Steven Levitan, the co-creator and showrunner of the Emmy-winning series 'Modern Family,' shared his journey of repeated failure and eventual success. After his first show was a hit, he went on to create eight consecutive shows that were either canceled after one season or never picked up at all. Demoralized, he spent days in gym clothes without ever going to the gym. He then partnered with an old friend who was also coming off his own failures, and together they drew on their real lives — Levitan's experience as a dad who thought he was cool, his partner's curmudgeonly personality with a sophisticated young son, and their gay friends who were nothing like TV stereotypes. After yet another failure — nine in a row for Levitan — they regrouped and created 'Modern Family,' which became one of the most celebrated comedies of its era.