Producing : Producing: a choice, or an evolution by T.L. Davis

Hey T.L. Davis , Thank you for sharing your career crossroads situation. Your diverse creative background - from novels and screenplays to stage plays and documentaries - demonstrates remarkable versatility that many creatives aspire to develop.

What strikes me about your journey is that you're experiencing what many successful creatives face: finding unexpected success in an area that wasn't your original focus. The documentary direction is particularly interesting because it combines storytelling with real-world impact, potentially giving you the best of both worlds.

Rather than viewing your documentary work as separate from your writing identity, consider how Taylor Sheridan himself has evolved. He began as an actor, transitioned to writing, and has since expanded into producing and directing. His signature style works across formats precisely because he brings his unique storytelling perspective to each medium.

Plenty of documentarians have transitioned to narrative writing as well, such as Sarah Polley, Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, Bennett Miller, James Marsh, Debra Granik, Steve James, Ari Folman, R.J. Cutler, and Joe Berlinger, to name a few.

And many of our most successful Stage 32 members maintain multiple creative identities simultaneously. Rather than choosing between your writing and documentary producing, consider how they might inform and strengthen each other:

Your narrative writing skills likely give your documentaries a compelling structure that purely technical producers might lack. Documentary work can also provide real-world connections and insights that enrich your narrative writing. Plus, building credentials in multiple areas actually makes you more attractive to representatives and executives seeking versatile talent.

If you're finding recognition in documentary producing, embrace it as an expansion of your creative identity rather than a replacement. The industry increasingly values multi-hyphenates who can work across formats.

Pat Alexander thank you for the encouraging words and the sentiment. It was inspiring to think of my creative work as enhancing the documentary work, since I write most of the treatments and such for the project. I think I do that naturally, how could I restrain myself? But your guidance made me think of it in a different way and I'll be reviewing my documents to ensure that they've been effectively infused with the creative side.

Also encouraging was the idea that I am more attractive to representatives and producers for all of my varied endeavors. I tend to think of it as distracting, unfocused and confusing to them, so I rarely include anything other than what I'm currently pitching, other than "novelist" because I think that writing novels builds in character development that is not there if the source is a screenplay. In other words, a fully developed character from a novel one has read breeds into it (somehow) a depth that I find hard to produce when I'm writing a new character for a screenplay without the supporting document of a novel. If that makes any sense.

Anyway, I appreciate your perspective more than you know.

T.L. Davis, this is such an honest and powerful question, thank you for sharing it. I’m Ashley, Head of Community here at Stage 32, and I think so many creatives can relate to this exact crossroads.

What stands out to me is that your storytelling clearly resonates, whether it’s through scripts, plays, or docs. Producing a documentary isn’t stepping away from your identity as a writer, it’s a different form of storytelling that’s drawing on all the same instincts: structure, voice, truth, and emotional arc.

You don’t have to shrug off your writing to recognize that documentary work may be part of your creative path forward. In fact, it might be a vehicle that opens doors for your narrative projects down the line. Taylor Sheridan’s success didn’t start with a perfectly straight line, and yours doesn’t need to either.

Ashley Renee Smith thank you. The message I seem to be getting from you and Pat is that what I see as a departure from my writing career is really more about advancing my role as a producer to then be able to put the pieces together for some of my other projects, largely screenplays. A further education and understanding of the business, so to speak.

T.L. Davis THANK YOU so much, for being vulnerable in where you are finding yourself. Many of us have faced similar introspective questions and I can assure you, that your inner convictions on your craft will guide you, maybe in this season Documentary stories are calling to be told. Enjoy your this new journey and embrace every story that wants to speak through you. Your journey is phenomenal.

T.L. Davis that's exactly it. many filmmakers work in both pots and use one project here, to leverage another project there and continually grow skills and ability in one medium to help angle for work in the other medium

Elmare Hendricks thank you for the encouragement and insight. A creative brain is an interesting thing.

Pat Alexander I've now fully embraced this idea, thank you.

T.L. Davis Producing is a decision. It's an entrepreneurial process and requires commitment - as you must already know. You can find some support as an indie producer in the Independent Producers Guild - and the IPG is having a members drive this weekend.