Anatomy of a Hollywood Writer
Anatomy of a Hollywood Writer: Part One. Mark Wilding is interviewed
by B.J. Roche during his visit to campus
Mark Wilding ’79 is the executive producer and a lead writer for the medical drama television series, Grey’s Anatomy. He is a two-time Emmy nominee, 2005 Writer’s Guild of America award winner for best new series, and 2007 Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation award winner for the Grey’s Anatomy episode “Where the Boys Are.”
Wilding has been a screenwriter for television and movies for 17 years. His credits also include Ellen, Dave’s World, Caroline in the City, Becker, Charmed, and Jake 2.0. He has also sold two movie scripts—one to Universal entitled “Party Boys” and the other to 20th Century Fox entitled “Family Time.”
While at UMass Amherst, Wilding majored in economics, but satisfied his love for writing by penning a humor column in The Collegian. He will returned campus in April as an Eleanor Bateman Alumni Scholar in Residence to lead lectures and workshops with students on campus. Prior to his visit, Wilding shared some of his experiences and insights on his profession:
How did you decide to pursue a career in writing?
While I was writing the humor column for The Collegian, I was actually thinking ahead to a career in the newspaper business… becoming the next Art Buchwald or Russell Baker. I also thought the economics degree could help me if I wanted to write about the business world, but after taking four years of economics, that turned out to be the last thing I wanted to do! Let's just say I did much better in my English classes than in my Statistics classes.
What has been your favorite writing project to-date?
I love writing for Grey's. I've been in TV for 17 years and it's the best job I've had. Outside of that, I have two favorite writing projects. The first was my first play called "A Company Man" and was a comedy about an industrial plant's gas leak (and yes, it was a comedy). My second favorite project was a sitcom pilot called "The Cell". It was about a group of four terrorists who come to America to blow it up and end up falling in love with the country.
What do you like to read?
For fiction, I like to read anything by Michael Chabon. He's my favorite writer and I think the best novelist in America. I also like T.C. Boyle, Anne Patchett and Jhumpa Lahiri. I just read a book called Three Day Road by a Canadian writer named Joseph Boyden. It was about Canadian Indians fighting in World War I and it blew me away! For non-fiction, I like Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Caro—he’s written a couple of books about Lyndon Johnson that are wonderful.
From within your profession, whose work do you admire most and why?
Writers I admire within the entertainment business include Shawn Ryan (he created The Shield), Jason Katims (he runs Friday Night Lights—my favorite show on TV next to Grey's), Matt Weiner (he created Mad Men) and, of course, my boss and the woman who created Grey's, Shonda Rhimes. What I like about them is they all have a vision for their shows and despite all the day-to-day obstacles, they're able to deliver that vision. Also, I could watch Ricky Gervais in anything.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of your job?
What I like best about my profession is that I work with like-minded people, who are, for the most part, really smart. What I don't like about it are the extremely long hours.
What advice would you give others pursuing a similar career?
I have several pieces of advice for people wanting to break into Hollywood as a writer. First, move here. You can't do it from anywhere else in the country. Second, learn basic story telling (there's a reason plays are in three acts). Third, read lots of movie and TV scripts and try to figure out why they work (see the second piece of advice). Fourth, persevere. Fifth, write something people CAN'T IGNORE.
You just have to know that there will be lean times and that if you really want to do it, you can. You have to devote all your energy to it. You also need to have a thick skin (there's a lot of rejection in this business). Also, you need a little luck. There are more pieces of advice, but if you want them, you'll have to come hear me speak.
How do you feel about coming back to UMass Amherst as a Bateman Alumni Scholar in Residence?
I'm really looking forward to coming back to UMass Amherst as a Scholar in
Residence. My wife and kids don't give me a helluva lot of respect so I need the ego boost. Also, I haven't seen the campus in 30 years, so it should be a real treat!
The Alumni Association is proud to present the Eleanor Bateman Scholar in Residence program. Thanks to the support of our generous alumni family, we are able to provide notable programs like this to students and alumni that highlight the strengths of UMass Amherst.
You were. You are. UMASS.
Anatomy of a Hollywood Writer: Part Two
Anatomy of a Hollywood Writer: Part Three
By Elena Lamontagne
4/1/09