The key to becoming a working writer or creating longevity as a working writer is writing a TV pilot script that they can’t ignore. The pilot script is one of the hardest scripts to write.  Jen Grisanti developed a story system that has led 48 of her clients to sell their pilots. 

Jen has launched numerous writing careers over the last 20 years. She developed a system of story for writers leading them to sell their pilots and staff on television.  Part of her system includes story structure, adding fiction to your truth, writing memorable characters and creating a strong internal story. In this class, Jen will dive deeply into story structure.MASTERING THE SET UP OF YOUR PILOT THROUGH STRUCTURE

Learn Jen’s Story System – Jen believes that every strong story starts with a trigger incident that leads the character into a powerful dilemma. The choice made in the dilemma defines the external goal in the A story. Then, every obstacle, escalating obstacle and “all is lost” moment needs to connect back to the goal. It is when the goal/want/desire isn’t clear that the story doesn’t work.

Link your series trigger and dilemma to your pilot trigger, dilemma, and pursuit. This is KEY to the success of your pilot.

Learn to create empathy and a rooting factor for your character from the start through linking the personal dilemma to the pursuit.

Understand how using the trigger, dilemma, and pursuit in all your storylines will change the way that you write.

Learn the value of linking every preceding scene in each story arc.

Create a powerful dilemma that will lead to a question. Answer the pilot arc question with your resolution. Build on the season arc question with your opening and the end of your pilot.

Practice how to write your act breaks in a way that will bring your audience back.

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of the books, Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story and TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells and her new book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life: A Path To Your Success.Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into theindustry. Drawing on her experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers toshape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching the consulting firm, Grisanti has worked with over 1000 writers specializing intelevision, features and novels. Due to her expertise and mentorship, ninety-five of her writers have staffed on television shows and forty-six have sold pilots, five that that went to series

IMPORTANT!

For security purposes, you MUST REGISTER before 10:00 pm on Thursday, January 18, 2018 – for guaranteed entrance onto CBS’ lot.

Writers with a basic understanding of copyright, privacy and trade secret law have a great advantage protecting their scripts and literary property, and, getting paid for their writing. Copyright and entertainment attorney Greg Victoroff, Esq. will present a two-hour interactive multi-media lecture explaining and answering questions on the basics of copyright protection, Copyright Office and WGA registration, Writer’s Guild membership and benefits, plagiarism, libel, protecting ideas and literary property in the television and motion picture industries.

Greg Victoroff is a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Greg Victoroff & Associates. Since 1979 Greg has been negotiating television, book publishing, motion picture, recording, fine arts contracts, and handling trials and appeals in state and federal courts on behalf of writers, artists and musicians in Los Angeles.

Mr. Victoroff is co-author of “The Writer’s Business and Legal Guide” published by the Beverly Hills Bar Association, is a contributor to numerous treatises and articles on copyright and entertainment law, and is a frequent lecturer to law, art, and film schools across the country.

Representing authors of both fiction and non-fiction scripts and books, Mr. Victoroff has consulted on award-winning documentary films including “Ain’t in it for My Health,”  about the life of Levon Helm, drummer and vocalist for The Band; “Ishi: The Last Yahi,”  “Bombing LA,” about Los Angeles graffiti, “Kamikaze Hearts,”  about the San Francisco and Los Angeles adult movie business, and “Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist.” In 2002, Mr. Victoroff’s firm succeeded in having California’s “Son of Sam” law held unconstitutional in a case before the California Supreme court involving the making of a docudrama about the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr.

IMPORTANT!

For security purposes, you MUST REGISTER before 10:00 pm on Thursday, October 19, 2017 – for guaranteed entrance onto CBS’ lot.*

The entertainment industry is filled with writers, but with so many vying for limited opportunities, how do you stand out from the crowd?  Because there are very few new stories (only fresh takes on proven formulas), a writer’s unique voice and style are paramount when creating content.  Those two elements combined with preferred genres and mediums form your brand, and knowing that will be instrumental in selling yourself in Hollywood! 

Tiegen Kosiak is the co-founder / principal producer of The Young Hollywood Mafia, an emerging online production entity focused on up-and-coming short form content creators. Previously, she was the Director of Development for Cinestar Pictures (Zoe Saldana’s production company) where she developed TV, feature, digital, scripted & unscripted content. Tiegen began her entertainment career working in literary management at Untitled Entertainment. She is a member of Film Independent and HRTS-Associates as well as a speaker / instructor for Scriptwriters Network, NALIP, Roadmap Writers, Stage 32 & other organizations.

IMPORTANT:

For security purposes, please REGISTER before 10:00 pm on Thursday, September 21, 2017.

If you can talk, you can write. If you can write, you can create a web series. If you can create a web series, you can jump start a career! With the explosion of web-based content, writers are empowered to take more control of their careers and be more entrepreneurial. A web series is the only platform where you, the writer, control the project from concept to completion and beyond — distributing it direct to the viewer — or more importantly using it as a strong piece of your portfolio.

Like spec pilots writers are getting hired for staff based on their web series alone. Writing a web series, fiction or non-fiction, comes with its own set of creative challenges – advantages and demands, including limited budgets and a variety of viewing devices that have to be factored in. In this presentation you will get an overview of how to create your own web series, each episode no longer than five minutes. Through exploration and experimentation, you organically conceive your unique concept – the key word being unique — then learn the steps to go through to complete your project. Going from a germ of an idea to a gem of a project.

We will cover how to:

Create and produce a web series — of any length.

Know the steps needed to go from germ of an idea to gem of a video that can be expanded to multiple “webisodes”and even possibly a traditional series.

Know where to get all the resources and help needed to create, shoot, and market a web series!

Bill Taub is a native New Yorker who lives and works in Los Angeles. He is a veteran traditional and new media TV and pilot writer and Producer with a long list of produced credits which, thanks to IMDB, he can’t deny. He’s written pilots for NBC, Columbia, Warner Brothers, Paramount, syndication and co-wrote the pilot for the big budget prime time Dark Shadows short-lived series. His spec pilot, Raffle Guy, won first place in the Scriptapalooza competition. He was recently honored by the Writers Guild of America for his work on Barney Miller and Hill Street Blues. He teaches TV Pilot Writing and Writing for New Media through UCLA’s Extension Writer’s Program. He and his wife reside in Los Angeles, where he also helps her with her Arbonne referral marketing business. When not writing and consulting and teaching, he is an active member of the WGA West Education Committee. He’s recently gotten into pickle ball but doesn’t know why and is now learning to play bridge which is daunting and slightly less boring than dressage — but only slightly. 

IMPORTANT:

This event is with a Writer and Co-Executive Producer who will discuss a variety of topics, including: writing strong characters, developing a compelling premise and/or story, how to approach an executive, how to pitch your project, among other topics.

Ayanna Floyd Davis, a native of Toledo, Ohio, is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and Columbia College Chicago, where she earned a MFA degree in Film Production/Screenwriting. She has been a member of the Writer’s Guild of America for seventeen years, and has been a writing fellow in both the Bill Cosby Writing Program and the Walt Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship.

Her extensive television credits include: GIDEON’S CROSSING, FAMILY LAW, PRIVATE PRACTICE, FALLING SKIES, NBC’s critically acclaimed psychological thriller, HANNIBAL, and Fox’s mega hit, EMPIRE, to name a few. On the development side, she’s written TV projects for NBC, Fox, TNT and Freeform.

Currently, she’s developing COTTON CLUB, a limited series on Fox based on the 1920’s nightclub in Harlem. Executive producing alongside Ayanna is Oscar-winning producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, Tony award-winning director Kenny Leon and legendary music producer, LA Reid.

IMPORTANT!