Editing J. Michael Straczynski (section)

=== 1970s–1980s ===

==== Early work ====
Straczynski began writing plays, having several produced at [[Southwestern College (California)|Southwestern College]] and [[San Diego State University]] before publishing his adaptation of ''Snow White'' with Performance Publishing.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Straczynski |first=J. Michael |title=Snow White |publisher=Performance Publishing/Baker's Plays |year=1979 |isbn=0-87440-590-4 |pages=49}}</ref> Several other plays were produced around San Diego, including ''The Apprenticeship'' for the Marquis Public Theater. During the late 1970s, Straczynski became the on-air entertainment reviewer for KSDO-FM and wrote several radio plays before being hired as a scriptwriter for the radio drama ''[[Alien Worlds (radio)|Alien Worlds]]''.<ref name="AlienWorlds">{{Cite web |url=http://www.old-time.com/otrlogs2/aw_.log.txt |title=Alien Worlds Radio Show Index |date=2007-07-25 |publisher=Old-time.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040808065436/http://www.old-time.com/otrlogs2/aw_.log.txt |archive-date=August 8, 2004}}</ref><ref name="IGN">{{cite web|last= Plume|first= Kenneth|title= Interview with J. Michael Straczynski (Part 1 of 4)|website= [[IGN]]|date= September 5, 2000|url= http://movies.ign.com/articles/035/035904p1.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140413041604/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/09/05/interview-with-j-michael-straczynski-part-1-of-4|archive-date=2014-04-13 |url-status= live|access-date= November 13, 2010}}</ref>  He  produced his first television project in San Diego, ''Marty Sprinkle'' for [[KPBS (TV)|KPBS-TV]] as well as worked on the [[XETV-TDT|XETV-TV]] project ''[[Disasterpiece Theatre]]''.<ref name="Gale">{{Cite book|editor-first=Hal |editor-last=May |title=Contemporary Authors|volume=109|date=1983|publisher=Gale Research|isbn=0-8103-1909-8|oclc=24564715}}</ref> He worked as a journalist for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' as a special San Diego correspondent and worked for ''[[San Diego Magazine]]'' and ''The San Diego Reader'', and wrote for the ''[[Los Angeles Herald-Examiner]]'', the ''Los Angeles Reader, TV-Cable Week,'' and ''[[People (magazine)|''People'']]'' magazine.<ref name="IGN" /> Straczynski wrote ''The Complete Book of Scriptwriting'' for ''[[Writer's Digest]]''. Published in 1982, the book is often used as a text in introductory screenwriting courses,<ref name="HUP037_Scriptwriting">{{cite web|url=https://intranet.londonmet.ac.uk/prog-plan/postgrad-line/modules/hu/hup037.cfm|title=HUP037 Scriptwriting|publisher=[[London Metropolitan University]]|access-date=2007-09-13|work=Course Syllabus|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716192329/https://intranet.londonmet.ac.uk/prog-plan/postgrad-line/modules/hu/hup037.cfm|archive-date=2011-07-16}}</ref><ref name="CW3029_Writing_for_Radio">{{cite web|url=http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/class/humanities/modules/cw3029.htm|title=CW3029 – Writing for Radio|year=2007|publisher=University of Central Lancashire|access-date=2007-09-13|author=Hart, Liz|work=Course Syllabus|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121163300/http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/class/humanities/modules/cw3029.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=2008-01-21}}</ref> and is in its third edition.

He spent five years from 1987 to 1992 co-hosting the ''[[Hour 25]]'' radio [[talk show]] on KPFK-FM Los Angeles with [[Larry DiTillio]]. During his tenure, he interviewed [[John Carpenter]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Ray Bradbury]], [[Harlan Ellison]] and other writers, producers, actors and directors. In 2000, Straczynski returned to radio drama with  ''[[The City of Dreams]]'' for [[Syfy#Websites and divisions|scifi.com]].

==== Work in animation ====
Straczynski was a fan of the cartoon ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]''.  He wrote a [[spec script]] in 1984 and sent it directly to [[Filmation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/035/035904p1.html |title=Interview with J. Michael Straczynski |date=2000-09-05 |publisher=ign.com |access-date=2011-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820034004/http://movies.ign.com/articles/035/035904p1.html |archive-date=2008-08-20 }}</ref> Filmation purchased his script and several others, and hired him on staff. During this time he became friends with [[Larry DiTillio]], and when Filmation produced the ''He-Man'' spinoff ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power]]'', they worked as story editors on the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-12077|title=Masters of the Universe|author=J. Michael Straczynski|access-date=2011-01-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://old.he-man.org/cartoon/pop/behindthescenes/shera-breakdowns.shtml|title=She-Ra Breakdowns|author=Filmation/J. Michael Straczynski|access-date=2011-01-04|archive-date=2021-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224083659/https://old.he-man.org/cartoon/pop/behindthescenes/shera-breakdowns.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Straczynski and DiTillio worked to create an animated version of ''[[Elfquest]]'', but that project fell through when CBS attempted to retool the show to appeal to younger audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elfquest.com/edits/SeqTart1.html|title=Interview with Wendy and Richard Pini|access-date=2011-01-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720160448/http://www.elfquest.com/edits/SeqTart1.html|archive-date=2011-07-20}}</ref>

While working on ''Jayce'', Straczynski was hired to come aboard the [[Len Janson]] and [[Chuck Menville]] project to adapt the movie ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' to an animated version called ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]''.  When Janson and Menville learned that there was not only a 13-episode order but a 65-episode syndication order as well, they decided that the workload was too much and that they would only work on their own scripts.<ref name="GBDVD">The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection DVD interview with J. Michael Straczynski.</ref> DIC head [[Jean Chalopin]] asked Straczynski to take on the task of story editing the entire 78-episode block as well as writing his own scripts.<ref name="GBDVD" /> After the show's successful first season, consultants were brought in to make suggestions for the show, including changing Janine to a more maternal character, giving every character a particular "job" (Peter is the funny one, Egon is the smart one, and Winston, the only black character, was to be the driver), and to add kids into the show.<ref name="GBDVD" />  Straczynski left at this point, Janson and Menville resuming the story editing job for the second network season.  Straczynski then began development on a show called ''[[Spiral Zone]]'' but left after only one script, taking his name off the series, because management drastically altered his conception of show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated/msg/2c7ed07ec5ce509d|title=new jms tv series|author=Straczynski, J. Michael|access-date=2011-12-11}}</ref>

==== Live action and network shows ====
After leaving animation, Straczynski freelanced for ''[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' writing an episode entitled "What Are Friends For" and, for [[Shelley Duvall]]'s ''[[Nightmare Classics]]'', adapting ''[[The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'', which was nominated for a [[Writers Guild of America|Writer's Guild]] Award.

Straczynski was offered the position of story editor on the syndicated live-action science fiction series ''[[Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future]]''.  Straczynski constructed a season long arc with lasting character changes and wrote a third of the scripts himself. After one season, the toy company [[Mattel]] demanded more input into the show, causing Straczynski to quit.  He recommended DiTillio to take over the job as story editor for a second season, but the toy company financing fell through and that season was never produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-14848|title=B5 – Capt Power|date=1994-11-09|author=Straczynski, J. Michael|access-date=2011-01-04}}</ref>

Soon after, the [[1988 Writers Guild of America strike]] began. Straczynski met [[Harlan Ellison]] during this time and later became friends with him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-12638|title=How'd You Meet Harlan|date=1995-03-23|author=Straczynski, J. Michael|access-date=2011-01-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-10766|title=The Harlan Award|date=1998-06-20|author=Straczynski, J. Michael|access-date=2011-01-04}}</ref> Straczynski is an executor of Ellison's collected works.

After the strike ended, the producers of the new ''Twilight Zone'' needed to create more episodes to be able to sell the series into syndication with a complete 65-episode package. They hired Straczynski as executive story editor to fill in the remaining number of needed episodes.

After leaving ''Twilight Zone'', his agent of the time asked him to pitch for the show ''[[Jake and the Fatman]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=The (Even More!) Complete Book of Scriptwriting|last=Straczynski|first=J. Michael|publisher=Writer's Digest|year=1996}}</ref> Initially wary, Straczynski finally did and was hired on as an executive story consultant under [[Jeri Taylor]] and [[David Moessinger]]. When Taylor and Moessinger left the show, Straczynski left too as an act of solidarity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-13203|title=Looking for Captain Power|date=1995-07-13|author=Straczynski, J. Michael|access-date=2011-01-04}}</ref>

When Moessinger was hired as executive producer for ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', he offered Straczynski a job as co-producer. Straczynski joined ''Murder, She Wrote'' for two seasons and wrote seven produced episodes. Moessinger and Straczynski moved the protagonist, Jessica Fletcher, from the sleepy Maine town of [[Cabot Cove]] to New York City to revitalize the show. The move effectively brought the show back into the top ten from the mid-thirties where it had fallen.

Straczynski wrote one episode of ''[[Walker, Texas Ranger]]'' for Moessinger between the pilot episode for ''Babylon 5'' and the start of its first season.<ref name="JMS_1996_0305">{{cite web|url=http://www.jmsnews.net/msg.aspx?id=1-15629|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004142308/http://www.jmsnews.net/msg.aspx?id=1-15629|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-10-04|title=click... *click*... CLIC|date=1996-03-05|publisher=JMSNews, originally published on [[AOL]]|author=Straczynski, J. Michael|access-date=2008-07-12}}</ref>

Straczynski wrote an adaptation of [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' for the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] network, which was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265408/awards|title=Awards for "Nightmare Classics" (1989)|publisher=IMDB: The Internet Movie Database|access-date=27 August 2012}}</ref> and a ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' movie, ''[[Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For]]'', which he produced.