Land Your First Job in TV Writing with Guidance from Experienced Showrunners
Right now it's harder than ever to break into the TV Writing business. In this 90-minute recorded webinar, I sit down with four professional writers to talk about how to get hired, even when times are tough.
Becoming a professional TV writer is impossible...
Yet people do it every single day.
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If you want to be one of these people, the Showrunners in this course will walk you through how they got their start, the lessons they learned, how they decide who to hire, and the actionable takeaways you can bring to your own career.
A Showrunner Summit
What will you learn?
Every piece of writing advice on the internet is the same:
- Never give up!
- Write a script that is undeniable!
- It's all about who you know!
But that doesn't help if you're a screenwriter who works day in and day out on your craft, and you still aren't making any headway.
The truth is that success in this industry requires a certain personality type and out-of-the-box thinking.
We will walk you through how to develop these with 1 hour of lecture conversation with top experts.
They'll discuss tactics that you can bring to your job search and techniques you can use to get your screenplay into the right hands.Ā
Questions answered include:
- How do you know if your script is good enough to land you a job?
- How do you get the right kind of feedback on your sample?
- How do you get good work past the barriers to access?
- What does it mean to "Create your own heat," and how can you do it?
- Do you need an agent? A manager? An attorney? How do you get one?
- How can you introduce yourself to Showrunners?
- How do you become friends with someone who can hire you?
- Once you get your first break, how do you capitalize on it for long term success?
- What are the most common mistakes that new writers should avoid?
When you finish this course, not only will you have a clear picture of what it takes to get hired to write for TV, but you will have action plans for revising your sample and for kickstarting your networking efforts.
Who is this for?
Are you:
- A future Showrunner who wants to know how to start and stay on that path?
- An aspiring Staff Writer who has no idea how to get that first job?
- A repped writer who wonders why it's still so hard to get hired?
- An unrepped writer who lives outside of Los Angeles but wants to break into TV?
- A screenwriter who is local to Los Angeles but has trouble making connections?
- A Staff Writer who has worked on a show but is struggling to get your 2nd job?
The information and advice presented by our speakers addresses each of these issues to give you specific guidance for how to break out of the plateau that you're in.
Who will be delivering these answers?
John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky
John and Dave are the Comedy Showrunning team who co-created and were Executive Producers of SILICON VALLEY for HBO. They wrote BLADES OF GLORY and were the EP Showrunners of KING OF THE HILL. They were Executive Producers on BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD and are currently running an international TV series.
Jordana Arkin
Jordana was most recently an EP/Co-Creator at Netflix and Co-EP on Disneyās RAVENāS HOME. Sheās an Emmy-nominated, Annie Award winning, upper-level writer who has experience in live action and animation. Jordana has also worked as a Supervising Producer on Netflixās FULLER HOUSE and MELISSA & JOEY (FREEFORM), a Producer on Mike Judgeās THE GOODE FAMILY (ABC), SONS & DAUGHTERS (ABC) and SIGNIFICANT OTHERS (NBC/Universal). She was the Co-Developer/Co-EP/Head Writer of STAR vs THE FORCES of EVIL and was the EP/Creator of PROJECT MCĀ² for Netflix and Awesomeness TV.Ā
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Michael Jamin
Michael is an Emmy-nominated TV writer and Showrunner. His many credits include KING OF THE HILL, BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD, JUST SHOOT ME, WILFRED, MARON, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, OUT OF PRACTICE, BRICKLEBERRY, and TACOMA FD. Heās the author of A PAPER ORCHESTRA,Ā a collection of humorous personal essays.
Audrey Knox
Audrey is a literary manager at Cartel, with clients in film and television. Her writers have staffed on shows including REASONABLE DOUBT, SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, GINNY & GEORGIA, P-VALLEY, THE UPSHAWS, GROWN-ISH, NANCY DREW, TOM SWIFT, RAISING DION, and ROBOT CHICKEN. Her clients have written feature films including ALICE, DARLING (Lionsgate), CRUSHED (Tubi), THE SANTA SUMMIT (Hallmark), and the SINGLE BLACK FEMALE franchise (Lifetime). Audrey worked her way up from Receptionist in 2016 to Manager in 2018. She started as a development and casting assistant in reality TV, working for THE MILLIONAIRE MATCHMAKER and the production company behind the shows ARE YOU THE ONE? and DATING NAKED.
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John and Dave are real straight shooters. Genuinely good people. The insight and knowledge they have shared with me has been invaluable to my progress in the industry. I owe them a lot. With their guidance I have scored a book deal and opportunities galore. Working with them has been the entertainment industry equivalent of winning the lottery for me.
- Richie Stephens (co-author of the book and TV series THE GANGSTERāS GUIDE TO SOBRIETY)
Jordana was one of the first Showrunners to staff me, and I owe much of my subsequent career to the things she taught me in her writersā room. She was the first boss I had who broke down the necessary ingredients one needs to tell simple, yet unexpected and engaging stories. And she helped me successfully navigate high-pressure situations by showing me ways to improve the creative and interpersonal issues I was struggling with as an inexperienced writer.
- Nate Federman (Story Editor on Disney Channelsās BIG CITY GREENS; Story Editor on DreamWorksā TROLLS: THE BEAT GOES ON)
Jordana Arkin, a hilarious comedy writer and teacher at heart, is full of engaging anecdotal advice ranging from navigating TV staffing to surviving the development landscape with a smile.
-Ā Michael Cobian (Co-Producer on Starzās POWER BOOK IV: FORCE)
I consider myself very lucky to have worked with Jordana, who showed me how a satisfying episode of television artfully weaves character, emotion and story into one cohesive whole. She also modeled thoughtful and empathetic leadership skills, showing me best practices for how to run a room so that I could get the most out of my own writers when I would go on to assume leadership roles later in my career. Most importantly of all, however, she has been a kind friend who has always given me honest and helpful professional advice as I have tried to carve out my own path through the industry.
-Ā Mike Yank (Writer, BIG CITY GREENS: THE MOVIE; Story Editor on DAWN OF THE CROODS)
I met Jordana when I was first starting my writing career, and I am so glad I did. She brings pragmatic optimism and kind honesty to every conversation we have, and I learn something invaluable from her each time we chat, no matter the turns my career has taken since we last spoke. The well-earned wisdom she brings is invaluable, but the kindness with which she shares it makes conversing with her a joy. I am lucky to call her a friend and a mentor.
-Ā Stuart Friedel (Staff Writer on Disney Jr.ās ALICEāS WONDERLAND BAKERY; Co-EP on HELLO JACK! THE KINDNESS SHOW)
Jordana was such a delight when we first met. I was a new writer, green with curiosity and desire for the business. What stood out most is her kindness. She also offered great advice like: knowing my valueāyour agent should be working for you. If youāre not getting what you need, donāt be afraid to find representation that champions you. Also, networkāmeet people and keep in touch all the time. You never know who will connect you to your next gig. And probably most important, to affirm myself. She said one thing she knows for sure about herself: āI can write.ā I always remember that and say it out loud in moments of rejection or failure or a tough turn. I get back to doing what I do best: write. And things always pan out.
-Ā Crescent Novell (Writer, Unannounced Netflix project; Staff Writer on Marvel and Disneyās MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR)
After taking Michaelās course my writing improved to where I began placing in contests, but more importantly, Iām now confident that Iāll have a career as a writer. Thank you Michael Jamin, for giving me the skills to make my career goal of writer become a reality.
-Ā Lauri Jon Caravella
By taking the course and starting to apply what Iāve learned to improve my own development slate of TV and feature projects, I can truly say that Iāve struck gold! The online space is rife with courses from entertainment professionals who are great at what they do, yet not so great at guiding others step-by-step (and with brutally honest insider information) through the complex creative and business processes. But Michael Jamin is a rare exception to that, from live action to animation, network to cable, and streaming to YouTube, this writer, producer, and Showrunner is also something that a lot of others arenāt: A great teacher!
- Bruce G.
Finally, a guy who knows his industry. When I found Michael, I stopped buying seminars. Heās worth 20 million dollars. Iād rather take his advice than buy regurgitated seminars of starving people trying to get back into the industry.
- Rory H.
Audrey's an integral part of myĀ creative process, and possesses two rare qualities- impeccable taste, and a deep understanding of the TV and Film marketplace. HerĀ guidance at critical moments have elevated my work, and helped my stories resonate with buyers. Scripts Audrey helped me hone consistently receive enthusiastic responses from Producers. Equally important, she's helped me focus on properties that can sell, and spared me from years of writing and re-writingĀ projects that aren't right for the marketplace. Audrey's my creative comrade, and I guess she's yours now too!
- Zen Freese (Staff Writer, HOW WE ROLL)
GET INSTANT ACCESS TO
How to Get a Job Writing TV: A Showrunner Summit
What you'll get:
- 60 minutes of lecture content from working Showrunners about how to land a TV writing job.
- 45 minutes of recorded Q&A covering topics related to staffing and hiring.Ā
Screenwriting courses and film school educations can cost thousands of dollars. Spinning your wheels in a rut with no idea how to break in can cost years of your life.Ā
Don't miss out on this opportunity to be mentored by Showrunners who have done exactly what you want to be doing.Ā
