Film & TV Writer Arden Pryor

10 Questions For TV and Film writer: Arden Pryor

TV and Film writer, Arden Pryor is from down under and now makes career path and his way to Hollywood. We had a chance to sit down with him and ask him all about his career and creative vision for success in Hollywood.

How did you get started writing for TV?

I’ve always been involved with writing, whether it was articles, stand up or prose. I guess the first break in writing for TV was getting an internship on Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell – a half hour comedy talk show. Tarni James, an ABC Executive Producer in Australia, did a talk at my Screenwriting course. She had plenty of advice for industry newcomers but the thing that caught my attention was that she loved people with gumption. So after her talk, I gave her a call and asked if I could do an internship with her. She liked my confidence and wanted to help. She wasn’t working on any comedy projects at the time, but set up an internship with Shaun Micallef’s show. I remember a few crew people were wondering how I managed to get my internship as they’d been trying to get friends on it for years. They were surprised that I’d reached out to an ABC executive for an internship. This time gumption and a bit of luck paid off.

What is your background?

I was born in communist Romania and came to Australia in the 80s as a refugee. I think my Dad applied for Canada originally but we were rejected and moved to Sydney, Australia. I struggled with speaking English but oddly had a natural aptitude for writing. I remember when the other kids were writing one paragraph stories I was already writing multiple pages. I just loved stories and since it was the easiest way for me to communicate, I leaned into it. As an adult I’ve lived in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Vancouver, Toronto, London, New York and Los Angeles.

Career wise, I started writing from an early age. As a teenager I wrote stories for men’s magazines under a nom de plume and wrote erotic stories. Then I went on to write lifestyle comedy articles for gay men’s magazines in the UK and Australia. While I was in London I also had a short story published as part of a book anthology. I loved making people laugh, so I eventually started doing acting and stand-up comedy. I was a pretty good character actor, I even played Rebel Wilson’s mother in her first Australian show. Eventually I realized the screenwriting was the natural form for me and gradually phased out the stand up and prose writing.

How is TV in Australia different from TV in America?

Vastly different. Firstly, most of TV in Australia is actually reality TV. Shows like The Biggest Loser are on six times a week and most of the prime time schedule is full of reality TV competitions, dating shows or news panel shows. ABC (and SBS to a lesser extent) is the only broadcast channel that broadcast mostly narrative programs in prime time. Foxtel (cable TV) also do narrative TV but to a much lesser extent. The funding model is very different in Australia too with government sponsored funding bodies controlling where development money is spent. I could probably write a thesis about the differences to be honest. At the end of the day, it’s a much smaller pond with fewer opportunities. Screenwriters aren’t very well respected and very few shows have adopted the Showrunner model. In fact, the Australian equivalent of the Emmy’s does not even have a writing category.

How do you come up with your ideas for your shows?

It really varies and can be a mixture of things. Sometimes real life events or people, sometimes dreams. I have very vivid dreams. My strength is definitely in characters, especially female characters. I tend to start with characters but I’m working more on crafting high concept first then populating them with characters since I know characters come easy to me. I have a pretty heavy development slate and work on several projects concurrently. My problem isn’t coming up with ideas but deciding which ones to run with.

I’m also great at being given a set of guidelines and then developing a show. For example, Fix Her Up was developed because a network was specifically looking for a female ensemble sitcom.

Generally, when developing I have a one for them, one for me system. The one for me tend to be less commercial but resonate deeply with me on a level and the one for them are usually more commercial ideas.

What TV shows are your favorite and which do you watch presently?

This is a hard one as I watch a lot of TV. I watch nearly every pilot that comes out just to get an idea of what is in the zeitgeist at the moment. Australian wise I think Rosehaven and Wentworth are my two favorite shows. US wise, I love sitcoms. Especially the ones bringing in more serialized elements like Mom. I’ve always had a soft spot for multi cams even though they are out of fashion at the moment. Other comedy shows I’m watching are Big Bang Theory, American Housewife, Will and Grace, Younger, Teachers, The Good Place and Modern Family. Drama wise I tend watch a lot of sci-fi, so Star Trek: Discovery, The Orville, Gifted, Timeless, Westworld, GoT, and Man in the High Castle. Also loving This Is Us and new show Runaways. I told you there was a lot.

How have you seen TV change in the past 10 and 20 years?

In Australia, the changes have been bad with more and more reality TV replacing narrative TV. Which is a real shame as we have so much talent here. In USA, I think things have really opened up. It’s not just about the five main commercial networks, now you have cable and you have the streaming channels. Shows are also becoming more and more serialized. However, there is a growing trend towards adapted materials and film like concepts.

What is your background in reality TV?

I nearly ended up on a season of Big Brother. I went with a friend to support him in the audition process and accidentally made it through to the final phase. I think the fact that I didn’t really care made me seem more desirable. Like a half interested blind date. There are a handful of reality TV shows I do enjoy like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Project Runway. Personally, I’ve never worked in reality TV. I’ve considered it as there is a lot of work in Australia but once you go into reality TV, you tend to pigeonholed.

What is your background in episodic TV?

My background is primarily in half hour comedy. Fix Her Up has been my biggest show to date. I also write high concept drama but I tend to keep the two separate, as people tend to doubt you when they find out you can write both. Truth is though, I you can write comedy, you can write drama but not necessarily the other way round as joke writing is a skill in itself. I’ve got a few things in development at the moment. Two of which are getting a bit of buzz. One is a proposed co-production between the USA and Australia. I also direct, it’s not something I actively pursue but I’ve done a few live shows and actually directed the pilot for Fix Her Up. I find the fact that I’ve had all these different hats in my career – actor, screenwriter, producer etc – actually helps a lot when Directing as I’m more aware of what everyone else is experiencing. It helps me communicate better with my team.

What is your ultimate goal in Hollywood?

In the short term, I would like to get some co-productions up between USA and Australia. I think there are a lot of crossover potentials and I have a particular project, which I think would work in both markets.

Ultimate goal is to be a super-Showrunner like Shonda Rhymes, Greg Berlanti and Ryan Murphy. I’m one of the few screenwriters, who genuinely enjoy producing almost as much as writing. I just love bringing shows to life. Even if it’s not my baby, I’m happy to be the midwife. Or Doctor? I haven’t really thought the analogy through.

Do you think Hollywood’s take on Australia is pretty accurate in movies?

Yes and no. Most of the Australians depicted in USA TV and films are beautiful white easy-going beach people. Sure there are Australians like that, but Australia is also very multi-cultural. We come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Australia isn’t an island of blonde models. Sorry to disappoint but the postcards lie.