Today we’d like to introduce you to Eddie Zajdel.
Hi Eddie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
It is hard to pinpoint precisely when everything started. When I look back, everything fell into place. When I was young, I used to play with an old Panasonic camera. That is how I got familiar with the camera, using it, and being in front of it. I used to try to replicate TV shows and movies I saw. The camera was my means of capturing an event and sharing it with people.
I received my B.A from the University of Michigan in Film, Television, and Media. There, I began brainstorming a concept for a television sitcom series. I originally was going to take a TV screenwriting course in the fall of 2021, but after attending the first class session with a professor I already had, who previously disliked my work, I decided to drop the class and create the show myself. That way, I could have complete creative control and not be at a professor’s discretion. The production was a success, and the show was picked up and streamed to 53 million on Tubi TV. All this was because I decided to drop a TV writing class and follow my inner gut.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has had many ups and downs. Michigan is not the place to get involved in film; the opportunities are far and in between, so you have to make your own opportunities. I had to play the game in a different way to make things work and achieve the goals that I wanted to achieve.
The worst time of my life, both mentally and career-wise, was during the covid pandemic. I was finishing up school online, and I had this feeling of being completely lost. I didn’t know what direction my life was going to take. On top of this, an award-winning screenwriting professor gave me a bad grade on a script I poured my heart and soul into. I had to convince myself that he was wrong and I was right. It turns out I was right because I’m the only one with a national streaming sitcom series.
On top of the sitcom series, I founded my own production company, Zajdel studios. It is easy to find success when you have an entrepreneurial mindset and a skill set that is unique and widely sought after. After only a few months, my company grew organically, and I lived very comfortably.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The Dude in My Room is streaming now on Tubi TV. https://tubitv.com/series/
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You have to be persistent. Always persistent. You have to learn how to embrace failure and rejection. What seems impossible at one point may be entirely possible in the very near future.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eddiezajdel.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/
eddiezaj - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
eddiezajdel - Twitter: www.twitter.com/
eddiezaj - Other: https://tubitv.com/
series/300009676/the-dude-in- my-room?start=true&utm_source= google-feed&tracking=google- feed
