Writers’ assistant on CBS staple NCIS, Katie White firmly believes in hard work, lifting up the women around her, and that cultivating natural relationships in this industry is key to a lasting network. All of that, and writing nonstop.
"I relate to her in that she writes relentlessly. I understand her and all of her mistakes. She’s so blunt — my best and worst quality," laughs White, while musing on why her Twitter handle states, "If Carrie Bradshaw could only afford Old Navy." It’s a great hook; a memorable little insight into White's writing style.
It’s also that relentless dedication to her craft that resonates with White, and the ability to move onward and upward no matter what, that has served White well as she navigates her writing-directing career. The two-time Nicholl Fellowship semifinalist saw her first produced hour of television air last year; "In a Nutshell" premiered as episode 17 in season 17 of NCIS.
An awesome accomplishment, but only just the beginning for White, who rattled off anecdotes and advice during our half-hour chat with all the ease and speed that belie her New Jersey roots.
"I wrote my first screenplay in high school. So, it’s always just been who I was and what I’ve done. A friend of mine from childhood and I reconnected over quarantine, she’s a trainer and I was like, 'Sweet, you can train me over Zoom,' and she made a comment that at a slumber party, 'I remember you writing a story for us to perform.' I have no memory of that, but she was like, 'that’s always who you’ve been.'"
The storyteller — and the director. "I’ve directed some short films, and directing features is a huge goal of mine, but writing has always been second nature. Directing is the challenge," White says eagerly.
But that’s not to say that writing has always been easy for White, no matter how much storytelling is ingrained in her bones. A beautifully inspiring thing to remember for all creatives is that loving something doesn’t mean it’s easy. It requires persistence.
"I never thought I’d be a writer. I’m brutally dyslexic. If there were no computers fixing things for me ... and my mom. My mom is a doctor of education and fought all the teachers who tried to fail me because I didn’t spell a single word right. She would fight them to look at the quality of the story," White reminisces gratefully.
"Thank god for editors and friends. But yeah, if it wasn’t for my mom going, 'You’re a good storyteller,' I never would’ve pursued it."
Thank goodness for future audiences, White did pursue writing, giving us her unique lens into the weird world of family dynamics and other story-rich arenas. Her favorite space to play in is dark dramedy.
"I love finding the good in all the weirdos. The weird worlds we don’t venture into all that often is my happy place," she says, smiling. "Everything [I write] will have some humor in it."
For now, she’s lending her voice to the "holy grail of TV writing," network TV. And how did she land that coveted spot in the NCIS writers room?
"Half talent, half nepotism. I was out here for a decade busting down doors, trying to make connections, and my dad goes, 'Hey, I realized somebody I went to college with is out in California' ... and this guy happened to be a showrunner."
White met with Frank Cardea, executive producer on NCIS, and he told her they weren’t hiring.
"You know when you meet with someone and you can tell everyone in their life has made them meet with their daughter at some point? And I was like, 'I’m so sorry that you are stuck walking me through ... how you got to where you are' ... But he was so gracious, and I asked him if he could give me notes on a script that people were really digging ... and he called."
While there still weren’t any staff spots available, White’s persistence by having that ace in her back pocket allowed Cardea to see her talent and he offered her a job: "How would you feel about coming on as a writers' assistant?”
"On a show like NCIS, there’s no turnover — it’s the holy grail of a television show to work for because they do 24 episodes a season and it’s network so there are incredible residuals."
Of her time in the writers room, "I’ve gotten everything I can learn. It’s been a great experience. It’s priceless."
And of Cardea, White says, "I couldn’t have gotten better guidance. [It was a] really good entrance into the industry."
Despite the rise of Zoom rooms since the world pivoted in 2020, White still gives credit to the live and in-person connections that can be made in the industry.
"As much as you hate that you have to be out here, it’s the connections. Even [Cardea], he wasn’t gonna Zoom with me. 'I’ll grab lunch with you and we’ll talk about the industry.' And I’ve done that with so many people over the years ... Nothing’s come of it except the relationship, but those relationships all build to something bigger, which is really nice."
White has also amassed her writing tribe on Twitter.
"It’s ridiculous the amount of people that I’m incredibly close with on Twitter." While she recommends finding your community, the way not to do it is by saying, "Hi, I’m a writer, you’re a writer, can you help me?" It’s all about cultivating natural relationships.
Of all the people White has connected with over the years, she has the best things to say about her current manager, whom she queried during COVID-19 (along with about 30 other companies). Her query advice: keep it "very short and sweet."
"My email was, 'I’m a writer, this is what I like to write, and I just had my first episode of TV. Here’s a couple of loglines, please help me with my career. I got about 11 or 12 that were willing to read, and off of that, a bunch of meetings, and most of them were like, 'I really love your work, let’s see what we can do together' and this meeting was equally as great, but he was like, 'You have really great stuff — it needs work.'" White laughs.
"My ego ... Then I was like, 'Oh, wait ... His notes and his assistant’s notes have elevated my work so much and it shows those really great partnerships you can find in managers."
And you can tell she means it; that sometimes it’s not what we think we want, but what we actually need as writers.
"It was never about changing my vision. [His notes] just elevated the writing to make it work in the market or figure out where it belongs. It’s been a really wonderful experience."
He’s also helped White narrow her goal to writing toward where she wants to end up, and not just write to be everything to everyone; a dangerous yet easy pit to fall in where you’re a writer starting out.
White’s other sage advice to writers learning the ropes is keep an eye on the business side of things while you’re writing those kick-ass scripts.
"Speak to an accountant." That, and find a show that understands the [Writers Guild of America, West] points system.
"You need a show that will help it," so that you can work your way toward membership.
Up next is a project loosely based on White’s earlier experiences in her twenties, revolving sex toys, and a pyramid scheme.
"It’s the most Katie thing. I wanted to write something about women expressing themselves without being the statistic. [About] women working together."
So where does White see herself in five years?
"I’ve hit a point in life where I want to give the ‘me’ answer. I want to run shit. I want to have assistants that make a living wage. I want to help women climb up. That’s the whole thing about me, if I ever find a way to that ladder, cling on, and I will pull with all my might. But you better be helping the people below you because we are all in this crazy existence together. I would love to have a room where everyone feels comfortable. Like if someone has a child that’s not the end of their career — let’s put a bassinet in the corner and take turns burping the kid so we can move on to Act Two. I don’t see that as a flaw, I see that as the biggest character-building thing in the world."
Her final piece of advice to others trying to rise through the industry ranks: "You just have to be a cockroach. I am an amazing cockroach. There’re so many reasons things fall apart — and they will. You just have to climb out of the rubble and survive. As a cockroach, I can live off very little; I just show up. I can survive everything crumbling around me, cry for an hour, then go, ‘Alright, what’s the next thing?'"
Can’t wait to see what your next thing is! Hopefully it’ll include that dream casting: "That’s the goal: Stalk Jean Smart until she stars in something."