My Career: Script editor Katie Stevens

Did you always want to be a script editor?
I think I always wanted to do something creative around storytelling. However, I didn’t know a job like this existed, so I always mistook my enthusiasm and love for TV as something else – whether that was wanting to be an advertising mogul in Mad Men, or when I watched four seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and convinced myself I wanted to be a heart surgeon – but really, what I fell in love with was those characters and their relationships with each other on these shows. It was the stories that I craved to be part of!

In college, I studied… I took a bit of a detour in college! I studied biomedical science because of the aforementioned passion for Grey’s Anatomy, and once I realised I wasn’t going to be a doctor, this really took the pressure off. I really admire the US model for study which is a focus on humanities before you decide on a professional career. So, I dove into English literature and Spanish – which meant I got to travel, teach, and read all of the classics for a few years, while also having great fun on the side working with UCD’s musical society and helping produce their productions! I then studied an MA in producing for film and television in London.

My most formative work experience was… I’ve had such great experiences with different jobs. However, I think the most formative work experience I’ve had so far was producing a short film we made in 2019. It was a complete whirlwind, bringing all of these moving parts together with no money – but the most amazing experience was seeing something so small come together with the most hardworking crew. Everyone wanted to make the short the best thing it could be and watching that was really inspiring.  That’s really when I knew I wanted to work in an industry where I could be part of making television or film in some way. 

My first real job was… I spent a lot of time working in restaurants and bars, which is incredibly exhausting but also fantastic in building a bit of resilience to the real world! I had so many customers complain about full meals they had already eaten, babies getting sick on me, grown men getting sick on me… it all builds character! My first job was as a barista in a café by my house, which was brilliant, and I had the nicest manager but I will never forget some of the orders – an extra hot, half shot, decaf, cappuccino… I definitely blagged my way through a lot of orders and played Ariana Grande on Spotify all day!

The most invaluable thing I learned early on in my career was… one of the things working Firebird Pictures has taught me, is to always ask questions and to use the support around you in every way possible. When I started at the company, I remember my incredible bosses – Liz, Craig, and Matthew – telling me to be a sponge, to take it all in, and ask questions – learn and then use that in what I was going to do. That has really taught me to always make sure I ask about everything and seek clarity on the things I don’t understand. Learning to ask for support made me a better communicator – and that is one of the most important things when working on production! You have to always ensure that there is consistent and clear communication because then, at least if there are issues, they can be identified early on and fixed! It’s so invaluable that there is understanding and communication between the script team and the rest of production. 

A common misconception about what I do is… script editing is a hard one to understand, but I do find that a lot of people think we solely fix grammar and spelling! I was unsure in the beginning about what exactly a script editor does. But we really spend so much time working on an idea with a writer from conception – we help them structure their scripts, and build the story around each episode, and once the show is ready to shoot, we work with production to ensure that any changes to the script are communicated to everyone throughout the shoot. It’s an amazingly creative job but also requires a lot of attention to detail too. You are the gatekeeper of the script once in production, you work really closely with the brilliant writer, and get to see the characters and story you have developed with them come to light!

My main responsibility in work is… working in the development team at Firebird is such a rewarding experience. When not in production, my main responsibilities are reading scripts, meeting writers, and working on and staying across the multiple shows on our slate that are all at different stages. We work as a team to get our projects in development with various broadcasters, and then hopefully greenlit. So, it’s about ensuring that we’re fostering the next generation of storytellers for screen! And that means always staying across those new writers, and finding stories we want to develop that we’re passionate about bringing to screen. 

Do you have a career mentor or someone you look up to/seek advice from?
I have to say, it’s really been a pleasure learning from the amazing team at Firebird Pictures. Liz Kilgarriff CEO and Craig Holleworth COO started the company back in 2019 – and set out to create high-end drama for UK television. Liz had worked across brilliant shows like Bodyguard and Luther at the BBC and wanted to start a company that fostered the next generation of storytellers to make exciting drama for screen. Firebird’s ethos is about finding those stories that have a universal emotional heart that takes you through the show – whether that’s a marriage in crisis, or a family torn apart by a secret – and then using genre to up the stakes and give the story real scale. There is universality in the specific and so many of the shows on our slate have that specificity of voice or perspective that we think makes these stories authentic and universal at the same time. 

I have learned so much working with Liz, Craig, and Matthew. It’s a privilege to get to make television, and seeing their work ethic – which is one of kindness and generosity – is amazing. Everyone at Firebird has a voice, and an opportunity to grow and learn and this makes the company’s way of working incredibly collaborative. I particularly love how much time Firebird give to new writers and fostering those voices. Liz and Matthew are incredible development producers I couldn’t ask for better mentors.

Being given the opportunity to script edit a high-end show like Wilderness was incredible! The show’s writer Marnie Dickens is the most incredible leader and it was such a pleasure to learn from someone who works in such a collaborative way, with such attention to detail too. I learned a lot from her and Liz about how to lead a production.

The biggest risk I have taken in my career so far is… I’m still incredibly early on in my career, so there haven’t been too many risks at this stage. But, I think moving into a career that felt like unchartered territory was scary at the time! Moving away from Ireland and trying my hand at something I wasn’t sure was going to work out was terrifying. I remember applying for every job in production I could find in the UK and being rejected from every single one. Eventually, Firebird gave me the opportunity to learn and grow with their amazing team – it all paid off in the end!

I wake at… depending on the day, I will wake around 7:30am, unless I’m going for a run or to the gym. I’m lucky that nothing happens too early in the morning with TV! 

The first thing I do every morning is… I will usually check my emails, but most of the time, I’m simply planning for the day ahead – whether that’s at home or in the office. 

My morning routine is… I will usually check what reading I need to catch up on for the day ahead – pitches, scripts, or books that we need to go back on – and then it’s either a run or gym class, and head into the office where we have our development meeting with our internal team so we can discuss projects that have been shared with us or our own slate projects. 

I can’t go to work without… my notebook. Even though I keep everything on my laptop, I usually handwrite a lot of my notes on scripts – so I’d definitely feel a little lost without it!

I travel to work by… I live in North London and work in Soho, so I usually walk down to the tube, and then it’s a short journey in.

I start my working day at… every office is different but I will usually begin work at 9am – and get any emails or reading done in that first two-hour period if I have no early morning meetings. We then will have a team meeting on a Monday with our CEO and COO where we go through our slate and come up with any action points on our projects for the week. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays – I am usually at home and focus a bit more on reading and any general writer Zoom calls. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we are in the office and have our big development meetings with the team, as well as any other scheduled in-person meetings with writers or agents. 

The first thing I do at work is… I will usually go through any immediate emails, and then make a to-do list for the day! After that, I’m tied up with any reading that needs to be done for the day.

I usually spend the first portion of the day… our team/development meetings are usually at 11am – and these can be anywhere from 1-2 hours – so I focus on reading before and doing any follow-up notes or emails after that! 

I break for lunch at… whether I’m at home or in the office, I usually eat around 1pm. If I’m in Soho, I rarely deviate from the tried and tested chicken and halloumi salad box that’s down the road and a big hit in our office.

The most useful business tool I use every day is… I think it’s mostly making lists! I’d be lost without them – when planning and prepping for any meetings ahead, I’ll always refer back to the list I’ve made at the start of the day.

I save time by… being in the office. It’s a brilliant way to check things with each other in person – sometimes there are a lot of emails floating around!

I rarely get through my working day without… listening to music. It may seem counterproductive to be reading while listening to music at the same time – but it really helps me focus! So, that’s something I’d do a lot particularly when at home and I can blare it in the kitchen!

The best part of my day is… I love the morning chunk of the day. Any time between 8:30am – 11am is when I’m at my most productive and have the most energy.

The most challenging part of my day is… I think if I haven’t had time to read things I was meant to catch up on – because of meetings – that can be quite tricky as they usually go over into the next day.

I know it’s been a good day if… I’ve ticked everything off my list (this rarely happens!), but I’m usually happy if I make a dent.

I usually end my day at… if I’m in the office, it varies – maybe between 5:30pm and 6pm. If I’m at home, I can sometimes push that out to 7pm if I’m finishing up some reading. But, usually 6pm!

I switch off from work by… once I’ve put away my laptop I’m usually switching off. It helps if I go for a run or to a class so I can put my phone away and turn my brain off for a bit too.

Before I go to bed, I’ll… always watch an episode of something to unwind! What’s great about being in our line of work, is that it’s always really useful to stay across what’s out at the moment so you can see what those trends in commissioning are!

I often prepare for tomorrow by… having a look at my calendar for the next day, making a mental note of what time I need to get up at and what to start my day with. 

After a long work week, I destress by… I have such a great group of friends who all live nearby, so it’s usually brunch, going for dinners, and hanging out with them! And then, I usually go for a run with my friend Eoin on Saturday mornings – that’s become our routine this year.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is… I think I would have to say script editing on Prime Video’s recent show Wilderness. Written and created by Marnie Dickens, it’s based on B.E. Jones’ novel of the same name and revolves around British couple Liv (Jenna Coleman) and Will (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who seem to have it all: a rock-solid marriage, a glamorous new life in New York thousands of miles from their provincial hometown and are still young enough to feel that their whole lives are ahead of them. That is until Liv learns about Will’s affair. Heartbreak is swiftly followed by another emotion: fury. Revenge is her only option, and when Will proposes a trip around America’s epic National Parks to give their relationship a fresh start, Liv knows just how to get it… Wilderness is a twisted love story, where a dream holiday and a supposedly “happily-ever-after” quickly turns into a living nightmare!

It was such a pleasure to work alongside Marnie who executive produced and created the show and Liz, CEO at Firebird Pictures and executive producer on the show. Liz introduced the brilliantly twisty book to Marnie, and so began the process of bringing Liv’s story to screen. I think it’s amazing to see a relationship thriller like this one taken out of the domestic sphere and put into the dangerous landscape of the wilderness. It’s a supercharged story of betrayal that keeps twisting in ways you don’t expect. And really, it’s about taking the audience on this journey with Liv – where we may not always be on her side, but we always understand the decisions she makes over the course of the show. It’s a story that is fun, and deliciously propulsive – but is also grounded in this marriage in crisis, and I think it really says something about surviving betrayal. This is the ultimate survival story for Liv!

Jenna and Oliver give such brilliant performances and our director So Yong Kim really takes the audience into the intimacy of their marriage, so you get this amazing mix of being under Liv’s skin throughout the series, while also enjoying the twists and turns of this great thriller set across the beautiful landscape of these national parks.

Marnie’s writing is tantalising, intoxicating, wickedly sharp and funny. This is a thriller that feels fresh, and delicious – and explores that brilliant ‘what if’ for anyone who has ever experienced infidelity in their own relationship. Marnie allows us to lean into the fantasy of what one might do if pushed close enough to the edge. 

If you want to get into my line of work, my advice is to… I think not being afraid to take any opportunity as it comes, but also emailing and meeting people in roles you want to get into is so important. I took a lot of people for coffee and asked 1,000 questions about getting into TV development! I took unpaid runner jobs, worked on short films, read scripts and books for other companies – anything that would mean I was meeting people in the industry and getting advice too. Be a sponge!

I’ve just finished working on… I’m really proud of Wilderness which is now streaming on Prime Video. At the moment, I’m working on a number of various developments at Firebird that are all really exciting. I’m particularly excited about a recently announced Nicôle Lecky project with the BBC which will shoot next year! Nicôle is the brilliant writer and creator behind Bafta-winning Mood. She’s currently writing a thriller that is a provocative and deliciously honest look at mother/daughter relationships in a haze of social media, hidden apps and peer pressure that asks: how far will we go to protect our children? Watch this space!

Wilderness is available now on Prime Video. Imagery provided by Katie Stevens.