121 - Jim Galasso (Lost, Hawaii Five-0, Beyond)

What if you get a non-writing job in the industry, and then thrive in that job... how do you break in to the entry level in TV writing? Find out this week, as host Gray Jones interviews Script Anatomy instructor Jim Galasso.

Jim Galasso spent his formative years obsessed with writing plays, making short movies and watching Eddie Murphy and the "Rocky" franchise on loop. His love of storytelling led to writing for the local newspaper (The Connecticut Post), and later for a nightly news show, "Up To The Minute" on CBS.

After graduating from Northeastern University, Jim moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting. He worked in reality and documentaries at World of Wonder Productions, eventually becoming Head of Development, composing an endless stream of show proposals. But his desire was always scripted TV, and eventually Jim landed at Lost (ABC). He started as Writers' PA, was promoted to Writers' Assistant, then bumped to Staff Writer on the Emmy award winning show's final season.

Jim has since written for Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) and the sci-fi family series Beyond (Freeform). He has also done uncredited rewrites on pilots and worked on series treatments. Jim writes pilots spanning many genres, from sci-fi to political thrillers, with the special focus on character interaction and sharp dialogue. Look hard enough and you'll even see the Eddie Murphy and Rocky influences. Or at least get a montage with a fresh synthesizer beat.

Jim tells us all about the two courses he currently teaches at Script Anatomy - the TV Structure Lab and the TV Pilot Lab (which is coming up February 1st). These fill up fast, so if they interest you, book early!

Follow Jim on Twitter: @JGJR22 

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Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.