facebook_pixel Press "Enter" to skip to content

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts published in “Paper Team”

Character Arcs, Writer Mutiny, and Gamemaster – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT188)

Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about character arcs and animated script length, and discuss the latest TV writing news involving the All-Rise writers’ room mutiny and the WarnerMedia restructure.

Plus, we talk with director Charles Mruz about his new board-game documentary Gamemaster, and tease an upcoming Paper Team mixer.

Content

Mixer Tease and Shout-Outs (00:35)
TV Writing Questions: Character arcs and animated script length (05:31)
Gamemaster documentary with director Charles Mruz (14:45)
TV Writing News: All-Rise mutiny and WarnerMedia restructure (25:16)

Links

Gamemaster Documentary on Linktree
Independent Producing ft. Jimmy Nguyen (Showrunners) (PT32)
“Writers Mutiny at ‘All Rise,’ the Rare CBS Show With a Black Female Lead” – New York Times
“Bob Greenblatt, Kevin Reilly Out at WarnerMedia in Management Shakeup” – Variety

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Paper Team Mentorship V – A Year Later With Paul Chang (PT187)

Alex and Nick catch up with their 2019 Paper Team Mentee Paul Chang, staff writer on the upcoming animated Disney TV comedy The Curse of Molly McGee.

We discuss what he’s been up to over the past year, including how his first full season in a writers’ room went, the importance of building relationships, how COVID has had an impact for him professionally, lessons learned from the mentorship, and much more.

Plus, we reveal an update about our 2020 Paper Team Mentorship.

Links

Paul Chang on Twitter
“The Curse of Molly McGee”
Paper Team Mentorship IV – Staffing Update With Paul (PT147)

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Less TV, Less Opportunity (PT186)

Alex and Nick discuss the current trend of diminishing episode orders and shorter seasons, and how that affects the size of writers’ rooms, opportunities for emerging writers, and other worrying consequences for television writing.

Why are TV season orders shrinking from twenty-two episodes down to as few as three? How does this affect professional opportunities for writers, both emerging and established? What does it mean for the TV business and distribution models? What are some of the long-term consequences for access and diversity in television? What are proactive ways of combating and solving these issues?

Content

1 – Shorter seasons and diminishing episode orders (00:34)
2 – How that affects writers and opportunities (10:17)
3 – How that affects business and creativity (29:34)

Links

“Michael Schur on What We Lose When TV Gets Shorter” – Vanity Fair
TV Writing Incubators and the Evolution of Access (PT125)
The Art of the TV Episode (PT20)

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]