A TV Writer’s Journey: The Relentless Hustle and the People Who Bring You Along – Interview with Jimy Shah

Jimy Shah is a TV comedy writer who grew up in Atlanta, went to NYU, and made her way to Los Angeles. Her latest project—being in the writers’ room as an executive story editor on the upcoming AppleTV+ series, “Stick,” starring Owen Wilson and Marc Maron, scheduled for a June 4th release date. Jimy has also developed with 20th Television, Paul Feig’s Powderkeg, Hyde Park, and ShivHans. She’s written for Max, Peacock, Sony, and Disney.

We had a great conversation about how she got started, from film school through becoming a mid-level writer, finding her voice, and building a career.

Sarah Granger: How did you first become interested in writing for TV, and comedy in particular?

Jimy Shah: I grew up watching everything I could. As a kid, we didn't have cable, so we just watched everything from sports to sitcoms to cartoons to whatever else was on broadcast TV at that time. I’m also Indian, so we watched a lot of Bollywood movies growing up. I loved “masala” movies, which are movies that have a little bit of everything—comedy, music, melodrama, action.

But my love for comedy really came from my dad. He was really into standup and comedy movies. He loved Eddie Murphy and The Three Stooges. I even watched Richard Pryor as a kid, which in hindsight was probably not the most appropriate thing, but that exposed me to a lot of different voices as a young person. But as I got older, I remember really being into “The Office,” “Seinfeld” and “Arrested Development.” I didn’t realize how big of an impact these experiences would have.

SG: You went the film school and internship route. It’s not easy to get into NYU or to become an intern at places like Oxygen Media and SNL. What do you think it was about you, or your skillset, that got you in those doors?

JS: Getting into NYU was—I don't want to call it a fluke, because I worked really hard in high school—but it was surprising. In high school, I realized I didn’t want to be a pharmacist or whatever people expected of me. I really loved movies and television and wanted to go to film school. But I’m Indian-American with immigrant parents, so the people in my life—even my teachers—thought I was joking. They had no awareness of the entertainment business.

I applied to NYU by making a short doc about the pressures to conform as a teenager. I got all my friends to be in it and shot it with a camcorder. I had to use whatever editing software came with the actual camera to cut it. Do you remember that?

SG: Yeah, it was clunky.

JS: Yeah. It was not what Scorsese was using! But my brother helped me cut it together, and I was really proud of it. As for the essays, I wrote from the heart about why I wanted to be a filmmaker—I wanted to tell stories about the people I never saw on screen, the people I knew. My dad got the acceptance letter before I did, and he was like, “what's this?” A lot of convincing needed to happen.

I showed up at NYU and everyone was like, “Oh, here’s my Macbook and Final Cut Pro,” and I was like, “What are those things?” So it was definitely a learning curve. But I can't hide my passion and my excitement for something. I feel like I've had that since I was a kid, and it’s been an asset for me. Some people are trying to look cool all the time, and I don't know how to do that.

And then, in terms of internships—my parents had a big influence in my life. My dad especially, because he didn’t understand what this career was. He kept asking if I could get a job from it. I knew I needed to find a job or an internship in order to plant that seed right away for him, so I started interning my freshman year and that was very helpful.

My film school education was really geared towards craft and artistry, finding your voice, and shaping who you are as a creative.  But the other side of that is: How do you make money? How do you become professional? Having those internships helped me learn a lot of skills that can take time to build. Do you know what I mean?

SG: Absolutely. I worked during college. My parents wanted me to not work and focus on my studies, but I was like, “How am I supposed to get a job after college if I haven’t had one in college?”

JS: Yeah, and there's an entire industry here that's not just directors, actors, and writers, and I was like “What else is everybody doing?” So it was a great way for me to explore and learn how to do a bunch of different things. I worked at a post house as an intern, I worked in the marketing department at Oxygen, I worked at SNL in the photo department, which is where my love of photography came from.

And because I was a student—and at the time, nobody got paid for their internships—I just got to do a lot of things, meet a lot of people, and gain a lot of experience. I could learn and fail with low stakes. It was a great training ground. But also—pay your interns.

SG: Seriously. Did you feel like film school prepared you for work in the industry?

JS: I would love to be a fly on the wall in film school now. There’s just so much more technology at your fingertips now to tell stories and meet people. But for me, choosing a school like NYU was calculated because I had no access to the industry. There was very little happening that was industry related in Atlanta when I was growing up in the 90s. Now it’s very different. But I took a TV class at NYU and learned how TV was made. I got the sense of all the work involved, building end to end. Then through the alumni program, I met a mentor who has been a big help.

SG: Did your parents come around to understanding your career intentions?

JS: I needed a plan to support myself after college, so I moved back home to the suburbs of Atlanta for a year. At the time, I felt like a failure. When I look back at that time, I realized I was being too harsh with myself. But back in the suburbs, nobody in my family understood how the industry works, so it was hard to answer their questions.

During that time, I was still trying to stay engaged with the industry. I was making shorts, starring my family and friends, and applying to competitions. I’d go to the Atlanta Film Festival events to network and try to PA for the movies that were now starting to shoot in Atlanta. But to make a living, I was also working at Barnes and Noble, the Gap, and a nonprofit arts organization with an incredibly understanding boss.

I was trying to save as much money as possible, because in my head I kept thinking “I gotta figure out how to get back to New York.”

I mean, I was still applying to jobs in New York. I would use my friends’ addresses on my resumes and fly up on the weekend on standby. If I had an interview on a Monday, I'd go to the airport on a Saturday at 6 a.m. I'd sit there until I could get a flight to New York and then I'd stay on my friend’s couch, go to the interview, and I'd tell them I could start in two weeks. I was determined, because all I could think was that my career in Hollywood can’t be over before it even started.

I was relentless. My dad saw me go through this process and realized I just wasn’t going to give up. And to be honest, I’ve been like this my whole life, but I think that was the moment where he was like, “This is who Jimy is—she’s going to figure it out.” And I did. After about a year, I landed a job back in NYC.

SG: And when did comedy come into the picture?

JS: It wasn't until I actually started working at my first industry job out of college that I realized I wanted to be a comedy writer. I was back in NYC working in marketing at BET in their promo department where I started off as a production assistant, then associate writer producer, and then eventually writer/producer.

Part of the job was coming up with marketing campaigns for the launch of a show. As a writer/producer you’d pitch a concept for the campaign, write short form scripts, shoot it with the actors from the show, go through all the shoot footage, cut together a trailer with the help of an editor, and make sure it gets on air. It was like a boot camp on how to make content from start to finish.

One of my first projects as an associate producer was helping to launch a brand new scripted comedy at the time. It was a pretty high-profile project, and I wanted to prove myself, so I threw my hat in the ring. I was basically like, “I’m a 5-ft-tall girl named Jimy, I’ve had to learn to be funny to survive in this world. Let me be a part of this project.” And my bosses did! The show was called “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” starring Kevin Hart.

So I would fly to L.A., be in a hotel room, and crank out a bunch of 30-second scripts that were essentially jokes with a setup, a punchline, and some tune-in information. Then we’d go to set and shoot them, and we’d workshop the jokes with Kevin. “This is funny” or “what if we punched this up here.” It was like this super unique comedy masterclass. I did that for three seasons, and in the process, really started falling in love with comedy.

And that's when I started doing stand up and where I found my voice. I really loved making people laugh. I loved writing jokes. It was at that moment where I realized, “Oh, this is what I was meant to do.”

And I wouldn’t have had that moment of clarity if I hadn’t taken the BET job, which I was recommended to by someone I worked with during my Oxygen internship. Working at BET was a pivotal moment for me. Everyone was allowed to be creative, even if they weren’t in creative jobs. And I got to see women and people of color making decisions in all kinds of positions. It was really empowering.

SG: Was that when you moved to L.A.?

JS: I was kind of reckless about moving to L.A. I think instinctively, I just know when something's not right for me, or if I need to move on, and I have to act on it. There was a moment, where I just knew I needed to shake things up. I woke up on a Tuesday or something, and I was like, “I'm gonna leave my job.” And I put in my two-weeks’ notice.

But I didn’t move to L.A. right away. I had just started seeing my now fiancé, and I wanted to see where things would go. But something was still calling me to L.A., so I just picked a date to move. I had been telling people for years I was going to do it. I was tired of not doing the thing that I said I was going to do.

So I moved August 15th, 2016 to Los Angeles. August 15th is India’s Independence Day from the British, and I decided it would be my independence from NYC. (I was very dramatic back then.) But yeah, I just showed up in L.A. I didn’t have a job or a car. I was doing long distance. I was subletting a place from a friend of a friend for a few months. And I had to figure it out. I was very fortunate to have a lot of support from my friends, my partner, and my family and knew I could always move back home if everything went to shit. Which is a privilege, not everyone has that.

After that, I did a lot of side quests—that’s how I would describe that time in my life. I did a lot of random stuff until 2019, where I feel like my writing career took off.

SG: When did you start doing stand-up? And how did that inform your writing?

JS: When I was working at BET on the Kevin Hart show, just being adjacent to that world, I started watching more stand-up. And then the more seasons I worked on the show, I started to feel compelled to get on stage. So I started going to open mics and doing shows. I loved making people laugh, but it was also making me a stronger writer as I was getting feedback in real-time. When you’re on stage performing, you’ll know right away what’s working and what isn’t.

Stand-up helped me find my literal voice. I grew up very introverted and shy, and it wasn’t until I got up on the stage and started talking about my family, my dating life, and being honest and raw, that it really opened up my world. I learned what it was like to really be your authentic, true self and how to bleed on to the page. As a South Asian woman, I’d felt caught between culture and family, while trying to make my dreams come true, and I started exploring that in my writing and in my comedy. It was very organic and exciting.

One of the samples that I wrote around that time is how I landed my manager and my first writing job. Write what you know. Write who you are right now. Write that thing that’s going to be your calling card.

SG: Okay, so one of the questions commonly asked is how did getting repped happen? What was the process like in your case?

JS: I got my manager in 2019 through the showrunner mentor I mentioned that I met through a career alumni program at NYU. He and I initially met in 2014 and we stayed in touch through the years, and he had read my stuff.

One Monday in 2019, we met up for breakfast. He asked me what I was up to and what I wanted to be doing. I told him I was still working in marketing and that I wanted to transition into writing. He said “I’m gonna introduce you to my manager. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be repped. No promises. But have a conversation with her.” By that Friday, I was repped by her. So I am forever grateful to him.

SG: That's awesome. I love that story. So how did you get hired for your first writers’ room?

JS: Before I got hired for a room, I was a part of an incubator. When I first moved to L.A., I met up with a writer I had met on Twitter several years ago—Sameer Gardezi. He’s a talented writer and an amazing human being. He started this initiative called Break the Room. The way it works is that Sameer, alongside a group of producers, would partner on the development of a project with a diverse perspective. They would then go out and bring together a group of writers, including a head writer, to develop the bones of the project in a mini-room over the course of a week.

The initiative developed several projects, including “East of La Brea,” which featured Muslim-American women writers from Los Angeles. There was also a project based on the Pacific Islander community that Dwayne Johnson signed on to for Quibi. I was asked to submit for a series that focused on a South Asian American story. They interviewed me and hired me as head writer on the series. I’d never been in a room and was nervous, but I trusted Sameer and signed on.

At the time I was working full-time at Disney in their marketing department and left to be a part of Break the Room and develop the show. It was a risky move, but one that I had to make. I just had this gut feeling. After the mini-room week, as the head writer of the series, I got an in-depth look at the development process, where I got to learn everything from pitching to attaching showrunners and talent to building lasting relationships with producers.

That was summer of 2019. Shortly after that, an executive and mentor I had worked with at Disney introduced me to the showrunners and creators of Disney Junior’s animated series, “Mira, Royal Detective,” which was my first staff writer gig.

I was originally hired to do a freelance episode of the show. I came in for an animation summit, which is where a group of writers are brought in to pitch ideas for episodes. They ended up liking one of my ideas and asked me to write an episode. The head writer liked my work, and she offered me a spot in the room.

I didn’t set out to be an animation writer, but being open to the opportunity was the best thing I could have done. I loved the premise of the show—it’s about a young girl who is the royal detective of a kingdom that’s inspired by India. I love mysteries, and it was just the kind of representation I craved as a kid, so it was a perfect fit.

Being able to work on something I really connected with, and for it to be my first writers room job was an amazing experience. The showrunner and head writer championed us writers and welcomed any and all ideas. It was a place for me to grow and where I wasn’t scared to fail. Rooms where that’s encouraged are the best. There’s magic in being in a room where everybody’s on the same page.

SG: Love that. So we hear a lot about the challenge of breaking into that first room, but it can be surprisingly difficult to get that next job, too. Can you talk about that a bit?

JS: I didn't want to jump right into another staff job. I wanted to take a beat because I'd worked on “Mira, Royal Detective” for a year and a half and didn’t want to commit to something right away. So I started freelancing in animation, where I worked on a bunch of different shows. I wrote on “Press Start,” which the first six episodes are out now on Peacock. I wrote on a series that’s coming out next year on Nickelodeon. I also worked on shows for Max and Sony TV.

Animation takes a while, so the things I wrote in 2021 or 2022 are starting to be released now. Outside of animation, I was developing, pitching and writing specs in the live-action space as well.

SG: For people who don't really know about how freelance jobs work, could you tell me a little bit about what kinds of jobs those were, and what was entailed in them?

JS: The showrunner on “Mira, Royal Detective” sent my information out to a couple of showrunners who were starting rooms and told them that I was looking for freelance work. The Animation Guild also puts out a quarterly list of writers who are available for work, so showrunners and execs find people there. I also just knew more people in animation at that point, so my network was recommending me as well.

I met with several showrunners and was clear about wanting to freelance. With animation, you’re often writing 50 episodes in a season and for some of these shows, there’s only a handful of people on staff. That’s a lot of episodes for something like three people to write, so they look to freelancers to fill in the rest.

SG: Sounds like an interesting gig.

JS: Yeah. When you’re writing a freelance episode, you have to be a quick study. You’re a visitor on the show. Most of the time, you’ve probably just read the pilot and seen some animatics, which are basically rough animations of the episodes. In most of my freelance experiences, I usually start off working with a showrunner to come up with a story idea, and then I meet with the larger room to pitch story beats. In the room, you get feedback immediately, i.e. “that character doesn’t really do that” or “love the beat but do you think we could set it in the second act.” You learn to solve story and character problems on the fly.

SG: That's awesome. Okay, on to the second writers’ room job, with Apple. I'm so excited to hear about this. So you’re an executive story editor, the series stars Owen Wilson, and is created by Jason Keller. What can you share about it?

JS: It's a comedy. And it’s about golf. I’ve learned a lot about golf.

SG: Did you know anything about golf before?

JS:  I knew enough to have a conversation about golf. That’s it. But it was a great room. So many talented writers that came from TV, film, theatre—just an incredible amount of talent in the room.

SG: I can see the list of writers on IMDb and it’s impressive.

JS: Yeah. I feel like I learned so much from everyone. Again, it was another place that I felt like I could grow and fail and everybody’s voice was heard. All the writers were so respectful. I think Jason did a great job of building out the team. Every person in the room filled a specific need.

The room started pre-strike in 2023, and then we were grateful and lucky enough to come back after it ended. And Apple is such a great home for this show. I’m excited for the world to finally see it!

SG: The logline says Owen Wilson’s character is an ex-golfer whose wife leaves him, and he takes on a “troubled teen prodigy.” Sounds like a great sport and redemption story.

JS: Yes! There’s a lot of heart and comedy in the show that’s really brought to life by the cast of "Stick." Owen Wilson is just magnetic. I also think it’s a story that anyone can relate to. I mean that’s what makes a great sports story for me. It’s not just about golf, it’s about family.

SG: And it’s being released June 4th! I can’t wait to see it. Congratulations. What’s next for you?

JS: I want to get back on stage. I haven’t quite figured out what that looks like for me. When I first moved to L.A., I started doing more storytelling shows vs. stand-up, so we’ll see. I’m also developing a new series that I’m going out to pitch, which I’m really excited about.

And last year, I signed with an agency. I got a note late summer from an agent that said, “Hey, are you looking for an agent”? I was totally taken aback that reps were seeking me out now. I was like, “Am I?” I talked to my manager, and she was like, “Yeah, it’s time.” I think when you’ve been hustling and grinding for so long, you can’t believe it when the moment comes.

SG: I get that completely. That’s how I felt when I got my agent for my book.

JS: Yeah, and I get it cerebrally, but it’s been a long, long road. I’m excited to be with WME and for this chapter of my writing career. They really aligned with the vision I have for my career and that’s key to building out your team of reps.

SG: It’s been a tough few years for the industry. What’s your advice to other writers who want to get in the door during this tricky time?

JS: I think the business always ebbs and flows. We know this. It’s never stagnant. It’s always transforming and becoming something else, all the time. It’s exciting, but it can also be scary. You just never know what’s going to happen next. Which is why you can’t write for a market. You can only do the things that you can control. Keep writing, keep meeting people and working on things that challenge you.

I think the biggest thing that has helped my career has been being open to all opportunities. Not just thinking about writing for TV or film, but being open to writing books, video games or podcasts, whatever else is out there. I think we're in a moment of transformation, with the pandemic, the strikes, consolidation, and ever changing technology. But people will always need content, something to watch. We’ll always need stories.

*Feature image: Jimy Shah