As we were preparing for the 6th season of My Wife & Kids with three episodes in Paris, my agent called and told me that he heard through the grapevine the show was going to be cancelled. But he had good news as well. The news was that they were looking for writers for a new show that would air on UPN called Everybody Hates Chris. I had always admired Chris Rock from afar and felt that my humor was in the same rhythm as his.
I interviewed for the job and I got it. Where as at My Wife & Kids, Don Reo being a legend in the business and Damon being who he was, I was basically relegated to the role of 9th man off the bench, but at Everybody Hates Chris, I was a starter. I was assigned the task of writing all of the voice-overs the show used, producing it with Chris Rock and editing it into finished episodes. These duties were on top of my regular duties as a writer and the responsibility of overseeing production of my personal episodes as they went from script to air. I also had to work with standards and practices to clear episodic material, as I had to clear material for every episode we aired.
The best bonuses that I could have not foreseen was the relationship I developed with Chris Rock. It’s difficult to have friends in this business, due to it’s competitive nature, but I consider Chris to be a friend. He’s a quality human being and I’ve had the pleasure of getting his advice and a myriad of scenarios, both personal & professional. I credit Everybody Hates Chris with furthering my evolution from novice to professional.