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Posts tagged as “NBC”

Immigrants: We Get the TV Job Done! (PT56)

Alex and Nick share stories about being immigrants in the US and working in the TV industry as foreigners.

Should you move directly to Los Angeles or first get experience somewhere else like New York or Vancouver? When would a show hire you if you’re not a US citizen? What are cultural differences and initial difficulties to watch out for when moving countries? What is the visa and green card process for TV writers? What are some unique setbacks of being an immigrant in the TV industry?

Plus, we talk about Shonda Rhimes’ move to Netflix.

The Paper Team migrates…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Paper Scraps: Shonda Rhimes moving to Netflix (00:45)
1 – Before arriving in the US (05:36)
2 – First months in Los Angeles (14:05)
3 – Cultural differences and expectations as an immigrant (19:14)
4 – Getting settled: driver’s license, credit score, social security (29:18)
5 – Staying and working in America: visas, green card and citizenship (35:47)
6 – Representing our home countries (50:39)
Resources and Next Week On (53:54)

Links

“Netflix signs Shonda Rhimes in counterpunch to ABC and Disney” – New York Times
“Moving to Los Angeles (and Things We Wish We Knew)” (PT01)
“How to Meet People in LA (When You Don’t Know Anyone)” (PT03)
“Managing Finances as an Assistant & Staff Writer” (PT16)
J-1 Visa
E-3 Visa
O Visa
US Diversity Visa Lottery

Resources

ImmigrationPortal Forum
Australians in LA (Facebook Group)

This episode brought to you by Tracking Board’s Launch Pad Writing Competitions

Use code PAPERTEAM to get $15 OFF when you enter a Launch Pad Competition

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

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

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

TV Writing Competition Winners: What Happens Next? (PT55)

Alex and Nick invite three TV writers to discuss what comes after winning a major screenwriting or TV writing competition.

Guests include: Talia Gonzalez (Teen Wolf/iZombie) from the 2013 Tacking Board Launch Pad Feature Competition, David Hoffman (Timeless) from the 2015 Launch Pad Pilot Competition, and T.A. Snyder from the 2017 Launch Pad Pilot Competition.

Why is entering screenwriting competitions important? What should you look out for before submitting a script? What should you expect and do after winning a writing contest? How should you brand yourself as a TV writer with your samples? What is the process of selecting the right agent or manager for you? How do you balance working on a TV writing staff and developing your own projects?

The Paper Team competes…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Winning a screenwriting competition and what comes after (01:08)
Resources and Outro (59:50)

[NOTE: Our usual “Next Week On” segment at the very end was unexpectedly cut. We’ll be talking about working in TV as immigrants in next week’s episode!]

Links

David Hoffman on Twitter
Talia Gonzalez on Twitter
T.A. Snyder on Twitter
Matthew Weiner
Charlie Kaufman
Shawn Ryan
Eric Kripke
Launch Pad mentors
TV Writing Fellowships
WTF with Marc Maron Podcast
Radiolab Podcast
Traffic
The Limey

This episode brought to you by Tracking Board’s Launch Pad Writing Competitions

Use code PAPERTEAM to get $15 OFF when you enter a Launch Pad Competition

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

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

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

Analyzing Great TV Pilots: Case Studies of Alias, Community, Homicide, The O.C., Scrubs and 3rd Rock from the Sun (PT54)

Update: PT54 transcript now available

Alex and Nick break down six iconic TV pilots to look at what makes them great TV scripts (Alias, Community, Homicide, The O.C., Scrubs and 3rd Rock from the Sun).

What makes a memorable TV pilot work? How do they introduce characters in unique ways? How do they set up the world and engine of the show? What rules do they bend or follow, and why? What TV writing lessons can you learn from them?

Plus, we discuss how seriously you should take glowing feedback from screenwriting competitions.

The Paper Team starts things off…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Paper Scraps: Glowing feedback from competitions (00:00:50)
1 – Introduction to the six TV pilots (00:05:49)
2 – Why we selected these TV pilots (00:10:43)
3 – Teasers and openers (00:19:55)
4 – Character introductions, ensemble dynamics and dialogue (00:26:37)
5 – World and exposition (00:42:00)
6 – Pilot structure vs. series representation (00:47:35)
Next Week On (01:02:53)

Links

BlueCat Screenplay Competition
“Feedback and Notes: Building Your Reading Onion” (PT08)
“Brains and Eggs” (1×01 – 3rd Rock from the Sun)
“Truth Be Told” (1×01 – Alias)
“Pilot” (1×01 – Community)
“Gone for Goode” (1×01 – Homicide: Life on the Street)
“Premiere” (1×01 – The O.C.)
“My First Day” (1×01 – Scrubs)
Josh Schwartz
David Simon
Dan Harmon
in medias res
“Morning Routine” – American Psycho (Video)
Paul Attanasio
“TV Characters 101” (PT46)
Tom Fontana
Diner (Movie)

This episode brought to you by Tracking Board’s Launch Pad Writing Competitions

Use code PAPERTEAM to get $15 OFF when you enter a Launch Pad Competition

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

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

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