Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachael Kelechi Caulker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rachael Kelechi Caulker, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I read a ton of scripts. I’ve worked at production companies, and at an agency. That comes with reading scripts and writing coverage on them. The sheer volume of scripts I’ve read over the years helped me to refine my taste. You begin to understand what’s good, bad, what has potential, and most importantly, why.

My formal education began at USC where I took screenwriting classes during undergrad. I later continued my education with a TV Writing Certificate at UCLA Extension. In those classrooms, I honed my craft. Learning everything from structure, world-building, and crafting complex characters.

By far, the best way to learn the craft of screenwriting is by sitting down and writing. Nothing excites me more than the blank page, and I’ve spent thousands of hours filling them up. Writing is rewriting. It’s cliche but it’s true. Yes, your first couple of drafts will be shit. But the more you write the better it will get. Always remember, writing is a marathon, not a sprint… unless you’re on deadline.

One thing I never do is write alone. I’m consistently getting feedback from the writers groups I’m a part of. I think writers groups are essential, not only do your fellow writers give you notes on how to make your script better. They give you deadlines to write to. Also, getting feedback throughout the writing process acts like a fail-safe, keeping you from straying off course. Writing can be a rather lonely endeavor. At times, it can feel as if you are writing in the dark with no sense of due north. Writers groups light your path.

Every writer has their own unique process, mine is this: first I have an idea. Then write the idea down on my computer and leave it alone. If I find myself thinking about the idea over the course of the next couple of weeks I know I have “something.” At this point I don’t know what that something is exactly, but I know it is something. Next, I write a one-pager that includes an image that represents the tone of the show or film, title, logline, and a couple of paragraphs that provide a brief overview of the main characters, plot, setting, and tone. The third part of my process is character work. I believe that the story should sprout out of the character so I like to really dig into my characters. I fill out lengthy character questionnaires to understand their history, what they want, and why they do the things they do. I like to ask myself questions like, if they were to enter a lecture hall, where would they sit? In the back, front and center, somewhere off to the side. Or, when they go to a bar, what’s their drink? Questions like these bring characters to life. Up next is a playlist. The music works to instantly drops me into the feeling tone of the script when I’m writing. Second to last is an outline. Lastly, I go to script.

Currently, I’m working on my third pilot, it’s a one-hour buddy cop police procedural dramedy. Tonally, It’s very different from my previous pilots, which are a high school sci-fi drama and a physiological horror. It’s been a learning curve, but I’ve had a blast and I’ve discovered that I’m pretty damn funny!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Daughter of West African parents, USC Marshall School of Business, Cinematic Arts minor grad, and self-proclaimed TV addict. She recently received her TV writing certificate from UCLA Extension.

ISA’s Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2023. Her psychological horror pilot, Check Out Time was ISA’s 2021 Horror/Thriller Grand Prize Winner, and was ranked in the top 5th percentile by WeScreenplay. Her pilot Save Crenshaw Save The World was a quarterfinalist in ScreenCraft’s 2021 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Competition. In 2020, she was selected to be a part of Marcus Gardley’s TV Writing Intensive. A highly competitive year-long writers workshop for which nine emerging writers of color were selected. Her Killing Eve spec was a top 10 finalist in the 2020 UCLA Extension Television Spec Writing Competition. She looks forward to bringing all things sci-fi, horror, fantasy & just plain weird to TV screens.

Rachael’s writing explores themes of trauma, tech, and otherness. Through story, she excavates the dark shadowy crevices of the mind, in an effort to bring that darkness into the light.

When she’s not typing up the next Emmy sweeper, you can find Rachael hiking Runyon Canyon with her shepherd-mix Foxy, reading books on metaphysics, or blasting the Bad Brains while going 71 mph in the speed lane.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

At one point in my journey, I left LA and moved back home. I felt like I had failed. I was “out here trying to make it” in LA and — I hadn’t. I spent a couple of days wallowing in my perceived failure before realizing — I hadn’t failed at all. My metrics of success were skewed. I had given myself a very short amount of time to achieve the goal of “breaking in.” Which takes some writers upwards of ten years. I sat down, wrote down my accomplishments, and realized that, in reality, I had made a great amount of progress toward my goals. As creatives the road to success is a winding one. It’s easy to get discouraged when reality is not tracking with your predetermined timeline. I learned that yes it’s important to set goals. But it’s equally important to leave room for life. When you do that things can and often do turn out better than you ever imagined. It’s important to give yourself grace along the journey. Remember that the journey IS the destination. Don’t forget to have fun, and write down your wins!

Going home turned out to be a huge positive. I had time and space to get perspective and write my second, and most successful original pilot. I returned to LA more equipped and determined to accomplish my goal than ever. After I moved back things began to fall into place, maybe because I wasn’t trying to force it, or maybe because it was just “time,”I feel it was both.

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

Don’t always listen to your parents. Being West African there’s definitely a list of approved career paths, and It’s rather short: doctor, lawyer, or engineer. I wanted something different. I knew in my heart that my purpose was to write. When I told my parents that I wanted to be a screenwriter it was not well received. I had to decide if I was going to listen to my parents or listen to my own intuition.

I knew that If I lived my life according to my parents’ idea of success, in the end, it wouldn’t matter what heights I reached in said career, it would end in dissatisfaction. So, I decided to forge my own path and bet on myself.

I’m so glad I did. I’ve had some great successes and met amazing people along the way. The journey hasn’t been without bumps in the road, but even when things get tough, I never question if I made the right decision. It’s in those difficult times that my passion for storytelling keeps me moving forward. Today, my parents are my biggest fans and supporters!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rachaelkelechicaulker.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaelkelechicaulker/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachaelCaulker