As the strike continues to crush the industry, the idea of throwing in the towel likely has crossed the minds of many. Former TV writer Patty Lin (Breaking Bad, Freaks and Geeks, Friends) actually took the leap in 2009 after industry toxicity overwhelmed her. “Artists are passionate about what they do, but I didn’t want that to take over my life in a way where I was sacrificing my mental health and relationships,” says Lin, who discusses her dishy new memoir. Also: how N.Y. and L.A. pickets differ (1:17), the chaos that awaits if and when the strike ends (6:03), the psychological turning point of Labor Day (2:45), and why streaming transparency could lead to more interesting star-driven projects (10:21).
Transcript here.
I quit Hollywood when the chance of writing a script for a movie I'd actually buy a ticket to see dried up. Now I write books about stuff I actually like, working with people who actually like promoting my success, and it turns out I make more doing that than the average WGA member makes writing crap they don't want to be publicly associated with. Bye bye Hollywood - I put it in my will that my nephew loses my copyrights if he ever sells one to the scumbags.
I was curious about her trauma. Why didn’t you ask her about that? Or maybe i missed it.