Brendan Hay
Writer
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
Short version: I write! In as many mediums as time and interest allow!
Long version: I’m a pop culture geek who’s eager to contribute his own stories to TV, comic books, and magazines. Most recently, I was a writer and Executive Producer on the WB Animation series GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI and GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH, both for Max. In the animation world, I was also the showrunner on HARVEY GIRLS FOREVER and DAWN OF THE CROODS for DreamWorks Animation/Netflix, and have written for THE SIMPSONS, ROBOT CHICKEN, and more. I think I’ve completed my bingo card of writing pilots for every animation studio in Burbank (and a few elsewhere, too). Years ago, I was even called the “Best Svengali of Animation” by SF Weekly. I’m still not sure what that means, but choose to take it as a compliment.
On the print side, I’m currently writing comic books for DC Comics and Oni Press, and covering the music world for SPIN. I started out in the late night world, as a headline producer at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for most of the Bush administration, and a contributing writer to “America: The Book.”
Ultimately, I love movies, TV, comics, music, journalism, fiction, and all forms of storytelling. Wanting to be a part of it is why I moved to the Los Angeles area from New York 17 years ago, and that passion still energizes me even better than coffee.
How did you first become interested in writing / the arts?
I can’t remember a time I wasn’t into Star Wars or comic books, but I first discovered the joy of writing — and even better, the joy of sharing one’s writing with others — in first grade. I wrote a nine chapter book about my cat, Gizmo (which, since it was first grade, was still only 9 pages long), and my teacher entered it into a county wide writing contest. I won for my age group and got the chance to read the story to a full audience at an awards show. Pretty sure it killed for a 7-year-old’s cat memoir.
How can art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can engage with art in Burbank?
Art is why I live in Burbank. The unbeatable proximity to the studios, the rich selection of local businesses catering to every passion and genre, and — best of the all — the endlessly creative neighbors you get to meet everywhere you go. Art makes Burbank great. It’s our lifeblood. I encourage everyone to simply check what’s going in Burbank on any given weekend and check out one of the local events. On one stretch of Magnolia alone, that can range from an horror-themed art show to stand-up comedy to an in-store acoustic performance. I love having all of that in our neighborhood, and if we want to keep it, we need to support it.
If you could share with our community one thing about art and/or your creative process, what would it be?
For art: the words that annoy me the most are “there’s no good (fill-in-the-blank) anymore.” Whatever genre or style or medium you enjoy, there is always something new out there to discover and enjoy if you make the effort. Just dig a little deeper.
For my creative process: when I start a new project — be it a TV series pitch or superhero comic script or even a concert review — I always identify the specific thing that excites me about what I’m going to write and use it as my North Star. That way, whenever I get into the weeds or tired or frustrated, I can go back to that thing and find the spark I need to get reinvigorated. Sometimes the thing is a personal belief I feel compelled to share, sometimes the thing is a character I relate to, sometimes the thing is one single ridiculous joke that makes me laugh like an idiot… but whatever it is, it gets me to finish the project.
To find out more about Brendan and his work, follow him on BlueSky @bhay.bsky.social, on Instagram @brendanhaywriter, or on Threads @b_hay42.
