My regular readers are well aware of my affinity for highlighting those behind the scenes, and in the case of Joie Botkin, interviewing her was a genuine treat. She has become a fast fan and network favorite screenwriter, and before we close out our holiday season programming, it is my honor to share our recent chat.
RH: Why did you decide to pursue a career in writing for film/TV? What kind of training have you had to prepare you for this career?
JB: This was an interesting question to consider – how I decided to do what I do and how I got here. Growing up, I always loved to tell stories – whether writing them down or acting out plays with friends. In my teen years, I developed a love for the arts – painting, drawing, photography and weaving, which I still do – I have a loom in my home. The first college I attended was an arts school and I planned on being a professional photographer, but left that school after a year – it wasn’t the right fit. I then moved out to L.A. to live with my brother who had just quit his job in PR and was trying to become a screenwriter. I had never considered a job in film, but realized it combined my two passions – telling stories and visual mediums.
So I applied to USC Film and, very gratefully, got in with a full scholarship – although in college, I focused on directing and only took one screenwriting class where I never finished the final assignment of writing a full-length feature (I think I’ve made up for it!) After USC I worked in reality TV for a bit, then as an assistant at a studio, then various other jobs – all the while writing endlessly. So while I did go to film school, I didn’t have much formal training to be a screenwriter.
The real training has come on the job at Hallmark – I’ve written eight projects for them – am about to start three more – and every draft (and there are many!) of every film is a learning experience that has made me a better writer. And sometimes it has been tough – it’s been a long road to learn how to stop doubting myself and to trust my instincts, but I’m getting there.
Also to note – which I sometimes forget – is a funny coincidence about me writing for Hallmark – growing up I was obsessed with Full House – it’s hard to explain how much I loved the TV show and how much time I spent watching it, thinking about it and reenacting it. So it’s funny to find myself at the same network as the Full House stars – and wonder how much Full House influenced my writing style and tone that I feel so comfortable at Hallmark.
What was the first thing you wrote professionally? What are your memories of it?
My first professional writing gig was a rom-com that I was hired to write for the actor starring in it. I was fresh out of college and had no idea what I was doing – I’m still not sure how I got the job. My memories are bumbling through the process, feeling insecure about the work I was generating and ultimately stepping down from the project because I felt the actor and producer kept changing their minds and asking for big overhauls draft to draft. Now I look back and laugh, understanding that every draft is a constant overhaul and the creative process is all about changing your mind. But at the time I believed that once words hit paper, they were set in stone.
Most of your work has been with Hallmark. I believe last year’s Miss Christmas was your first Hallmark movie. Please tell us about how that job came about and your involvement with it.
Brooke D’Orsay, Marc Blucas Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs
Yes, Miss Christmas was my first and will always hold a special place in my heart! Not only was Miss Christmas my first Hallmark film – and my first film to be produced – but I started working on it when my son was young – about two at the time – and I was going through a breakup with his father and coming to terms with being a single mother. It was an emotional and tough time and returning to Miss Christmas really kept me going – not just helping me to believe in love again, but to believe in myself as I watched my longtime dream of being a screenwriter come true.
It was also such an interesting process because at that point I had never seen a Hallmark movie. Now I watch them all the minute they come out – I love them, I study them, I take notes about the tones, characters, themes – because I believe the Hallmark brand is always shifting, always growing. But at the time that I was writing Miss Christmas, I had never seen a Hallmark film so I was basically writing in the dark and then finessing with the notes that I received, really at a loss to what the final product would be. Now whenever writers ask me about how to break into Hallmark, my first question is always, “Do you watch their movies?”
I believe your next project for Hallmark was A Song For Christmas. Please tell us your memories of that project.
A Song for Christmas was my second, written on the heels of Miss Christmas. Again at that time I had yet to watch a Hallmark film, but had begun to have the suspicion that maybe I should. A Song was a bit more stressful – the producers wanted to shoot in real snow and so every day of writing was just a countdown of watching the snow melt. A Song also had a lot of creative voices wanting to go in different directions – it was a good learning experience for juggling multiple creative perspectives while still being able to bring my vision to life.
This year you wrote three Hallmark movies–Falling For You, Christmas At the Palace and Jingle Around the Clock. Please tell us anything you’d like to about these projects.
They were all so different – it’s amazing how much the screenwriting process can vary.
Taylor Cole, Tyler Hynes Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
Falling for You was originally based on a book and was a case of the final draft of the script bearing no resemblance to the first draft – we did big overhauls draft to draft over a longer period of time – maybe seven months or so. I was working with a creative producer on Falling, so it was a bit like being part of a writing team – bouncing ideas and working closely with someone. Falling was especially exciting because I’m a big Taylor Cole fan and wrote the part with her in mind, hoping she’d play Lacey, and she did!
Meanwhile, Christmas at the Palace was the exact opposite process. I was brought on to the project to do a page one rewrite two weeks before the film was set to go into production. At that point, it was the very latest a Hallmark Christmas could be shot and still make it to the 2018 slate, so I really felt like I was working against the clock. Also, I took the job on the first day of my vacation so I spent it glued to my computer! But I loved the project so much and it just clicked. This was probably my most graceful assignment yet – straight from the start I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do, the team was on board, I executed well and on time, everyone was happy and the entire rewrite took a month – a short time compared to the usual timeline.
Brooke Nevin, Michael Cassidy Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
It doesn’t always go so smoothly, which leads me to Jingle Around the Clock. On Jingle, I was brought in at conception to execute an idea a wonderful producing/acting team had pitched to Hallmark. I was given somewhat free rein to take it in any creative direction I felt fit and tried again and again and just could not get it right! I loved the premise, loved the characters, wanted so much to do them justice and just couldn’t get a firm grasp on the project. I was finally rewritten, which was great because the new writer took the project in a different direction and brought it to life in a way I just couldn’t seem to.
Have you ever visited set while they filmed one of your movies? If not, do you have plans to do so?
I have not yet visited, but I really want to! I have a Hallmark film set in Hawaii and so I’m hoping, if all goes well, to visit that set – not only because it’s in Hawaii. I actually can’t imagine being on set of one of my films – it’ll be a real pinch-me moment and I’ll report back. For right now, every time one of my projects goes into production, I’m glued to Instagram and Twitter hoping to catch pictures from set.
Any other upcoming works you can mention?
Yes, a lot of Hallmarks, which I’m very grateful for! Not sure how much of a spoiler I can give so I’ll stay vague, but I have a spring 2019 film airing in March that plays with the idea of “vision boards” and manifesting your dreams. I can’t wait to see this one – I’m very happy with how the script turned out. Then right on that one’s heels, I may (fingers crossed) have the Hawaii film I mentioned before that is so fun and tropical – it’s going to look beautiful. Then a June Weddings I’m still writing that was one of my more complicated projects – it took a couple attempts to crack the story – but it’s a super fun premise and I’m really excited about how the script is shaping up. Then a September film based off a pitch I sold Hallmark set in a world I love (I wish I could give more details) and then finally a Fall Harvest that is pure wish fulfillment (at least for me) and I think/hope will be a fan favorite. Looking over my slate, I’m excited about the upcoming year – and realizing I’m going to be very busy!
Taylor Cole, Tyler Hynes Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
Why do you believe Hallmark is experiencing such unprecedented growth as a network?
I think there are a handful of coexisting reasons – the changing way we view media, the uptick in content production and the rise in content quality. But I believe the real reason Hallmark is experiencing growth is that the world can feel tumultuous and uncertain, and Hallmark offers an oasis from that. Hallmark is a place where true love prevails, dreams come true, communities support – it’s our wish-fulfillment and perpetuates values we want to foster in ourselves and share with our families. I think Hallmark gives us the feeling of being home, and viewers enjoy spending time in that world. Also, I think Hallmark films are getting better and better – pushing the envelope, challenging what stories we tell and how we tell them and, in doing that, attracting a broader audience.
Marc Blucas, Luke Roessler, Brooke D’Orsay, Erin Boyes, Greg Rogers Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs
At this point, you’ve written romantic comedies for Hallmark. Are you interested in writing in other genres?
Romantic comedies are what I love to watch and what I love to write – there’s no story that interests me more than a love story. But I have written in other genres. I penned a biopic about a conservationist (although I did focus on his love story a bit too much) and a historical horror (although, again, I shoehorned a romance in.) So maybe I should just stick with romantic comedies!
How will you be celebrating the holidays this year?
Brooke Nevin, Michael Cassidy, Jeremy Guilbaut, Lynn Johnson, Andrea Brooks Credit: ©2018 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Bettina Strauss
This was the best holiday season. It started at Thanksgiving when my entire family came into town and, after dinner, we all got to watch the premiere of Christmas at the Palace together. I had yet to watch any of my films with my family, so it was a special moment – they were so proud of me and I was proud of myself (the only person who did not enjoy was my four-year-old son who could not understand why the film wasn’t animated and kept asking me when I was going to write Cars 5.)
Since Thanksgiving, I hosted two holiday parties – one wreath-making, one cookie decorating, trimmed the tree with my son and his Dad and have basically eaten nothing but sugar. I took my son to visit Santa (my son couldn’t understand why he had to tell Santa what he wanted when he already had his letter) and ice skating (he didn’t like it) and then for hot chocolate (he spilled it all over himself) – so we hit all the Christmas requisites.
We just had Christmas Eve day, and I volunteered at my local crisis line – I’m a former crisis counselor and now help out around the holidays when there’s a rise in callers and agencies that rely on volunteers that travel for the holidays and are left understaffed. Then I had Christmas Eve dinner with my son and his Dad and I stayed up till 3 A.M. waiting for Santa to come.
For New Year’s, I’ll take my son to visit my Grandma who lives in Las Vegas and my parents, and extended family will meet us there. We’ll ring in the New Year together and then, maybe, just maybe, I’ll eat something besides sugar. But no promises.
Joie has definitely become a prolific screenwriter within recent times, and it looks like her connection with the network is only going to continue to grow in the upcoming year. I can honestly state that I have enjoyed every one of her films for Hallmark thus far, and a few of them are even massive favorites of mine (Falling For You, Jingle Around the Clock, Christmas At the Palace). Her association with the network is unquestionably something that has benefited everyone involved, and the fact that she was so forthcoming about the process–including both the positives and the challenges–is something that gives me a great deal of encouragement. In short, her responses foster hope that my lofty screenwriting aspirations are not as unattainable as I sometimes fear they might be, and anything is possible if one is willing to work for it. What she has learned over the course of her time with Hallmark are lessons that I believe are applicable to life in general, chiefly that no matter one’s experience or training, an eagerness to learn, adjust, and collaborate with others coupled with a genuine sense of humility can lead to a final project that is decidedly a masterpiece.
If you have not had the opportunity to watch Joie’s Hallmark films this year, I would invite you to check out the holiday schedule before those movies disappear until Christmas In July while keeping an eye open for her non-Christmas films once regular programming returns. Additionally, I would invite everyone to visit her links below and consider following her on Twitter as she is becoming more active on that social media platform and does try to keep her followers updated on her upcoming works. As it sounds like she will have a record 2019 with Hallmark, it may very well be that she is the new network screenwriter to watch who continues to create entertaining stories permeated with heart, soul, love, and fun. Let’s do our part to see that screenwriters like Joie are around for a long time to come!
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