Santa Monica College, with Humanitas, hosts ‘Break Into TV Writing’
In conjunction with Humanitas, a nonprofit organization that serves to honor and empower film and television writers, Santa Monica College held a panel on March 9 where working screenwriters from shows such as “Abbot Elementary” and “The Simpsons” shared their knowledge on how to break into the screenwriting industry.
The Q&A was greeted by a crowded auditorium, as well as a livestream run by SMC students, all eagerly waiting to hear from working screenwriters in the TV industry.
Moderated by Jackie Penn, a screenwriter known for her work on “Ginny and Georgia,” opened the discussion by introducing panelists Cesar Mazariegos, co-executive producer on “The Simpsons;” Stephanie McFarlane, co-executive producer on “FBI:” Rebekka Pesquiera, staff writer on “Abbott Elementary;” and William Yu, story editor on “Brilliant Minds.”
All four panelists emphasized the importance of having a spec script — a sample script of an existing show to give to potential employers — and the difference attending a writer’s fellowship can make for a screenwriter’s career.
“I got in through the HBO writer’s fellowship and I got it in the last semester of NYU undergrad. Me and my writing partner applied and we got in… and so we graduated, we moved and we finished the program, we had to write a pilot in that program and the pilot we wrote. The head of the fellowship got really excited by it and she helped us get signed and then through our agent we got our first job which was staff writers on ‘Legacies’,” McFarlane said.
The panelists offered advice they had for those approaching writing as a second career.
“As someone who got into the industry after 30… I think that you kind of have to be open to, like you're coming in and learning and being open to learn and being like, ‘okay, this is a new industry and I have to be able to maybe sometimes start from the bottom,’” Penn said. “I was set PA when I first started and then I was in production for a few years, then I got a job as writing support staff so just being open… and being okay with that.”
In response to a student’s question about work ethic, Yu said, “I guarantee you guys are all working on a project and you have a scene or like a story in the project that you don’t want to get that raw about because you're like ‘what if your mom reads this? What if my boyfriend reads this?’... My advice would be to please steer into all that fear. Just leap. Because I guarantee you if you are willing to go there in your writing, if you are willing to put yourself out there… and you're able to put that onto the page, someone in this business is going to read that...Everyone is just out there telling secrets to each other, and you're telling it because you know there are people who are going to be there to catch you when you share it.”
The Q&A was followed by a mixer where attendees were able to speak with panelists in a more casual setting. They continued to offer advice to students and faculty while discussing upcoming projects.
While enjoying dessert and beverages, SMC students mentioned how they enjoyed the event and would likely attend similar ones in the future if they were the same quality.
An SMC student studying animation and digital art mentioned she didn’t have an interest in screenwriting at all, but wanted to understand how to plan out writing projects due to the comic she plans on creating. She was especially inspired by William Yu’s statement about following your heart and not being scared to share your voice even when people may not agree with what you have to say.
Humanitas will host two additional workshops at SMC during the remainder of the Spring semester: one on May 2, 2026, and another on May 5, 2026. They also have numerous fellowships for students to apply for through April 6, 2026, and more information can be found on their website.