On January 26th, the riotously popular FX show “Archer” premiered its newest episode “El Contador.” This particular episode, however, bears with it the brand of Emerson junior, Tesha Kondrat, who came up with the story.
Tesha and a few other students, while in an Emerson screenwriting class, were offered the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with the “Archer” executive producers. “I loved the show–I’m a big fan. I wanted to sit in on the interview” said Tesha. Following the meeting, these students were permitted to submit their “spec” scripts of the show to FX. “We had to sign contracts and everything,” recounts Tesha.
Over the summer, while working in Alaska, Tesha learned that her spec script had been well received. “Archer” executive producers offered her a position as a writing assistant in Atlanta. While working as a writer’s assistant, Tesha was told to “keep thinking of something to write; always keep writing.” Tesha was able to come up with a premise, which blossomed into the episode “El Contador.”
When asked about how she spent the night of the premiere, Tesha said “my friends threw a huge party; we had about thirtyish people that showed. My friends and family really liked the episode, they thought it was really funny. I’m still getting ‘Congratulations’ text messages.”
Tesha’s road to writing stardom is just beginning as she will be returning to Atlanta to offer her hilarity to FX. As far as advice for Emerson screenwriting students, Tesha has simple, yet encouraging words: “No one story is the same; there’s no one formula to reach success. Be prepared all the time, and luck will come to you with preparation. Take advangage of every opportunity. No opportunity is small.”