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Posts tagged as “Staffing”

Assisting TV Comedy Writers ft. Gary Sundt (Superstore/The Goldbergs) (PT43)

Alex and Nick invite Gary Sundt, writers’ assistant on NBC’s Superstore and ABC’s The Goldbergs, to discuss the ins-and-outs of assisting TV writers in comedy.

How do comedy writers’ rooms operate? How do those experiences in the room help your own writing? When and how should you navigate asking your boss to read your content? What are the priorities when helping a writer develop a pilot? What is the meaning of storytelling?

The Paper Team pulls up a chair…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Being a writer’s assistant, assisting a showrunner in developing pilots, working in a writer’s room, and the role of comedy in politics (00:01:20)
Resources and Next Time On (1:14:32)

Links

Gary Sundt on IMDb
Superstore (TV Series)
The Goldbergs (2013 TV series)
Playboy’s the Antiviral Show
Archie Comics
Kill Bill
Angel (TV Series)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Marley & Me
Clerks II
Summertime Killers
Rick Wiener
Kenny Schwartz
American Housewife
Charlie Grandy
Guys With Kids
Super Fun Night
Justin Spitzer
Dan Harmon
Mulaney
America Ferrara
Ruben Fleischer
Colossal
Adam F. Goldberg
Joseph Campbell
Michael Arndt
Blake Snyder
“Save the Cat” – Blake Snyder
Neil Gaiman
Twister (Film)
Independence Day (Film)
Adam Wingard
Death Note (2017 Film)
“The Hidden Life of Trees” – Peter Wohlleben
“Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life” – Winifred Gallagher
“Essays in Love” – Alain de Botton
“Modern Romance” – Aziz Ansari

Resources

Michael Arndt’s “Setting a Story in Motion” (Video)
“What Are You Laughing At?” – Dan O’Shannon

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]

Writing Adult Comedy Animation ft. Alison Tafel (BoJack Horseman) (PT39)

Update: PT39 transcript now available

Alex and Nick welcome Alison Tafel, staff writer on Netflix’s BoJack Horseman, to discuss writing on an adult comedy animation TV show.

What is the BoJack Horseman writers’ room like? How different is writing for animation from live-action? How do writers interact with animators? How much is planned in advance of the season? How are episodes broken in the room?

The Paper Team horses around…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Starting out in Hollywood, getting staffed on BoJack Horseman, and the writing process on the Netflix TV show (00:46)
Resources and Next Time On (48:53)

Links

Alison Tafel on Twitter
BoJack Horseman on Netflix
Kenneth Parcell
Raising Hope
Bunk’d
NBC’s Late Night Writers Worshop
Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Project Greenlight
“Fish Out of Water” (3×04 – BoJack Horseman)
“Downer Ending” (1×11 – BoJack Horseman)
“Stop the Presses” (3×07 – BoJack Horseman)
Greg Kinnear
Margo Martindale
Jessica Biel
Charming Cheetah Comedy on YouTube
John Myers on Twitter
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
David Hill on Twitter
Superstore
Rachel Bloom
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Sheet Music

Resources

“Truth in Comedy: The Manual for Improvisation” – Charna Halpern, Del Close, Kim Howard Johnson
“Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV” – Joe Toplyn

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]

Getting Your TV Script Read (PT29)

Alex and Nick discuss strategies on getting your shiny new TV script read around town, and what to actually expect from your efforts.

Who should you want to read you? How do you know when you’re ready to be read? What should you send over? What if you don’t hear back?

The Paper Team has some recommendations…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – Who you should get read by (0:39)
2 – What to send and knowing when you’re ready to be read (4:48)
3 – Expectations versus Reality (10:47)
Takeaways and Resources (21:12)

Links

“How to Meet People in LA (When You Don’t Know Anyone)” (PT03)
Networking 101: How to Talk With People in Hollywood (PT05)
The Second City
Starship Troopers – Would You Like to Know More? (Video)
Seeso
Kay Reindl
“How to Follow Up (Without Seeming Desperate)” (PT07)

Resources

“I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script” – Josh Olson
Louis C.K.’s Newsgroup Post

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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]