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Posts tagged as “Development”

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]

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]

TV Staffing vs. TV Selling (PT182)

Alex and Nick look at the latest debate about TV staffing versus TV selling, and discuss pros and cons of each. Is it a false dichotomy or should you prioritize one over the other? The Paper Team weighs in.

Content

1 – Why “TV Staffing versus TV Selling”? (00:26)
2 – Appeal and Advantages of TV Staffing (18:07)
3 – Appeal and Advantages of TV Selling (35:22)

Links

Terri Kopp’s Twitter thread on “to staff or not to staff”
TV Writing Incubators and the Evolution of Access (PT125)

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]