20 QUESTIONS with TED SULLIVAN
Twenty things you (probably) didn’t know about Revenge writer/producer, Ted Sullivan
1. My first job was… camp counselor at Weston day camp in Massachusetts. It was the most fun I’ve ever had at work.
2. If I wasn’t a writer, I would likely be… a lawyer. I enjoy arguing. I’d hope that I’d be a force for good. But knowing me, I’d end up being more like Keanu Reeves in “The Devil’s Advocate.”
3. I collect… comic book art. My most prized possession is the Dustin Nguyen cover for the “Revenge” comic book. I also adore my Darwyn Cooke Lois Lane. Guess I like strong women.
4. My favorite word is… Something I will NOT write here. But my second favorite word is “monkey.” Because monkey funny. Monkey always funny.
5. I’m a big fan of… science. I wish I could work in that world, but I’ve seen what it takes and I’m not smart enough.
6. The single best piece of (writing related) advice I have ever gotten… When you get hired to write a show, don’t try to make it the show you want it to be, write the show you were hired to write.
7. I have always wanted to… meet George Harrison. But sadly that’s not going to ever happen.
8. The best thing I have ever read, (but did not write) is… Catch-22. Literary perfection. And damn funny.
9. People often tell me that I… exaggerate. Which I think is a polite word for “lie.”
10. I really think that my best work (published or not) is… the upcoming Revenge graphic novel from Marvel. That’s not a plug. It’s the truth. I’m really proud of how it came together.
11. I find inspiration in… old Star Trek episodes. They did so much with so little. And architecture. One of the many reasons I miss living in New York.
12. The best thing about being a professional writer is… seeing your work produced. Most of your life as a writer is spent writing scripts that will never get made and end up in a drawer. Knowing that what you write will be shot, performed, edited and aired is a dream come true and never gets old.
13. I spend way too much time… online.
14. The funniest person in my cell phone is… my brother Paul. He’s always been the funniest person I know. He’s still being funny as sports writer at sullybaseball.com.
15. It really bothers me when… when people are texting in their car at a red light and miss the green arrow. It’s a gift from god, people! Don’t waste it!
16. The worst thing about being a professional writer is… the limited timeline to write and produce material. More time would make everything better.
17. One mistake that most aspiring writers make is… not finishing a script. You got to write it, rewrite it and then move on. Don’t spend ten years of your life reworking it to death. Every new script is a lesson in writing. Accept that it probably won’t get made and then move on to the next one. Chances are it will be better than the last one. And if it’s not, you still will have learned something – what doesn’t work. That’s as valuable a lesson as any.
18. If I knew the apocalypse was coming in 24 hours, I’d… eat as many hamburgers and drink as much bourbon as I could stuff in my pie hole.
19. The three websites I visit most often are… comicsalliance, dcwomenkickingass, i09.
20. You’d be surprised to know that I… have gone to more Phish concerts than anyone should admit to in an interview.
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