Ross Evans, Screenwriter

 

LA-based screenwriter Ross Evans tells of his journey from actor to director to writer and every step in between--illustrating how changing paths brought him to his current career. 

What’s inside: 

:56 WME/William Morris Endeavor 1:10 WGA/Writers Guild of America 2:10 AEA Agreements/99 Seat Theatres/Showcase Code 6:00: Where are you calling from? 6:20 : What’s a typical day in your life like? 8:53 : What type of musical are you working on? 9:20 : What’s the difference between how you grew up in Indiana and your lifestyle now? 13:22 : Did your parents support your path?  15:18 : How did you get from musical theatre major to LA? 20:12 : How long were you in New York? 21:28 : When did you decide you didn’t want to go back to school for playwriting? 24:45 : Did working towards something you didn’t really want hone the skills of your true passion?  25:35 : What’s the difference between screenwriting and playwriting?  30:47 : What are the biggest successes that you’ve had? 31:02 : How long did you wait tables? 33:47 : What is the 'Blacklist’ and what are ‘spec scripts’? 35:10 : What are some risks you had to take to be where you’re at? 36:55 : How did you get to creating your own theatre company after school and associate directing on broadway? 41:52 : Do you think you could’ve gone as far if you had skipped college and gone straight to New York? 42:27 : Did being around other young artists at school propel you? 43:00 : Do you think your younger self could imagine you where you’re at now? 44:50 : Do you feel like you’ve “made it?” 46:38  : Did you experience rejection as well as luck? 49:19 : Is there anyone who inspired you to be where you are now? 50:20 : Are you mentoring anyone now? 51:15 : Is your job freelance?  51:38 : Any advice for young people considering the arts? 54:22 : Any artistic endeavors you can recommend? 55:45 : What are some of your works that people can consume?

Mentioned in this Episode:

WME Agency WGA/Writers Guild of America Writers Fire Agents Uta Hagen  Venus in Fur by David Ives Walter Bobbie Broadway’s White Christmas  Beautiful The Carole King Musical Jon Saunders  Jon Saunders’ Viral Commercial  LEGO Short, The Master  Playing with Charlie Brittney Runs a Marathon This is Us  The Blacklist  The Guthrie Theater The Muny  Mark Bruni Toon  Jojo Rabbit script The ‘Gadabout’ 

Key Quotes:

“I didn’t know that my job existed.”  “I think it’s important to constantly have a self-analysis of, ‘Is the path that I’m on right?’ Changing your path isn’t necessarily giving up on that path, it’s just learning more about yourself”  “The more specific you can get on what your path is, the easier it is to chase it.”  “If you flip a thousand coins over ten times each, there is an unbelievably high probability that one of those coins will land on ‘heads’ every single time--and that coin will be more than happy to sell you books about how their success was possible and how you, too, can flip on ‘heads’ every time. But it was just luck.” “I don’t think luck is a bad thing, it’s just part of our lives.” “‘What am I trying to say? What am I trying to communicate? How can I use my voice to say things that I care about?’ That was the turning point in my writing.” “You can make a good living as a screenwriter.”  “I think the only people who complain about ‘selling out’ are people who never had anything to sell.”  “Writers come from everywhere.” “You learn a lot in academia, but nowhere near as much as working and doing it.” “I learned more in my first year in Hollywood than the rest of my life combined.” “Success is always changing..that’s why it’s so hard to chase.” “As soon as you achieve something, you look at the higher peak--you can’t do that. You have to celebrate where you are.”  “There are hundreds if not thousands of writers who are making a good living who have never had a script produced.” “Risk is looking at these little opportunities that you’re given and just striking them.” “I think there’s something very powerful to being in the same room where high-level art is being created.” “No one ever feels like they’ve ‘made it’ from the inside.” “You’re not bad because the first things you create are bad. You just need to keep working and getting better.” “The thing that you love, you’re going to find success in that.”

Connect with Ross by emailing the podcast!