For Screenwriter Ed Robinson, Storytelling and a DIY Approach Make a Perfect Pairing

Is there something holding you back from becoming the creator you want to be, or is that all in your head? Screenwriter Ed Robinson makes me believe it’s the latter. With three kids under the age of four all living under one roof (and no daycare), Ed still makes time for creating. He’s not waiting around for anyone, and you know what? It makes his stories richer, more vibrant, and more believable, in my opinion, because they come from the heart.

Take Ed’s award-winning web series “Pairings,” about a man who starts cooking his way through the dating world, discovering things about women, himself, and the lasting memories of food. It’s one of the projects that kickstarted Ed into pursuing a writing career. He created the series, wrote it, and stars in it.

“I heard from viewers that the show inspired them to embrace the good memories of lost loved ones,” he told us. “After that, I was hooked on storytelling. I understood that my personal truths could speak universally.”

Ed told us that he decided he wanted to be a screenwriter just recently after his father passed.

“I found writing as a very cathartic way to deal with my pain,” he said.

While plenty of people might argue that you can’t just jump into Hollywood because you decide to, Ed proves that notion wrong by taking a do-it-yourself approach. Today, the tools are all there, just waiting for us to use them.

“Make movies,” he told us. “It’s so affordable now. Your short or series may go viral, and it may not, but it certainly will lead you to meet a group of talented peers.”

Perhaps most importantly, he says, is to put aside the fear that you’re going to mess up. Writing is art after all, and “rules are meant to be broken,” Ed said.

“If you can confidently demonstrate you know how to write a screenplay, the reader will understand when you break the rules, as long as it makes sense. I'm not suggesting you bold half your script. However, the script currently getting me attention contains three fonts. I wouldn't do that for most of my projects, but for this one, it makes sense.”

Ed seems content with DIY filmmaking for now, but he does want to be staffed on a show, and ultimately show run one of his own. I have no doubt he’ll make this happen, given what he’s already been able to accomplish since deciding to become a screenwriter.

Ed has three more projects in the works in the meantime: a drama based on real events, a horror-comedy, and a sitcom. He gave us a preview of his script “A Pinch of Time,” which you can read here.