Working: How a TV Writer Keeps the Ideas Coming

Slate Culture

Slate Podcasts

Arts, Tv & Film, Music

4.4 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2024

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Mike Gauyo, a TV writer and creator whose credits include the beloved series Insecure and Ginny and Georgia. In the interview, Mike shares his process for thinking of new ideas for shows, refining those ideas over time, and pitching them to industry gatekeepers. He also talks about being from an immigrant family, initially studying medicine, and the events that prompted him to pivot to writing. After the interview, Ronald and co-host Isaac Butler discuss best practices for pitching a podcast, and Isaac refers to this episode of Working Overtime about pitching print stories to editors. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Mike talks about what it was like to join the writers’ room of Insecure as a fan of the show. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to [email protected] or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Mom, Dad, can we work around?
0:03.0	James, come round.
0:04.0	Can we have Tykaw,
0:05.0	Your makeup? We need speakers.
0:07.0	Pastors.
0:08.0	He's broken it.
0:09.0	She's crying.
0:10.0	Where's the football?
0:12.0	Can we watch cartoons?
0:13.9	Need a crowd pleaser?
0:15.0	Let's watch something with planets.
0:16.8	A musical.
0:18.0	cartoons.
0:18.7	The match.
0:19.7	New EE TV lets you search live and on demand all in one place. Search E. E. T.
0:27.0	E. T. E. T. requires E. E. broadband. Content may vary terms apply. I'll sit down and I'll potentially brainstorm an idea but when I'm brainstorming an idea it's actually
0:44.4	started three years ago in my head and it's been in my head since and then it'll
0:49.8	continue to grow and then ultimately it'll get to a place where there's no more room
0:55.5	for it in my head and have to get on paper.
0:59.4	Welcome back to Working. I'm your host Isaac Butler.
1:03.0	And I'm your other host, Ronald Young Jr.
1:06.0	Ronald, yol muck-a-muck, how's it going?
	...

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