Hellogiggles Co Founder / 2 Broke Girls Writer, Molly McAleer

Based out of Los Angeles, Molly McAleer is one of the three co-founders of the popular female friendly website HelloGiggles and a writer for CBS’s Two Broke Girls.

HelloGiggles.com was founded by Molly McAleer, Zooey Deschanel (actress/musician), and Sophia Rossi (producer); because the site hosts nothing but lady-friendly content it’s the ultimate destination for smart, independent and creative females.

HelloGiggles covers everything from; DIY and crafting projects, beauty, friendship, sex & relationships, pop culture, pets, television & movies, nostalgia, fandom, tips on savvy and stylish living meant to inspire a smile.

Molly McAleer graduated from Boston College with a film studies major and moved to LA in 2006. While at Boston College she did a lot of improve stand up, but when she moved to LA and took a job at HBO (working on their version of Huffington Post called This Just In) she was putting in, not by their request, 18 hour work days to get ahead so she had to push the stand-up comedy aside.

In 2007, she then moved to Defamer where she had a daily video-blogging series, coupled with a personal blog that gained her a following. When she got laid off from Defamer, even though it was one of the hardest years of her life, she kept on pursuing freelancing gigs such as; having a web show being produced by Justine Bateman’s company, logging tapes on reality shows, writing gossip columns for $7, doing random videography gigs, and getting a deal for an unscripted variety show with MTV- which was in limbo for a year and a half, and that’s when she decided to write the sample script for “2 Broke Girls”.

 

Photography by Duane Fernandez

 

First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. (How did you know you wanted to be a writer? What sparked your interest?)

I was kind of a typical creative indoor kid. I read all the time; I watched a ton of TV. My idea of fun was making miniature food items out of clay. When I got to college, my uncle encouraged me to try out for one of the school’s comedy groups. I got on to a sketch team and really fell in love with the writing process there. I’d always loved writing, but didn’t take it seriously until then. Now I’m kind of a typical creative indoor adult.

You, Zooey Deschanel, and Sophia Rossi created Hellogiggles. Did you three have a solid idea of what Hellogiggles was going to be, or did it organically kind of turned into what it is now over time?

We knew we wanted it to be a safe online space for creative females to share their work. At first we thought we’d be more focused on video content but we quickly realized we wanted to open the site to so much more– essays, live animal cams, illustrations and everything in between.

With so much negativity online, how is Hellogiggles trying to enforce a constant positive vibe for the community?

We believe in holding our contributors and commenters responsible for their words. We steer away from unnecessary profanity, celeb bashing, sexism– the things that Zooey, Sophia and myself felt were bringing down our experiences online. Commenters are encouraged to state their opinions, but in a classy way. That’s really what it’s all about– keeping it classy, keeping it above board.

Content-wise, the site covers everything from crafts and recipes, to tips on how to get along with your roommate, even how to do your taxes. How do you come up with topics for posts?  What has been your favorite post you’ve seen on the site?

Basically we think about what we want to read about and assign stories or the writer comes to us with an idea that they’re passionate about. We’ve had over one thousand contributors since we launched two years ago. That’s a lot of different people with a lot of different things that make them tick.

It’s impossible to pick a favorite post, but I do tend to favor the ones that make practical advice accessible. To me, HelloGiggles girls are aspirational, hard-working, busy people. If we can help them find ways to make their life easier (or more fly or healthier), I’m thrilled.

With how easy it is to create an online magazine/ website or blog these days. What are your thoughts on today’s online writers and the quality of content that is being put out?

I think we’re living in a very exciting time. There’s more self-publishing online going on right now than ever. Sure, not everything’s going to be gold, but there are many writers out there doing exceptional work online that may have otherwise never had eyes on their work.

There are around 150 active contributors for Hellogiggles, male bloggers included, what exactly do you look for in a contributor?

Sense of humor, originality, point of view and a distinct voice.

Young bloggers like Maude Apatow and Ruby Karp are prominent on the site, where they cover content about elementary school and middle school. Why do you think it’s important that young people are involved in this site?

Ruby was one of our first fifteen contributors and I reached out to her because I remembered she’d posted something on her old Tumblr that I’d found pretty profound. It’s great to have all age groups represented on the site, but Ruby and Maude are just good writers that we believe in.

What are your short term and long-term goals for Hellogiggles?

We have a lot in store, both short term and long term. I cannot reveal them now, but I assure you that they will be exciting for both the HelloGiggles team and our readers.

Now that you have lived in Southern California for almost 6 years, how does your relationship differ from the west coast vs. the east coast? Have you grown to like the west coast?

I love California. LA is great for work, the weather is usually fabulous, but it’s not my favorite city. San Francisco is more my speed. But you know? I love where I’m from. Love Boston, love New York, and if I could transplant my job and friends there, I would.

Besides being one of the co-founders of Hellogiggles, you also have a full time job being a writer for the CBS television show 2 Broke Girls. How did this come about?

I decided I wanted to see if I could write a TV sample, then I did, then I found out about 2 Broke Girls and I sent my script in and I got an interview. It was very random and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

What’s an episode that you’re most proud of writing?

I really loved the episode with 2 Chainz. That was an idea that I was really amped about– those magical things that happen to you when your life sucks that keep you from blowing your brains out. The unreal reality of larger than life things happening to you and then having to go to your crappy job the next day so you can pay your rent is something that really resonated with me.

Describe what the typical duties are of a television writer.

We meet in the room every day and talk about ideas until we find what we like. Then we talk more. It’s a lot of talking, actually. Then, after all of the talking, you go off to your office or the coffee shop or whatever and write your script. Then everyone reads it, we talk a bunch more, we rewrite as a group and then it’s on television. That’s a very broad explanation, but details aren’t much more interesting.

What’s the writers room like?

Kind of like being on a road trip with your extended family and the road trip game is making up a crazy story together.

With the entertainment industry ever-changing it’s hard to stand out and have longevity. Being a television script writer and an internet personality how are you dealing with this aspect of the industries?

I try not to think about that and focus on the parts of the creative process that bring me joy. I feel like that’s the only way to make sure you’re producing work that actually has a chance to stand out.

One of your favorite televisions shows is Wonder Years. What’s it like working with [ex-Wonder Years child star turned TV director] FredSavage?

Fred’s the bomb. He’s super funny and kind and one of our favorite directors we work with. But yeah, I totally geek out every time I stop and realize that he’s Kevin Arnold.

Lastly, what are your long term goals? Do you think you’re going to pursue acting, be an on air radio host, or do more stand-up comedy in the future?

Ha! The most likely of those three options is hosting a radio show. That’s always been my dream, but it’s not something I’m planning on doing any time soon. I gave acting and stand up half-hearted shots when I first moved to LA, but right now I feel pretty fulfilled by writing and growing HelloGiggles.