Purchase DVDs of past workshops here.
WRITING FOR TELEVISION 2010 OR, What You Need to Know About Your Career in Television Writing
Saturday, July 31, 2010 At the WGF/WGA headquarters, 7000 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Free Parking all day Get tickets to the live stream.
Confirmed speakers to date (subject to availability): Chris Brancato (Terra Nova) Tara Butters & Michele Fazekas (Law & Order, Dollhouse, Reaper) Glenn Gordon Caron (Moonlighting, Medium) Michael Cinquemani (Brothers and Sisters) Savannah Dooley (Huge) Jane Espenson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica) Nick Grad (Executive VP of Original Programming, FX Networks) Jeff Greenstein (Desperate Housewives, Parenthood) David Greenwalt (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) Lauren Gussis (Dexter) Allan Heinberg (Gilmore Girls, Gray’s Anatomy) Marshall Herskovitz (thirysomething, Once and Again, Quarterlife) Winnie Holzman (My So Called Life, Huge) Jay Kogen (The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle) Matt Nix (Burn Notice, The Good Guys) Dawn Prestwich & Nicole Yorkin (Carnivale, The Riches, Flash Forward) Shireen Razack (Trauma, Undercovers) Robb Rothman (agent) Matthew Salsberg (Entourage, The War at Home, Weeds) Will Scheffer (co-creator Big Love) …and more to come!
PROGRAM - Live stream tickets for each panel here
9:15 Registration and light breakfast
10:00 PANEL -- BREAKING IN Join a panel of writers, including several up-and-comings, and one or two who are at the hiring end, as they share their experiences of breaking into the television business. How did they break in? What did they do? How long did it take? What is their advice to up and coming writers who’ve yet to be staffed? What was some of the best and worst advice they got when they were trying to break in? What are the keys to not just breaking in but staying in the business?
12:00 PANEL -- THE SHOWRUNNERS What exactly is involved in being a showrunner? Join a panel of showrunners new and old as they explain what it’s like. What were the biggest shocks when they first found themselves in the showrunner role? What was the overall learning curve when they first started running the show? What did they wish someone had told them before they were thrown in at the deep end? How did they balance work and real life? What will they do differently next time?
1:30 Lunch
2:30 PANEL – FROM THE GROUND UP: CREATING A SHOW How do you create a show from the ground up? What are the elements you need to consider? How do you evaluate an idea in terms of what will and won’t work? How do you find the right network and how do you tailor your concept for a specific network? How do you pitch it and to whom? What happens when you sell your pitch?
4:30 PANEL – TELEVISION IN A CHANGING WORLD How is television and the role of writers changing in the new economy? How does the television writer thrive against the challenges of online competition, DVR, cable, and satellite? How are smart writers adjusting to the evolution of programming seasons? What do cutting costs mean to the working writer? To the writer trying to get staffed? What does the future hold for the scripted television writer?
6:00 Wine & cheese reception in library
Note: program subject to change. Panelists confirmed subject to availability.
Live stream tickets here $15.99 per panel
CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellations received by 5pm, Monday, July 26, 2010, are eligible to receive a full refund less $20 processing fee; After this, Cancellations received by 5pm, Thursday, July 29, 2010, are eligible to receive a 50% refund; THERE IS NO REFUND FOR CANCELLATIONS RECEIVED AFTER 5pm, Thursday, July 29, 2010. Cancellations must be in writing (to ahuss@wga.org).
Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
