Breaking into the entertainment industry can be tough, especially for aspiring screenwriters. But according to veteran comedy writer and producer Matt Roller, experience, patience and openness to discovery are just as essential as raw talent.
Roller, whose credits include “Community,” “Rick and Morty,” and “The Goldbergs,” spoke with us ahead of the release of his new Netflix series, “Haunted Hotel,” which was released by Netflix this month.
“I don’t think I was very self-aware in college,” Roller admitted. Describing his participation in various clubs and extracurricular activities throughout his schooling, he recounted how he came to an important realization upon graduation: many of the most important aspects of his university experience had to do with comedy. After a few years of trying his hand at writing and stand-up, a bit of luck finally came his way.
“I won a writing contest … The press release from that got me agents,” he explained. “I didn’t get a job for a year and a half after that, but when I did, it was on ‘Community,’ the NBC show.”
Roller described how he hadn’t initially considered television writing as a path. “I was in school, it was the peak of The Office and 30 Rock and Parks and Rec. And I thought those were all awesome. It did not occur to me, for whatever reason, that maybe I could do that. It was only as I left school that it started to click for me that that would be a whole lot of fun, and I think I could be good at it!”
Since then, Roller has written for a wide range of shows, from network sitcoms to adult animated series. As Roller explained, an important part of working in the entertainment industry is being able to strike a balance between imposing one’s own personality on the material and respecting the basic tone and world of the project (in this case, a comedy show).
He further emphasized how each experience shaped his craft and helped him develop his voice. “Taking experiences that may not seem that appealing to you, that are outside of what you think your voice is important,” he said. “In terms of my career resume, I bet there’s not that much overlap between the audience for ‘The Goldbergs’ and ‘Archer.’ They’re very different shows. In order to write on both of them, accurately, successfully, you have to explore and practice using different parts of yourself, and I think all of that is really good experience for figuring out who you are and what you want to write…”
“Haunted Hotel”
That journey culminated in Roller’s current project, “Haunted Hotel.” Taking the basic premise of strangers unknowingly moving into a haunted locale, the series is as much about the world of the hotel and its characters as the jokes and funny situations they get themselves into. As a longtime horror fan, Roller wanted the show to be a playground for all kinds of stories, similar to how “Rick and Morty” explored hard science fiction through a comedic lens.
“I could not define my voice sensibility until I started working on ‘Haunted Hotel,’” Roller reflected. “That’s where it became clear, given the chance to write whatever I want, oh, this is what I write, you know? That’s where it kind of crystallized.”
Even now, Roller continues to refine his skills through side projects: pilots, features and other scripts written in his spare time. For students hoping to follow a similar path, his advice is simple: gain experience, both in writing and in life.
“This won’t sound like encouragement, but it is,” Roller laughed. “I don’t know any working TV writers who are younger than 25 … You need experience both as a writer and in life. I think some people come into it (screenwriting) with a very clear perspective, and things they want to say, and a way they want to say it, but I think what might be more common and is more realistic for a lot of people, is it’s experience-based … It is often a long road, but all the experiences you have will inform your writing and make it better.”
For those interested in trying their hand at writing for the screen, The U’s very own Film Production Club is having a Script Competition, with a submission deadline of October 6. And for students interested in checking out “Haunted Hotel,” the whole first season can be watched at Netflix.
