Pilots - TV Calling

Audience Questions – TV Writing and TV Business (PT91)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:00 — 37.7MB)

Alex and Nick answer audience questions about television writing and the TV business.

Is there a benefit to writing beyond the pilot? Do dramas have an equivalent to comedy “punch-ups”? What does an outline look like? How do you sell a TV concept? Where can you find networking events that TV writers go to?

Plus, we look at two new Paper Tease entries.

The Paper Team raises their hand…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Paper Tease Session (00:56)
1 – Questions about TV writing (11:22)
2 – Questions about the TV business (20:26)
3 – Questions and comments about the podcast (33:32)

Paper Tease Entries

“Figments” by Dustin Pinney
“Jackie & Marilyn” by Benjamin Morgan

Links

Pitch Doc One – TV Calling
TV Pitching 101: Who, What, and Why (PT13)
TV Pitch Documents (PT82)
Bringing the TV Writers’ Room Process Home (PT06)
From Outline to (First) Draft (PT28)
How to Meet People in LA (When You Don’t Know Anyone) (PT03)
Putting Yourself Out There (PT75)

This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers

Use code ROADMAP to get $15 OFF your first Roadmap Writers Program

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]

Presenting Paper Tease: a TV Pilot Teaser Competition

It’s been nearly two years since Paper Team began, and we’ve decided to lean into our mission statement with a new, free competition — Paper Tease.

Every month, we read on air a few listeners’ teasers from their TV pilot scripts and offer feedback. The best ones even win prizes!

Paper Tease is open to any original teasers (or cold-opens) of up to 8 pages, of any TV format (one-hour/half-hour) and any genre (comedy/drama). No features though.

All the rules and prizes can be found on the official Paper Tease entry page.

Yes, it’s really free.

Do you have a TV teaser ready to go, and have read the linked rules on the Paper Tease page? Enter right here:

TV Pilot 201: Keeping the Reader Interested (PT84)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:42 — 43.9MB)

Alex and Nick discuss how to be proactive in the way you write your TV pilot script, and how to keep the reader interested.

Why are loglines and titles so important? How can you connect your script to your personal story? How do you set things up in a pilot? What are ways of counteracting reader fatigue?

Plus, we take a look at the recent revelations about Amazon Prime Video’s internal numbers.

The Paper Team turns the page…