TV Writer & Branding - TV Calling

Writing Your First TV Pilot – A #scriptchat Experience

Last Sunday I was invited to speak (or tweet) on the weekly #scriptchat with Nick (my Paper Team co-host).
If you’re not familiar with it, #scriptchat is a weekly Twitter discussion around the world of screenwriting.

The topic du jour: Writing your first TV pilot.

We covered a lot of things, including:
– The importance of outlining
– Where to begin with the pilot concept
– Why TV is a character’s medium
– Important TV pilots to study
– What makes a pilot stand out
– Getting feedback on your script

Clearly, a ton said (or written) in the span of 60 minutes.
Jamie Lee Scott moderated and immortalized the discussion on Wakelet. So for your enjoyment (and education), here is the full Twitter transcript:

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:24 — 59.2MB)

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!]

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]

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]

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts published in “TV Writer & Branding”

Writing Your First TV Pilot – A #scriptchat Experience

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

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

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

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

Resources

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts published in “TV Writer & Branding”

Writing Your First TV Pilot – A #scriptchat Experience

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

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

Share this:

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

SHOWNOTES

Content

Links

Resources

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