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Posts published in “TV Writing”

Tell Us About Yourself: Crafting the Personal Pitch (PT165)

Tell Us About Yourself: Crafting the Personal Pitch (PT165)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:06 — 40.6MB)

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Alex and Nick answer the dreaded “tell us about yourself” question, including going over how to craft a compelling personal pitch for general meetings, showrunner meetings, or the #WGAStaffingBoost, using actual examples and actionable steps.

Plus, we announce the date and location of our upcoming January mixer.

Announcement

We’re having our second mixer this month! Join us Friday, January 31 at Village Idiot on Melrose. The event starts at 7:30PM. More information available at http://paperteam.co/mixermelrose

Content

Announcement: January Mixer (00:37)
1 – The importance of knowing your personal story (01:20)
2 – Content of your personal story and examples (03:16)
3 – Tailoring your personal story (34:08)

Links

Comedy v. Drama II: Blurred Lines (PT143)

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

The 2019 Paper Team Holiday Special (PT164)

The 2019 Paper Team Holiday Special (PT164)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:45 — 58.6MB)

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Alex and Nick celebrate the end of 2019 by taking a look back at the last year of the decade, both for Paper Team and TV writing news, plus answering more of your questions, celebrating our fans, and announcing our 2020 plans for the podcast.

When and how can you include holidays in your scripts? What were the most popular and discussed episodes of Paper Team in 2019? What were our favorite shows, movies, music, books of the year? What are our favorite series of the past decade? What are our 2020 Paper Team goals? What gifts did Alex and Nick get each other?

PT164 2019 Paper Team Holiday Gift Exchange

Content

1 – Paper Team Announcements: Mixer, Mentorship, Showrunner Series (00:00:44)
2 – Holiday Question and Shout-outs (00:03:34)
3 – Paper Team 2019: A year in review (00:12:09)
4 – Best of 2019 (TV, episodes, movies, music, books) and shows of the decade (00:26:02)
5 – Paper Team Goals for 2020 (00:52:53)
Gift Exchange and Next Time On (00:56:48)

Links

The 2016 Paper Team Holiday Special (PT25)
Halloween on TV (PT64)
Disney ABC Writing Program ft. Kristi Shuton (PT130)
CBS Writers Mentoring Program ft. Jeanne Mau (PT131)
NBC Writers on the Verge ft. Karen Horne (PT132)
Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop ft. Rebecca Windsor (PT133)
Comics and TV Writing: How to Bring the Page to Screen – Paper Team Live at WonderCon 2019 (PT129)
TV Formula 101: Building an Engine For Your Show (PT117)
Writing Samples and Preparing for TV Staffing ft. Liz Alper & Kai Wu (PT119)
Impostor Syndrome, Staffing Submissions and Commercials (PT149)
Comedy v. Drama II: Blurred Lines (PT143)
The Paper Team 150th Episode Special (PT150)
TV Writing Resources We Use (PT139)
Earning Your Way Into the Writers’ Room ft. Ning Zhou (PT135)
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your TV Scripts (PT148)
The Boys (TV Show)
Watchmen (TV Show)
Fleabag
What We Do in the Shadows (TV Show)
“Bandsersnatch” (Black Mirror TV Movie)
“She Was Killed by Space Junk” (1×03 – Watchmen)
“Little Fear of Lightning” (1×05 – Watchmen)
“This Extraordinary Being” (1×06 – Watchmen)
“Twin Cities” (2×06 – Counterpart)
“Pandemonium” (3×12 – The Good Place)
“Episode 6” (2×06 – Fleabag)
Bloom
There’s Something About Movies
The Circle (TV Show)
“Cuz I Love You” by Lizzo
“Fear Inoculum” by Tool
“Good Luck, Kid” by Joseph
“new skin” by Vérité
Avengers: Endgame
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite (2019 Movie)
“Permanent Record” by Edward Snowden
Showrunning Daybreak ft. Aron Eli Coleite (PT159)
Writing Heroes and Breaking Genres ft. Tamara Becher-Wilkinson (PT144)
Writing Classic Multicams to Cable Darlings ft. Dan O’Keefe (PT154)
Networking 201: Cold Contact, Queries and Etiquette (PT121)
TV Writing Incubators and the Evolution of Access (PT125)
TV Prose 201: Breaking Rules (PT156)
“What is the best UK show no one knows about?” – TV Calling

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Writing Scripts That Go Viral ft. Jordan VanDina (Animaniacs/What Would Diplo Do) (PT163)

Writing Scripts That Go Viral ft. Jordan VanDina (Animaniacs/What Would Diplo Do) (PT163)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:44 — 33.8MB)

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Alex and Nick are joined by Jordan VanDina, writer on the new Animaniacs TV show, the upcoming movie The Binge with Vince Vaughn, and creator/writer of Weekend Scripts, to discuss generating scripts that will go viral, leveraging online success to get work, plus the importance of having a pasta pass in your arsenal.

How do you go about promoting stunt scripts? What are ways of writing scripts quickly? How can you leverage online success to get representation and work? How was Weekend Scripts born? What was the experience of working on What Would Diplo Do? What is the new Animaniacs writers’ room like? How do you transition into feature work?

Content

Writing scripts that go viral with Jordan VanDina (01:07)
Final advice, resources and next week on (31:22)

Links

Jordan VanDina on Twitter
What Would Diplo Do?
SuperMansion
The Binge
Weekend Scripts
TV Stunt Specs ft. Billy Domineau (PT45)
Never Ending Pasta Pass

This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers
Use the code PAPERTEAM to get $15 OFF your Roadmap Writers Program

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]