Conversations with Madison Holbrook

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Holbrook.

Hi Madison, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a queer woman from the middle of New Hampshire. I was stuck home alone all the time with nowhere to go.
With all this alone time I turned to TV to comfort me, and that’s where my love began. I would rent tapes from the library, and the TV Guide was my best friend (when those were still relevant). I also wrote short stories and poetry. I was always doing some form of art. If it wasn’t writing, it was photography, baking, playing clarinet, honestly say anything creative and I probably did it.
But TV was special because it was an escape from my reality. It was hopeful, educational, inspiring, or just straight up fun.

I decided to pursue working in Film/TV as I got older. I went to community college first, and then moved across the country away from family and friends to transfer to the USC Film Production Program. Through school I developed my love for screenwriting and also producing. For many years after graduating, I just kept interviewing and applying for jobs while working weird temp jobs in between. Moved many times around LA, all to end up where I am now which is living in West LA and working on a television show.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey to where I am now was not easy and still isn’t. I had to hide who I was, went behind my family’s back to pursue TV, started at community college where I was the only woman in anything film/tv related and was immediately invisible because of it. After community college, I moved across the country to Los Angeles to pursue my Bachelors Degree at USC. I had never visited the city before, nor have I lived in a place with so many people. It was challenging to find my place and my footing. It is also hard to be thousands of miles away from friends and family while trying to pursue an intimidating industry. It felt impossible. It felt like with every step forward, it was always two steps back. I had to make a home, find a support system, and make a living all on my own in an unforgiving place. But I put my all into everything I do, and I do what it takes. And with my hard work and determination I am making it happen.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a writer. I prefer the format of television, but I have written short films, short stories, poetry, the list goes on. My work is both heartfelt and dark with comedic moments. I want to tell stories of the people you never hear from, with an LGBTQ lens. I also like to play with the location as its own character. The goal of my work is that I want to bring light to the worlds I have come from and I want to inspire people through my journey that they too can achieve their dreams.

One thing that sets me apart is that I go out of my way to experience a lot of different things. I feel in order to write, you need to have experienced many different people, places, topics. I am not afraid to try anything at least once. I like to travel, I have joined many different clubs and volunteer groups. I will take random classes or go down research rabbit holes. I talk to strangers, listen to them. I observe the world around me with extreme detail. It helps me with creating deep characters.
I also have directed and filmed many short films and documentaries. That gives me an edge in knowing what is doable both on the page and in the physical production of things. I am seeing how the words I write translate on screen and that alone is a huge lesson I don’t take for granted.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as reaching happiness and contentedness with where you are. There is not one definition of success that applies to everyone. One person could see success as making a ton of money and owning fancy things. Another could see success as getting married and having a family. All are valid. For me personally, success is career driven and I also see it as different levels. I believe that I have already been super successful for moving to Los Angeles and working on a TV Show. However, I will feel even more successful once I reach my ultimate career goal of being a showrunner of my own shows.