Read the one great idea that got someone a job writing for Game of Thrones

Read the one great idea that got someone a job writing for Game of Thrones
(Image credit: Facebook.com/GameOfThrones)

Want a job writing for HBO's Game of Thrones? If you're as savvy as onetime production assistant Dave Hill, one great idea might be enough to get your foot in the door. In a recent interview with Variety, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss revealed that Hill approached them with an idea that changed the scope of the show's fourth season:

"One day last summer, he walked into our office and said, "You know that kid whose family gets massacred by the wildlings? The one who runs to Castle Black to let them know the wildlings are nearby?"

"Yeah?'"

"Well, said Dave, "doesn't it make sense that he'd stay at Castle Black and become a Night's Watch recruit? Where else is he going to go?"

"You're right," we said. "That does make sense."

"And what if during the battle for Castle Black, he's the one who ends up killing Ygritte?" [Variety]

Benioff and Weiss ended up using his idea — and went on to hire Hill as a full-fledged writer for Game of Thrones' fifth season.

For more inside stories from many of the greatest shows on television — including Mad Men, Hannibal, and Louieclick over to Variety.

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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.