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Posts published in “TV Business”

Diversity in TV and the Writers’ Room ft. Francesca Butler & Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (PT14)

Alex and Nick welcome Francesca Butler and Kelly Lynne D’Angelo to discuss diversity and representation in television — both on screen and in the writers’ room.
What has been their personal experience working in TV? What shows influenced them growing up? What are they thoughts on diversity staffing and writing programs?

The Paper Team hands the mic over for some thought-provoking insight…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – Influences growing up (00:33)
2 – Cultural appropriation and experiences being in the writers’ room (11:59)
3 – Diversity staffing and the writing programs (24:58)
4 – WGA’s Diversity Committees & Caucuses (33:11)
5 – Moving forward, selling yourself and recommended shows (36:12)

Links

Francesca Butler on Twitter
Kelly Lynne D’Angelo on Twitter
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella
The Patriot
Hamilton
All That
Roundhouse
The West Wing
American Dreams
Living Single
Angela Moore (from Boy Meets World)
The Journey of Allen Strange
The Meteor Man
Hollywood Shuffle
“Shapes” (1×19 – The X-Files)
Thunderbird House (from Harry Potter)
Jacqueline White (from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Sundance Institute/IAIA’s Native Writer’s Workshop
LA Skins Fest’s Native American TV Writers Lab
“TV Diversity Programs: Launching Pad or Scarlet Letter?”
WGAW Diversity Committees
A Different World
The Flash and Supergirl’s Musical Crossover
Insecure
Being Mary Jane
Greenleaf
The Son

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)

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]

Being in a Writing Team ft. Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (PT12)

Alex and Nick are joined by comedy writer Kelly Lynne D’Angelo to discuss what it’s like to be in a TV writing team (with Nick himself).

We talk about their creative and writing process, how they pitch in a writers’ room, how they present themselves in general meetings, how they complete each other, and the benefits (or drawbacks) of being in a writing team over being a solo writer.

Plus, we finally explain what a “paper team” is! (Not something the WGA likes.)

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – The creative process of a writing team (00:36)
2 – Dealing with writing rooms and the business side (21:23)
3 – Resources, how to start a writing team, and who to choose as a partner (39:49)

Links

Kelly Lynne D’Angelo on Twitter
South Park 20 Experience at the Paley Center for Media
“My Life in Four Cameras” (4×17 – Scrubs)
WriterDuet
Settlers of Catan

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]