Stand Out: Interview with Emmy-Nominated Writer Sandy Fries
I recently went one on one with Emmy-nominated writer Sandy Fries. Sandy wrote and edited numerous Star Trek projects for Paramount Studios: Star Trek: The Next Generation TV shows, Star Trek video games, and a Trek novel. Sandy also wrote for NBC’s Quantum Leap, Fame, Thundercats, the animated Spiderman, live-action Superboy, and many other hit TV shows. Sandy is currently a Professor of Film and Mass Communication at the College of DuPage and is the author of Secrets Your Textbook Will Not Tell You: About TV, Movies and Life.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Sandy: I wrote for Star Trek at Paramount Studios, I wrote for Spiderman at Marvel Studios, and I've been nominated for an Emmy award for my writing. I've worked one-on-one with Stan Lee and Gene Roddenberry.
Your question asked about mistakes… here's an incredibly stupid mistake I made when I was a staff writer at Star Trek: The Next Generation…
One of the producers of our show, Maurice Hurly, asked me to write a full script in one week since they were running low on material to shoot. Writers are usually given at least two or three weeks to write a script since it’s a time-consuming, difficult process. It took two million dollars to shoot a script. The stars wanted great dialogue and scenes. A lot rode on the script.
I was profoundly pissed off that I was told to write a script in only one week. I went to my office and stewed in my anger. I basted myself in resentment. The anger grew, as I returned to the plush office of the producer and said, “I’ll write the script in a week. And it will turn out like every other script on this show: a piece of crap!”
I left his office and returned to mine. After the fifteen minutes it took for logic to dissipate my anger, I returned to my boss’ office and said, smiling, “What I meant to say was I would be happy to write the script in a week.” He answered, “I thought that’s what you meant.”
My lesson: never say anything while angry. Also, never get conflictual with someone who has more power than you. Be a diplomat if you have a difference of opinion. As a member of the show business family, being a diplomat is a big part of your job. Saying “please” and “thank you” will set you apart from others.
Being genuinely kind is great morally and strategically. All the writers and producers on Star Trek: The Next Generation had nicknames. Mine was “the nice one.”
Adam: What do you hope readers take away from your new book?
Sandy: Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, taught me an important lesson: HAVE FUN! Screenwriting was something that I always thought would be fun, and the biggest motivator in my career is enjoying myself. I believe that if you have the talent, and the communication skills, looking for fun things is always the way to go with your career.
Gene had a lot of fun working on his show. He loved visiting the cool, beautiful sets, and driving around the Paramount Studios lot at “warp speed” in his golf cart. When I drove with him in his cart, he loved aiming it at people and veering away at the last second! It was fun! Gene and most of the people who worked on the show, me included, were really just big kids playing with the world’s coolest, most expensive toys. Ideally, that’s what your career should feel like.
Adam: In your experience, what are the common qualities among those who have been able to enjoy success in the entertainment industry? What advice do you have for those either trying to break in or advance?
Sandy: Most people in show business are a little weird. But it’s good to get weird and shake things up.
A friend of mine, George Clayton Johnson, used to always seem like he was impersonating Jesus: long hair and clothes Jesus would wear. He also spoke the way you would imagine the Son of God would speak. George’s face looked like what Christ did in The Last Supper. He wrote Ocean’s Eleven, The Twilight Zone, and other classics.
Gene Roddenberry’s advisor on everything (scripts, casting, image), lived in his car, which he kept on the Paramount Studios lot. The man was worth a fortune, but enjoyed living in his car. In his studio office, his desk looked like someone dumped a thousand pieces of random paper on it. If you asked him for the story outline on episode fifteen, third draft, he could reach into the middle of the paper mountain and pull out what you asked for. Weird.
If you’re a movie/T.V. writer or actor, you are expected to have some weirdness going on as a sign of your uniqueness, creativity and style.
Adam: What are the most surprising things you have experienced and observed from your years in the industry?
Sandy: One surprising thing I learned is that anger can destroy your career and actually kill you. My friend Sam Simon was a co-creator of The Simpsons. He married a Playboy Playmate Of The Month and gave one hundred million dollars to animal welfare charities. So, by most measures, he was a phenomenal success.
The “line” on Sam among his friends was that he was a good writer and a person who was always lucky. His family was rich and he was brought up in Beverly Hills. He wrote for a number of iconic TV shows. He was handsome. I was always a little jealous of Sam. It seemed that Sam had a charmed, perfect life. It seemed like his luck would never run out.
Now, here comes the “what we can learn from him” part of his story. As Sam Simon got richer, more famous and more powerful, he got “crazier” and “angrier” on the various TV projects he produced or wrote. Sam admitted this.
Cancer struck Sam Simon and took a long time to get worse and worse and shatter his body. In the last photo I saw of him, he was in a sterile hospital room, holding his head in his hand, wearing a thin hospital gown. He looked completely defeated. The good looks were gone, and so was the luck. The cancer slowly killed him.
Mark Twain said, “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured."
Did Sam’s anger lead to his cancer and death? Who knows. Though a lot of studies have shown that stress is a big factor in many illnesses. As cancer slowly destroyed his body, Sam Simon got mellower. Another lesson ... don’t wait until the cosmic baseball bat of the universe smashes your head to get mellow ... to realize what’s really important in life.
I learned a lot from Sam. I learned not to be jealous of people. I was jealous of him. Everyone has their flaws and obstacles in life.
Adam: What are the best lessons you have learned through your career in entertainment that are applicable to anyone interested in working in any industry?
Sandy: 1. The Phone Trick
I postulated that the big executives would work until 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. and their secretaries would leave on the dot-at 5:00 p.m. Secretaries kept unwanted or unsolicited phone calls from their busy bosses. So, I called Young and Rubicam at 5:30 and got the receptionist.
I quickly, with a touch of anger, said to the receptionist “David Tree.” When you say things quickly with a hint of anger, people don’t want to ask you questions or mess with you. They just want to move you quickly to the next person. They sometimes assume you know “David.”
So, immediately, I was transferred to David Tree, one of the most powerful advertising executives on the planet. I had a clever, witty chat with Mr. Tree then asked him if he was looking for writers. I got the job and earned lots of money writing TV and print ads for Ford, Gallo wine, Oscar Mayer hot dogs and others.
I learned the “be slightly angry” trick when I had to ride New York City subways late at night when I went to Columbia University. Subways are a prime place to get mugged or killed. So I messed up my hair and looked pissed off. Nobody bothered me.
2. Never Tell Your Boss You Think Your Job is Stupid
I was given an assignment to write a TV commercial for Armour Hot Dogs. I wrote it in twenty minutes and, passing my boss in the plush reception area, gave him the script saying, “Here’s the crap.”
About five minutes later my boss, Jack Cromer, came to have a talk with me and said, “Sandy, this is a really good commercial. But next time you get an assignment, write it in twenty minutes but give it to me five hours later. I will like the commercial even more.”
3. The Corned Beef Trick
The producer of a hit ABC TV sitcom taught me this one. He had over a hundred sample scripts that agents wanted him to read for a Staff Writer job that was open.
One writer found out somehow that the Producer loved corned beef. She tied her sample script to a big corned beef and had it delivered to the Producer. He loved the beef and the creativity of the writer in “breaking through the clutter of competition.”
Her sample script was also good. She was hired. She made lots of money and had fun on a big network TV show. Discover the “corned beef” of the person you are trying to impress and bait your hook with that meat.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Sandy: Joseph Barbera was one of the four most impressive people I have met. He was the founder of Hanna-Barbera Studios. He co-created classic animated characters like The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and at least two hundred more.
I had the honor of working with Mr. B on several of his shows. He had great enthusiasm and energy in meetings, vital traits in any career. Mr. Barbera made people he worked with feel important. That was a big lesson. If you can make others feel important, you become more important. He was fun to work with and hang out with. If you can do that, you’re golden in any field.
I have spent time with three Presidents of the United States, but I would rather hang out with Mr. B. He fully enjoyed being alive and I always tried my best to follow his example.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Sandy: 1. Stand Out
Make yourself stand out from the crowd through your unique style.
Comedian and Saturday Night Live guest Andy Kaufman did lots of weird, creative things when he was a major star. At the height of his fame, Andy bussed tables at a small pancake restaurant in West Hollywood. Andy also pretended he had a split personality. One of the personalities was a sleazy bastard, Tony, who would show up for rehearsals when Andy got “sick.” Entertainment industry people talked about Kaufman and his wacky “schtick” and that brought him a lot of work.
2. Get Over Being Humiliated
Early in my career, I pitched story ideas to a profoundly stupid ABC TV animated show: The Little Clowns of Happy Town.
The story editor I pitched to, Chuck Lorre, was probably also humiliated to be working on this dumb, cheap clown show. If he wasn’t, he should have been. He rejected all my ideas. Humiliation descended on my brain chemistry. Early in my career, I was also humiliated when my story ideas were rejected by The Hello Kitty Show.
Chuck Lorre later became Executive Producer of The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, Mom and many other classic TV shows. He’s one of the most successful people in the history of television. I didn’t do as well as Chuck Lorre, but I got to write for much more prestigious shows than The Little Clowns of Happy Town.
I was rejected by clowns, Hello Kitty, and women. I got over it.
3. Get a Dog
Someone said, “If you want a friend in Hollywood… get a dog.”
I suggest a shelter dog, but all dogs are great! Studies have shown that they improve their human’s health and sense of well-being. Mark Twain once said, “Most dogs are better people than most people.”
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Sandy: BE DRIVEN LIKE A RAT BASTARD!!!
You must be driven like a supersonic son-of-a-bitch to achieve your goals. Nothing is going to stop you. You love the career you’re aiming for. You will do anything, within the boundaries of legality and morality, to reach your career goals.
When I was writing for Marvel’s animated Spiderman, I was super driven. While working on a Spidey script, I would meditate for a half hour before I started writing. Meditating made my writing more fun and more creative. I only ate extremely healthy food when writing a script since, I theorized, healthy food makes healthy brain cells which makes a great Spidey script.
Also, weirdly, I wore my “Lucky Writer’s Shirt” for the two weeks it took to write the teleplay. I did not wash this light blue plaid shirt for the full two weeks because I had a strong suspicion this would dissipate my writing ability.
For the two-week writing period, I did not pick up my mail, since bad mail might mess with my brain and hurt the script. I didn’t answer the phone, I just let it take messages, to keep my Spidey senses tingling and the real world out of Peter Parker’s better world. On the walls all around my apartment I hung posters of Spiderman, Doc Ock, The Vulture, Mary Jane and other characters to keep me locked into Peter’s world.
When I finished the script, I read it over and over, edited it many times. For flow, for compelling visuals, for punctuation, to punch up dialogue, and a dozen other things. I kept reading, editing, polishing, rewriting, rewriting again until my spider powers were drained.
On every script, I was driven like a rat bastard. You must be too if you want to make it in TV, movies or any other high stakes career. If you are not super tenacious, you might have a full, enjoyable life, but don’t plan on “playing with the big boys and girls.” You don’t read this kind of stuff often, but it’s a harsh reality.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Sandy: It’s a myth that everyone in Hollywood is running around snorting coke and shooting speedballs. The closest I ever came to doing bad drugs was before a big story meeting I had at Warner Brothers Studios. I was paid more money than I should have been to develop a movie idea given to me by a Warner’s executive.
Just before the meeting, I pondered what would happen if I went to Starbucks and chugged several espressos. Would I be sharper and more “in the zone” at the story meeting? I wondered. Then I did the espresso chugging experiment.
Soon after, at the Warner Brothers story meeting, I spoke at 200 MPH. I said, “Yeah, absolutely, yeah, I can do that”, to every outline change the studio executive suggested. I eagerly and super rapidly agreed to all the story notes the “suit” gave me, the good notes and the ones that would destroy story structure and characters.
Right after the meeting, I went to the men’s room and locked myself in a stall as the following thoughts ricocheted at 500 MPH through my on-fire brain: “What? What? What did I do? Feel like I’m gonna croak in a stall. I don’t feel nauseous, good. Might die. Bad. That meeting wrecked the story structure. I’m dying in a bathroom. Bad place to die. Can’t figure out how to do those notes. Still not nauseous. Good. Shit ... I’m nauseous.”
I never did that experiment again. I continued developing the outline and movie, but the movie never got produced ... destroyed by caffeine, stupidity and dumb, unworkable notes from Warner Brothers. There’s a secret no book will ever tell you ... don’t chug several espressos. Too much caffeine can kill you.
Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.
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