Stephen Canals
Emmy-nominated screenwriter and producer best known as co-creator of the FX series Pose; queer Afro-Latinx storyteller from the Bronx with an overall deal with 20th Century Television.
1
APPEARANCES
1
PODCASTS
Jul 1, 2026
Morgan SmithHOST
I also read that in the process of making this show, you faced quite a bit of rejection at first.
Stephen CanalsGUEST
I mean, completing the first draft of the pilot, which was in 2014, up to the point that I sold it to FX and Ryan Murphy... was two and a half years.
Stephen CanalsGUEST
Like when I think about living in LA, when I look at the landscape now, when I get to talk to young folks who are looking to break in, I recognize that that was actually pretty fast, but in real time, you know, In real time, being the person who's sitting across from executives being told no, it is hard.
10 MINS LATER
16:01
So how did you get from that to what we just watched? Like what was the process like between you and the actors and deciding how much to show given the nature of the scene?