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  • 17 minutes ago
Benito Skinner tells us his biggest career power move was writing the pilot script of 'Overcompensating' at THR's The Most Powerful People in Media event, presented by History Channel. Plus, he reveals his favorite fictional media character.
Transcript
00:00How are you feeling tonight?
00:01I'm so good.
00:02I'm literally, I love being in New York.
00:04I just moved back, so this is heaven.
00:07See, now I'm in L.A., and I kind of want to move back.
00:09You have to come.
00:10Come live with me.
00:11I would love to.
00:12Do it.
00:13I would love to.
00:13Do it, finally.
00:14We've been talking about it for long enough.
00:16Yes.
00:17Let's just do this.
00:18Move in with me.
00:18We'd have a great life, by the way.
00:20Okay, well, I'm sold.
00:21I'm messy, but other than that, totally.
00:23I can do it with that.
00:24Okay, good.
00:24Good.
00:25On your subject of moves, what would you say is the single most important power move you've
00:29made in your career?
00:30Oh, a power move.
00:33I think finally writing the pilot script of overcompensating, I was really scared to do
00:37that, and I think a lot of people, you just tell yourself, oh, I didn't go to a school
00:43for this, or I didn't have proper training, or all these things, like limitations you put
00:46on yourself, and I was fortunate.
00:48I was around a lot of people who were like, just do it, which I think, surround yourself
00:51with people that love you and support you and are excited for you.
00:54I feel like that, but yeah, that was maybe a power-ish move.
00:58Yeah.
00:58A huge power move.
00:59I'll take it, yeah, yeah.
01:01What surprised you most about the process of kind of like bringing something to life?
01:07Oh, I think I kind of got decision fatigue, because I was like, oh my god, you also have
01:11to think of like the names of fake beer brands and stuff, and I'm like, fuck, I'm so tired.
01:16I'm like, what if these are bad and it ruins the whole show, and I have to live with them
01:19for the rest of my life?
01:20Like, my OCD was just sick.
01:23But no, I think I learned just, you know, in order to do something, like make a show,
01:29like you just have to love it so much and love the subject matter and love the stories
01:32you're telling.
01:33And I'm lucky that the first thing I picked was something that was so personal and like,
01:36that I really could be like, I'll go to work for this for like hundreds of hours and
01:40like, I will blood, sweat, and tears this until it's perfect.
01:43But, oh, yeah, a lot of work.
01:45And then you have to look cute on camera.
01:48So sometimes you look in the mirror, you've been writing a script on that, you're like,
01:51oh shit, now I have to look cute.
01:53Can I say you nailed it today?
01:54Thank you so much.
01:55So did you.
01:56You look gorgeous.
01:58Wait, what I asked lastly, who is your favorite fictional media person, TV or film?
02:03Oh my god.
02:04Who's yours?
02:05This is so hard.
02:07Tell me who yours is right now.
02:08I mean, someone said between Carrie Bradshaw and Andy Sachs, and I was like, yes.
02:14Okay, um, I mean, I've probably seen Sex and the City all the way through like eight
02:19times, so probably Carrie.
02:21But who else?
02:23Anchorman route with Raphael or Meg Ryan.
02:30Meg Ryan, is she a journalist?
02:31She was in, um.
02:32What is she a journalist in?
02:34In, um, oh my god.
02:36Oh my god.
02:39Yeah, wait.
02:40We're gonna know.
02:41We're gonna, we're gonna use all of them.
02:42Look at me, Phil.
02:43Yeah.
02:43Let's go.
02:44I always ask her something.
02:45Ask your question.
02:46These are so hard.
02:47I'm like, who's like a really, I'm picturing people on their little typewriters.
02:51Murphy Brown.
02:52Lemony Snicket.
02:54I love that little bitch.
02:56Lemony Snicket has such a little attitude.
02:58And so, yeah, and I feel like that was the first time I understood like, that I would
03:02probably be on antidepressants as a kid.
03:05My relation, like how much I really enjoyed those books and him.
03:08So maybe him.
03:10Great answer.
03:11I bet everyone tonight said Lemony Snicket.
03:13No?
03:14Good.
03:14It's gonna be my problem now.
03:16We've got Lemony Snicket.
03:16Of course.
03:17You go, well, so Lemony Snicket and Carrie Bradshaw.
03:19You go, well, so Lemony Snicket and Carrie Bradshaw.
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