Pitching - TV Calling

Breaking in & Writing From “Outside the System” ft. Hilliard Guess (The Screenwriter’s Rant Room) (PT47)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:04 — 71.7MB)

Alex and Nick invite writer/producer Hilliard Guess for an in-depth discussion about his experience in the industry, working as a writer, and his involvement in the WGA and his Screenwriter’s Rant Room podcast.

How do you build a writing career without the traditional assistant or fellowship route? What are key differences in being a producer or writer, and juggling both roles? What are aspects of the WGA people should know more about? How do you overcome adversity and get things done? What are ways of putting yourself out there and opening doors?

The Paper Team goes rogue…

NOTE: We had a bit of noise on the line, and my upstairs neighbors decided to join in on the fun towards the end of the recording. We tried to fix most of the issue, but be aware there may be some residual audio.

SHOWNOTES

Content

Starting out, becoming a writer, getting writing jobs, being a producer, curating your work environment, being involved in the WGA, dealing with adversity, and the competition (00:01:22)
Resources and Next Week On (01:10:22)

Resources

Pilar Alessandra’s On the Page
“Coffee Break Screenwriter” – Pilar Alessandra
Jen Grisanti
“The Sequence Approach” – Paul Gulino

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]

Joke-Writing, Stand-Up and Late-Night TV ft. Simon Taylor (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) (PT22)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:30 — 55.6MB)

Alex and Nick welcome Simon Taylor to hear his experience being a comedian, writing jokes for late-night television, and the hard work it takes to be consistently funny.

How does the stand-up circuit work? What was it like writing for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno? Why is performing comedy different than writing comedy? How is the process of writing comedy in a room compared to doing it alone? What can a writer do to be noticed and find a following?

The Paper Team performs their in-depth set…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – How Simon Taylor got his start (00:33)
2 – Being funny, creating your product, and performing stand-up (08:25)
3 – Putting yourself out there, selling yourself, and pitching (24:15)
4 – Writing for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (34:22)
5 – Generating good content regularly and working your creative skills (38:53)
6 – What a successful joke is and tailoring it to your online (Twitter/Snapchat/YouTube) or real-life audience (43:35)
7 – Working on a TV pilot with Justin Willman, and writing alone for someone else versus a writers’ room for a common project (49:05)
8 – Working in the US, what Simon Taylor is doing now, and what is next for him (53:17)
Resources and Outro (57:50)

Resources

Poking a Dead Frog – Mike Sacks
Books by Stewart Lee

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 Pitching 101: Who, What, and Why (PT13)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:15 — 41.5MB)

Alex and Nick discuss the basics of television pitching. From the cold pitch all the way to the general meeting and official “sales pitch”, we give an overview of the three major arenas where you’ll be presenting your TV show. This episode is all about understanding who, what, why, and some dos & don’ts for each step.

Who will you be meeting with? Where will you be doing each pitch? What is the goal of TV pitching? What absolutely needs to be included in your pitch? Is paying for pitch competitions ever worth it?

The Paper Team has a riveting audio presentation on the subject…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – What TV pitching means (00:45)
2 – The cold or “casual” pitch (02:24)
3 – The general meeting pitch (17:49)
4 – The sales or official “pitch meeting” (27:16)
5 – Some general advice for your TV pitch (29:22)
Takeaways and Resources (35:13)

Resources

“Buy the Rights” Card Game
Dan Harmon on Pitching (Video)
What’s Your Pitch? ATX Panel (Audio)

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]

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts tagged as “Pitching”

Breaking in & Writing From “Outside the System” ft. Hilliard Guess (The Screenwriter’s Rant Room) (PT47)

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

Resources

Joke-Writing, Stand-Up and Late-Night TV ft. Simon Taylor (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) (PT22)

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

Resources

TV Pitching 101: Who, What, and Why (PT13)

SHOWNOTES

Content

Resources

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts tagged as “Pitching”

Breaking in & Writing From “Outside the System” ft. Hilliard Guess (The Screenwriter’s Rant Room) (PT47)

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

Resources

Share this:

Joke-Writing, Stand-Up and Late-Night TV ft. Simon Taylor (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) (PT22)

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

Resources

Share this:

TV Pitching 101: Who, What, and Why (PT13)

SHOWNOTES

Content

Resources

Share this: