- Felipe Torres Medina has been a writer at 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' for three years.
- The immigration system was a hindrance as he was starting his TV writing career in America.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Felipe Torres Medina, a writer for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." It has been edited for length and clarity.
I've been writing for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" for a little over three years now, and I work with around 10 to 15 other writers.
Being an immigrant comedy writer or comedian is so absurd. The whole process is Kafka-esque — mountains and mountains of paperwork. Finding the joy in it was the only way for me to deal. That's not to say I didn't get very sad sometimes — but it's informed my comedic voice, and now I'm adding that to my work on "The Late Show."
I recently got married to an American comedy writer, and she writes for "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." We had a folder of paperwork that weighed around 15 pounds that we took to our immigration interview. Thankfully, they didn't ask for much, but you have to have all these documents ready.
I spent most of my life in Colombia before coming to the States
As soon as I learned that writing for TV was a job, I knew that was what I wanted to do. My family is artistically inclined, but they're not artists — my parents are doctors. They were really supportive, though.
I moved to the States in 2013 when I was 21. I'd gone to college in Colombia for literature before I moved to Boston — I didn't even go to my college graduation. I really liked the sketch and late-night space, so I applied to a grad program at Boston University to study screenwriting.
I also took classes at the comedy theater Upright Citizens Brigade. I'd take a 6 a.m. bus from Boston, get to New York at noon, and go to a three-hour UCB class at one. Then at 6 p.m., I'd leave New York to be back in Boston by midnight — and then I'd have class the next day.
When I finished my program, I moved to New York to try and break into comedy. I worked a lot of jobs in advertising and a few in publishing, and I kept doing standup, improv, and sketch shows at the UCB. I also started getting published in some humor publications.
People started to know who I was. I was invited to submit to several late-night shows, and eventually, I landed at "The Late Show."
Applying to be a late-night writer is a pretty secretive process
Most late-night shows will invite you to submit a sample. Certain shows will ask you for a page of jokes; others will ask for a full monologue. They might respond if they like you, which can take forever. Shows are busy in general, so they take a while to get back to you. It's understood and normal in the industry.
Late-night comedy has really changed — talking politics is the standard now. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" changed the idea of what late night was. That spun up "The Colbert Report," and then all the other late-night shows after that always had an opinion on politics. If you look at the recent late-night landscape — "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon — all had or have a political bent.
As I was seeing these shows become more political, I felt like I had a new perspective I could bring. Immigrant representation was severely lacking in late night when I first decided I wanted to be a writer, and even though there are way more now, we're still few and far in between.
You can't just move to the States to try and be a comedy writer
I came to the States on a student visa, and then after that I applied for an O-1B visa, otherwise known as an artist visa — that's how I was able to stay here and keep building my career.
I was really stressed about getting a job right out of grad school because if you're on a student visa, you can only get a job in your field — you can't just move to LA or New York and get a barista job or drive for Uber while you pursue your dream. Legally, you're not allowed to do that.
I had 90 days to find a job after graduation and 12 months to work in my field. Since I studied screenwriting, my visa requirements only allowed me to get jobs in writing, media, or content creation. If I couldn't find a job within 90 days, I'd have to leave.
I had a panic attack the first time I got something called a "request for evidence" — the paperwork you have to submit to show you're fulfilling the requirements of your visa stay. They don't tell you outright what the problem is; they just say, "This isn't enough." It was the first panic attack I ever had in my life.
I was heartbroken every time a decision on my immigration got delayed. I've missed so many birthdays, graduations, and special occasions with my family because I couldn't leave the country.
Immigration also makes it hard for good news to just be good. You can get a job somewhere that you really want— but then you think "Well, I have to wait and see if they'll issue me a new visa."
I have 2 pieces of advice for immigrant creatives in the States
One very specific piece of advice is to get an artist visa. The way information about this visa is presented online makes it seem like it's only for people who have won an Oscar, Emmy, or Nobel Prize — but it just means you're an artist and you're very good at it. It's not an easy process by any means, but it was certainly something I didn't know could be done by people who hadn't won the biggest awards in their field.
The other thing I would say is to try everything creatively and put yourself out there for opportunities. I played any small role I could because that meant that I was getting stage time in one of the biggest improv theaters in the world. I was also collaborating with people who were more accomplished than I was who could maybe later write me a letter of recommendation for my visa process.
More Americans should know more about how immigration works in the US
For many groups, not just immigrants, being really good isn't enough. You can be excellent, formidable even, and still there can be a piece of paperwork you filed wrong.
At each job I had in television production and journalism after school, I ended up having to explain the immigration system to my bosses, which is a really weird thing. People want to help if you're talented and a good employee, but most times they truly just don't know how.
Learning about the immigration system is so important. I'm not saying Americans should be perfectly versed in it, but they should know a little bit more because it affects the nation as a whole. Immigration is such a huge part of American politics. Everyone has an opinion on it, but no one knows how it works.
For me, filling in that knowledge gap is so important. That's the big thing I want to do with my comedy.
If you work in Hollywood and would like to share your story, email Eboni Boykin-Patterson at eboykinpatterson@insider.com.