…Acting had been the ego boost I wanted for so long, but I realized, ‘Oh, this is what I’m really good at…
I had the pleasure of talking with David F.M. Vaughn. David is an American story editor, screenwriter, and former Broadway actor known for his dynamic creative portfolio and distinctive comedic voice. Currently working as a story editor on Tab Time, a popular children’s TV series, Vaughn continues to expand his influence in television and screenwriting. His original gay-dad pilot, Daddy Issues, exemplifies his talent for creating relatable and humorous narratives that reflect modern family life. The pilot has attracted prominent industry attention, with Mark A. Burley, known for Orange is the New Black and Glow, attached as director, and actors Britt Baron and Rory O’Malley committed to starring roles.
Vaughn’s path to the entertainment industry was marked by formative experiences and diverse pursuits. Raised initially in Washington, D.C., in a family steeped in government service — his father was a Pentagon employee and his mother worked at the White House — he relocated to rural Florida at the age of nine when his father’s job necessitated a move. Growing up as a “chubby, gay figure skater” in an environment where such a background stood out, Vaughn developed a deep affinity for storytelling and a keen empathy for underdogs. His early interests were coupled with a wry sense of humor, traits that would shape his career.
Vaughn’s artistic journey began on stage, where he thrived as an actor, joining the original Broadway company of Shrek the Musical, a production that was later filmed for Netflix. His years in theater saw him performing alongside industry luminaries like Tommy Tune, Sutton Foster, Sheena Easton, and Gregory Hines. This breadth of experience in live performance instilled in Vaughn an appreciation for the collaborative spirit of show business and laid the foundation for his later transition into writing and directing. After a decade and a half as a performer, Vaughn sensed a shift in his creative aspirations and embraced the challenge of transitioning from acting to storytelling behind the scenes.
His eclectic background includes living in the Czech Republic, becoming a certified scuba divemaster, and working professionally as a poker player — an array of experiences that enrich his narratives and give texture to his characters. Vaughn’s projects frequently reflect his own upbringing, capturing the humor and resilience of optimistic people in seemingly mundane or challenging settings. This thematic focus is evident in his dedication to portraying stories infused with hope and vibrancy, even in less glamorous backdrops such as Florida, where he spent much of his youth.
In addition to his writing and editing work, Vaughn co-hosts Gaytriarchs, a candid and comedic podcast that offers an unfiltered look into the lives of gay fathers. Vaughn and his husband, who share two children born via surrogacy, reside in New York City, where Vaughn continues to pursue projects that blend humor, authenticity, and inclusivity.
Looking forward, Vaughn remains passionate about Daddy Issues and its potential impact on audiences. He sees it as a refreshing counterpoint to heavier dramas, aiming to bring laughter through chaotic yet heartfelt storylines. Vaughn’s broader mission is to share stories that resonate with people who find hope amid their own struggles.
At his core, Vaughn champions the idea that growth often comes from change, whether that means shifting careers, evolving opinions, or exploring new creative avenues. He seeks to demystify the notion that changing one’s mind signifies weakness, advocating instead for an openness that fosters true personal and professional growth.
David F.M. Vaughn’s work and outlook continue to contribute to a richer and more diverse television landscape, emphasizing the power of humor, resilience, and authenticity in storytelling.
David, it’s an honor to meet you. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share with us a story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Sure! I grew up in Washington, D.C. My parents were both government employees. My dad worked at the Pentagon; he was career Army. My mom worked at the White House. So, we were very much a government family. Then my dad got transferred to a new job in Florida, and we moved there when I was about nine. Most of my family still lives in Florida. I ended up growing up there and went to college before moving out.
So, tell us the next part of the story. What led you to this career as a successful filmmaker?
I had always thought I wanted to be an actor. When I went to college, I decided, “Well, I’m going to study theater and acting.” So, I did. After graduating, I moved to New York City and was very fortunate to start working right away and consistently for about 15 years as an actor. I worked on Broadway, in films, on TV, and in tours — I did a bunch of different things and was very happy.
Then, I ended up doing a long-running show. When it closed, I remember thinking, “I think I’m ready for something new.” It wasn’t necessarily because I was tired of being an actor or had stopped enjoying it. I had just been lucky enough to do a lot of what I had always wanted, and I felt ready to try something different. I had always known I wanted to work on the creative side of performance art in general — writing and directing for film, TV, and theater. So, when the show ended, I took the opportunity to dive in, study TV writing and playwriting, and start directing to see where it would lead me.
That’s when I felt like I unlocked something — what I was truly meant to do. It was as if all the acting was building up to this moment. Acting had been the ego boost I wanted for so long, but I realized, “Oh, this is what I’m really good at.” I was very fortunate to discover that, and that’s what brought me to where I am now.
Very cool. You probably have some amazing stories from all different parts of your professional life. Can you share with our readers one or two stories that stand out in your mind?
I’m just going to tell you the first thing that popped into my head, and I’m not sure if it’s the best response to this question, but here it is. I was an actor in a production of West Side Story, a very famous musical, and we were performing in Europe. It was part of a tour based on a long-standing Czech production of the show. The plan was to take that production and tour it through the Netherlands, Belgium, and some other countries. These venues agreed to host the show but with two conditions: it had to be performed in English, and the leads had to be American-born. The rest of the cast, including the Czech understudies and ensemble, could stay the same. I have no idea why they wanted that specifically, but that’s how it was.
So, they brought us over to join this existing production, we learned it, and we started touring. One thing they hadn’t accounted for was having formal understudies for the lead roles. The production had been running for years at one venue, so they relied on having enough people who already knew the roles — but only in Czech. Most of the cast didn’t speak English at all. Naturally, what was bound to happen did happen. We were at a venue, and our lead, Maria, was seriously injured during a show. Thankfully, she recovered, but she was out for four days. That’s when they realized they didn’t have anyone who could step in and perform Maria’s part in English.
They ended up flying in an understudy from the Czech production, but she only knew the songs in English. She didn’t know any of the scenes in English. For four nights, we performed West Side Story without any scenes that included Maria, which is arguably half the show. She would just sing her numbers in English with the script in her hand. It was a very interesting version of West Side Story, to say the least. If you know the show, you can imagine how confusing it was without Maria’s scenes. The story became hard to follow, and the motivations, like why the guy with the gun shoots Tony, didn’t make much sense. It was chaos. But for whatever reason, that’s the story that came to mind when you asked.
It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake you made when you were first starting out, and the lesson you learned from it?
Oh, that’s a great question. A mistake I made that I learned from — well, I don’t know if this is exactly a mistake, but here goes. I was a swing in Shrek the Musical on Broadway. If you’re not familiar with the term, a swing is like an understudy for the entire ensemble. I also understudied the role of Lord Farquaad. During the rehearsal process, when everyone else was on stage learning choreography or music, I was sitting in the back of the room, taking notes and trying to learn by watching. I hadn’t actually stood up and practiced any of the material yet.
Whenever someone had to leave the room for a costume fitting or a quick break, one of us swings would have to step in and fill their spot. Up until this point, I hadn’t done that yet. Then, our big boss — the big, big boss — flew in from LA and walked into the room. Right as he walked in, someone had to run out for a costume change, and they called out, “David, go ahead and do that.” It was a big musical number where the character sings and performs a lot, and there I was, standing up for the first time with the big boss watching.
I remember feeling so terrified. Somehow, I managed to get through it. But the lesson I learned from that experience was that I needed to be performance-ready at every moment, no matter how little rehearsal time I’d had. It taught me that you have to be ready to jump in at any moment and do so with confidence, even if you don’t feel fully prepared.
We love hearing stories where somebody who’s a little bit further ahead opens a door, creates an opportunity, and changes someone’s career trajectory. Do you have a story where someone did that for you, or where you did it for someone else?
You know, I feel very happy when I think about all the shows I’ve directed and the people I’ve hired for those shows. There have been quite a few people I hired for their first job — maybe the first musical they’d ever been in — who have since gone on to perform in huge Broadway shows and even win awards. Whenever I see that, it’s definitely an ego boost, but more importantly, I feel genuinely happy that I saw something in them and was able to help bring them into a space where they belonged.
As for someone doing that for me, this might not perfectly answer your question, but it comes close. Someone once said something to me that brought me a great sense of peace. I was in a show where the production stage manager — the person who becomes the big boss once the show opens — was getting fired. I was shocked because he was incredible, one of the best I’d ever worked with. I think the reason was something political or behind the scenes, but that’s not really important to the story. The point is, we knew for about a week that he was getting fired, and he was still there during that time.
I remember talking to him and saying, “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe this is happening.” I was stressed on his behalf. He looked at me and said, “David, have you never been fired before?” I said, “No.” And he replied, “You will.” When he said that, my stomach dropped. I thought, “Oh, he must think I’m bad at this, that I don’t deserve to be here.” But that’s not what he meant. He explained that sometimes people just get fired, and it’s not the end of the world. He was so calm and said, “One day you’ll get fired, and it won’t be a big deal. You’ll move on and do the next thing.”
That conversation was such a gift. It helped take some of the stress out of my career path. Especially in the world of filmmaking, scriptwriting, and TV, people get hired and fired all the time. There were probably 10 writers fired before I got a job, and there will be 10 more after me. It’s not the end of the world. His words gave me that perspective, and I’m incredibly thankful for it.
You have so much impressive work. Can you share with us some of the exciting projects you’re working on now and what you hope to be working on in the near future?
The project that’s front and center for me right now is a sitcom I wrote called Daddy Issues. It has the feel of Modern Family — fast-paced, broad, and very funny. It centers on the day-to-day lives of three families with gay dads. I grew up watching broad comedy, and I just love silly, fun humor. I’m talking about the kind of comedy where people fall down the stairs or situations spiral into chaos. That broadness is such a palate cleanser from the stresses of daily life.
When I was developing this show, I knew it could go in many different directions — it could be serious, nuanced, bold — but I was certain that Daddy Issues needed to be pure fun. It’s not heavy, and it’s not full of darkness, tragedy, or trauma. I wanted to create a world where my life and the lives of many people I know are represented in a funny, lighthearted, and silly way. We have producers and a director attached, and we’ve been pitching it around town. It’s been an absolute joy taking this show out because I’m so proud of it, and I think it’s genuinely funny. So that’s the project I’m most focused on right now.
Amazing! If you could take all of your work and put it into one bucket, what would be the overall theme and message that comes out of it?
I think the overall theme in most of my work is hopeful people in hopeless circumstances. That might sound a bit dark and serious, but here’s what I mean: take comedies like Parks and Recreation, for example. You could look at that show and say, “These characters live in a small, know-nothing town. A lot of them are underpaid or struggling. Their circumstances might seem pretty bleak.” But they are the most hopeful, excited people, full of big dreams and ambitions.
A lot of what I write shares that essence. The settings and the worlds I create often aren’t glamorous — sometimes they’re even a bit trashy. I grew up in Florida, so many of my shows take place there, which isn’t always depicted as the nicest place. But I love it because those are the places where people have the biggest dreams and the most vibrant lives. That theme of finding hope and humor in less-than-perfect circumstances shows up over and over again in my work.
Unbelievable. Okay. So, this is our signature question. You’ve been blessed with a lot of success. Looking back to when you first started, can you share five things that you know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started?
Yes, absolutely. I actually wrote these down because I knew the question was coming. So here are my five. These are the things I know to be true that I wish someone had told me — and that I would have listened to. That’s the tricky part. I don’t know if I would have listened to myself, but yeah.
Number one would be: you have to show your work. What I mean by that is when I imagined being a director, writer, or creator, I thought, “Oh, I’m just going to tell people what I want and what to do, and they’ll do it. And that’s just great.” That never happens. Ever. There is always someone, and it’s not necessarily someone you have to answer to, but there are departments and people who need to know what you’re thinking, why you’re thinking it, and how it all fits together. It took me a while, when I started directing shows, to realize that this is essential for being considered, followed as a leader, and trusted. You need to communicate with people in the way they need to hear it. I had imagined, “No, no, trust me, it’s just going to look better that way.” But you need to show your work and explain more. That was a surprise to me, and I did not expect that.
Number two is to follow the joy. What I mean by that is the best things in the world — the best art, the best food, the best directors, the best writers, the best athletes — are usually people who do it from a place of joy. They love it. They love it so much. As creators, especially as writers, when that blank page is in front of you, you’re thinking, “What do I write now?” Inevitably, you have a manager saying, “Well, they’re looking for multi-cam comedies today.” And then someone else tells you something different. You’re wondering, “Which one should I do?” I’ve found that the only one you should ever do is the one that brings you the most joy. That’s where the good stuff comes from. It’s where the best food is cooked and where the best songs are sung — from a place of joy, not from need or, “Oh, I need this for my resume.”
Number three is: you are right. Trust your gut. That’s really it. Maybe I have a particularly good gut, but inevitably, my first impressions and instincts — my “vibes,” as the kids used to say — are almost always right. As we get older, we start to overanalyze and question, “Are you sure? Is this the right choice?” But you’re right. Trust your gut.
Number four: delusion is powerful and a good thing. A lot of my success in my early 20s came from the fact that I never considered for a second that I couldn’t do things, even the things I knew I couldn’t do. If someone asked, “Hey, can you do this?” I’d say, “Yep,” because in my mind, I thought, “I can probably figure it out.” Now, I might hesitate and think, “No, you can’t. What are you doing? You don’t speak Spanish. You can’t do flips in the air. You can’t catch a shark.” But there’s magic in that delusion that pushes you off the cliff, and oftentimes, the net appears. Delusion isn’t a bad thing; I think it’s great. I wish we could carry more of it as we get older because it allows us to realize we’re more capable than we think.
The last one is something I very much believe in, and a lot of my friends believe in: always say yes. This comes from a creative point of view. If you can do something, do it. Whether it’s reading a friend’s play in their living room, working on a big movie, helping with a tiny student film, or doing a favor for someone — if you have the time, do it at any price. This is especially true when you’re starting out, but even at the mid-level of your career, momentum is everything. The people you work with, the people you know, and your sphere of influence make up your career. The term “networking” is often dreaded, but that’s what it means: having relationships with people who know you and whom you know. That’s the most powerful thing you can have. Saying yes helps build that and keeps momentum going, both practically in your career and in your artistic mind. One day, you’re reading a play; the next, you’re singing at a senior home; the next, you’re helping someone with their project. It keeps the ball rolling, and that’s incredibly powerful.
Really beautiful. Really profound. Beautiful. You’re doing so much, and you’re very busy. Can you share with our readers some of the self-care routines that help your body, mind, and heart thrive?
Okay. One of the things that came to mind when you asked that is how I used to — and still do — schedule my work time. I would say, “Today, I’m going to write from 1:00 to 5:00,” or whatever, and put it in my calendar to make sure that time was sacred. But it never quite felt right. I would feel guilty for running errands or just needing to lie down. What I learned, and what helped me even more, was doing the exact opposite. Now, I schedule do-not-work time. Time when I can lie on my bed and watch TikToks if I want, go for a walk, or do anything but work. This is strictly no-work-allowed time.
Doing that made me realize, “Oh!” Because what I used to do was half-work and half-relax, so I never really got anything done. I would try to work a little during free time just to keep the momentum, but then during the scheduled work time, I wouldn’t really focus. Then I’d feel guilty and go back and forth like that. Now, Mondays are my designated no-work days. I have two kids and a house to take care of, so Mondays are for grocery shopping, cooking food for the week, handling school papers, taking care of things around the house, and just relaxing. I’m not allowed to work on Mondays. I also have little pockets throughout the week when I do this.
This has been hugely beneficial to my workflow. When it’s time to work, I have no excuse, and I’m ready and excited to get started. This has been really useful for me as a writer. I’m sure you’ve heard many writers talk about writer’s block or sitting in front of a blank page, trying to get themselves to write when they don’t feel like it. Leaning into the off-time made the on-time much better.
Okay, this is our aspirational question. Because of your great work and the platform you’ve built, you’re a person of significant influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?
I know exactly the answer to this. This doesn’t come from a profound place, but I believe it is profound. It was a meme I saw on social media sometime before 2016. It was circulating because of a political situation at the time, and it summed up what I think is at the root of many issues — politically and culturally — in our country. I grew up in the South, which is problematic for a lot of reasons, and I could never quite understand why people thought the way they did. The meme said, “It is okay to change your opinion based on new information.”
It sounds so simple, right? Of course — if I thought the grass was green but learned that it’s actually blue, then the grass is blue. I grew up in a world where standing by your first belief was seen as more important than growing, learning, and changing your mind. Changing your mind was viewed as the worst thing you could do because it meant you didn’t know what you were talking about. But it’s actually the opposite. The people who grow, evolve, rethink, and find new truths are the people I want to be around. Seeing that meme made me realize that we need to take away the shame of changing your mind. If you used to think one way but learned something new and now think differently, that should be celebrated.
I come from a place where changing your mind is seen as negative, and I wish we could change that. If you learn something new that challenges what you previously knew, it’s okay to change. We shouldn’t mock people for changing their minds, and they shouldn’t feel guilty about it.
That’s an amazing point. We often use the term “flip-flopper” as a pejorative, but really, being able to change your mind is what growth is all about.
Right. If you’re “flip-flopping” just to appease whoever you’re talking to without believing it, then yes, that’s where the negative connotation comes from. But if you genuinely move from thinking A to understanding B, that’s not flip-flopping — that’s evolving, and it’s the best kind of growth.
I love it. Okay, how can our readers follow your work and support your latest projects?
Well, I’m @ David F. M. Vaughn everywhere. Anywhere on the internet where an “at” sign matters, I’m there. I’ve been lucky to consistently get that handle. I’m most active on Instagram, which is kind of my home base. That’s where people can find me and keep up with what I’m doing. I also have a website, TikTok, and Twitter, but Instagram is my main spot. I post a mix of my regular life and professional updates there, so it’s an easy place for people to stay connected.
Wonderful! It’s been a delight to meet you. Thank you so much for your time. I wish you continued success, and I hope we can do this again next year.
Awesome. Thank you!
Have an amazing day, my friend, and keep up the great work.
From Broadway to the Writers’ Room: David F.M. Vaughn Talks Career Reinvention and ‘Daddy Issues’ was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.