We recently connected with Liz Galvao and have shared our conversation below.

Liz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I studied screenwriting and filmmaking in college, at Vassar College and Prague Film School, and then afterwards, I studied sketch and improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. When I was first starting out, I was obsessed with reading books by writers and filmmakers and listening to podcast interviews with my favorite comedians. I was always hoping I would somehow get ahead by finding some secret formula to success. Absorbing all that wisdom was helpful, but it didn’t give me any shortcuts. The only way I’ve really developed as a writer is from a) writing a lot, and b) reading a lot. I never understand when someone wants to be a writer, but they don’t read. That’s their journey, I guess, but I personally improved so much more as a screenwriter when I started regularly reading scripts.

Liz, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a comedy writer, with a focus on screenwriting and humor writing. I love writing stories about complex people who are often their own worst enemies. I’m especially passionate about writing unruly women.

I started out doing improv and sketch comedy, and writing humor pieces for places like Reductress, McSweeney’s, and The Hairpin. I got a regular writing gig as Music Editor of BUST Magazine, then left after several years to work in content programming at CollegeHumor/DROPOUT and later, Funny Or Die.

I’ve been very fortunate this year in spite of the strikes. My dark comedy feature screenplay Hey Hun, about a woman who gets sucked into a fitness MLM, placed in four different competitions this year. A comedic web series I directed, Soft Boiled, just recently had its premiere. I also write an email newsletter, Like You Know Whatever, which has been going strong since 2014 and features my writing on pop culture, food, and personal stories.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A couple years ago my friend James Roehl asked me to direct a comedy web series he had written and would star in called Soft Boiled. Up until then, I had only ever directed things that I’d written myself. I would say my role models as far as directors have always been people with very strong visual styles–directors like Boots Riley, Wes Anderson, Tim Burton. I love camp and color and big design choices. But when I started talking about the project with James and his vision for it, it became clear that this project needed to be grounded firmly in reality, so the humor could shine through without distraction. I had to take a huge step back and realized that a lot of the time, great comedy doesn’t need much when you have good performers. Less really can be more sometimes.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Writers face so much rejection, it’s such an integral part of our lives from the very beginning of trying to get published or paid for our work. I think the fact that I haven’t quit and am still pursuing this art form however many years later is the best example of my resilience. I have seen a lot of people come and go, but if you don’t give up, good things can happen. As Jennifer Coolidge said, it’s not over ’til you’re dead.

Contact Info:

• Website: lizgalvao.com
• Instagram: @lizgalvao

Image Credits
Some photos by Ben Espiritu.