Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterNot unlike the many TV series Ryan Murphy has devoted to the untold histories of Hollywood, the “Glee” creator took the stage at Saturday’s Producers Guild Awards to share some of his own with one of the night’s big honorees: Greg Berlanti.Presenting Berlanti with the PGA Norman Lear Achievement Award, Murphy delivered a heartfelt and candid tribute to the prolific Berlanti — one packed with sweet and humble beginnings for men who now populate media power lists and highest-paid rankings.In the late ’90s, Murphy said, he and Berlanti were hungry young screenwriters looking to break into the industry — Murphy a journalist, Berlanti an assistant to a producer).
Murphy got his big break first, selling a script to Steven Spielberg for “$30,000 after commissions,” he said. Berlanti was struggling with a demanding schedule, however, working on his own script in the wee hours and getting nowhere.
Murphy decided to use his “Spielberg fortune” to cover Berlanti’s rent for three months, freeing him up to write all day and workshop the script together at night.“At night, we would often got to a diner on Sunset to talk about the script, the characters, and always what we wanted to do with our lives.
I remember Greg really being on fire with this idea, brimming with youth and vitality and purpose,” said Murphy. “It was personal.
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