Prolific TV writer Steve Skrovan breaks down his experience from doing standup at open mic nights to Emmy Wins and working on some of the world's most famous and beloved shows like Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond and more.
In this conversation we discuss:
• Television Writing and Production
• Writing on Seinfeld
• Handling Rejection
• Adapting "Everybody Loves Raymond" for different cultures
• How real life experiences became iconic episodes
• The difference between an acting problem and a writing problem
• The Evolution of Comedy & Television
TDZ Podcast 001 - Steve Skrovan
0:00 Intro
0:47 Meeting in the Writers' Room
1:54 The Early Days
3:07 Comedy Clubs & New York
5:36 Larry David Launched Steve's Career
7:44 The Comedy Boom & Sitcom Writing
9:08 The Seinfeld "Think Tank"
12:47 Pitching Larry David
17:33 Handling Rejection
19:26 Russian Writer's Room & "Room Bits"
26:14 Adapting Raymond
32:23 Pitching Personal Stories
36:19 Knowing When to Quit
37:09 The 7-Year Theory
39:09 The Raymond Room's Secret
40:24 Acting Problem vs. Writing Problem
44:24 Writing 10 Scripts in Hiatus
46:27 The Raymond Script Process
48:42 Killing Your Darlings
50:06 Network Notes: The Condom Episode
53:26 Could Raymond Be Made Today?
54:40 Sitcom Evolution
56:48 Streaming's Impact
59:28 Advice for Young Writers
1:02:43 Advice to 25-Year-Old Steve
You can follow Steve here:
◼︎Ralph Nader Radio Hour: https://www.youtube.com/c/RalphNaderRadioHour
◼︎Bits & Pieces Substack Blog: https://steveskrovan.substack.com/
The D'Ascenzo Zone:
◼︎Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCphk_rom3ggaW9qhFlIDrag?sub_confirmation=1
◼︎ Check out my children's book: https://www.amazon.ca/Tiffy-Spiffy-Mr-Michael-DAscenzo/dp/B0CKGVFP72
◼︎Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikedascenz/?hl=en
◼︎Tik Tok: tiktok.com/@dacenzozone