Q&A: TV Showrunner Frank Spotnitz on What He’s Learned from Trading Hollywood for Europe

One of the defining voices of the ‘THE X-FILES’, the writer-producer transplanted his family to the U.K. a decade ago and, in doing so, reimagined both his life and career

Frank Spotnitz on Regent Street, looking very European these days. Photo courtesy of FS

Six or so years ago, I was anxiously preparing to move to the United Kingdom. It was a confusing and anxiety-ridden time, as almost every element of this move seemed daily undermined by forces beyond my control. A persistent dread had manifested around the question: would the geography of the international TV market in Europe prove unwelcoming to me despite my ambition to transplant much of my writing career from Los Angeles to London and the continent? A friend at the Writers Guild of America suggested I “speak to Frank” about this, as he was the expert on all such matters having already moved his own family and career to Europe a few years earlier. My friend was referring to Frank Spotnitz, one of the defining voices of “THE X-FILES”.

The problem was, Frank and I had never actually met. I immediately cold-emailed him, and got a reply twelve hours later. I just looked it up for reference. “I’d very much like to meet you and offer you any and all support that I can,” he had written back…