20 QUESTIONS with KATE POWERS
Twenty things you (probably) didn’t know about Rectify writer and script coordinator, Kate Powers
1. My first job was… delivering newspapers.
2. If I didn’t work in television, I would likely be… teaching English or creative writing.
3. I collect… comfortable shoes.
4. My favorite word is… Icarus.
5. I’m a big fan of… David Foster Wallace; I find myself wishing he was still alive and writing about once a week.
6. The single best piece of writing advice I have ever gotten… is “make yourself happy.” The single best piece of all-purpose advice I’ve ever gotten is “choose hope.”
7. I have always wanted to… spend one week a year in NYC watching a ton of theater.
8. The best thing I have ever read, but did not write is… “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace.
9. People often tell me that… I’m the best script coordinator or writers’ assistant they’ve ever met. I’ve even had people ask me to train their new hires. I’m trying to enjoy it while it lasts, because nobody talks to staff writers that way.
10. I really think that my best work (produced or not) is… still ahead of me.
11. I find inspiration in… watching actors at work.
12. The best thing about working in TV is… the collaboration.
13. I spend way too much time… lying awake at night, worrying the apocalypse is coming in 24 hours.
14. The funniest person in my cell phone is… my husband, Michael Gerber.
15. It really bothers me when… people cut corners because they think it doesn’t matter or no one will care. Do the best you can with what you have, but don’t phone it in because “it’s only a TV show.” People give us an hour of their lives, time they’ll never get back. We should treat that like the sacred gift it is.
16. The worst thing about working in TV is… wrapping; it’s like graduating high school every five to nine months and not knowing if you’ll ever see these people again.
17. One mistake that most aspiring television writers make is… focusing exclusively on a few big names and not realizing the valuable role played by the lower and mid-level writers who work for them.
18. If I knew the apocalypse was coming in 24 hours, I’d… be fine. Humans are hardwired to handle stressful situations; it’s the time we waste dreading them that messes with our heads.
19. The three websites I visit most often are… the New York Times, Gmail and Twitter.
20. You’d be surprised to know that I… ran the L.A. marathon. You’ll be less surprised when I tell you I was very, very slow.
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