Today we’d like to introduce you to David Isaacs.
Thanks for sharing your story with us David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
For the past 45 years, I’ve been a TV writer, primarily in sitcoms. I came to LA from the East Coast after I graduated from the University of Miami. I got my start by teaming up with my longtime writing partner, Ken Levine. We were both fans of the great sitcoms of the early 70’s, including MASH, All in the Family, and the one that inspired us to take a crack at writing a spec episode, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It took us a couple of years of writing specs till we broke through by getting a chance to write an episode of The Jeffersons. That got us a wonderful young agent named Debra Greenfield, who eventually got us to Gene Reynolds, the Producer of MASH. The fact that both Ken and I had served in the military helped convince him that we could write an episode. After we had a MASH episode under our belt, our career took off. We went on staff of MASH, and into the 80’s and 90-‘s we became a part of the comedy factory at Paramount TV, working as Co-producers and creative consultants on series like Cheers, Wings and Frasier. The opportunity to be a part of those series garnered us 6 Emmy nominations, with one win for Co-Producing Cheers in its first season and eight Writer’s Guild Nominations with two wins for writing on Cheers.
During those years we branched out into writing screenplays and wrote the 1985 comedy Volunteers, starring Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and the late John Candy. We also did a number of re-writing jobs including Jewel of the Nile and Mannequin. But TV was our game, it was steady work and it paid a great deal more than films. We continued to work steadily through the 90’s and after 2000, creating a series with Robin Schiff for CBS. Almost Perfect was on the air for two seasons, 1994-1996., In 2007, Ken and I decided that the day to day pursuit of writing and selling TV series had come to an end for us. It was about that time I started teaching what I had been doing most of my adult life. I was just lucky enough (a theme in my life) to get a part-time job in the Writing Division of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. I found that I love teaching, for the chance to give back and pass on my knowledge, but also because it helped me re-educate myself by instructing and interacting with so many new writing projects. In the last few years, the School of Cinematic Arts has been my main focus, getting tenure in 2011, helping Co-Create USC Comedy, and serving as Vice Chair of the now named John Wells Division of Writing for Screen and Television.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road is the Entertainment Industry is ever really smooth. I had early success, writing MASH at 26 years old is a hell of a smooth road in. But there have been many ups and downs. My writing partner and I had a very difficult two years creating and running a comeback sitcom series in 1985-86 for Mary Tyler Moore. Running a failed show for someone who we idolized and loved in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, was a bit too much irony to bear. In our case our relationships at Paramount TV always helped us make a soft landing. We could always write on hit series we both loved like Cheers and Frasier. What was tough was the realization that the industry was changing around us and we were growing older in a young man’s game. That took some getting used to, not only in terms of ego and revenue but in needing to find the next act of lives. Once again though, my luck or good fortune led me to my teaching work. Ironically, at this later time, I found myself with some life left in my writing career. I still had business out in the Industry, spending a year as a Consulting Producer on the second season of Mad Men, and even today, with a half-hour series making the rounds and getting some traction. I wouldn’t call the road of my career smooth, but rather winding.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about USC School of Cinematic Arts – what should we know?
I’m lucky enough to teach in the largest and most honored film school in the world, USC School of Cinematic Arts. The sheer variety of our separate Divisions in Writing, Production, Animation, Cinema and Media Studies, Interactive and Media Arts and Practices makes our program unique, global and ever-evolving. My particular specialty is Comedy Writing, So I help oversee both the Comedy Writing curriculum in Film and TV, but also USC Comedy, a brand that was created by my Co-Chairs, Professors Barnet Kellman and Jack Epps to encourage and teach students who are interested in developing their comic voice in a college atmosphere, A chance to write, direct or do standup and have it count toward their degree.
We also have reached into the International TV market. I am currently in charge of instruction for a US State Department grant awarded to USC School of Cinema called the Middle East Media Initiative. For the past two years, the program has connected with young, experienced TV writers from countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. to workshop in their projects for the new Streaming platforms that have global reach. As a member of the American Film Service, another State Department grant, I’ve traveled and taught writers from Eastern Europe and East Asia.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
My future plans are to continue teaching and helping administrate the John Wells Writing Division. I also would like to stay engaged as a writer myself. I am always planning my next project. The great thing for me is the teaching I do frees me from the anxiety of relying on the everchanging Industry to make my projects. I would love to get one more series going, but I don’t live for it anymore.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.usccomedy.com
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Professor David Isaacs and Comedy writers from China. Professor David Isaacs at USC School of Cinematic Arts
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
