Writing with SOUL

A diverse group including current Shawnigan students, alumni, English teachers, film instructors and staff gathered together on June 2 for an exciting Zoom session with Emmy Award winning television writer and producer John Tinker.

 

The session, which focused on writing drama for television, was co-hosted by Mac R. ’21 (Lonsdale’s), and offered participants the opportunity to ask questions of and learn from a top industry professional.

 

During the course of his career, Mr. Tinker has been actively involved in helping shape and guide over a dozen primetime American comedies and dramas, including St. Elsewhere, Chicago Hope, The Practice, and The Book of Daniel. He is co-creator of the popular CBS legal drama Judging Amy and recently developed the Hallmark Channel series, Chesapeake Shores, which is filmed on Vancouver Island.

 

Mr. Tinker talked about his route into a television writing career and the creative satisfaction, as well as the challenges, of working in the industry. In response to audience questions, he also addressed the growth of large streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, his writing process, day-to-day life in the film industry, the value of mentorship, and the cathartic and revelatory effects of writing, including how to manage writer’s block.

 

His final message to the group was that now is a great time to break into the industry and bring fresh ideas, especially as the presence of online video-sharing platforms such as YouTube mean that young people looking for career-building experience and exposure are now able to create, produce and distribute their own content.

 

“Content is king and it can be created by you,” he shared. “You can be the king or queen of all you produce. If you are interested, get in wherever you can and explore the type of jobs on offer. Don’t give up, keep pushing, because this is a great time to be writing and producing for television.”