23
“My writing is very connected to my sense of place,” said Kornhauser. “It was very interesting for me, for my own personal psychology, to go back and look at it with some distance [after Katrina] and explore a new sense of place when I was doing research for ‘Treme.’” Kornhauser had written scripts for three feature films, released worldwide, and worked on numerous other projects, but had never written for television. In meetings, during script revisions, and on the set, she soaked up as much knowledge as she could. “I am so in awe of people who do television now because it’s like doing an 11-hour feature,” she said. “In my humble opinion, I’m working for some of the best writers in television, so I’m learning from the best.” In addition to being a staff writer, Kornhauser wrote the teleplay and shares a story credit with Simon for episode five. Working on “Treme” has not only afforded her a learning experience, it has enabled her to share a new realm of knowledge with her students, a credit she shares with Department of English Chair Rick Moreland and College of Humanities & Social Sciences Dean Gaines Foster. “They were so supportive to allow me the opportunity to still teach and do the show,” she said. “I really couldn’t have done it without them and the support of LSU.” A graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television, Kornhauser believes LSU’s writing programs can stand alongside the top schools in the country. As she looks forward to working on the third season of “Treme,” Kornhauser soon plans to teach a special topics
class on how to write for television. Her screenwriting classes will also benefit from her experience working with Simon and Overmyer, whose working styles Kornhauser says are “genius.” Among other things, she intends to share their approach to multiple story lines and characters, and the transitions between them, with her students and impart to them the level of professionalism required to work for an internationally renowned company like HBO.
Photo: John McCusker/The Times-Picayune
Wire,” Kornhauser often bumped into them at events around New Orleans and was sometimes asked to give feedback about the show. Then, during a Jazz Fest-inspired brunch with Overmyer, she was asked if she had ever thought of writing for television and, by extension, “Treme.” After an enthusiastic yes, Kornhauser found herself on a list of potential “Treme” writers for the second season. An interview with Executive Producers Overmyer, Simon and Nina Noble followed months later and Kornhauser was offered the job. She welcomed the opportunity to write about a city she loved while working with writers she had long admired.