Catching up with Writer Lindsay Golder
Following the breakout success of NOBODY WANTS THIS, recognized as an AFI AWARDS honoree among the best television series of the year, we caught up with talented writer and AFI Screenwriting Alum Lindsay Golder (AFI Class of 2014), who recently earned a WGA Award nomination as part of the show’s writing staff. Throughout her career, Lindsay has established herself as a dynamic voice in the world of television comedy, collaborating with renowned creators including Sharon Horgan (SHINING VALE), Dave and John Chernin (THE MICK), and Erin Foster, Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan (NOBODY WANTS THIS).
In our conversation, Lindsay talks about her time in the Conservatory’s Screenwriting program, her experience crafting the critically acclaimed NOBODY WANTS THIS – a series exploring the romantic entanglements of a secular podcast host and a Jewish rabbi – and her role as a mentor for emerging writers through initiatives like AFI’s Writer’s Room Ready.
AFI: Growing up, who were your greatest writing inspirations, and what led you to the AFI Conservatory?
Lindsay: I have a learning disability, so reading was a challenge for me growing up until I discovered the book “Little Women.” I fell in love with reading through that story and then watched as it came to life in the perfect 1994 film adaptation (although I still deeply believe Jo should have ended up with Teddy!) I knew then that I wanted to be a writer, just like Jo March. I was also obsessed with comedy as a kid and would stay up late to watch David Letterman’s Top Ten List or SNL, and begged to watch THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW.
I had a somewhat unusual path to the AFI Conservatory. I studied Creative Writing and Film Studies in undergrad, but after graduation I joined The Peace Corps in Ukraine and served in Crimea for over two years. When I came back to the U.S., I moved to Washington, DC to go to law school. However, I quickly realized that literally no one should ever rely on me for legal counsel. I unenrolled and ended up starting a comedy blog with a friend of mine from The Peace Corps, Natalie Shure (now a journalist). The blog ended up getting some attention and Natalie encouraged me to pursue comedy writing. Since I didn’t know anyone in Los Angeles or how to even go about trying to write for television, I decided to apply to film schools, which ultimately led me to AFI.
AFI: Reflecting on your time as a Fellow in AFI’s Screenwriting program, how did the Conservatory help shape your approach to writing for television?
Lindsay: AFI’s Screenwriting program taught me to treat writing like any other job – it requires putting in the work. I also got to practice through the writing workshops the skill of responding to notes, which is key when collaborating with producers and execs. During my second year, AFI Faculty Ed Decter encouraged me to find a personal story and develop how to pitch it. Discovering how to pitch yourself and your story is a huge part of selling a show, which is something that I first learned at AFI.
AFI: Congrats on the success of NOBODY WANTS THIS! What drew you to the project initially?
Lindsay: Thank you! I first heard about NOBODY WANTS THIS while I was working in a mini-room for a potential season two of REBOOT created by Steve Levitan, who is also an executive producer on the show. I was immediately hooked when I heard the premise was loosely inspired by our show’s creator, Erin Foster, and her experience falling in love with a Jewish man. I converted to Judaism several years ago and was excited about the idea of getting to draw from that experience. I am a huge comedy lover and a nerd for talking about Judaism, so the idea of getting to do both things on one show was very exciting!
AFI: How did you balance comedy and social commentary in depicting the relationship between two characters from completely different backgrounds as they navigate the fraught world of LA dating?
Lindsay: As a writers’ room, it is important to us to make sure we are authentically telling the story of this relationship. A secular podcast host and a rabbi would face obstacles dating, and we don’t shy away from exploring that, although, let’s be honest, podcasts and sermons actually do have a lot in common! The comedy in our show is rooted in who our characters are and how they relate to each other. For us it was less about balancing comedy with social commentary, and more about staying true to the world.
AFI: I love that the show was not only set in, but also filmed in Los Angeles. How did filming in LA shape the story, with the city almost becoming a character in itself?
Lindsay: We often pull from writers’ real-life dating in Los Angeles stories. If it’s interesting, funny, heartwarming or heartbreaking, we’ll usually try to find a way to work it into the show. We also used our LA locations to shine a light on Noah and Joanne’s contrasting worlds, despite being from the same city. Noah’s family lives in the Sherman Oaks/Encino neighborhood, which is a little more suburban and traditional, while Joanne lives closer to trendy Silver Lake and Echo Park.
AFI: Since graduating from AFI, you have come back to serve as a AFI Writer’s Room Ready mentor. Can you talk about that experience and any advice you have for emerging writers?
Lindsay: One of my favorite things about being a mentor is getting to watch another AFI writer grow in the industry. When I did AFI’s Writer’s Room Ready, one of the other mentors was actually my former mentee from the AFI Alumni Mentor Program. It was a really nice, full-circle moment. The best advice I can give to emerging writers is to focus on what you can control. There are a lot of things we can’t control in our careers – I can’t control if I’ll be the smartest or the funniest writer in the room. But I can control how hard I work. I can control if I wake up early to think of a possible solve for whatever stumped the writers’ room the previous day. I can control if I regularly write a new sample for my reps to send out. I can control if I practice a pitch for a series enough to seem natural and off-the-cuff. I try to focus on what I can proactively be doing since it’s easy to get frustrated by all the “cannots.”
AFI: What’s next for you? Are there any other upcoming projects you can share more about?
Lindsay: I’m currently writing on season two of NOBODY WANTS THIS. Production begins in a few weeks. We’re excited to bring more “Hot Rabbi” to the world!