Meet COM’s 2024 Writer in Residence, TV Screenwriter Stacy Traub
Emmy nominee will spend a week talking about writing in Hollywood
Stacy Traub was working odd jobs in Hollywood, including as a cocktail waitress, when she landed a gig as a writer’s assistant on the acclaimed 1990s sitcom, Mad About You. The entry-level position was just a paycheck to her at first; she had come to Hollywood from Toronto to make movies, after all.
“The minute that I got into the writers room, I fell in love with the collaboration,” Traub says. “I had no idea that’s how TV was written: you’re sitting around in this room, you’re problem-solving and you’re telling each other jokes. And I was like, this is the place to be.”
More than two decades later, Traub’s portfolio as a television writer and producer includes hits such as Glee, black-ish and the 2023 Prime series, Daisy Jones & the Six. Traub was nominated for two Emmy awards for her writing on Daisy and one as an executive producer on black-ish.
Traub comes to COM this spring as its second Writer in Residence, following 2023 resident John Archibald, a veteran columnist with the Birmingham News. From March 25 to 29, 2024, Traub will deliver lectures on writing for television in COM writing classes and host a “Writers’ Room” workshop. Traub will conclude her residency with a plenary lecture on March 26 at 7 p.m. in the Tsai Performance Center.
COMtalk spoke with Traub about becoming an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, why she wanted to be COM’s Writer in Residence and her optimism about the tough industry that chose her.
Q&A
With Stacy Traub
COMtalk: You’ve worked on some iconic television programs. Was there a moment when it hit you that you’re a screenwriter in Hollywood?
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COMtalk: What attracted you to the Writer in Residence opportunity at COM?
Stacy Traub: I love passing on knowledge. Coming up as a writer’s assistant, then staff writer and then going up the ranks, I really see the benefit of apprenticeship. And a lot of that has gone away in the industry. It’s part of what we were fighting for with this recent [writer’s] strike. I taught some classes when I was in L.A., I did a mentorship program called Imagine Impact. It was a development incubator, where I would have four writers, and they were each working on a pilot. And we’d go from beginning to end, writing a pilot and then also working on a pitch for the pilot. And I found it really satisfying to help people get their voice out there. I want to tell my stories, but almost more satisfying is helping other people find their voice and be able to tell their stories. So when this came up, it just seemed like a great opportunity to share my knowledge and my passion.
COMtalk: Given the difficulty Hollywood screenwriters have had protecting their work and livelihood, make a case for why a young person should consider the industry you’re in.
Stacy Traub: It is a difficult industry, but all industries are difficult to break into. If it’s your passion, and you love telling stories, then I think you don’t even have a choice—you have to do it. The upside is worth it. Everyone has to pay their dues, and everyone has their struggles. And I do think in some ways it’s really changed for the better. There are way more diverse voices. When I started in comedy, there were rooms where I was the only woman in the room; now, we have tons of female showrunners, and BIPOC showrunners, and different stories are being told. In some ways, it’s a better time to get in than when I got in.
