Nate Federman

9 Mar 2025

When I worked on The Office, Greg Daniels had a list of questions he asked of every story. Some were show-specific (eg “Are we saying something truthful if exaggerated about office life?”), but many are applicable to any script. Here’s a little thread on them… 🧵1/X #Scriptsky #Screenwriting

Suck it, Bolsanaros.

Literary hot take… Michael Chabon books ranked: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (Infinite Jest sized gap) The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

When I met for Big City Greens, it was on the video conferencing app Bluejeans. When I got hired (during COVID), our room was completely remote. After we returned to in-person, I tore my Achilles and had to WFH. So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting 🧵 is on ZOOM ROOMS and how to survive them.

The other key to surviving on Zoom is figuring out when to talk. As I mentioned, riffing is hard. But when you speak, you will have everyone’s attention, so it’s an opportunity to get your pitches in if they’re strong. Less is more. Make them count! Don’t waste your pitches on dumb jokes or bits.

I’m grateful Zoom rooms exist. Without them, I wouldn’t have had a job during COVID. Or when I was disabled. And I’m grateful disabled writers have an opportunity that didn’t always exist. But having spent a lot of time doing them, I’m even more grateful I get to pitch in-person.

But if the room is remote, it’s exhausting. Staring at a screen fatigued me in a way that meeting in-person never has. I don’t know what it is about being on-camera, but a two hour meeting would love me beat in a way that six hours in-person never has. Turning off my camera at times helped.

So did turning off self-view. I know I’m not Chris Evans handsome, but I’ve never been particularly self-conscious about my appearance. My first week of a zoom room had me feeling about myself. We are not meant to stare at a mirror all day long. It’s awful for your mental health. Don’t do it!

I never struggled to contribute in a room more than when I tore my Achilles and was the only writer zooming in. I really had to pick my spots in a way the other writers didn’t. Consequently, I pitched a lot less even though I had the same amount of ideas. I just couldn’t squeeze them in.

If everyone is remote, it’s much easier to pitch because it’s a level playing field. Everyone is dealing with the same technical difficulties and people are less likely to talk over one another (in a way that feels appropriate in-person but not on Zoom).

But sometimes you don’t have that option. Maybe there’s a global pandemic or you tear your Achilles, and going into the office isn’t an option. Zoom (or its ugly step-sister, Teams) has been a literal and figurative life-saver. You can collaborate remotely and write a show! It’s just harder.

If the room is in-person and you have the option/ability be there, DO IT! It’s so hard to be the only one zooming in. You can’t riff with the room the same way, miss out on sidebars, and whenever you pitch, everyone thinks you have something important to say even if you just wanna pitch a fart joke.

First, the simple reality: Zoom rooms are sub-optimal. There’s a rhythm and flow to an in-person room that is impossible to replicate on video conferencing apps. It’s so much easier to riff on someone else’s pitch when you’re in the room with them than it is when you’re dealing with muting & delays.

That’s not to say I think the room needs to meet in-person all day, every day. BCG utilizes a hybrid system (in office 2-3 days a work, WFH the other days, and an option to zoom in if you need to WFH). I think it’s an ideal system. There’s a nice mix of group collaborative and individual work time.

Carole is 100% correct. And I’d go one step further: the more people you know and have relationships who are getting work, the better your chances are of getting work. Your friends aren’t taking your job - they’re being put in position where they can potentially help you get work.

Carole Kirschner@carolekirschner.bsky.social

Hollywood isn't a zero-sum game where someone else's success diminishes yours. Their staffing doesn't take away your opportunity. Their sale doesn't block yours. Your only meaningful competition is the writer you were last month. Focus there. #scriptsky

Yes on 40. No on 41 and 42.

jambase.comMedeski Martin & Wood Gets Back In The Groove With Rare New Orleans ShowMedeski Martin & Wood will reunite for a rare concert at New Orleans’ Orpheum Theater during Jazz Fest weekend on April 23, 2027.

How about a proper fucking tour?!

JamBase@jambase.com

👀 New Medeski Martin & Wood Gig Alert: The trio just announced their first show of 2027 (so far), a one-night-only performance in New Orleans during Jazz Fest. Full details ...

They say if you haven’t been fired from a job in Hollywood, you haven’t been working in Hollywood for long. But getting fired is no badge of honor. It absolutely sucks! So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread is about THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TO KEEP YOUR JOB.

I offered to be a sounding board for the stories she was working on. And listened to her as she vented about studio politics. I picked up the slack on my writing. I thought I had been working hard, but I worked even harder. I wasn’t going to lose my job from lack of effort.

I kept my job. The two writers in the office next door lost their jobs. What was the difference between us? It largely boiled down to how we adapted after our talkings-to. I made my boss’ job easier. They did not. So if you find yourself on the hot seat, view it as an opportunity to be more helpful.

He told me to forget about the revisionist history and whose fault the problems were. What was clear was there were problems and my boss was stressed and needed help. “And if you can find ways to help her - to make her life easier - you will work as long as she works.”

This reframing started to make sense. My boss was scared about her own job. The subtext of what she was saying wasn’t “you’re fucking up,” it was, “I need more help.” So I found ways to help her. Got proactive and volunteered for the dumb, tedious tasks she was asked to do by the studio.

She was frustrated with things I had written that I thought she wanted me to write. And as a result, my ass was on the hot seat. If I didn’t turn things around, I was going to be fired. I didn’t say much to her, but called my agent and manager afterwards to vent about things.

My agent and manager listened, and then my manager gave me the single best piece of career advice I’ve ever received: “You’re looking at this wrong. Instead of seeing a problem, view this as an opportunity.” “Opportunity?! What the fuck are you talking about” I responded.

Story time: on one of the first shows I staffed on, my boss called every writer into her office - one by one - and told each of us the myriad of ways we were fucking up and letting her down. I don’t remember the specifics of what she told me, but it felt like some revisionist history.

It’s October 16th. I live in Southern California, 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Fuck this endless summer.

nytimes.comHe Wrote for ‘Seinfeld.’ Now He Wants You to See the Genius of ‘Nancy.’The comic strip is surprisingly revered by some comedy writers and cartoonists, including Tom Gammill, whose credits include “The Simpsons” and “S.N.L.”

Tom Gammil voices Bill’s best friend, Doug Perkins, on Big City Greens. He was kind enough to invite our crew into his home for an early staging of this play. It’s hilarious and weird and incredibly sweet. And if you’re in NYC this weekend, you should check it out! www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/a...

Nate Federman reposted

Akilla Cooper

@akelacooper.bsky.social

CALIFORNIANS NEED TO SPREAD THIS FAR AND WIDE. Too many voters are low information and will vote yes on all three w/o realizing the latter cancels out the former

This post is unavailable.

My 9 YO (watching an IG video with my wife): “Ooh, they got a cool painting of Michael Jackson!” My wife: “That’s a painting of Elvis.” My 9 YO: “Eh, they’re basically the same.”

Nate Federman reposted

Janet’s thread contains feelings of regret, pain, and frustration. But also a desire to understand how to carry on. These are feelings lots of writers grapple with. Myself included. So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting 🧵 is on HOW TO DEAL WITH REJECTION AND HOW WE FRAME SUCCESS.

This post is unavailable.

This post is unavailable.

And don’t forget to celebrate the wins along the way! And I’m not talking about when someone buys your script. I’m talking about the little wins. Write a killer scene, joke, or line of dialogue? That’s a win! Collaborate with a friend? That’s a win! Put yourself out there? That’s a win!

A showrunner once told me, “Hollywood attracts all the people who are the most desperate to be affirmed by others, but entertainment is the industry least likely to affirm you.” So you gotta affirm yourself and find your own joy, because if you can do that, rejections start to matter a lot less.

This post is unavailable.

Don’t chase trends. Tap into your weird, unique POV. Write from a place of passion. Learn from your mistakes. Do all the things you can control to set yourself up for success. And then let the chips fall where they may. Worrying about the past or the stuff you can’t control is a waste of energy.

So dealing with rejection requires focusing on your process, because YOU CAN’T CONTROL THE RESULTS! And if results are what you’re focused on, you are ceding your agency. But here’s the thing, when your process is good, results tend to follow. Not always or immediately, but more often than not.

This post is unavailable.

Here’s some stuff I can’t control: -Industry contraction -AI -A reader’s particular sensibilities -What’s trendy -Old mistakes Here’s some stuff I can control: -What I choose to write -How hard I work -How kind I am -How I handle feedback and mistakes -What I share with others -How I frame success

The last one is a key to dealing with rejection. You get to define success for yourself. And that might be writing a script you love that no one ever buys. That’s a choice you get to make for yourself. But if you choose to let others define success for you, you will inevitably be disappointed.

This post is unavailable.

The part of Janet’s thread that inspired this 🧵 was when she wrote about looking backwards with regret about what could’ve happened but didn’t. Looking backwards can be healthy, but only if it’s in service of helping you in the present. Because you can learn from the past, but you can’t change it.

I’ve made lots of mistakes, but I rarely make the same mistake twice, because I learn from my mistakes. So rejection can be a chance to learn some lessons. But sometimes rejection is beyond my control. And since, I can only control what I can control, that’s what I focus on.

This post is unavailable.

I’ve been a TV writer for 16 years, written on a dozen shows, and sold several pitches. Lots of people have said “yes” to me. LOTS MORE have said “no.” There have been hundreds of jobs I didn’t get, pitches that didn’t sell, meetings that didn’t go anywhere, and scripts that weren’t responded to.

Rejection is part of the gig. FOR EVERYONE! My agent jokes that her primary job is to hear all the rejection, so her clients don’t have to. So the first part of dealing with rejection is understanding that it happens to everyone. And while it feels personal, most of the time it’s just business.

Now, more than ever, it feels healthy to expose myself to new art created by actual humans. It’s part of the reason I see so much live music. And last night’s Punch Brothers’ show at The Ford was one of those shows that reminded me humanity is capable of creating profoundly beautiful and unique art.

This is a sensational bit of marketing.

Phish@phish.com

100 AT THE GARDEN. Phish returns to Madison Square Garden for a four-night New Year’s Run December 30-31 and January 1-2, with the January 2 show marking the band’s 100th at @TheGarden. You don’t get to 100 without making some friends along the way. #PhishMSG100

Things I found in my daughter’s bed while changing the sheets: -A bag of pine cones -Chunks of the ceiling -Approximately 120 pens, pencils, and markers -A plastic bowl with one very shriveled grape in it -Mindy Kaling’s first Autobiography

My daughter found the pine cones outside this morning and screamed, “What the heck are my pine cones doing outside and why aren’t they in my bed?!”

youtu.beBig City Greens Halloween Full Episode! "Killer Kludge / Tricked" 🎃💚 | Disney ChannelYouTube video by Disney Channel Animation

The new Big City Greens Halloween episode will drop on Disney+ this Wednesday, but if you can’t it, it’s on YouTube. The intro features an homage to Stephen King, who guest-stars in the episode. If you like (or don’t like) Widow’s Bay, you’ll like (or dislike) this!!! youtu.be/MjpVXi2VblA?...

Can’t *wait* - not can’t it My kingdom for an edit button.

Nate Federman reposted