We recently connected with Bob Saenz and have shared our conversation below.
Bob, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I haven’t. And I hope I don’t. It keeps me humble and keeps me on my toes. I don’t let it rule my thoughts, but I do let it linger in the background spurring me to not get complacent or to let my success allow me to coast through a job. It helps me strive to be better than the last time and to not be satisfied with a project until it’s as good as I can make it. Imposter syndrome can be something that can paralyze you if you let it control you, but if you control it, it can be an effective tool to help you always strive to be your best,
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Always wanted to make movies. Be involved in some way. Didn’t get started until I was in my late 30s as an actor where I had some modest success, a 6 year run as a small recurring role on the TV series Nash Bridges, some small roles in films, TV, and in commercials. Voice-over for documentaries, video games, and commercials. And as a on air disk jockey for a couple of big radio stations in San Francisco. How did I accomplish all this is a short time? People told me I couldn’t do it. I responded “Why not?” and did it. Had a lot of help from God.
Once I figured out I wasn’t going to set the world on fire as an actor, I decided to try screenwriting. I’m self taught, mostly from reading scripts and seeing how those writers did it. A way I recommend highly. I had some pretty quick short lasting success, followed by massive disappointment and rejection as I learned how hard screenwriting was to break into. Then I wrote a very dark comedy thriller “Calling Card” script called “Extracurricular Activities.” A script to show my skill and not necessarily get made. And it worked. It opened every door in Hollywood for me.
Over 18 years it was responsible for getting me representation, writing jobs, other scripts of mine sold. It was optioned 8 times by producers, production companies, one studio (Universal), and never got made. Until 2019 when it did. It made a few best films of 2019 lists and has become a cult film. (You can see it on Amazon Prime). It is the Anti-Hallmark script and got me my first job writing for Hallmark.
Over the last 23 years I’ve had 20 films I’ve written produced and seen by audiences all over the world. I fix and write scripts for producers and production companies on a pretty regular basis. I also wrote a screenwriting book called “That’s Not the Way It Works” based on my experience as a writer. A book about the business of screenwriting and how to navigate it. It has done very well.
During the COVID scare I wrote a novel and through what can only be called a miracle, it was picked up and published by a medium sized NY Publishing Company. “Jessica’s Vampire Diary” was released in November of 2023 and has done well enough for the publisher to ask for a sequel. Both the novel and the screenwriting book are available everywhere.
I continue to write for the screen, big and small, and still love every minute of it.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First…. perseverance. Not giving up. It’s so easy to get discouraged at all the rejection in anything artistic you’re trying. Writing is one of the most difficult to succeed in, making a living at it. So deciding early that no matter what gets thrown at you won’t stop you is key.
Second… Never stop learning and growing. You can never know enough about a subject matter. I learn something new all the time about screenwriting from other successful writers. I’m constantly looking to expand my knowledge.
Three… To put others in front of me. To strive to be a positive influence to other writers yet still be honest about how it all works.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
When I was 13 years old I wrote my first version of my Bucket List. It had/has a list of things I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. Mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, acting in a movie, on TV, play in a successful rock band, visit Europe, visit Asia, write a published novel, golf in Scotland, going to the moon (haven’t done that one yet), the list is long and detailed…
I have accomplished a lot of that list, not all and I’m still adding stuff… all of it has played into my success as a screenwriter and author. I have a broad reserve of experience in all kinds of things that makes my writing ring as true. And if I’m writing about a subject I haven’t experienced… I go out and try to experience it. I’ve worked in bakeries, done police ride alongs, interviewed astronomers, artists, police chiefs, firemen, visited hospitals and observed… anything to educate myself and layer whatever I’m working on with the reality of subject matter.
I am a firm believer in an expanded personal universe of knowledge in order to perform at a peak level.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @bobsnz
- Facebook: Bob Saenz
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobsnz/
- Twitter: @bobsnz
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