He stood in the corner of the Tiki Lounge wearing a pink lei over his tuxedo, drinking a Blue Hawaiian. A group of Tongalers sat around the table, enthralled by one of his stories. The Tongie sat in the middle glistening with its brassy smile. Was this the most interesting man in the world? No, but close: Writer of the Year for Tongies V.
Okay, maybe I’ll leave the narrative storytelling to the actual writers in our community. . .
We had the pleasure of interviewing Ervin Anderson, the recipient of Tongal’s Writer of the Year award at this year’s Tongies V, about his creative journey before and after discovering Tongal as a place to write. It’s nothing short of inspiring.
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Maddie: When did you first get the writing bug?
Ervin: In my early twenties. I’d gone to school thinking I wanted to be a photographer, but the more I pursued it, the more it didn’t feel right. Diane Arbus I was not. I’d always been a voracious reader, and thought, “Why not write?” Once I started writing every day, I knew I’d found my calling. Now, I was really terrible for a few years, so very bad. I knew I’d have to put in the time to make writing a possibility, so that’s what I did. I was living in New Jersey, and I wrote a coming-of-age novel, got an agent, and thought, “I did it! I made it!” Of course, the novel never sold to publishers, and I was basically back to square one. Needing a change, I moved to San Francisco about nine years ago. That’s when my writing took off. Being around other creative types really helped.
M: From 2016 Ideator of the Year to 2018 Writer of the Year, what does winning these two awards mean to you?
E: It’s validation that I’m on the right path, that I’m not the guy on American Idol who the judges tell, “Yeah, Dawg, singing ain’t for you.” Tongal has been a tremendous part of my development as a writer. I’ve learned to handle rejection better, and now I’m less prone to word-vomit. Tongal gave me a sense of discipline. Don’t waste words. Being recognized by Tongal and its community is such an honor. Thousands and thousands of people have submitted ideas on Tongal, and I’m one of the few to be recognized. Getting nominated is the real victory. I’m forever grateful to Tongal for the opportunities afforded me. I’ve worked with Thomas and Friends, Strawberry Shortcake, Play-Doh, National Geographic, LEGO, and so many other brands. I mean, I was actually in a DampRid commercial. How crazy is that?
M: You’ve published two books in the past few years: The Many Lives of Lilith Lane and a personal memoir called Tales of a New Jersey Nothing. What’s the next big thing on your writer’s bucket list?
E: These days, outside of Tongal work, I’m writing film scripts. In 2017, a large part of my time was spent writing and editing two scripts, a sci-fi family movie called The Normals, and a horror film called Pulp Horror. I’m a horror guy from way back. Right now, I’m nearing completion on a romantic comedy script called Possessive, about a woman who was possessed by the Devil for a few years, and now she’s trying to get back on the dating scene; hilarity ensues. I’ve always had a love of movies—ever since Mom used to take me to the drive-in to watch wholly inappropriate films—and getting one made off a script of mine is the next mountain I’m climbing.
M: You’ve written for Strawberry Shortcake, National Geographic, Cuisinart and ESPN. How has working in different genres and series formats stretched your creative muscles?
E: I want to be a guy who can write anything. I go into every Tongal project—whether it be an idea for a shampoo commercial, a series bible for a television show about the human body, or a children’s animated web series—with the same attitude: I can do that. Sometimes it’s not easy, but challenging myself is part of growing as a writer, and Tongal has challenged me again and again, in a really wonderful way. I must add, having a three-year-old daughter has certainly helped me get in the right frame of mind for projects like Thomas and Friends and Strawberry Shortcake.
M: What’s your advice for Tongalers pitching on Series Projects? Do you have a special formula or do you like to mix things up?
E: Just understand the brand. For the Thomas and Friends “My First” series, I watched and read a lot about the series and characters. Same with Strawberry Shortcake. Submerse yourself in that world. Whatever you’re pitching, come from a place of knowledge. You’re not going to learn everything from research, but you’ll at least be able to speak that character’s language. Outside of that, I don’t have any special formula. Each project is its own animal. Or train. Or cake.
M: You recently wrote a blog post describing how working in the 140 character format has helped you become a better writer. In 140 characters or less, can you describe how the long-form series format has helped you develop as a writer as well?
E: Ha! Nice question!
The more varied the projects I do—series bible, treatment, manifesto, script, whatever—the more skills I attain.
(How many characters is that?)
M: You thanked your wife, Julia Lee (a Tongal Hall of Famer and previous Ideator of the Year winner), many times in your acceptance speech. How do you two work creatively together?
E: Well, usually, she tells me my writing needs work, I cry and run away, then later I think about it, and say, “Maybe she had a point.” Julia is a graphic designer, but she’s also a terrific writer and editor. She’s a nice asset to have at my disposal. This past year, she helped me with two big Tongal projects: Monster High & National Geographic. With Monster High, where we were tasked with reimagining everything, I wrote the story and she came up with the character designs. For The National Geographic project, I handled the writing and she handled most of the visual components, putting it all together. I told her, “I know how to get the words but they want pictures and stuff, too. Help me!” She laughed and said, “Sure.” She actually told me I mentioned her too much in my speech. She was flattered but embarrassed. Hey, I was nervous! It’s scary up on that stage.
M: Lastly, what was your favorite part of Tongies V?
E: Just being there. It’s always such an amazing time, and year after year, I say to myself, “I just want to get back one more time!” This year especially, being the fifth Tongies, it seemed extra special, a milestone. Tongal does such an amazing job bringing creative people together and creating a real, thriving community. Winning Writer of the Year is such an honor. I’m still feeling the buzz. Or maybe that’s my residual hangover. Good times.
My favorite part of the show itself was the short film Matt and Nolan did. Brilliant. They should host next year.
