The Problems Facing Mid-Level TV Writers

Why there's no such thing as a "big break" anymore

The state of the TV industry right now is grim for writers (and others), as is well discussed on Twitter and in other spaces where these talks are had. In the conversations I've seen about it, the mid-level writer is often left out. They are, appropriately metaphored, the middle child in the scenario, forgotten about, or overlooked. Over the past two years, I've talked to many mids, as well as uppers and showrunners, about why mids are having such a hard time finding work. Short orders, reduced budgets, streaming, and mini rooms (the oh-so-common refrain of woe in the industry) are making things hard for every writer right now, at all levels, and mids, it seems, are the first ones to be deemed expendable in rooms.

2-for-1

It's not because we don't have a lot to offer. Instead, it's because, when a show's budget allows for 4-5 writers (when at one time it would have been 10-11), showrunners want to hire 2-3 people they know/trust/have worked with before at the top, and with that leftover budget, hire 1-2 staff writers. When discussing this problem with an upper-level writer recently, they told me to look at it this way: "I can get two staff writers for the price of one mid. If I'm hiring someone on a short-run show that I've never worked with before, I'd rather get two than one. That way, if one doesn't work out, you have the other as a backup." Time and again I've heard that one show or another, "just didn't have the budget to hire mids."

The Bigger Picture

“Many writers think that once they get that first gig, they're set, and that the battle becomes easier.”

So, why is this an industry-wide problem instead of one merely affecting a few writers who happened to get stuck at the wrong level during a pandemic and mergers and apocalyptic doom? Well, first of all, all lower levels will eventually be mids. Many writers think that once they get that first gig, they're set, and that the battle becomes easier. But with rooms now lasting only a couple of months, it becomes necessary to find three jobs a year, each more impossible to get than the last. Every lower will eventually face the mid-bottleneck problem.

Second of all, diversity is often seen most in these lower levels. So if lowers are washing out after one or two jobs because of a lack of jobs at any level beyond, say, story editor, then we're going to go right back to the issue we've had all these years, which is a lack of diverse voices at the top. Additionally, someone is going to need to step into showrunner roles in a few years, and if no one is making it past mid, well, you see the issue.

Traditionally, you start as a lower-level writer, then go to mid, then go to upper, then showrunner. But if everyone is stalling out at mid and pivoting or dropping out of the industry altogether, then only those with the money and means to stick it out will be around to show run in a few years.

Get Bootstrappy

So, what can be done about it? Well, hopefully, the upcoming WGA/MBA negotiations will address some of the overall industry-wide issues which have led to a lot of this. But on a personal level, what can individual writers be doing during these fraught times?

Mid-level writers can't enter contests, or go out for fellowships, or apply for mentorship programs. They often have many, many samples, and many produced episodes of TV under their belt, so the common refrain of, "just write more samples until you're READY to be a paid writer" is often supremely unhelpful.

It's easy, at this point, to feel like you're making no forward momentum in a career when you can't say you placed in this contest or were a finalist for that fellowship.

One piece of advice I've been seeing a lot is, "make your own content," which, while well-intentioned, ignores the fact that a lot of mids have kids and spouses and responsibilities and can't just switch to being an influencer, or spending six months gathering friends together to make a self-financed feature. I by no means have the answer to all of this, but I'll offer the suggestions I do have, and if people have others, please feel free to drop them in the comments.

First of all, you can communicate well and often with your reps. I know some mids who don't want to write on certain types of shows. I'm not one of them, and my reps know that. I started in animation and I host a whole damn podcast about cartoons, so I love them and would be THRILLED to work on one again (but, also, pay animation writers the same as every other writer, please, thanks very much).

I had a great time when I worked in kid's TV, and would be happy to go back to that world as well. Additionally, I've tried to branch out to things like game writing, narrative podcasts, development jobs, and things that, when you're regularly staffing on shows, you may not have had time to think about. My reps know about these interests and know what to submit me for and what I'm interested in.

Meet and Greet

Another thing you can do is take general meetings - tons of them. Tell your reps who you'd like to have generals with. Most execs are happy to take generals, and they're usually a lot of fun, and a good way to feel like you're actually doing something that might pay off down the line.

You can also develop your own pitches, and pitch as much as possible. Oftentimes, on staff, you don't have the time (or contractually aren't allowed) to develop and pitch, so this downtime is the time to do it.

Write that script you always had in the back of your mind, even if it might not be a script that's exactly in line with what you've written in the past. Go to mixers, events, online discussions, and meet other writers, if only to commiserate over how much the industry sucks right now.

Again, I'm hopeful that the upcoming negotiations will make things better across the board, but if you're anything like me, you have to feel like you're doing something productive in the meantime, or else you'll go bonkers.

Gina Ippolito is a mid-level TV writer, graphic novel writer, and interviewer for IMDB. She also hosts Knowing is Half the Podcast.