Wendy Goldman began her career as an actress in TV-film and a member of the famed LA comedy troupe, The Groundlings. She and fellow Groundling, Judy Toll, wrote a musical — so they could have really big parts and sing in front of a large group of people. A surprise hit and winner of multiple LA theatre awards, “Casual Sex” caught the attention of producer-director Ivan Reitman (“Ghostbusters”), who hired the two to adapt their play into a movie for Universal Studios. Wendy found another creative passion. She’d been improvising for years, but now it informed the way she wrote and developed characters. It gave her trust in her instincts and the ability to handle constant change and deadlines.
Along with screenwriting, Wendy branched out as a writer-producer on network and cable TV, drama as well as comedy. The first pilot she created, inspired by her very funny mother (played by Linda Lavin), became the ABC series, “Room for Two.” Wendy’s improv skills kicked in again. A natural leader with a gift for collaboration, she learned on her feet to run a Writers’ Room. Now a veteran TV writer, she recently ended her third season as an Executive Producer on the critically-acclaimed MTV comedy, “Faking It.”
In improv, it’s all about saying “yes” and adding new information to the story. Wendy’s story grew to include teaching. She’s led a variety of Master Classes, including at the prestigious Hedgebrook Writers Retreat, the Writers Guild East and PEN America, as well as lectured at colleges such as UC Riverside and Claremont McKenna College Center for Writing and Public Discourse. She regularly offers classes and workshops for new and experienced writers of all ages. Her ability to inspire creativity also serves her well as a Writing Coach for private clients. So far, Wendy hasn’t had another opportunity to sing in public, but who knows what her next chapter will bring?
Testimonials
“Wendy Goldman is a gifted writer and a generous, witty, and inspirational teacher. When I brought Wendy to my school to facilitate a workshop on writing comedy for television, she had students leaning forward in their seats, eager to try out exercises that stretched their imaginations and took their writing to new heights. Watching the session from the sidelines made me want to be one of her students, and so I signed up for a 6-week Improv for Writing class with her and absolutely loved it. She draws from a deep well of wisdom about the writing process, and she sets up a safe space for writers to engage in playful, fierce, and liberating creative work. Everyone should go there!”
“When I met Wendy Goldman, I was working on an early draft of my memoir and was struggling to find my voice. The material was dark and risky and I was having a hard time finding my way past my fear to write honestly, artfully, and with humor. Wendy tailored prompts and exercises to help me get straight to the soul of the material. Miraculously, she did it with brilliant humor, warmth, and an unflappable commitment to me and my story and believe me, my story flaps a lot of people. She freed me up. The results of our work together are the creepiest and funniest parts of my memoir, The Accusation. I doubt I could’ve gotten there without her. If I had, it would’ve taken me twice as long.”