Bridging Gaps: Spike Morales-Westlake's Contribution to Inclusive Comedy

Photo courtesy of Spike Morales-Westlake.

Spike Morales-Westlake is a dynamic writer with a comedic flair and a unique perspective that is shaped by his upbringing in the small border town of Del Rio, Texas. Spike's journey as a writer began with a realization that his and his community’s perspectives were absent in media. A desire to fill those gaps prompted him to pursue a career in television comedy. After receiving a degree in TV and Film from UT Austin, Spike joined the Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program. It served as a pivotal step that provided him with the necessary skills and structure to succeed in the entertainment industry. Through the program, he secured a job as the script coordinator for Goosebumps on Disney+.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your journey as a writer? 

I’m originally from a small town in South Texas called Del Rio. I grew up right on the border so I could walk to Mexico from my house. I didn’t think that my life experience was anything special. Then I left that community and realized, “Oh, okay. I have unique perspective”. I grew up in a more rural area which gave me an understanding of small-town dynamics that I really infuse into my writing now. I tend to write a lot of comedy. I’ll go for the more absurd and the outlandish. I love fast paced stories with an underdog point of view. I also try to incorporate the Latinx and queer experiences.

I went to UT Austin for TV and Film, and then did my last semester of school here in L.A. while interning at NBC. After that, I was able to stay here and a few years later I joined the [Writers’ Access Support Staff Training] Program.

What led you to want to become a writer?

It was realizing that a lot of my identities, and the identities of people that I grew up around, were not represented in media. A lot of people say they have a thing or a person that catapulted them, but for me it was opposite. It was a lack thereof. I had always wanted to write, but that [realization] made it more specific that it was television comedy.

So you don’t have a movie or a TV show that made you want to work in TV?

There were shows that have not necessarily made me want to work in TV, but ones that expanded the possibilities of what TV could be. Shows that made me think, “Oh you can do that? That’s what I want to do”.

Older shows like Will and Grace showed that you can write gay characters on TV that a lot of people will like and appreciate. Then there are shows with fast-paced, ridiculous scenarios like 30 Rock, Arrested Development, and Broad City that expanded on the comedy space.

If you could be in the room and work on any TV show, past or present, what would it be? 

Broad City for sure. It was such a formative show for me in a lot of ways. It came out at a time where I was transitioning into my life in L.A. I had gone to school in Austin, but L.A. is a whole different beast. Being in that bigger city while figuring out my comedy voice, and then seeing these two people come out with this outlandish and crazy show sparked my interest in doing outlandish and crazy things. Also, I will say I’ve been on TikTok recently and I’ve seen a resurgence of Broad City. It’s reignited my affinity for that show. It still has resonance all these years later.

What was your most recent job in entertainment?

Most recently, I was a script coordinator for Goosebumps on Disney+. That was my first script coordinator position. It was a lot to jump into at first. My biggest focus was the scripts—making sure they were edited and formatted correctly, and that there were no glaring errors. Not just in the grammatical sense, but I also had to make sure all the logistics made sense story-wise. Then, I had to distribute materials and be very conscientious of what materials I’m distributing to whom. I also had to work with business affairs. I was handling a lot of paperwork, a lot of WGA and DGA related paperwork. It was a lot of liaising on behalf of the writers room and working with the showrunner closely.

How did the Writers’ Access Support Staff Training Program prepare you for that position? 

Because this job is so specific, it gave me a structure in terms of what to expect job obligation-wise. Learning and working with the specifics of Final Draft was very helpful because you do have to get very specific in how you work Final Draft for the room. For example, there are very specific ways you keep up with drafts, the changes between drafts, and how to format things correctly. They also taught an awareness of Scenechronize, which I use a lot. They went into the weeds in a way that I would not have gotten if I had done the research completely on my own. It is a job that even sometimes the person hiring doesn’t completely know what it entails. You have to piece things together, and the session really helps prepare you for that.  

How does your view of your career look different before and after the program?

I did the program, and then jumped right into a development position. I did that for about a year and a half. Right after that, because of the program, my resume made it to the Goosebumps production. After that, I’ll say I’ve got a very strong understanding of how to look at this profession. For me, not having been a staff writer or not being in that position that I want to be in yet, it can sometimes feel really abstract. Because it feels abstract, it can feel further away. Going through this program, and then going through the experiences after that, helped cement my view of what the job is. It made it feel more possible. I learned a lot of the ways to function in a room and also how the writers function in respect to the studios and the networks. I learned a lot through the program and after because of it.

Are you still in touch with people that you did the program with?

We have little group chats. During the job, you run into things you don’t expect or something random happens and you wonder if somebody else has done it. If I didn't have that sort of community, it would have been a lot harder. There were definitely times where I had very specific questions that I otherwise would’ve felt crazy asking anybody this because they wouldn't even know the reference point since this job is so specific. It’s so nice to have other people who had script coordinator jobs at the same time I did, because we had that relationship, and we could use each other as resources.

What advice would you give to writers seeking support staff positions?

Don't ever think that anybody is below you or not worth connecting with. Also, don’t take things too personally. Support yourself, don’t get beaten down, but don’t take things too personally. Move forward, focus on your capabilities, and don’t doubt yourself because it doesn’t help.

Last question: when working in entertainment there’s always talk of “getting your foot in the door” and breaking in. Do you think you’ve broken in yet? 

I think I have made a crack. It’s so hard. I don’t know if I will ever be able to definitively say that I’ve broken in. It’s a sentiment I hear a lot of people say, but I can’t ignore how much of a breakthrough I have had by going through the [Writers’ Access Support Staff Training] Program and then getting that script coordinator position. I feel like it propelled me in a lot of ways. I don’t know if I’ve broken in yet, but I definitely made a crack, that’s for sure.

This interview has been edited and condensed by Kera McKeon.