Editor’s Note: There are so many different paths to becoming a movie director, but a career in late night isn’t one of the more common ones. Rob Burnett spent 30 years working for David Letterman, rising from intern to executive producer, before directing Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez in the upcoming Netflix release “The Fundamentals of Caring.” We asked the writer/director what lessons he took from “The Late Show” and how did it prepare him for being a filmmaker. What we got was the following essay, which is a great insight into the mindset it takes to direct a feature film.

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During one of the Q&A sessions after “The Fundamentals of Caring” screened at Sundance, someone asked me what influence my work in television has had on me as a filmmaker.