Shruti Saran on joining a writers' group and staffing through #blackoutscriptreads

Shruti Saran met her current showrunner through a hashtag on Twitter called #blackoutscriptreads. But first, she quit her job, found a writers' group, and got serious about networking. Today we'll talk about how she did it – all while living in Austin, Texas. I'm your host, Priscilla Nguyen, and you're listening to NEW SCREENWRITERS ON BREAKING IN.

Shruti Saran is an Indian-American screenwriter. She grew up in India, England, and the United States, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biology. Shruti worked in digital marketing for several years before quitting to write full-time. While living in Austin, Texas, she began building a network on Twitter, and periodically traveled to LA to network in person. Eventually she wrote a drama pilot that got her an agent, a manager, and a slew of general meetings. In 2021, she wrote a buzzy comedy pilot called BAD GANDHI that got her staffed on her first show, a new series for Netflix.