88 Cups of Tea

DAVID GRAE: Executive Producer of CBS' 'Madam Secretary' on Breaking Into TV Writing


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“If you don’t know the craft, your talent can’t be unleashed.” -David Grae (click to tweet)

We have Executive Producer and TV writer David Grae on the show with us today! His episode is proudly brought to you by Gotham Writers. David started his television career as a staff writer on the Emmy-nominatedJoan of Arcadia. He has also been a writer on Without a Trace, Gilmore Girls andCastle. He is currently an Executive Producer on CBS’s hit show Madam Secretary. His play Moose Mating has received several regional and international productions and is published by Dramatists Play Service. He is also the co-founder of Gotham Writers.

In David’s episode, we really get to pick his brain about the TV industry, how to break in as a TV writer, and what goes on in the writers’ room at the studios. We also talk about the opportunities David created for himself and the importance of building relationships with people. We unpacked the business side of how David helped to start and build Gotham Writers from ground up, one of America’s leading private creative writing schools whose interactive online classes was selected “Best of the Web” by Forbes. 

Xo,

Yin

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“Writers write because you keep getting better the more you write.” -David Grae (click to tweet)

 

“Read books that inspire you.” -David Grae (click to tweet)

 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:
  • Building relationships with people in your field

  • Unpacking what spec scripts are and why writing one is your calling card into the TV writing world
  • How David created his own opportunities that led him to success
  • How writers come up with story ideas in the writing room
  • Exploring your talents and understanding your weaknesses
  • The difference between writing for comedy and drama
  • Why it’s so important to take a writing class to improve and strengthen your craft

 

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT DAVID GRAE: David Grae started his television career as a staff writer on the Emmy-nominatedJoan of Arcadia. He has also been a writer on Without a Trace, Gilmore Girls andCastle. He is currently an Executive Producer on CBS’s hit show Madam Secretary. His play Moose Mating has received several regional and international productions and is published by Dramatists Play Service. He is also the co-founder of Gotham Writers.   DAVID'S RECOMMENDED BOOKS & RESOURCES: 

Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting by William Goldman

Phillip Roth

Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Writing Schoolby Gotham Writers Workshop

Writing Movies: The Practical Guide to Creating Stellar Screenplays by Gotham Writers Workshop

...more
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