Meet Joseph Mwamba

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Mwamba.

Hi Joseph, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
As a black kid growing up in the white suburbs of Northern Indiana, I didn’t identify with anyone growing up. But then, I watched my first episode of Disney Channel’s THE FAMOUS JETT JACKSON, played by the late Lee Thompson Young. It was the first time I saw a lead character who looked like me, but it was more than that: he oozed cool. Jett Jackson was adventurous, ambitious, and incredibly talented. He was who I wanted to be. The show got me curious about television and upon finding out how TV got made, it was hook, line, and sinker from there.

Yet when the show ended, I felt forgotten. There weren’t enough black-leading kid shows anymore. I kept seeing diverse talent reduced to recurring roles and fewer kids my age wanted to be any of the characters they watched. I was in high school remembering how I felt watching The Famous Jett Jackson, and it clicked: I wanted to write diverse characters that made people of color feel seen and say, “I want to be that character.” Young Adult (YA) shows became my calling right then and there.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My parents supported my career choice, but they required me to earn a “serious” degree to complement my strong knowledge of television. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Finance from Indiana University but had no idea how to get from there to the land of TV. Luckily, my academic advisor Legene White encouraged me to apply for the IRTS Fellowship, which provided a media internship in NYC. I got the fellowship, which is single-handedly the only reason I have the career I have now. Without it, I may still be living at home or in a finance position, dreaming of writing.

The fellowship got me an internship with MTV, which transitioned into my first professional job working for MTV/VH1 in Times Square. While I loved my department, programming was nowhere near writing. So, I had to start over. I packed up my 4 years in New York City and headed to Orange County to attend Chapman University to get my MFA in TV/Film Producing. Upon graduation, I thought I’d be a shoo-in for a development job. However, my mentor Barbara Doyle advised me to start at the bottom again as an agency assistant. She knew I’d learn so much and increase my network within a year to accelerate my writing career much faster than others. I took the advice and started my job at UTA the day after graduation. Yet upon my start, the writers fired all the agents due to their conflict of interest in packaging. Months later, the Covid Pandemic got me furloughed and eventually let go.

But my mentor was right: the network I acquired saved me. An amazing exec and I stayed in touch throughout the pandemic, and she kept me in mind when the Apple TV+ show THE AFTERPARTY opened up the writers’ room. Most agency assistants get their start as a Showrunner’s Assistant. But unfortunately, I had to — you guessed it — start over at the bottom again as their Writers’ PA. But after 8 years, I was finally in a writers’ room! My mentor was right: within a year and a half, I would work on three TV shows and a narrative podcast, win a writing contest, land a manager, and write my first professional episode for Netflix.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My final creative role was as a Writers’ Assistant for an upcoming Netflix series, where I wrote my first professional episode. Prior, I was a Writers’ PA on THE AFTERPARTY (Apple TV+; S2) and YOU (Netflix; S4). As a Writers’ Assistant, I wrote down all the writers’ ideas daily to help the showrunner and writers keep track of the story they’ll be writing this season.

However, I’m primarily known for my role as Co-Lead for WGA Virtual Mix. With my co-lead Jelena Woehr and virtual help from Collin Lieberg, we plan workshops and Q&As with professional writers while running virtual & in-person mixers for emerging writers. With over 3000 members, we ensure a space full of resources for the new or experienced writer who aims to become a WGA writer someday.

An important part of this work was my role during the WGA and SAG Strikes in 2023. I planned monthly pickets for emerging writers, including a final PreWGA and Non-Union SAG Picket where nearly 1000 people came throughout the day. Even Chris Miller and the cast and writers of THE AFTERPARTY supported me by showing up and sponsoring a shaved ice vendor. I also helped and supported Joelle Garfinkel’s Green Envelope Grocery Aid, which gave away over $250,000 to struggling entertainment professionals. I was a runner for the WGA Strike Team at Universal, I was asked to give event speeches at Netflix and Lawless, and I was even a Strike Captain for exactly one day.

But my proudest moment: finding out a friend was about to move back home and directly getting them a paying job. Twice.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
My #1 advice is to find your community and be kind as you do so. When you reach out to people in gigs or positions you wish to be in someday, don’t just reach out for information and never speak to them again. Get to know them! Keep them updated every 4-6 months, ask about them and their lives, and find ways to help them! In other words, treat everyone as a human being.

I spoke earlier about how the exec I stayed connected with during the pandemic got me an entry support staff role on THE AFTERPARTY. In addition, I met someone at a mixer who lived in my hometown, and we stayed in touch – got dinners, coffees, etc. About a year later, she connected me to my next job. On one show, I enjoyed speaking with a particular writer nearly every evening. So when my script landed on her agent’s desk for another show, the agent asked her about me and she gave me a glowing recommendation. That helped me land an episode as a Writers’ Assistant on a Netflix series.

Kindness (and taking your job seriously) goes a long way. Don’t treat your relationships as transactional. Be kind and strive to make your community a better place. It’s the only way the tide rises all boats for all of us. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://telemazing.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmwamba/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeMightLikeTV
• Other: https://bit.ly/wgavirtualmix