Gigi New wanted to be an actor.
She earned a BFA in acting at Virginia Commonwealth University, then moved to Chicago and Los Angeles.
But with her Italian and Panamanian background, she says, she was pigeonholed as “the maid or nanny.”
Disheartened, she told her story to Nick Sadler, the actor she was dating. (And, since 2003, her husband.)
He encouraged her to write it down.
She realized that — based on her years spent learning dialogue — she had an ear for it.
Gigi New
Gigi landed a job as a personal assistant on “Everybody Loves Raymond.” On the set, she watched how scenes were put together. That led to work as a writer for Nickelodeon. She then developed film and television projects with Killer Films, AGC and Lifetime.
Writers often critique other writers’ work. Gigi realized she had a talent for that too.
Gradually, she turned a side hustle — teaching writing — into a full-time gig.
In 2016 Gigi, Nick and their son Cooper moved to Connecticut. Nick had been in the cast of “All the Queen’s Men” at the Westport Country Playhouse, and loved the town.
Cooper joined Staples Players; he’s now a junior at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Gigi set up an office in an old caboose, set in the woods off Newtown Turnpike, between the Country Store and Bette Davis’ old house. (That’s a story in itself; click here to read.)
Gigi New, at work in her caboose.
Gigi taught at the Westport Writers’ Workshop. Word of mouth grew. She branched out.
The result: New Way Writer (get it?). It’s a one-stop shop for aspiring and professional television and film writers. Services include personal consultation, online classes, special workshops, and work with film school applicants, plus high school and middle school students.
She helps analyze scripts and explore ideas. She also consults on projects.
Workshop topics include story fundamentals, creating a character or series, finding your voice, and writing a pilot.
It sounds straightforward. But Gigi wants clients to dig deep. “Everyone has a story. I always ask, ‘Why are you the one to tell this story?'” she says.
“Things pour out from there. We begin with the emotional side of storytelling.”
Feelings are key. “You have to put yourself into your writing,” she says. “Lean into the mess — because life is messy.” She helps writers understand “how your character can grow out of this mess.”
Writers grow as well, finding stories inside themselves that are “scratching to get out.”
Gigi grows too. “The process of teaching makes me a better writer,” she notes.
Some writers want a single conversation, in which Gigi critiques their work. Others work with her in 4- or 6-week blocks.
Success can be measured in many ways. One student recently won the Nantucket Film Festival — and with it a chance for meetings in Los Angeles with studios and agents.
Another just sold a script.
For some writers though, success means the satisfaction of putting ideas on paper, and molding them into a script.
Every client is different. (They’re in different places, too, from New York and Atlanta to Dallas and San Francisco. Gigi works primarily by Zoom.)
With some, she speaks “script shorthand.” With others, she patiently explores every angle and possibility.
High school students are especially exciting. “Their minds are so open and fertile,” Gigi says. “Anything goes!” Teenagers get a special discount rate.
Gigi New is not the actor she once thought she’d be.
But her journey might make an interesting film or TV show.
Anyone want to learn how to write it?
(To learn more about Gigi and New Way Writer, click here.)
(“06880” often covers entertainment, the lives of interesting Westporters — and, like today their intersection. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
