Talking to Award Winning Writer Naomi Gyllenhaal

There can be few people in the Western world who have not heard of Sesame Street. Started in 1969 and now shown in 140 countries, the groundbreaking children's series has a brand recognition arguably stronger than Coco-Cola or Jesus. Writer Naomi Foner Gyllenhall was involved in the show's development. As she says, "I learned to write on Sesame Street. Big Bird and Oscar taught me the basics." Her film credits include the 1992 political thriller, Running on Empty, for which she received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe award, the drama Losing Isaiah, which starred Halle Berry, Jessica Lange and Samuel L. Jackson, and the adaptation of the Myla Goldberg novel, The Bee Season, released last year with Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche in the lead roles. And if her surname sounds familiar, that's because she is the mother of talented actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

When and how did you get your first break?

When my daughter was born and I was working as a producer at The Children's Television Workshop, I decided to try my hand at writing so I could spend more time with her. I'd worked with many writers. Wanted to write. It was the moment to find out if I could.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned as a writer when you were starting out?

A good writer told me that if you know where your story begins and ends and why, you're half way there.

Sesame Street is a global entity - how did it feel being a part of something so groundbreaking?

It was very important to understand that you could reach a particular audience with a particular message very effectively if you really understood the nature of that audience.

How do you think the industry has changed since you began your career? For example, do you think it is easier for women to enter the industry now?

There's a much more corporate atmosphere. Film companies are one part of larger companies. Fewer, more expensive films are being made so there's less of an appetite for risk. That means the smaller films are harder to get off the ground. And anything really original is impossible to do. Charlie Kaufman is my hero. He's really using film as an art form.