The inaugural Classics & Archaeology Alumni event was organized by Department Chair Professor Katerina Zacharia on September 7, 2023, who introduced and interviewed the speaker, Kelly Younger, a screenwriter, television writer, producer, off-Broadway playwright, and story consultant. Younger double majored in English and Classics at LMU, then earned an MA in Classics from Loyola Chicago, a PhD in Literature from University College Dublin in Ireland, and is now a tenured professor in the LMU English Department, an affiliate faculty in the Theater Department, and frequent collaborator with the School of Film and Television. Professor Younger leads workshops in writing for the stage and screen and seminars in fairy tales, mythology, and the art of story.
Professor Zacharia highlighted Professor Younger’s doctoral research on “Irish adaptations of Greek tragedies” (2001), outlining what he identified in the preface as his “untraditional approach” to all the plays, namely, “look for the playwright within the play,” exploring “why did this particular Irish writer, at this particular time in Irish history, choose to re-write this particular Greek tragedy?” Professor Zacharia explained how Professor Younger’s motto, “The author still matters,” has guided his professional career trajectory.
Professor Younger talked to a packed auditorium of students, faculty, and staff about his experience as an undergraduate at LMU and how a broad liberal arts education has made him a better screenwriter. He also joyfully discussed “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones,” classic films that inspired him as a kid and made him fall in love with storytelling. According to Professor Younger, since he was a child, he believed that imagination is a muscle, and when writing, you are working out your imagination. He described the workout as “training for a race you’ll hopefully never finish.”
Professor Younger’s holiday season film, “Candy Cane Lane,” starring actors Eddie Murphy and Jillian Bell, is inspired by his childhood holiday memories on Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo, CA. The highly anticipated film officially premieres on Amazon Prime Video on December 1, 2023. This story is very personal to Professor Younger, as are all his films, plays, and works he writes. As a member of the Disney Animation Story Trust, Younger has worked on the Muppets Franchise and, most recently, as a co-writer on Emmy-nominated “Muppets Haunted Mansion” (2022 PGA Award for Outstanding Children’s Programming) and “Muppets Now.” As a member of the Disney Animation Story Trust, Younger worked on such films as “Frozen II,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and “Moana,” as well as contributions to the Pixar Brain Trust and such films as “Incredibles 2,” “Toy Story,” “Cars 3,” and “Onward.” Specifically, he discussed how “Ralph Breaks the Internet” relates to the famous German folk tale of Hansel and Gretel, with the woods representing the internet and Hansel and Gretel played by Ralph and Vanelope.
As a developing writer, it was not always easy for Younger. “You’re not a real writer until you get kicked in the teeth,” he said. Younger was fired from his first writing job and was told that “writers are like Kleenex.” However, having his craft likened to a disposable Kleenex did not stop Younger. He kept at it and wrote his play titled “Kalamazoo,” a romantic comedy about two very different people, an older Irish woman, and an older Jewish man, who joined an online dating service and went on to have new experiences together. Younger co-wrote the script with Michelle Kholos Brooks, daughter-in-law of comedian Mel Brooks and actress Anne Bancroft. “Kalamazoo” went on to win the 2016 Dramatists Play Service and the Riva Shriver Comedy Award.
During the event, Younger responded to student questions that were collected and thoughtfully framed by Professor Zacharia, including a question by Tanya Rasheesa ‘25, who, like Professor Younger, is a double major in Classics and English: “During your undergraduate studies at LMU, Prof. Younger, did you find that being a Classics major benefited you in your English classes, or if being an English major helped you in your Classics courses?” Rasheesa also asked Professor Younger to elaborate on whether there is something he would like to see represented more in children’s movies and TV Shows. Film & TV Production student George Michals ‘27 asked: “The Muppets have a particular kind of humor and unique characters that fans have come to know and love. What are some of the challenges and pressures that come with writing such iconic and beloved characters? What have you learned about writing throughout your screenwriting career?” Screenwriting student Katie Huff ’24 asked: “What career steps and daily practices would you recommend to an aspiring screenwriter graduating this spring, especially amid the writers’ strike or in a post-strike industry?”
Younger’s advice to students is always to do your research, be honest, practice your craft, connect with the stories you like the most, and “while you are on a roll in writing, stop. The next day, the roll keeps going.” Also, to “take your job seriously. The more time you put into your craft to be better, to be great, the more agents will come to you. You don’t work for the agent; the agent works for you.”
“This was a great program with a large turnout and so many quotable moments,” said Robbin D. Crabtree, dean of the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. “It is a perfect example of how interdisciplinarity, with humanities at the center, offers a foundation and pathway for creative pursuits and careers.”
Younger’s journey as a writer has not always been easy, but hard work and persistence have been key factors in his success as a working writer today. Professor Younger encouraged students to pursue a liberal arts education, take classes in Classics and English, and read more to improve their writing skills. The event concluded with Professor Zacharia congratulating Professor Younger on his successful career with a fitting line from Younger’s “Kalamazoo”: “You know what winners do? They give others hope.”
