Michael Jamin

Jamin grew up in a Jewish family. ^[2] he attended Princeton University, graduating in 1992.^[3] While there, he performed stand-up comedy at various campus venues and wrote his senior thesis on the evolution of the sitcom.^[3] Jamin graduated with a degree in English Literature, concentrating in the plays of William Shakespeare^{[citation needed]}. In later life he would explain self-deprecatingly that he had applied to the creative writing program but had been rejected on the basis that his writing was not strong enough.^[4]

After graduating from Princeton, Jamin moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television writing.^[3] Early on, he worked as a production assistant on several film and television shows. He also wrote infomercials for Dionne Warwick's Psychic Friends Network.^[3]

In 1996, Jamin and his writing partner Sivert Glarum were hired as staff writers on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me.^[3] They worked on the show for four seasons, writing episodes and serving as executive story editors.^[1]

After leaving Just Shoot Me in 2000, Jamin joined the writing staff of the animated series King of the Hill on Fox.^[3] He remained on the show through 2006, earning an Emmy nomination in 2002.^[5]

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Jamin worked as a writer and producer on shows like Rules of Engagement, Wilfred, Maron, Lopez, Mystery Girls, and Brickleberry.^[1]

When production slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jamin turned to social media, building a large following for his screenwriting tips on TikTok and Instagram.^[4][6]

In 2022, Jamin wrote and performed a one-man show A Paper Orchestra. The show premiered in Los Angeles before touring.^[4] In February 2024 he published a collection of short autobiographical stories in a book titled A Paper Orchestra, based on the aforementioned show.^[7][8]

As a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) with a strong social media presence, Jamin is often asked to speak publicly about his experience as a professional screenwriter.^[9]