REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — It’s a story about a podcast.
It’s a show that has captivated and held curiosity for two seasons, now. Hulu’s "Only Murders in the Building" continues to gain popularity.
On screen, it’s Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short who take the words from the script and give it life. But it’s John Hoffman who puts the words on the script.
Hoffman is the show’s co-creator, writer and executive producer.
“It was from the very beginning in Reynoldsburg,” he said. “I don’t know what it was, but I think it was something about storytelling just in general.”
He grew up in Reynoldsburg and went to Bishop Hartley High School. He credits his family members and their ability to tell stories for him being where he is. Originally, he pursued acting. Then, thinking he could write scripts better, he put pen to paper.
He’s worked on a number of things you’ve probably heard about from The Emoji Movie to Grace and Frankie, which he says is loosely based off his mother, Arlene, who 10TV did a story with in 2021 when she was visited in the nursing home by her granddaughter after 357 days of separation due to Covid-19.
John said his mother, who passed away in April, was his greatest inspiration.
“And she was,” he said. “Exactly right.”
His involvement with "Only Murders in the Building," in collaboration with Steve Martin, is racking up the nominations. The show is up for 17 EMMYs at next Monday’s awards show and has already won three.
“I think it’s only starting to hit me a little bit more because it’s true, you work in this business [and] you have a lot of rejection, there’s no way around it,” he said. “You get hits and when something like this happens it just feels like you’re in such rare air.”
He thanks his team, the actors, writers, the devotion and commitment to the show that has made it what it is. And his hometown and his family that are almost 2,300 miles away, he credits them, too.
“I love what I’m doing,” he said. “And, I hope to bring Ohio – go Bucks – and everyone else back in Ohio some more pride about this show and I owe a lot to the roots that were training me back in Ohio up until those days before college.”