Boston Latin School alumnus and writer Mike Skerret (‘14) became involved with the Argo during his freshman year as a News writer. He later rose to the position of News Editor, and then Editor-in-Chief in his senior year. After graduating from BLS, Skerrett attended Harvard University. He currently pursues a career as a professional TV series writer, where he has participated in writing several TV shows such as The Beast in Me (2025), Accused (2024) and Party of Five (2020).

Why did you initially join the Argo?

“I really took to heart how many writers I looked up to when I started journalism [in the Argo]. I didn’t know whether I wanted to pursue journalism specifically, but I knew that I wanted to be a writer of some kind. And you know, you have people like Ernest Hemingway, who started writing newspapers, copying and writing, learning to write by just being journalists. That seemed like a good place to start, so it was just great training for that.”

Can you briefly tell us about your career, including how you are currently involved in journalism and writing?

“I am a professional TV writer. I live in Los Angeles, and I am currently writing for a Netflix show called The Night Agent. I moved [to Los Angeles] in 2019 and had my first job. After BLS, I went to Harvard [and] did a lot of playwriting and then writing comedy pieces. Following that, I moved out to New York, helped kids with [their] college essays for a little bit and helped edit comic testers. After that, I got a job in LA writing TV and never looked back. [In college,] I [also] wrote for the Harvard Lampoon, the Crimson’s rival. We put out a parody of the Crimson every year and that was a fun exercise in trying to [take on] that kind of voice. I really do think that my experience with the Argo helped make that, I hope, an authentic parody.”

How did your time with the Argo shape your career?

“I think it was a really good training, in [that] you just have to go to print [the issues on time], and things have to happen. You can’t push a deadline. I think writing on deadline and writing because the paper has to happen is [a] very valuable experience for her life. And I think that that’s something that applies to all areas of writing in life.”

How did you make the leap from high school journalism to college journalism?

“Honestly, I just wrote a lot, and I went into college thinking maybe I would pursue journalism but then found opportunities to do a lot of theater and comedy. I think that was a good lesson in stretching your wings and learning to attack different forms and subject matters. After that, I literally just emailed a friend, who was kind enough to read something of mine and give me a chance. It really did kind of happen serendipitously.”

Were there any big surprises or challenges entering the professional world of writing?

“I think [it’s about the challenge] that so many people want to write for television—the fact that it’s such a sought after job with no clear ladder up to it is a challenge. You know, if you want to be a lawyer, say there’s a fairly standard path of ‘if I check these boxes and if I do X, Y and Z correctly, then I can be a lawyer’ but [it’s different] to say what that is for the world of TV writing. I knew that I would need to know people, and so that was kind of a big aspect of my choices around college and turned out to be the right move.”

What advice would you give to a high school student interested in pursuing journalism or writing?

“Write as much as humanly possible, and seek out people who can help make your writing better. I think I know how fragile and vulnerable writing can be. I think that doing something like the Argo and writing and publishing and learning and rewriting and doing all that is just such [a] great practice. I would say ‘don’t be precious with words, and just write as much as you possibly can.’”

What is your favorite memory or story while working with the Argo? 

“I remember so vividly arriving at school really early to sort carnations for Valentine’s Day. I just, for whatever reason, have such a set memory of the stems and the flowers, and [I was] just feeling like I was part of something sweet and exciting.”