TV Writer Podcast 030 – Ari Posner (Reba, Popular, Call Me Fitz)
Awarded a full scholarship to study at USC, Ari Posner moved to L.A., and soon after graduating was on his first sitcom staff, Fox’s Partners. Since then he has worked on numerous multi-camera sitcoms, including Call Me Fitz, which was recently nominated for 16 Gemini Awards.
Writer-producer Ari Posner delivered a humorous valedictorian speech to his Harvard class in 1986, and has been making us laugh ever since!
After graduating from Harvard, Ari worked as a reporter for numerous publications such as the Miami Herald, The Boston Phoenix, and The New Republic. However, he found himself continually drawn toward writing comedy.
Awarded a full scholarship to study at USC, Ari moved to L.A., and soon after graduating was on his first sitcom staff, Fox's Partners. Since then he has worked on numerous multi-camera sitcoms, hour-long dramas, and single camera comedies, including such titles as Popular, Reba, Mental, and Call Me Fitz, which was recently nominated for 16 Gemini Awards.
He has also written and developed many pilots, for such companies as Sony Pictures Television, Happy Madison Productions, Gary Sanchez Productions, CBS, and Disney Channel.
In this interview, Ari takes us on an entertaining look at his journey through the industry, and gives incredibly helpful tips on writing pilots and other original material, and how to use that material to break in.
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon - How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,000 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray's YouTube channel.
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In his podcast, TV editor/writer Gray Jones profiles television producers and writers, authors, educators, and other industry personnel of interest to TV writers. The purpose of the interviews is to educate and inspire writers of all levels, to raise the profile of existing television writers, to introduce helpful resources, and to aid in career development. Gray's also the author of the book How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews. His podcast is released in video format, though an audio-only version is available through Podbean and Spotify. The podcast website at www.tvwriterpodcast.com has many helpful resources, including links to free scripts and a Twitter database. Twitter: @GrayJones - Instagram: @grahamajones and @tvwriterpodcast
