With the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus the acclaimed and popular series is once again capturing audience’s imaginations. With its mixture of exotic locales, sexual intrigue and existential conflict, The White Lotus has become an event show and not surprising, a fourth season has already been ordered before the third has even finished airing.

At the center of the show is its creator and showrunner: Mike White. In addition to his showrunning duties, White writes and directs every episode of the series. Between its cinematic flourishes and each season having its own self-contained narrative, The White Lotus feels more like a 6 to 8 hour-long movie than a traditional TV show. Not surprisingly, prior to creating The White Lotus, White was a screenwriter and filmmaker.

However, his career did start in TV, and White’s journey from staff writer to showrunner is an illuminating one. Here are some lessons screenwriters can learn from the career of Mike White.

Collaborating and Networking

In college Mike White befriended Zak Penn, who was a few years older than him and had sold the spec script for Last Action Hero. When back visiting the school, Penn suggested that White move out to LA and start writing screenplays with him. Jumping at the opportunity, White did just that. Even though their two years of being writing partners didn’t lead to any big sales, White credits the more sociable Penn for introducing him to many people in the industry and opening doors.

Although it’s no longer essential to live in LA to break into film and television like it was back in the 1990s, there are many ways a screenwriter can network with other writers and industry professionals via the internet. Putting yourself out there — regardless of the means — can always create opportunities.

Becoming a Staff Writing Pro

Between his effective networking and staying motivated, White eventually landed his first professional job: staff writer on the popular teen drama Dawson’s Creek. He also became a writer for the cult-loved series Freaks and Geeks.

Not only was White beginning to build a resume, he was learning to work with other industry professionals and honing his craft as a writer. White’s experience as a staff writer also no doubt assisted him years later when he eventually became a showrunner and writer for his own television series.

Also Doing It For The Art

In addition to his staff writing work, White continued to write feature spec scripts. 

His screenplay Chuck & Buck was made into a 2000 film (directed by Miguel Arteta). In addition to establishing his unique voice as a writer of dark comedy, White also starred in the film. Chuck & Buck received good reviews from critics and it won the John Cassavetes Award at the 16th Independent Spirit Awards. 

Chuck & Buck was a definite foreshadowing of who White would ultimately become as a writer and artist. However, more big opportunities were just around the corner.

Jack Black in 'School of Rock'

Becoming a Screenwriting Pro

After writing an acclaimed indie film, White was in demand as a writer of quirky comedy. 

In addition to another collaboration with director Miguel Arteta, The Good Girl (starring Jennifer Aniston), he wrote Orange County (directed by Jake Kasdan). The film’s co-star, Jack Black, was also White’s neighbor at the time and this would lead to White’s biggest hit as a feature screenwriter: School of Rock. The 2003 comedy classic (directed by Richard Linklater) not only made Jack Black a movie star, it showed that White was an extremely versatile writer who could write a feel-good family film just as well as a dark comedy.

White would also write the Jack Black comedy Nacho Libre (directed by Jared Haas). The film wasn’t as well-received as School of Rock and it was clear that White was catering more to Jack Black’s vision than his own. This would soon change…  

Still Doing It For The Art

After School of Rock, White could’ve carved out a decent career for himself as a screenwriter of mainstream studio comedies (and there’d be nothing wrong with it if he had). However, White’s creative instincts as an artist won out and he took a different path: writing and directing a dark indie comedy and more personal story that was a natural evolution from Chuck & Buck. 

White’s directorial debut, Year of the Dog (starring Molly Shannon) solidified his voice and his penchant for combining quirkier comedic elements with darker and confronting character arcs. Despite the film not connecting with many critics and audiences, it created a tonal template that would ultimately be better received via prestige cable programming and changing tastes. 

Aubrey Plaza in 'The White Lotus'

Enlightened and The White Lotus

White’s first HBO series was Enlightened. He co-created the dramedy with actress Laura Dern and he wrote every episode. Although he shared directing duties, White’s vision as the show’s sole writer further established him as a master of subtle dark comedy and complicated character studies.

Although the show’s ratings were low and it was canceled after two seasons, Enlightened was critically acclaimed and it established White’s relationship with HBO. This would eventually pay off when the network asked White to conceive a limited series set at a single location (due to the COVID pandemic at the time). Inspired by the task, White would create The White Lotus.

Originally planned to be a one-off limited series, The White Lotus was so popular with both critics and the public, it was reimagined as a regular series with a revolving cast and location for each season. Three seasons in and White still writes and directs every episode, and maintains total creative control.

Living the Dream and Working For It 

Between writing and shooting The White Lotus, White stays busy with other projects. In contrast to his dark and existential cable series, White wrote the screenplays for family movies like Migration, The Emoji Movie and Despicable Me 4. He also appeared as a contestant in reality shows like Survivor: David vs. Goliath and The Amazing Race (in which he got eliminated in Thailand, inspiring the location of the third season of The White Lotus).

White’s career has always been marked by balancing professionalism with creative expression. From being a staff writer on TV shows to becoming a showrunner and auteur of his own series, he paid his dues and stayed true to his personal vision.

The third season of The White Lotus is currently streaming on HBO and MAX.