Showrunner Dean Batali shares how to be a successful writer and producer for network television in this interview with Phil Cooke. With a long career in Hollywood, Dean is known for That ‘70’s Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Good Witch, Ties That Bind, Nazareth, and Chonda Pierce: This Ain’t PrettyvilleTV movie. He’s also a co-writer of the book Watching TV Religiouslywrittenwith Kutter Callaway.   In this interview, he shares his story of breaking into Hollywood and offers tips for creatives interested in a career in film and television, plus specific helps for writers including getting your first script produced, pushing past writer’s block, meeting deadlines and the value of writing a spec script.   Here are a few highlights from the interview…   --The more you know what you want to do in the industry, the better. (i.e. line producer, showrunner, director) Figure out what you’re aiming at.   --If you want to be great in the kingdom of Hollywood, become a servant of all. (This attitude was key to helping him break in!)   --Don’t go into a meeting unless you’ve done your homework. (Check IMDb, Facebook, LinkedIn.) It gives you an opportunity to affirm people for their work.   --Breaking into Hollywood depends on talent, access and opportunity – but you’ve got to have the skills.   --Spec writing is still a necessary step before you write a pilot. When he’s hiring for a show, he wants to know if people can write the style he’s looking for.   --Dean relates Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule to writing with those hours equaling 10,000 pages.   --Forcing through deadlines can help make you a better writer. He believes that sometimes good enough is good enough! Just get your first 2-3 scripts done, rewrite a few drafts, but then move on.   --Learn to separate yourself from the work so you can take notes and rewrite as necessary without taking it too personally.   --Be ready for a lot of rejection in Hollywood. Keep producing; be a self starter and if necessary, be ready to shift your dreams.   Find Dean Batali on IMDb here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0060678/?ref_=nv_sr_1 Follow Dean Batali on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deanbatali   Check out these books mentioned in the interview… “Watching TV Religiously” by Kutter Callaway with Dean Batali https://amzn.to/2FkWf43   “One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born To Do” by Phil Cooke https://amzn.to/2Y67CEr   “Creativity, Inc.” by Ed Catmull https://amzn.to/2FlePJm   For more tips on TV, film and Hollywood, visit Phil’s blog at https://www.philcooke.com   Get a free eBook on Creativity! Sign up for Phil’s blog at https://www.philcooke.com   Listen to the Phil Cooke Podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/philcookes-podcast/id1439369056    Find out more about Cooke Media Group here: https://www.cookemediagroup.com   Visit Phil Cooke’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzivfiicpepFmAv5ZblgYWQ