Janet Leahy (Mad Men, Gilmore Girls, Boston Legal, Roseanne, The Cosby Show) talks her creative journey and work experiences.
We talk about:
- The Mad Men writers room
- Women in TV writing
- Developing characters
- Creating episode stories
- Worst fears
- Transitioning from half-hour writing to one-hour
- pitching
- road trips
Quotes from the show:
“I pitch why it’s important, the characters, the tone.”
“What’s the worst thing? What are you afraid of? What relationships in your life are you trying to resolve? Why can’t you resolve them?”
“It has to entertain the audience, move them, nourish them emotionally.”
“Family of characters… people bringing this family, these characters into their home. Because of the technology, they’re carrying them in their pocket now, too.”
“I try to clear my brain and then the ideas come. I let go of any notion that I’m going to control this thing and then the ideas come.”