Welcome to the last episode of season one! This podcast was a complete experiment on my end, and I’m so grateful for all those who have listened, guested, and encouraged me to continue! I’m taking the summer off to regroup and work on ideas for season two, but before that, I’m thrilled to welcome
to the show!We had such an encouraging conversation where Ali shared advice on how to push through the discomfort and fear that can hold so many of us back when pursuing our writing. She also gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to write for TV, the collaborative process, and how she got her start. And, of course, we chat about server life and Ali’s experience working as a waitress in New York City.
If you have been enjoying this podcast, I’d love to know! Send me a message or a comment so that I don’t chicken out for next season.
Okay, back to Ali.
When you're feeling strong enough to be vulnerable, it is the only way you can achieve your dreams as a writer or an artist in any capacity. You have to be vulnerable. You have to share your pain. You have to share your fear.
In this episode, we talk about:
Ali’s restaurant jobs including a sandwich shop in Main and Mooncake Foods in NYC
The camaraderie found among service industry coworkers
How she transitioned into a career in TV, including her work on shows like “The Morning Show.”
The collaborative process for writing for television and film including breaking stories together and writing scripts based on the show's voice.
How to overcome the fear of sharing your work
Focusing on the process of art making rather than seeking the validation of others and more!
You have to ultimately be doing it for the process because there's no way that you can ever control a response. If you're doing it so that people like you, you're never gonna be happy. Your dreams will never feel like they've come true even if they have.
About Ali Griffin Vingiano
“I couldn't find a picture of me working at restaurants, but I did find this selfie I took on Photo Booth of me with a broken thumb and dislocated knuckle. This injury ended up being the reason I left Heidi's (I couldn't make sandwiches with a cast, and then I'd be gone for summer. I feel like the owner never hired a college kid again). The other picture is from a few years later, when I worked at Mooncake Foods.”
Formally employed at: Mooncake Foods in NYC, Heidi's Brooklyn Deli in Maine
Author of: Three episodes of "The Morning Show," many segments of Comedy Central's "The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper," and dozens of short films and videos with over 1 billion views online. I also write Little Things, a bestselling Substack newsletter, and am currently authoring several projects I can hopefully talk more about soon!
Favorite writing ritual: I'm not a huge writing ritual person. I like to wake up and put all my energy into whatever I'm working on. So my writing ritual is that I wake up and sit at my desk and do the work. Sometimes I light a candle. When I wrote my first TV script I think I lit about 3. When I lose focus I stop and do something else to give my brain a break as opposed to sitting there annoyed or getting distracted online. And I also love writing from cafes. A little distraction can help me focus.
Favorite cocktail to order from the bar: When I drank more, a negroni, or at the right spot, a dirty martini. These days, a tanic red wine or Aperol Spritz.
Favorite meal to order: It's so restaurant dependent, but I love Meditterean flavors, fish, and creative ways to serve vegetables and legumes. A whole branzino, ceviche, a puttanesca or cacao e pepe, a really good Caesar or little gem salad.
What you do for work now: I write, direct, produce, and act for TV, films, and occasional commercials. I do a lot of side work, too (although no longer restaurants), which I love because it keeps me busy and engaged no matter what's happening in my freelance life, and it's also an opportunity to build community. I write my Substack, Little Things, I host writing and Yoga retreats around the world, and I teach online and through my own school, In Flow Writing Center.
Bio: Ali is a WGA Award-nominated screenwriter who wrote for the first two seasons of THE MORNING SHOW (Apple TV+). She was previously a Field Producer for THE OPPOSITION W/ JORDAN KLEPPER (Comedy Central) and starred in the largely improvised indie film THE END OF US, which premiered at SXSW. She has written and directed dozens of short films and web series for BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, and independently, which have over 1 billion views online. Her work has been profiled by Huffington Post, NBC’s Today Show, and NYLON Magazine, which said she "is the rare kind of person who can acutely observe human behavior and mine it for storytelling that balances sharp insight with much-needed levity." Her online writing has appeared in Vulture, BuzzFeed, The Hairpin, and on her bestselling Substack newsletter, Little Things.
I don't think there's such thing as a good job and a bad job. I think there's such thing as a fulfilling job and a job that's less fulfilling to you.
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"The fear always shows you what you want.”