In this interview segment, Andy Sandberg contrasts writing on commission with writing independently. He explains that commissioned work typically originates from a producer or company that provides a vague brief, leaving the writer room to interpret and shape the project. Sandberg illustrates this with his recent off‑Broadway play Craving for Travel, which began when luxury travel agent Jim Strong approached him to create a theatrical piece that highlighted the role of travel agents. The collaboration involved extensive industry interviews, a fast‑paced comedy featuring two actors playing over thirty characters, and co‑writing with Greg Edwards. Sandberg emphasizes that while commissions bring clear deadlines and collaborative support, they can limit personal creative ownership; he prefers to attach his name only when he has a genuine creative voice. Writing independently offers full artistic control but demands self‑discipline, especially when unpaid and lacking external accountability. Sandberg notes that his most productive personal projects arise from collaborative partnerships—whether with co‑writers or composers—because they provide motivation and structure.
Chapters
Writing on your own is easy. It's your idea, you kind of own it versus— what does writing on commission mean? Well, if you write on commission, generally it means that a producer or a company has come to you with an idea and said, you know, we have a vague idea of what we want to do, can we throw it to you and see what you can do with that? And the ones that are most exciting are the ones that come to me that aren't, you know, do it this way, this way, this way. If it's already mapped out A to Z, sometimes I'll turn around and say, you know what you want, what are you calling me before. The project that I most recently did that was a commission was a play called Craving for Travel, which has been running off-Broadway. And I was approached by a luxury travel agent named Jim Strong who said, I want to do something in a creative way to put the message out there that travel agents exist and what we do is kind of cool and fun. And he didn't give us very specific parameters of they have to say this and they have to do that. What he did was he— at first I was skeptical. I said, is this an infomercial, an industrial? And it became clear, no, he just wanted to do something in a big way and turn it over to theater people to really create the magic of it. And he was, you know, supervising and involved every step of the way, but has been a great collaborator in that regard. And he introduced us to about 40 people, 40-plus people in the industry that we interviewed, some of whom we flew around and met with, some of whom we talked to on the phone, to just share stories from different perspectives of the industry. And we ultimately decided the best way to capture the travel world was to have two actors playing a collective 30+ different parts in two tour de force performances in a sort of fast-paced, wild comedy ride. And we're very proud of it, and he's proud of it, and it was a wonderful experience. And there are times I get called about things, you know, to write for commission or doctor something where sometimes I say, that's fine, I'm happy to help, but it's not one that I'm gonna put my name on because it's not really mine. I don't have a creative voice in it. If my name's on it, I like to make sure that I've had a creative voice in it. I don't want to be credited as the author for someone else's work if I just came and did some cleanup or if it's not really my concept. And in Craving for Travel, I was fortunate to co-write with another wonderful writer, Greg Edwards, who I'm working with on a couple projects. But so I guess it's not I don't know if I'd say it's easier to write your own work because Greg and I found a way to get as excited about this as we do about some of our own things that we're developing. But it's, and in some ways a commission gives you a deadline. The hardest thing about writing on your own, even if you're really passionate about it, is it is the most selfish form of art, I say, because you have to sit there and say, all right, without pay, without anyone else telling me I have to get on this, I have to sit down and get this done. And what's going to motivate me. Particularly for me, who juggles a lot of different hats, there's almost always some other project where I am beholden to someone else as a director trying to, you know, set up meetings with a writer and a producer who want to get something moving, or as a producer who's trying to get a venue for a show or whatever. It's very hard for me to sit down and focus on my own writing projects, and when I do, I get really excited by it. I think that's why The ones that have been moving along are the ones that have involved writing collaboration, where I am beholden to writing partners, and/or if it's a musical, to composers, etc.
