Michael Robin

Michael has been writing since 1995, when his short story “The Magic Balls” was rejected from Lion’s Tales, Roaring Brook Elementary School’s literary magazine.

Michael RobinRaised in New York, he coped with his teenage social anxiety and body dysmorphia by writing plays about confused Jewish virgins. As an undergrad at Harvard, he sang Tenor II in the Glee Club and won the Lee Patrick Award in Drama for Harvard’s most promising young playwright.

Post-college, Michael joined Teach for America, where he taught The Great Gatsby as if it were a soap opera, produced the first talent show at Wilbur Cross High School in over a decade, and had to explain to 11th graders why it’s not appropriate to watch midget porn during English class. In 2014, Michael piloted Israel’s very first summer school program. Unfortunately, days after he arrived in Tel Aviv, a war broke out, which meant Michael spent a lot of time reading Cormac McCarthy novels in bomb shelters.

A Script Anatomy alum, Michael tells stories about misfits and outcasts who struggle to overcome internalized shame. He is an alumnus of the WB Writers’ Workshop, and was a Humanitas’s New Voices finalist. His scripts have also been recognized by Cinestory, Austin Film Festival and the Page International Screenwriting Awards.

When he’s not writing, you’re liable to find Michael scallop hunting, board gaming, hosting Shabbat, or goofing off with his goldendoodle Biggie Lebowski.

He is repped by Echo Lake, and you can find him on Twitter @michaelrobin.

Testimonials

We’ve all had those teachers who bark “Structure! Structure!” without explaining what structure means – Michael broke it down from the jump, emphasizing setup and payoff: the smallest unit of dramatic storytelling. I got consult-level feedback on pacing, act-outs, the ever-elusive “tone”. When I’m writing nowadays, his instruction still guides my choices: Two-beat stories. Study human behavior. Always end on emotion. My scripts are significantly sharper for it. He’s an exceptional mentor.
— Connor Buhagiar

Michael’s active guidance prepares you for the rigors of a professional writers’ room. Never without an answer to a question, he elevates the effort of writers seeking to make their work stand out in a stack of great scripts. His lectures are thoughtful and nuanced, and he packs a lot of value into his notes. Over a year later, I still return to his notes on my old assignments to help me approach new projects as successfully as possible.

— Natalie Sayth

I took Michael’s TV Spec Lab course as a way to ideate and write a spec for fellowship submissions, and Michael went above and beyond sharing his experience in the WB Writers Workshop’ and examples of his own outlines and writing. From the class, I learned skills that helped me write the best version of my spec that I also apply to my original pilots. Michael specifically helped me with theme and tying all of my plots together under one thematic umbrella. His notes are thoughtful and encouraging, and helped me find confidence in my off-the-wall ideas. Michael’s class directly resulted in me winning Scriptapalooza TV with my spec in 2022.

— Nathan Pearson

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