MovieBytes Interview:
Screenwriter D. Colbert

An interview with screenwriter D. Colbert regarding the Nickelodeon Writing Competition.

A: I wrote a spec script of "The Bernie Mac Show." It was about Bernie thinking that the teenage girl character, Vanessa, is dating despite his orders not to, so he hires his nephew, Jordan, to help spy on her. Comedy insues.

A: Well, believe it or not, this was only the second script I had ever written. I read a lot of interviews from writers about their differing opinions on entering contests and which ones they thought were best. I also did a lot of reading at movibytes.com (plug, plug). The first script I write was an "Everybody Loves Raymond" spec which placed as a finalist in the Guy Hanks/Marvin Miller Writing Workshop that takes place at USC. Everybody refers to it as the Cosby program since he and his wife, Camille, are the ones who set it up. Placing in this contest with my very first script gave me the confidence to enter other contests and the Nickelodeon Fellowship seemed right up my alley, so I applied.

A: Well...there were definitely delays in getting the results. It took so long I had almost forgotten about it. Once I did heard from them, it was explained that they were restructuring the program to better fit the production schedule of Nickelodeon shows. Everything else has been going well with the program.

A: I was given some feedback, which helped me tremendously.

A: Yeah, I've since sent that same script out to an agency where I'm getting some attention. Also, being at the Nickelodeon studio and having access to executives and producers is invaluable.

A: I've worked as an assistant and been in the writers room for years before writing a script of my own. I've worked on a lot of productions just trying to take it all in. My experiences at studios around town proved invaluable.

A: I was born and raised here in L.A. I even went to L.A. High School.

A: The first phase of the fellowship had us working on another spec with the guidance of some executives. I've written a "Scrubs" spec which I think is the funniest thing I've ever written. That's such a smart and funny show. It was a little intimidating to write a spec for that show at first, but once I got started I was really into it.

Posted Monday, January 19, 2004