAFFING: Recently I’ve been fortunate enough to have two shows picked up to series. As a result, I’ve been reading tons of scripts to staff said shows. There is an aura of mystery around this topic, and I would like to be candid + open.

I will preface my statement by saying this is a subjective thread shaped by my experience, which is nowhere near as extensive as many of super pros on Twitter. Also, I have no experience in staffing a drama, so only some of my information might be relevant to you serious types.

I will break down my thoughts into two categories: advice about the content of your staffing samples and insight into the actual process of hiring people as a showrunner who interfaces with the studio, network, agents, and managers.

First, my observations about the samples themselves. For Koala Man, we received over 200 submissions, most of which were sent to us via big agencies and management companies. The best agents asked us early in the process the kinds of writers we were looking for.

This was appreciated because one of the themes I want to drive home is that when you get 200 scripts from some of the best writers in the world, the writing equivalent of pro athletes (though not the fitness level...) almost everyone is a “good” writer.

So if everyone is a good writer, how do you choose which writers to meet? This is a multifaceted question that comes down to any number of things like topic, structure, humor, POV, etc. but I want to focus on how many scripts I read that were great but simply wrong for our show.

Our show is an animated show about a superhero. It is anarchic and weird. The scripts that stood out were also anarchic and weird. The topic mattered only in the sense that many scripts about feuding sisters, guys hanging out in an apartment, and weird families blended together

If we were staffing a network family show, the scripts I would have responded to might have been entirely different. I read dozens of writers who I would have brought in immediately if we were doing a multi-cam. But those same writers had a very high bar to overcome on this show.

This is a long way of saying you must tailor your submission to the show. Of course, some scripts are so good they transcend that, but most are not, even if they are good. My strong recommendation, which we did in the day, is to have multiple samples that showcase different looks

In my career, I have been fortunate enough to write for network single cam comedies, multi-cam comedies, streaming action-comedy, and animation. My personal taste is more toward what I am doing now, but when I was first trying to break in, I would have done ANY SHOW.

Is this craven? Perhaps. But getting in the door is HARD. I genuinely enjoy all those styles, so why not have them on hand to send out? Talk to your reps about which samples are appropriate for the show you are submitting. We sent our weirdest script for consideration on The Tick

Why? Because even though many people didn’t respond to it in the past, we figured if anyone in the world would, it would be Ben, the creator of The Tick. And he did! It takes one person fully getting what you’re going after to get the gig. He saw our brains would work with his.

As for the actual content on the page, I do not think it is revelatory to say the first few pages have to grab the reader, but there are reasons for this I did not appreciate until I was actually the one doing the reading.

I am endeavoring to read at least part of every submitted script because I am an obsessive completionist. But the reality is at a certain point in the process, you’ve read so many scripts and there are so many ahead of you, you simply cannot read them all carefully.

Therefore, those first few pages WAKE THE READER UP! If I was grabbed by the first few pages, regardless of content, I felt compelled to keep reading even if I did not want to. Those people without exception got/are getting meetings on the show.

The other interesting thing I discovered is that the early bird absolutely got the worm in this case. The writers who were submitted to me first got their scripts read in their entirety. As the deluge started, that was not possible. Ask your reps to submit early!!

I am not running down anyone’s writing because this is a vulnerable field. Rejection and judgement are unfortunately just part of the lifestyle. However, I can offer a few personal observations about the scripts that I think might be helpful.

Many of the scripts that were written were clearly written as staffing samples, with flashy topics and impossible to produce content. This can be awesome, but it can also be risky.

In general, the scripts I loved the most were the ones that felt like they should be real shows. The scripts that made me say, “if this show existed, I would watch it.” The scripts that made me think, “if I had a production company, I would produce this.”

I’m talking about original scripts. I did not read one spec because I look for insight into how the writers think. I DO believe in having a spec for when you are inevitably asked. Our 30 Rock spec launched our TV career. Batman has lots of tools in the utility belt, so can you!

How much did other factors like diversity, biographical info, credits, factor in? They are ALL important! We are looking holistically at a writer. For me, no single aspect of a person was a make-or-break element, but you also want distinct voices different from one’s own.

Many people reached out to me. In general, if they were repped, I asked them to have their rep submit them to the studio. I did not feel bothered by people asking. I get it. As long as you can live with a no, why not try? Caveat: make sure your sample is right for the show

But this raises another point. If you can, meet with the studio and network execs. They are passionate about writers and were amazing about sending writers our way who we didn’t know at all. If you can win fans BEFORE a show gets picked up, they will advocate for you!

Unrepped writers, of course, have an uphill climb. But I think much of this information is still applicable. If you have an angle, work that shit. Don’t be presumptuous or aggro, but you never know what a cold query can do or a timely recommendation, especially early on.

I hope that this look behind the curtain is helpful. In truth, one could staff a show ten times over with all different writers and be content. Like the Hunger Games, one day the number called will be yours. Then the real fight begins. END