049 - Writer/Producer Christy Stratton - Screenwriters Need To Hear This with Michael Jamin

This week, Michael Jamin interviews Writer/Producer Christy Stratton about her career in Hollywood. Christy Stratton has worked on shows like The Amanda Show, King of the Hill, Modern Family, and Bless The Harts.

*Show Notes*
*Christy Stratton's IMDB* - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0833629/

*Subscribe for daily screenwriting tips:* https://www.youtube.com/c/MichaelJaminWriter?sub_confirmation=1
*For weekly inspiration:* https://michaeljamin.com/watchlist
*Learn about my online screenwriting course:* https://michaeljamin.com/course
*Free Screenwriting Lesson:* https://michaeljamin.com/free
*Instagram:* https://instagram.com/michaeljaminwriter
*TikTok:* https://www.tiktok.com/@michaeljaminwriter?lang=en
*Facebook:* https://www.facebook.com/MichaelJaminWriter/
*Twitter:* https://twitter.com/MJaminWriter
*Podcast:* https://michaeljamin.com/podcast

*Transcripts Are Auto-Generated*
Christy Stratton:
Story has become so unimportant, I'm guessing to, to buyers or something. I don't know why, but it is like, story was so important to us coming up and how much time you devoted to it, that it's surprising to me when, you know, people don't know it. I mean, again, it took me forever, but when it's so important and I feel like, um, it's kind of a lost art...

Michael Jamin:
You're listening to Screenwriters. Need to Hear This with Michael Jamin. Hey everyone, this is Michael Jamin and you're listening to Screenwriters Need to Hear This, the podcast. My co-host Phil is not here today. He's working on the back end of the course. He's making it better. That's what I'm told. But I'm here with my very special guest, Christy Stratton. She's a great friend and thank you Christy, thank you for joining the show. I'm hop

Christy Stratton:
You, I'm, so any, any chance I can get to, to have a chat with you is, is, um, it's exciting, really.

Michael Jamin:
Let tell you something, Christy, I'm

Christy Stratton:
This big star.

Michael Jamin:
My audience does not deserve you. You're too good for the people

Christy Stratton:
*laugh*

Michael Jamin:
But let me tell you, let me tell them, Let me give you a little intro. Let me give them an introduction so they know who you are. Okay? So, uh, TV writer and producer, uh, I'm gonna just run through some of your credits. I met you on King of the Hill. We were together for many years, but before that you did Hope and Faith. Remember that show? I remember it awkward. You were on a, you were on Awkward for, for a long time. Every Everyone's crazy but us, which was your own minute web series, right? Yes. Which you also directed. Correct. Uh, then Modern Family, we've both heard of that show. Bless the hearts. You've worked on that for, for quite a while. You also did Hope in Faith. You like chose, uh, you like No, you, I'm sorry. Raising Hope you like shows with the word hope in it.

Christy Stratton:
I, what can I say that is just, that's a theme that I

Michael Jamin:
*laugh* and so I got many questions for you, but I know some of the answers. But these people listening, they don't know anything. So tell me, tell everyone how you've broke into the business.

Christy Stratton:
Oh, it's so, you know, it, it was such a, a backwards kind of way. I'm from Texas, right? And I went to college in Florida and I, I, the Universal Studios Orlando had just opened when I graduated from college. So like, that was Hollywood's me, that was showbiz, right? And so I worked as a pa and um, one of the PAs that I work with said, Oh, there's this thing called the DGA Trainee test. Do you know what this is?

Michael Jamin:
I didn't know what it is. Yeah,

Christy Stratton:
Well, what it is, is it's a test that they, I think they still have DGA trainees on, on sets, and they will put you, if you like, are selected. They put you on sets and that you can be a pa. So, which is, I didn't end up passing or getting, uh, to be a DGA trainee, but it brought me out here and I was kind of like, like, I, I really don't know what it is I want, but it's not, you know, in Orlando, Florida. So I,

Michael Jamin:
But you didn't know if you wanted to be a writer or director. You just wanted to

Christy Stratton:
Be, I couldn't even imagine being a writer. Like, I couldn't even, Ima I wouldn't even dream of doing anything like that. Never.

Michael Jamin:
But then what did you wanna do?

Christy Stratton:
Well, I just wanted to kind of work in entertainment. Well, that's the thing is like, I, when I got out here, I started working at a PR firm and I'm like, Okay, PR that's not what I'm, you know, that's not my, you know, nothing against that. But I just wasn't good at that. Right? And, um, and then I worked, oh gosh, I did a bunch of temp jobs, but then I got, uh, I heard about the Groundlings School and the Groundlings is an LA based comedy troupe and a lot of very famous Saturday Night Live people came from it...