EP 87: Amy & Wendy Engelberg, TV Writers and Producers

Today my guests on the Hometown to Hollywood podcast are Amy and Wendy Engelberg. Amy and Wendy are TV writing and producing partners who are sisters. They are best known for Fuller House, What I like About You, Daytime Divas, Sonny with a Chance, Lizzy McGuire, and Drop Dead Diva.

 We discuss how they got started writing and producing for TV, what their work as writers and producers looks like, their involvement in casting, the challenges and joys of writing and producing for TV, advice for people who want to get into writing, producing, or acting in Hollywood, their efforts to get more women and people of color into their projects, and much more. We laugh a lot and some great stories are shared!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the conversation:

“Everybody gets started in a different way. But how do you stay in, and what do you do?”

“Comedy is so much more rhythmical than drama.”

On auditions: “You want all the actors who walk in to be good!”

“In single-camera, a producer has much more input than in multi-camera.”

“A great editor can make a bad actor look good.”

“Editing is the most important piece.”

“We want women to feel empowered in everything we do.”

“You have to have empathy for everybody. You have to be in their shoes, and understand what is motivating them.”

“Watch as much TV as you can if you want to be a TV writer. Watch everything. Study the form.”

“Read scripts so you can see how it looks.”

“You have to do live theatre. You have to understand the classics.”

“Usually producers do check out the parents. Nobody wants drama on the set.”

Look for the 5th and final season of Fuller House on Netflix fall of 2019, and in the meantime, you can binge the first four seasons of Fuller House on Netflix right now!

Amy Engelberg

Wendy Engelberg

Sources for TV scripts to study:

Simply Scripts

The Script Source

TV Calling

If you are interested in pursuing an acting career—or love someone who is—you can save a lot of time and money learning about the industry from an expert. Quick and easy ways: listen to these podcasts, and buy my books! Young Hollywood Actors and The Hollywood Parents Guide are both on Amazon.

And if you’re ready for more one-on-one support that takes your individual issues into account, book a consultation with me via Skype, phone, or in person. You’ll have questions answered you didn’t even know to ask, and end up with a detailed action plan, saving thousands of dollars and potentially years of time.

The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams.