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Posts published in “TV Writing”

Survivor: Hollywood – Emotional and Practical Realities of TV Writing (PT209)

Alex and Nick discuss the realities of sustaining a career as a TV writer, from financial and mental hardships, to professional and personal burnout.

What does “breaking in” really mean? What are the practical and emotional realities of being a TV writer? What are strategies we’ve found helpful for our own well-being? Why is taking care of your mental health so important for your work? How does social and professional burnout manifest? When should you quit the industry? How do you outwit, outplay, and outlast in the entertainment industry?

It’s time for Survivor: Hollywood.

Content

1 – Realities of sustaining a TV writing career (00:01:31)
2 – Taking care of your mental health (00:30:23)
Resources and Next Week On (00:59:45)

Links

Julia Yorks’ Twitter thread on career momentum
Finding Stability as a Nascent TV Writer ft. Julia Yorks (PT120)
Managing Finances as an Assistant & Staff Writer ft. Kiyong Kim (PT16)
Brittani Nichols’ Twitter thread on TV writer pay disparity
Positive Mindset and Resilience in the Writers’ Room ft. Rochée Jeffrey & April Shih (PT161)

Resources

WGA Career Longevity Committee
Mental Health Resources for Angelenos
“Happier in Hollywood” podcast

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

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

TV Writing Conditions and WGA Win – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT208)

Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about ideal writing conditions, writing essentials, and predatory representation contracts.

Plus, we discuss the latest news, including the WGA/WME agreement, and problematic behaviors in our industry.

Content

TV Writing Questions: Ideal writing conditions and predatory contracts (00:32)
TV Writing News: WGA/WME Agreement, problematic behaviors, and a new OTT (21:14)

Links

WGA Agreement with WME
“Gina Carano fired from ‘Mandalorian’ after social media posts” – PBS News Hour
“More Voices Speak Out Against Joss Whedon’s Conduct” – Deadline
“ViacomCBS’ Paramount+ Campaign During Super Bowl” – AdWeek
“Frasier Revival Eyed at Paramount+” – TV Line

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

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

TV Outlines: At Home and in the Writers’ Room (PT207)

Alex and Nick take a look at the outlining process in television writing. Whether you’re working on your own TV sample scripts, or asked to deliver outlines in a writers’ room, we dig into everything you should watch out for.

Why is outlining a critical step in television? How do we approach outlines? Have there been times we’ve decided not to outline? How early in the process do we outline? How do outlines differ between your own work and what is expected in a writers’ room? Why has there been a push against outlines by some showrunners?

Content

1 – Outlines in your own work: TV samples, specs, pilots (00:28)
2 – Outlines in a professional environment: TV writers’ rooms and pushback (19:21)

Links

From Outline to (First) Draft (PT28)
Twitter thread on TV outlines

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

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