I want to get into all of your amazing accolades, of course, but first, there’s important business to take care of. You’ve spent time in Philadelphia and I also grew up in the Philly area. What is your favorite cheesesteak spot?
I actually only lived in Philadelphia until I was nine years old, and then my dad moved us to Baltimore to try and get us out of the hood. The Wire wasn't out then, so he had no idea what we were walking into. I spent time in Germantown though, but I never really spent enough time there to find a favorite cheesesteak spot. I know Pat’s is one of the big ones and there are a few other popular places, but my friend took me to a hole-in-the-wall place once and that was probably the best I’ve had.
It’s always those types of spots that are the best actually. Do you feel that spending time in cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore has helped you persevere and succeed in navigating a rather difficult industry?
Definitely, living in Baltimore and Philly for a bit taught me to work hard and made me a little tougher. Being from the East Coast, I think people have a bit more hustle in them. When I moved to LA, I think I learned how to slow down a bit. But I think my upbringing totally shaped me and the way I approach my work.
What is the largest obstacle you faced in your pursuit of becoming an animation producer and writer, and how did you power through that?
I tried everything when I got to LA. I was editing, writing, producing, and acting — I wanted to do anything that would get me ahead. At one point, I had written and produced 2 independent films before trying to pursue tv writing. I was in a movie with Kevin Hart on Netflix, so I thought getting into tv writing would be easy — it wasn’t. I still had to go back to the beginning and start from scratch. I took a writing course and really focused on my writing and started to build back up from the bottom. There was a time when I almost gave up and went back home; I was struggling to pay rent and didn’t think it was going to happen for me, so I’m glad I kept going.
You say that the indie movies didn’t exactly help you in the way you thought they would, but did the making of them still teach you valuable lessons?
Definitely — I learned how to run a team and how to fund a project. All of the things that are important to know in general in the entertainment industry. So it ended up paying off anyway.
The logistics. That’s definitely valuable, even if the path you took wasn’t what you thought it would be. Can you give an example of an episode or segment of writing that you are most proud of?
I wrote a movie that came out in theaters. I actually cringe when I watch it now, but seeing it there was probably my proudest moment. I did the acting thing once and I don’t need to do that again.