Meet Connor Pritchard | Coach for Screenwriters and Storytellers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Connor Pritchard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Connor, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I got sick of being stuck in development hell! It takes over a year to sell a TV show and you have to assemble a skilled crew and a perfect ship while braving the turbulent seas of Hollywood. I started OnlyWriters because I’ve been stuck in development hell for the last few years and really struggling to find my path as a creative. I was attaching great actors and directors to my projects and getting scripts very close to greenlights and pickups, but nothing was crossing the finishing line. Then I sold a dream project, but it unexpectedly unraveled in pre-production, I lost it. It was my Hollywood breaking point. I Hulked-out and punched my steel refrigerator, leaving a giant grapefruit-sized dent. Low point. My lovely, life coach wife made me get a life coach to figure out a new path (that did not involve punching our appliances). Over a year of coaching, I unpacked a lot of anger and frustration that I was harboring about the dysfunctional politics of Hollywood. I realized that all of my frustration and failures was not something to be ashamed of, but something that could empower and guide other writers. So I started a private social media site for screenwriters and storytellers that offers coaching and community. It’s not really focused on how to become a better writer, it’s more for people are who pretty damn good at writing, but don’t know how to get things made. There’s never been a better time for a group of writers to band together and find a new way to write, develop, fund and release our own projects. And that is the big goal for our community.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love stories about how people broke into Hollywood, but I can say with 100% certainty that no one’s is weirder than mine. I wrote and produced a web series in an old porn studio in Chatsworth, CA where my crazy uncle was running a boiler room. My writing partner and I had no idea we were squatting in the weight room/office of a criminal enterprise. When we sold Workaholics to Comedy Central, everyone at the boiler room started to get investigated by the FBI. It was a wild time. We went off to make a show and they all went to jail. Since then, I’ve sold a few other projects and became a showrunner on my second show. Now I am a writing instructor for the Warner/HBO writing fellowship, running a private social media site for writers and still trying to sell a project here and there, but mostly focused on coaching creatives. Over the course of my career, I’ve experienced just about every form of success and setback, so it really helps me mentor up and coming writers through the ups and downs of their careers. My goal with OnlyWriters is to prevent writers from making the same mistakes that I did while formulating a solid career strategy to break into this crazy business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Great question. I lived all over Los Angeles from Topanga to Silverlake, but right now I’m living in Elysian Valley, so I’ll focus on my favorite East-Side spots. We would wake up and go for a walk around the secret stairs in Echo Park and go get breakfast in a little greenhouse at Lady Bird Cafe. Then we’d either go on a hike through Elysian Park, go to DTLA Orange Theory class or do a few laps around the Silverlake Reservoir. Once we worked up our appetites, I would take them to Guisado’s on Sunset Blvd for a sampler platter of tacos and an ice cold Topo Chico. Then we’d head down to the Last Bookstore downtown and I’d do a little bit of bibliotherapy for my friend, asking them about where they’re at in life and proscribing them a few custom-tailored book recommendations. I used to host a bibliotherapy experience on Airbnb at Book Soup in Hollywood. It’s my real dream job. Then we’d head back to my house, stop at Tilda to grab some wine and Cookbook to grab some supplies for dinner. I’d host a big dinner on my deck (I love to cook) with a few other writers and directors and maybe we’d take a mushroom stem or two as the sunset is dropping over the city and I’d put on some Khruangbin (my wife’s really good friends). The next day, I’d take them for Thai massages in Thai town and drive them out for lunch at The Reel Inn on PCH, take a dip in the ocean and go up to the Inn at the Seventh Ray for a weird Topanga dinner and nightcap at my friend’s Yurt compound up there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes to my mentor and creative guru, Steve Pressfield (aka Uncle Steve). Steve’s book, The War of Art, changed my life when I read it at 24 years old, and it lives on my left arm as one of my many book tattoos. I emailed Steve and invited him to a dinner after I sold my first show (Workaholics), and Steve and his amazing agent and editor, Shawn Coyne both showed up! It was one of the best nights of my life and I got to hang out with the Gandalf of writing. He was so kind and genuinely interested in my journey as a writer. Every time I start coaching an up and coming writer, I make sure they’ve read The War of Art because it’s step #1 for becoming a storyteller.

Website: onylwriters.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connorpritchard/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connor-pritchard-96a7a223/

Image Credits
Design by Conor Buckley Art (http://conorbuckley.com/)