20 QUESTIONS with MICKEY FISHER
Twenty things you (probably) didn’t know about Extant writer/Executive Producer and creator, Mickey Fisher
1. My first job was… when I was 15 I got a job as a disc jockey for AM 1230 WIRO, a “Good times, great oldies” station that sat on a hill above my hometown. My radio name was Mike Allen and I used to put on the really affected radio voice to go with it. I worked graveyard shifts, midnight to 6am and then on Sundays I would run the Cincinnati Reds baseball games. Awesome first job.
2. If I wasn’t a writer, I would likely be… an actor, but that’s kind of cheating. I’m going to go with homeless.
3. I collect… very little. I lived in 450 square feet of space for most of my adult life, with another person. Between that and working in regional theater I got used to being able to pack up my whole life in a car in an hour or two. But I have started collecting TWILIGHT ZONE memorabilia, books and toys and my dream is to collect vintage video games (in the cabinets) and pinball machines.
4. My favorite word is… harmony.
5. I’m a big fan of… the outdoors. National Parks. Motorcycles. Food (I have a list of my Top 5 Sandwiches from around the country). Podcasts. Still a voracious movie and TV watcher, as soon as I have the time.
6. The single best piece of (writing related) advice I have ever gotten… don’t “write what you know”, write the movie or television show you would want to watch.
7. I have always wanted to… go to Spain.
8. The best thing I have ever read, (but did not write) is… AMERICAN BUFFALO, David Mamet.
9. People often tell me that I… am too positive.
10. I really think that my best work (published or not) is… the finale of the first season of EXTANT.
11. I find inspiration in… I find inspiration everywhere. I love being outside, I love observing people. I’m always watching, reading, writing – I think that’s the holy trinity of creativity for me.
12. The best thing about being a professional writer is… getting paid for stuff that comes out of your brain.
13. I spend way too much time… procrastinating on the internet. I’ve come to accept it as a necessary part of my process.
14. The funniest person in my cell phone is… too many to pick.
15. It really bothers me when… I see people tearing down other people or their work, or being snarky for fun. Snark is epidemic.
16. The worst thing about being a professional writer is… I gained 30 lbs over the course of eight months in the writers room. The combination of sitting all day long in the room, sitting on set, sitting while I was writing, and easy access to craft services took a couple of years off my life. But craft service is pretty sweet, can I still change my “Best thing about being a professional writer” answer?
17. One mistake that most aspiring writers make is… showing people your work before it’s ready, then coming back and saying, “Wait, don’t read that one, read THIS ONE, it’s so much better!” I still do it.
18. If I knew the apocalypse was coming in 24 hours, I’d… hang out with my friends, family and girlfriend and order a Giovanni’s Pizza (chain from southern Ohio), and pray not for the apocalypse to be averted but for the delivery driver to make it on time.
19. The three websites I visit most often are… Digg, Reddit, Wired (not counting social media)
20. You’d be surprised to know that I… can murder “Sweet Child O’ Mine” at Karaoke.
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