Writing for the Screen
Margaret Hoffman shares her awe-inspiring career as a kid’s TV writer.
Margaret Hoffman, a TV writer, playwright, and MTSU alumna, was gracious enough to share “The Escape,” the pilot episode she wrote for a children’s TV series titled The Land of Extinction. One of our very own MTSU students, Mak Johnson, directed the episode, and four other MTSU students — Jacob Lee, Marco Hernandez, Trey Hollenbeck, and Molly Stegall — brought the characters to life in a staged reading. Presenting a live reading for an animated TV show brought on an interesting dynamic to the performance. I continually imagined what the animated characters would look like and how the scenes would be set up while the performance was being presented. I wondered if watching these actors bring their characters to life was a bit like watching voice actors record for animated TV. Regardless, the performance was simply enthralling. I laughed out loud throughout the majority of the event. I believe this is a reflection of good writing, directing, and acting. All three elements had to work together to make the event a success, which, there is no doubt, it was.
After the staged reading, Margaret, Mak, and the cast sat down for a talkback, and audience members had an overwhelming number of questions about Margaret’s personal experience in growing her impressive career. Margaret attributed most of her success to the people she surrounded herself with saying, “My career was built on a lot of people that believed in me.” Sometimes, all we need is to have one person put their faith in us to push through doubt, fear, and anxiety. While this concept pertains to anyone's hopes and dreams, I think this phenomenon particularly affects writers. Because writing is such a subjective field, it is easy to receive a few rejections and come to a false conclusion that you aren’t the writer you hoped to be. Having people encourage your talent and accomplishments can help propel you through the hard times as a writer. Margaret also added, “Show people your work. It just takes one yes.” It is easy to get disheartened when we are being rejected; however, Margaret has firsthand experience as to where persistence and hard work will take you.
Personally, I viewed TV as a prestigious sector of writing that only the elite could achieve throughout their career. However, to my surprise, Margaret was a down-to-earth person who went to MTSU and NYU, worked hard, and is now living her dream. Meeting her and hearing about her education and career journey gave me a new perspective on TV writing as an attainable career. There were three pieces of advice a mentor gave Margaret to help her become a success in the industry, and Margaret was kind enough to share them with her In Process audience: 1) Don’t be a dick. 2) Be on time. 3) Have great scripts. I would say this is sound advice for a plethora of different careers, and I thank Margaret for her candor and honesty with how to get ahead!
I also want to thank Mak Johnson and the cast, Jacob Lee, Marco Hernandez, Trey Hollenbeck, and Molly Stegall, for working so hard on the staged reading. When talking to Mak after the event, she spoke of the hours they took to plan out the major and minor details that gave the episode so much humor and personality. I know I, along with the rest of the In Process audience, was thoroughly entertained.
“The Afterthought” is a weekly column by In Process Intern Lillian Reid.
