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Posts tagged as “COVID”

The Paper Team 200th Episode Special (PT200)

Alex and Nick celebrate the two-hundredth episode of Paper Team with a livestream event featuring several of our past guests, including TV writers, producers, and showrunners from a wide array of shows.

In this first-of-its-kind live and interactive special, we cover all major TV writing topics, from building a competitive TV portfolio and managing industry relationships, to being a useful writer on staff, balancing character with story in scripts, strategies for virtual writers’ rooms, spec scripts, pilot scripts, formats, and so much more.

NOTE: This is the direct audio recording from our Twitch livestream with minimal editing. Occasional bumps are to be expected since we were live, plus hosting while handling the technical side of the event.

Content

Reflections on our first episode, the first Paper Team mentorship, being in L.A. for the industry, and building a TV writing portfolio (00:00:30)
Balancing character with story/structure, and managing industry relationships (00:54:00)
Being a useful writer on staff, and how to approach blue-skying (01:57:00)
Reflections on our second episode, declaring a TV major, evolution of episode formats, and future of the medium (02:36:00)

Links

Alex’s Twitch channel
Video version of our 200th episode special livestream
Moving to Los Angeles (and Things We Wish We Knew) (PT01)
Comedy v. Drama: Declare Your TV Major (PT02)
Paper Team Mentorship I – “Mid-Death Crisis” Overview (PT128)
Paul Chang on Twitter
Alex Switzky on Twitter
Alison Tafel on Twitter
Julia Yorks on Twitter
Jordan VanDina on Twitter
Tamara Becher-Wilkinson on Twitter
Mike Scully on Twitter
J. Holtham on Twitter
Jimmy Nguyen on Twitter
Hilliard Guess on Twitter
Franki Butler on Twitter
Caroline Levich on Twitter
Evelyn Yves on Twitter
Logan Kriete on Twitter

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

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

Exploring Lovecraftian Horror and TV Companion Podcasts ft. Shannon Houston (Lovecraft Country) (PT192)

Alex and Nick invite Shannon Houston, writer on the HBO series Lovecraft Country and co-host of the Lovecraft Country Radio podcast, to discuss writing Lovecraftian horror, representation in genre, and producing a companion podcast for a popular series.

How does Lovecraft Country strike a balance with its tone and format each week? What kind of rules are there around the mythology of the world? How is genre and horror used as an allegory to explore social issues? What goes into running a companion podcast to a popular TV show? How is feedback from viewers and listeners received and considered when it comes to the content of the show?

Shannon M Houston

Content

Writing Lovecraftian horror and making a TV companion podcast with Shannon Houston (00:42)
Final advice, resources, and next week on (40:05)

Links

Shannon Houston on Twitter
Lovecraft Country on HBO
Lovecraft Country Radio Podcast

Resource

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

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]

Reverse-Engineering Scripts, TV References, and Release Schedules – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT191)

Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about non-adult animation, reverse-engineering shows, and cultural references.

Plus, we reveal details of our online virtual mixer and discuss the latest TV news, including broadcast comedies under threat, productions resuming, and controversial release schedules.

Reminder

We’re having our first online virtual mixer this week!
Join us Saturday, October 3 at 6PM PST over Zoom.
Link and information available at http://paperteam.co/onlinemixer

Content

Virtual Mixer Announcement and Shout-Outs (00:33)
TV Writing Questions: Non-adult animation, reverse-engineering shows, and cultural references (03:54)
TV Writing News: Controversial release schedules, broadcast comedies, freelance laws, and productions resuming (26:05)

Links

Nickelodeon Animation Writing Program (PT179)
ScreenplaySubs extension
“The Boys Showrunner Addresses Backlash to Season 2 Release Schedule” – CBR
“Network Comedies’ Future Threatened By Outdated Broadcast Business Model” – Deadline
California Assembly Bill 5 (2019)
“‘For Life’ Suspends Production Due to ‘Inconsistent’ COVID-19 Test Results” – 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]