Where are you from and what inspired you to become a television writer?

I’m from a small suburb outside of Detroit, Michigan and ever since I can remember I’ve been watching a disturbing amount of television. I guess it’s because TV has been like a forbidden pleasure for me. Growing up, my house received a few over-the-air stations and I was allowed to watch only a couple hours a week. So I had to get creative. I still remember going over to my friend’s house and gorging in all night TV marathons. The writing bug didn’t really hit me until my freshman year in college. That’s when I saw Curb Your Enthusiasm for the first time, and it was like this magical door opened. I realized it took the neurotic genius of a guy like Larry David to breathe the heart and soul into one of my favorite series of all time, Seinfeld, and I just said to myself – I want to do that.

What Spec did you write to get into the workshop?

Southland

Who is your all time favorite television character and why?

At first thought, Fox Mulder, Dexter Morgan – and even though it’s still in season one, Carrie Mathison from Homeland – emerged as the front-runners. But then a voice kept echoing in the back of my mind. It was a low whisper at first, but then it became a raging battle cry: “Respect my authoritah… Respect my authoritah… RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!” The voice belonged to Eric Cartman from South Park. And the voice was right. I’ve never seen a character so driven by his mean-spirited, xenophobic, and narcissistic tendencies, but somehow, he still manages to be likeable and we root for him. That is TV magic to me.