Creative Principles

Ep427 - David West Read, Screenwriter ‘Schitt’s Creek’ & Showrunner ‘The Big Door Prize’

22 May 2023

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“I don’t know what made me want to be a writer, but I loved doing it a very early age,” says screenwriter David West Read. “I started making movies with my friends when I was in elementary school. I would have them over for sleepovers, then hand out out scripts.” Back then, the parodies were Jurassic Pork and David Read’s A Christmas Carol. “It’s something I gravitated towards. I thought for a long-time about doing something more stable and secure, something with a clearer path through University, but it was the thing I kept coming back to and the thing in my free time that brought me the most joy. I don’t know why we’re drawn to the things we’re drawn to, but I’ve been drawn to writing for performance for as long as I can remember.” If one were to only examine Read’s IMDb page, it looks like he came out of nowhere to land a job writing 28 episodes on Schitt’s Creek and then a showrunner credit for The Big Door Prize, but that’s certainly not the case. “I studied at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and then Julliard for playwriting.” One of the plays he wrote back then as a student, his teacher, who he somewhat apprenticed for, shared it with an agent and it was produced Off-Broadway. “[Theater] was so immediate. When you’re just starting out writing, the idea of writing a TV show or making a movie, it seems so out of reach. With stage writing, you can bring a few actors together, have them read it for a group of friends, and it already feels like a performance. It already feels closer to the finish line.” Read’s second play, The Performers, about the backstage at the adult film awards, went straight to Broadway. Read was still a student at the time. Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

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13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

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12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

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Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

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Creative Principles

Ep427 - David West Read, Screenwriter ‘Schitt’s Creek’ & Showrunner ‘The Big Door Prize’

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

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