Like most beginners, I made a ton of mistakes when I first started working as a Spec Writer for TV.

But this was the biggest one (by a lot):

Not Understanding The WGA Rules For Writing Partnerships

Here's the breakdown:

When I signed on to my first official TV writing project, I was so stoked to be working with a team I wanted to collaborate with, and I said yes to everything. I jumped into a writing partnership with a guy our director recommended, and we got down to business. The thing is, I had no understanding of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) rules. I had already written a short film for this concept that was produced, it did the festival circuit and won some awards. I then developed my concept into a TV show and wrote the pilot and bible before getting this partner.

We co-wrote a new draft of the pilot, and things seemed to be going great. However, I soon discovered that because I hadn't registered my initial draft with the WGA, and we didn't register our partnership correctly with the WGA, the control over my intellectual property (IP) became messy AF.

Then you add in directors/producers trying to claim writing credits for creative input via development meetings, and the web thickens. By the time we sold the show, nearly a year was lost to lawyers and contract negotiations, not to mention the loss of the partnership and a few friendships. Yeah, weird shit happens to people when numbers with multiple commas get thrown around.

But it's also worth acknowledging that making this mistake taught me a ton. I learned the importance of saying no and how to trust my instincts. I also got to see how important it is to be responsible for understanding rules in every industry so that we can protect our work. This experience has been priceless in all of the projects I've taken on since. It helped me navigate contracts and potential partnerships like a boss.

This is why it's a must to have the hard conversations first.

Get the agreements in writing and signed, and then go to work.