Screenwriter: Build Worlds & Tell Powerful Stories

On this episode of the Unboxing Careers Podcast, Greg Zakowicz unboxes a career as a screenwriter with Randall Dottin.

Guest: Randall Dottin is the Chair of Screenwriting at NYFA’s NYC campus and a writer/director who works both in documentary and narrative fiction. His Columbia University MFA thesis film, A-ALIKE, was licensed for a two-year broadcast run by HBO and has won numerous awards, including the DGA Award for Best African American Student Filmmaker and the 2004 Student Academy Award for Best Narrative Film.

In 2009, Randall was named by Indie Wire Magazine as one of the Top Ten New Voices in Black Cinema. Randall’s short film Lifted was sponsored by Fox Searchlight’s program for emerging directors, the Fox Searchlab. Lifted premiered on CBS in 2015. His documentary series The House I Never Knew is currently in production and explores how six families in Chicago, Houston, and Boston fight against becoming casualties of a housing segregation policy.

Ever watched a movie or a TV show and wondered who creates the stories behind the characters, plot twists, and emotional arcs? Meet the screenwriter—the storyteller behind the screen. In this episode of Unboxing Careers, we had the honor of speaking with Randall Dottin, a professional screenwriter and Chair of Fine Arts at the New York Film Academy. He breaks down not just what the job entails but also what it takes to build a fulfilling career in screenwriting.

According to Randall, screenwriters are the architects of every movie, TV show, or commercial you’ve ever seen. They begin with a blank page and craft stories that stir emotion, spark thought, and often change perspective. A good story, Randall says, is always about change—someone who wants something but faces obstacles in getting it. Screenwriters imagine the world, the characters, and every beat of that journey, long before the cameras ever start rolling.

Randall’s journey into screenwriting began in his childhood. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he lived in public housing and often observed the world outside his window—a lens into the human experience. From a young age, he noticed the absence of nuanced stories about communities like his on screen. He started out acting and writing plays, but it was a transformative experience during a high school trip to the UK that cemented his love for filmmaking and storytelling.

Inspired by artists like Spike Lee and August Wilson, Randall knew he wanted to be behind the camera, crafting stories that reflected truth and complexity.

Randall shared the intricate process of developing an animated pilot called Mine. This wasn’t a solo endeavor—it was a collaborative effort involving brainstorming, world-building, character development, outlining, and multiple drafts. Over the course of a year and a half, Randall and his team held weekly writers' room-style meetings, working on everything from character bios to the rules of the fictional world.

Eventually, they produced a polished pilot that premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and won multiple awards. The lesson? Screenwriting isn’t just about sitting down and typing. It’s planning, collaborating, refining, and revising—sometimes endlessly.

Screenwriting isn’t typically a quick path to financial stability. Randall emphasized the importance of having a side gig—something flexible that allows time and energy to write consistently. Whether it’s a day job or teaching, many writers juggle multiple responsibilities while developing their work. Discipline is essential. Randall recommends writing daily, or at the very least, setting a consistent schedule to keep your writing muscles active.

If you want to break into screenwriting, here’s what Randall says you need to develop:

• Read Widely and Often
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  Reading expands your imagination, exposes you to different perspectives, and sharpens…