Meet Gary Goldstein

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gary Goldstein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Gary, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
Look, if you’re going into a creative endeavor, you have to be an optimist. You have to believe that you will succeed in a field, whether it be writing, directing, producing, acting, and so on, that’s filled–packed–with talented, passionate people, deeply driven people all vying for a limited number of job openings and production opportunities. When I became a professional screenwriter I realized that I was much more of an optimist than I’d ever thought. Though I probably didn’t realize at first just how challenging a field I was getting into. But I had hope and a desire to tell stories, see my work produced in one form or another, and share my words with audiences. so I kept going–doggedly but optimistically–knowing that the only way I would achieve any kind of success in my field was to persevere and stay positive. To this day I consider myself an optimist and always feel like, despite the inherent difficulties, achieving my goals remains possible. And hopefully, that’s reflected in the work.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I began my career out of college as a film publicist but eventually found my way back to writing, which was my original plan. I began writing for television, segued into movies, then branched out into theatre, eventually alternating among all three. Along the way, I also began writing film reviews and arts features for the Los Angeles Times, which I continue to do. Several years ago I wrote my first novel, the Hollywood-set romcom “The Last Birthday Party,” which was published in 2021. I followed that up with a second book, a family drama called “The Mother I Never Had” (published last year), and am currently writing my third novel, a coming-of-age, period dramedy titled “Please Come to Boston.” I continue to work on film and TV projects and most recently wrote the holiday comedy “Lights, Camera, Christmas!” which premiered in November on Hallmark Channel. I’ve enjoyed working in the various writing disciplines, each one helping me improve in the other.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For screenwriters and so many other creatives, it’s important to manage your expectations in terms of how long it will take to begin to achieve some level of success. Few people are overnight sensations, despite the way it may seem on the outside. Perseverance and patience were the number one and two qualities I needed to develop to keep moving forward in my chosen field. No matter how long it takes, if you give up, your success will never happen. Also realizing that no matter how much you’ve written, there are always new things to learn, always new ways to improve your craft and expand your outlook and abilities. Become as knowledgeable as you can about your area of writing, which means constantly reading, watching, observing and staying open to the changing world around you.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
It’s different for everyone, but for me, I find it’s best to try to push through the feelings and not let them overwhelm me. Continue to work on the project that may be causing those issues and, if need be, take quick breaks from it to get centered and regain objectivity. It’s easy to feel like you’re falling down the rabbit hole sometimes, but just know your focus and ability to problem solve will return if you keep going.

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