Like a number of other screenwriters, Toronto native Nadiya Chettiar first started out in the industry as an actor. Yet despite finding moderate success onscreen, appearing on such Canadian TV series as Little Mosque on the Prairie and The Best Years, Chettiar felt “there was something out there in the world that I thought I would be better suited for, but I didn’t know what that thing was.”

That ‘thing’ turned out to be writing. After the writers’ strike halted a number of productions in Vancouver in 2007 where she was living at the time, Chettiar turned to writing.

Her first stab at script writing was a radio play: “An obvious first step,” she laughs. This transformed into a desire to write for TV, “Probably because I grew up watching endless hours of television, and mostly half-hour sitcoms”. She used the radio play as a writing sample for an online writing course through Humber College in Toronto, and got in.

“And that was the beginning of me practicing to write for TV,” she recalls. “I wrote a few TV scripts in that program, which were terrible. From there I continued to write and take classes and grow. Because I had that experience as an actor, I had stayed in touch with writers and showrunners who I had a genuine connection with. When I was ready to transition into writing, I started reaching out to them.”

One showrunner was able to connect Chettiar with other young women writers who were also living in Vancouver.

“So I was beginning to network, and then when I had a good enough spec at the right time, one of those writers was able to connect me to a job.”

That job was her start as a script coordinator on the comedy series Some Assembly Required in 2013. She worked on the show for three seasons, climbing the ranks to writer, while also landing an additional writing gig on the series Package Deal.

Her gig on Some Assembly Required nabbed her a 2016 Leo Award nomination in the category of “Best Screenwriting in a Youth or Children’s Program or Series”, and now she is writing on the new single-cam series, Workin’ Moms, in addition to making the rounds in Los Angeles after a pilot script garnered her major traction and ultimately resulted in her obtaining representation.

Chettiar shares with Creative Screenwriting the importance of networking, what you should consider before signing with your first agent, and what really happens at one of those infamous “meetings” in L.A.

Do you feel like networking is helpful and imperative for a writer’s career?

One hundred percent, even though I’ve never been a person who likes to go to parties. But once I’ve realized that you can just go for a coffee with someone and be yourself and all you’re doing is talking about writing and TV, which are your passions anyway, then it all became so much easier.

I was starting to meet people who were like-minded, and so it was an easy network to start building. But, definitely, I tell everyone who wants to get into the industry to connect with anyone they know in the industry, or reach out to people in the industry and let them know that you’re a writer and starting out, and ask them if you can take them out for a coffee.

I swear that 99 percent of the time, they will say yes. I will say yes to anyone who wants to meet with me. That’s not an invitation for readers though [laughs].

But that’s how the industry works. If you take initiative and show that you’re eager and serious about pursuing this career, then that’s key. In L.A., since I got my agent, that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been taking meetings that she’s set me up on, which are exactly the same thing. They happen in offices rather than coffee shops, but you’re just talking about TV and who you are.

Let’s talk about those meetings. Everyone hears “Oh, I took a meeting.” So what does that mean exactly?

Generally, the nice thing about being a writer is that they’ve read you beforehand. So if you’ve got that meeting then these people have read your stuff because, somehow, your agent had forced them to [laughs].

So if they liked your stuff, then you get the meeting. The nice thing about that is that you’re coming in there with them already on your side because they think you have something to offer. So you’re going in there more relaxed. You’re like, “Oh, OK. You know about me. Now I get to find out more about you.”

These meetings are mostly with development execs at networks, and also some producers and directors who are at a level where they can get things made. These types of meetings are set up by your agents.

In those L.A. meetings, what are you discussing? Are you talking just in general terms about yourself and your projects?

It depends on the person. Because they’re “general meetings,” there is no real mandate to discuss anything in particular. I had one that went on for an hour-and-a-half and the woman with whom I met said she likes to just sit down with people and shoot the shit because she wants to know who you are. She wants to learn as much about you as she can in case of future projects.

She even said that if she only had a half hour with someone she would keep the conversation to learning about who the writer is because that’s her priority.

That makes a lot of sense to me. Once you’re on a job, you’re working really long hours, so they’re looking to see whether you’re a person who you could spend a lot of time with. Secondly, they want to know what’s unique about you and what you have to offer that they haven’t seen before.

How do you prepare yourself for these meetings?

I will get an email from my agents about who I’m meeting with, and what shows they cover. I’ll often be sent scripts as well. I’ll read the scripts and I always, always Google the person who I’m meeting with. You get to know their background, and you can naturally bring that into the conversation.

I think people like when you’ve done your research. It’s just about familiarizing yourself with the material and the people you’re meeting with.

If I’m pitching, then I’ll do that work plus my work, including notes and ideas for story and character arcs. I’ll write down my ideas and re-write them a couple of times to try and commit them to memory so I don’t have to rely on my notes in the meeting. My goal is to make the meeting as conversational as possible. Because I feel more comfortable that way.

Let’s talk about your spec script, for some context. What’s it about?

I wrote from my own perspective. It’s about my life. Like many other writers, I’ve been taught by mentors and industry people to “be unique” and “write your story.”

I attempted to write it in the past, but it just never came out properly. So as I approached this particular pilot, I really wanted to hone in on what makes my story unique.

Shows like Master of None were a huge inspiration because it was the first time I heard terms like “first generation” being used on TV. My parents were immigrants, and I have had so many conversations about being first generation with friends, but never wrote about it before.

So then I honed in on what was unique about my particular diversity. I’m half-Indian and half-Irish, and I knew there weren’t a lot of people talking about “mixed” identities yet. So that was an angle in.

Another thing that occurred to me, which felt important, was that if you’re not writing about love, then no one cares. Examining love is a huge part of life for a lot of people.

So all those things came together for the premise of the pilot. I wrote about my family, and I created the story where my little sister wanted an arranged marriage. It hit on the topic of love and hit on the topic of being half-Indian.

I think personal stories are what make the most exciting television out there.

And how did it get to L.A.?

After I wrote the pilot, I had my Canadian agent read it. Before then, I had my writing friends read it and give me notes.

My agent was trying to time when to send it out because of staffing season, which occurs around March to May. So we wanted to send it out before then. He submitted it to ten or so agencies in L.A. through his connections. And we got really lucky.

It got a really quick response from an agent. She was super positive about it, and I met her within the week. I left the meeting working with her. I was super impressed by her, and everything she’s accomplished, and she just got my number.

Writers are usually very eager to sign with anyone, but how important is it to wait and sign with someone who “gets” you rather than sign with the first person who wants to represent you?

I think it’s super important. When I was meeting with Canadian agents, I was able to meet with a few and pick the right one that fit me. And it was an incredibly hard decision to make.

I thought my experience with having had acting agents would make this decision easier, but it really didn’t. Writing agents are intimately involved with your work, and it’s a partnership.

By the time I was meeting with LA agents, I had been working with my Canadian agent for a couple of years, and a lot of trust had been built. So I had his advice and his 20 years of experience in the industry helping me, which was a major advantage.

Also, when I met with my LA agent, there was something interesting about her because told me she was making it her goal to bring more women and diverse writers into writers’ room. And I really do believe that she thinks having a diverse room will make TV better. So there were a lot of impressive things about her.

 

Do you get nervous before pitching?

Totally! But I’m so early in my career – and I can admit this is probably naïve –  that I feel like I have nothing to lose.

Of course, if I got hired to be on a show I would be so happy, and if I got to sell a show, I would be so, so happy. So I’m just happy with any outcome really [laughs].

Just being able to make these connections is awesome, and you really learn so much through these meetings. I don’t have the same approach as a producer, I mean, I am not trying to fulfil demands in the TV world when I write. So when I meet with people and they start talking about it in terms of development and how they see my work fitting the TV landscape, then it just becomes a great education.

 

Any tips on combating nerves?

I drink water in the meeting. It’s usually offered it, and I always take it. Whenever I feel nervous, I’ll have a sip of water. I often have thoughts like, “What am I doing here?” But that’s normal. I hope.

These are much more casual circumstances than auditioning, so I’m a lot more relaxed than when I was an actor. So that’s a bonus!

So what are you working on now?

I have a few pots on the stove. I don’t know which ones I will put on the front burner. But I am trying to mine more personal stories. It’s worked for me, and it’s what I’m interested in.

I tend to be very secretive about what I’m thinking about because I feel the more I talk about an idea, the less I want to write it. I think with writing, there’s an urgency to share your idea, but then when you do, the need to write it diminishes.

Do you feel that it was helpful to go out to L.A.?

I really think it is, if you can go and spend a month or so and immerse yourself. I got advice from another Canadian writer who didn’t see the value of spending a long time in L.A. She said if you go there, go for 7 to 10 days. Then people feel they have to get meetings with you because you’re leaving soon. If you’re hanging around, then they might not feel it’s urgent to meet with you.

I think there’s some truth to that, but I also think for your own writing, there’s an energy in L.A. to tap into. There’s so much creativity in that city, so you feel plugged in. L.A. is brimming with all this energy and I think it made my writing better.

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