The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

How Acclaimed TV Writer/Producer Adam Lorenzo Writes


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Acclaimed TV and movie writer, Adam Lorenzo, spoke to me about owning a college bar … while still in college, his work ethic and what keeps him hustling pages, and his latest college survival guide ALL I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM MY COLLEGE BAR.

Adam Lorenzo is a writer/producer who works in both live-action and animation who started as a joke writer, selling material to Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update''; Jimmy Kimmel; and David Letterman, which resulted in his first staff-writing job, on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (co-created and executive produced by Letterman).

Other notable TV credits include the Emmy-winning Everybody Loves Raymond, Are We There Yet? (starring Terry Crews and Ice Cube), and Everybody Hates Chris, based on the life of Chris Rock.

Before successfully pursuing his dream of being a writer, he owned a college bar... while still a student at Syracuse University.

The author’s debut in publishing, naturally, is All I Need To Know I Learned From My College Bar, a whimsical look at what Adam calls the "valuable life lessons learned working and laughing with people from all over the world in that cathedral of knowledge known as a college bar."x

The self-described “college survival guide” is based on his life and has illustrations by Antonio Giovanni Pinna of The New Yorker.

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In this file Adam Lorenzo and I discussed: 

  • How he faked and faxed his way into Dave Letterman’s heart
  • Why his writing career effectively ended his marriage
  • How a kid from Buffalo, NY made it in Hollywood 
  • Why he spent so much time at a little-known library at The Writers Guild of America
  • The Sicilian barber that got him a big break into sitcoms
  • My own #TheCollegeBarChallenge
  • And a lot more!
  • Show Notes:

    • collegebarbook.com
    • Adam Lorenzo on IMDb
    • All I Need To Know I Learned From My College Bar by Adam Lorenzo (Amazon)
    • Adam Lorenzo on YouTube
    • Adam Lorenzo on Instagram
    • Adam Lorenzo on Twitter
    • Kelton Reid on Twitter
    • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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      The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and NeuroscienceBy Kelton Reid

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