[4] Saltzman started his career writing cabaret shows and musicals that played at New York City venues[5] such as The Ballroom, Soho Rep, 13th Street Theater, and The Village Gate, where he co-wrote the long-running revue A, My Name is Alice.
[5] He created the Muppet character of Plácido Flamingo for season 18, and wrote more than 50 songs,[6] including the lyrics for "Caribbean Amphibian" and "I've Got a New Way to Walk.
[5] For CBS, Saltzman wrote Mrs. Santa Claus, a holiday musical movie starring Angela Lansbury with songs written by Broadway legend Jerry Herman.
[4] His TV movie, The Red Sneakers, which was directed by and starred Gregory Hines, aired on Showtime in 2004 and was nominated for a Writers Guild Award.
Saltzman's musical play The Tin Pan Alley Rag tells the story of a fictional meeting in 1915 between Scott Joplin and a young Irving Berlin.
[8] The show continued on to many US theaters, including Miami's Coconut Grove Playhouse, Goodspeed Musicals, and the Cleveland Play House.
[9] Saltzman has, for many years, been a mentor in the Blank Theatre Company's Young Playwrights’ Festival, held annually in Los Angeles.
According to Saltzman, when writing the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie, he wrote their interpersonal dynamic, playfulness and loving bond as a reflection of his own relationship with Glassman.