Successful Alum Brings Young Grad into Writer’s Room

Jake Morgan (’16) made it clear from his first moments on campus – while interviewing for a spot in the incoming MFA writing class – that he wanted to write comedy. His interview covered everything from Some Like It Hot to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Now, after just two years in LA, he’s represented by Cartel and is gearing up to pitch his half-hour comedy.

But the writers in our program aren’t allowed to simply write in one genre. “The curriculum allowed me to explore and develop wherever I wanted to go. Everything I learned about hour-long drama I use every day.”

Not long after juggling three internships upon graduation – Funny or Die, Circle of Confusion, and Gary Sanchez Productions, the production company of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay – Jake got a call from esteemed FSU Film alum Matt Lopez. Lopez was putting together a writers’ room for his new show and he had a spot for the recent alum. Jake quickly became a writer’s assistant on Lopez’s new show Gone, which is already airing in a number of countries and will be coming to WGN in 2019.

“Every good thing that’s happened to me here seems to have branched from an alumni connection,” Jake says, and he’s also quick to credit the workshop setting and the students that graduated alongside him. “Tapping into your voice and having confidence in that voice are the most important things. FSU was an incubator that helped me figure that out.”

His advice for our current MFA students as they head into the final push of writing their theses is to commit. “Have one good script ready when you get to LA– something you’re confident in that captures your unique voice and shows what you love– so that when the opportunity comes, you don’t miss it.”