Episode 15: Cole Quirk

Current Town: Los Angeles, CA

What are you working on now?: A story about murder. And chicken. But not chicken murder. 

Tell me, if you will, a story that explains who you are as a writer or as a person:I was living in NYC, and one night, an old friend invited me to join her at a theater I’d never heard of. I walked into the dark basement of a Gristedes grocery store, which housed the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre, saw an improv show (I think it was an ASSSCAT 3000, with some of the 30 Rock cast) and I fell in love with the form. I needed to do that; improvisational comedy. I took every class I could, wrote sketches, made musical parodies and put them on YouTube. I was trying to leave a legal career, unsure how or what to do instead, but being silly with a group of strangers for three hours a week completely saved me. My “ah ha!” moment was watching a show featuring a sketch I wrote and hearing the laughs from my words that the actors so magically brought to life. It was such a high. Everything really clicked after a television writing class and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.

If you could change one thing about television, what would it be?: More musicals! I’m a big Broadway/theater person and get very excited at any chance to watch musical TV. Much more, please and thank you. 

What advice do you have for TV writers just starting out?: It’s probably going to take a lot longer than you think, so have patience and a strong work ethic to match the passion. Have a core group of people to share your material for honest and helpful feedback before sending it to industry professionals. 

Any Plugs?: I’m a huge fan of stand-up comedy in any form (live, specials, podcasts). Some of my favorites include Jayde Adams, Chris Gethard, James Acaster, Ali Wong, Daniel Sloss, Hasan Minaj, Hannah Gadsby, Taylor Tomlinson and Katherine Ryan. Highly recommend checking out their specials. 

COLE QUIRK is a screenwriter, director and playwright that grew up in a small town outside of Philadelphia. Intent on becoming a prosecutor, she received her BS in Crime, Law and Justice from Penn State and attended New England School of Law in Boston. She then worked in private Criminal Defense in Philadelphia and Intellectual Property Law on Wall Street. Her passion for writing led to an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. She also trained in sketch and improv comedy at Upright Citizen’s Brigade NY & LA, Second City Chicago, and The People’s Improv Theater NY.
She has assisted writers on shows including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS), The 100 (CW), Resurrection (ABC), Scream (MTV), Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC) and Justified: City Primeval (FX), where she was promoted to Staff Writer. She was featured on Tracking Board's Young & Hungry List December 2018 and her comedic play I'm Jennifer Mother F*cking Lawrence premiered to critical acclaim in the Hollywood Fringe Festival June 2019.
When she’s not reading autobiographies, Cole’s love of fashion led to working as a stylist for clothing subscription service Stitch Fix and opening a small Etsy shop where she enjoys crafting colorful home goods. She also teaches writing classes at De Anza College.