Chenita: So what inspires you to do comedy?

Roxy: I read Tina Fey's memoir around my sophomore or junior year [of college]. Learning what a writer’s room is, how a writer's room works. I always loved writing, and I wanted to be a novelist for a long time. But then, reading that and seeing how a TV room works, I was like, “Oh, this sounds amazing. This is what I want to do. The best way to start at the time as a college student was to be able to write whatever I could and get stuff produced. Then I found Pineapple-Shaped Lamps [a comedy troupe] in Wilmington, and I joined. 

Chenita: How do you find the confidence in your skin & in your gender to be creative, to create, and to express yourself creatively?

Roxy: It's very fake it until you make it. I think for me my confidence comes and goes. As far as my work, I think I'm very stubborn. When I decide I'm going to do something, no one can stop me. When I moved to New York after college, I was like- I'll do whatever I need to do to make this goal happen. Obviously along the way, there were bumps and there were times where I wasn't super confident that I could do it, but I think it's a combination of having the tools, having the skills ready, and learning as much as I could and continuing to learn as much as I can about structure, jokes, pacing, and character plot. And then, surrounding yourself with people who are going to lift you up and believe in you and people with similar goals and different goals. I think I have a lot of writer friends. I have a lot of black writer friends, and we definitely have a support system and a community. 

It’s not consistent- I don't think for me- the confidence in being creative. I try to just write things that make me laugh, and I think that represent me, what I want to see, and that I think will make my friends laugh. I just try to be true to what I want to see in the media but that's tough. The confidence it's definitely not consistent. It's something that I think I'm constantly working at, but I think having people around you who believe in you definitely helps. 

Chenita: What would you say was the turning point for you in your career?

Roxy: The big turn in my career was doing the Sesame street Writing Fellowship in 2018.  It's completely why I have a career in kids’ animation.  It's exclusively for people of color and you can be at any stage in your career as long as you have a passion for kids, TV, and animation. That program completely changed my life. It taught me how to write for animation and how to write for kid’s media. They brought in executives, writers, managers, and curriculum people.  We were learning about every facet of kids television. We each came out of that program with an original pilot. I got a development deal because of that program. I got my first job because of that program. I don't know where I would be if I hadn't done the Sesame program. 

Chenita: Do you see yourself writing outside of animation? Like films, narratives, or comedic shorts?

Roxy: I'm very happy where I am right now in my career. I'm really happy to stay in animation and to stay in kids media. I definitely don't want to be in a box as far as what I'm creating. My initial goal moving to New York was to write for a sitcom, like adult’s live action. I think that's still a goal for some day, but I really do love animation. I really do love kid’s TV. It's something I hadn't really considered pursuing until the Sesame Street program. I'm so glad I ended up here. I'm always working on original stuff and writing pilot scripts that are just comedy.

I think for me, I definitely want to be a creator. I want to be a showrunner. I'd love to write a feature someday but I don't really feel in a rush to do those things, especially with COVID. I haven't felt as much of a need to be productive as I did before. I still like creating and I still want to be a creative person and I still want to have goals and ambition, but I'm very happy to take things one step at a time right now. 

Chenita: What's one piece of advice that you would give to future creative writers in animation?

Roxy: Everybody is going to have their own path. I think that's a big thing I've learned. Like there are people who are maybe at a similar stage to me in their careers, but their ways to get there were so different from my way to get there. I think that a big thing for me was surrounding myself with people who also had similar goals, and we were all struggling together. Maybe every now and then, I was able to connect with someone who was a few steps ahead of me, and I could get advice from them. The thing I'm most grateful for is when I found people interested in comedy, and then I tried to look for those people in New York again. Surround yourself with people who will lift you up. 

Chenita: Who are your top three comedians? 

Roxy: I guess I'll just say people who have inspired me. At the top of that list, I'll say is Issa Rae. I think seeing “Insecure” really showed me I can make the kind of show that I want to make. I just want to make something that is true to me, like “Insecure” is true to her. Tina Fey was really important at the beginning of my comedic journey. She has become a bit of a problematic person for a few reasons, if I'm being honest. I’m not a huge stand-up comedy fan. I think most of my people would be like TV writers who are cool. Natasha Rothwell. I love that she's a performer and an actor, but I feel like she's been around for things here and there for a long time. 

 Chenita: What are you looking forward to or are excited about being involved with for the film festival & conference?

Roxy: I am kind of nervous because I'm early in my career. I just finished my first staff writing job in February. So, there is a part of me that is like, “what do I know?” I am excited to give college students hope and to show that it's really possible.  It’s tough and there are different paths, but there are ways to make it happen.I hope to excite students and to inspire them. I'm excited to meet black students, women, students of color, and to be able to specifically show them you can write what you want to write.

To learn more about Roxy, please check out her website, roxysimons.com