Meet... Gillian Horvath

Who are you?Gillian Horvath.  It's pronounced "Gillian," with a hard-G.  My father named me after Kim Novak's character in the movie "Bell, Book & Candle."  What do you do?I'm a Television writer and producer. [wpcol_1third id="" class="" style=""][/wpcol_1third] [wpcol_1third id="" class="" style=""][/wpcol_1third] [wpcol_1third_end id="" class="" style=""][/wpcol_1third_end] Why do you do what you do?I've been a storyteller my whole life.  When I was in elementary school I wrote stories long hand in spiral notebooks to entertain my friends, usually one friend in particular. She was my whole audience. I would also read books that didn't interest her and keep her updated on the good parts. When I write I'm always thinking about the audience, hoping to make them squeal with delight with some unexpected (or long-awaited!) moment.     Who or what inspires you?I was born and raised in New York City, and I can't imagine any better place to grow up.  There's so much going on there, and because of the compact size and the subways and buses, all of it available to kids -- you don't need to be of driving age to participate fully.  I was taking classes at the Met and the Art Students League when I was too young to even appreciate how lucky I was. I was surrounded by adults who had really varied, unusual jobs -- in publishing, in television, in education and government. That made it seem like you really could be anything you wanted when you grew up.  My parents, to their credit, encouraged that attitude -- no one ever suggested that "poet" or "TV writer" were anything but realistic aspirations.  I still go back to New York often to recharge -- my mother still lives in the apartment where I grew up.