Greetings Party People,
Happy holidays/solstice and so on and so forth. It's been a while, and I meant to drop in before this, but you know...life, writing and such...
Bottom line up front: Has anyone had success applying to big studio TV writing programs? I entered one, that I found out about a week before the deadline, and plan on entering one more in February '25. It was an interesting experience trying to craft two drama pilots in under a week's time when I had only penned features at that point. I ended up cannibalizing one of my features (sorry "Off-World Man"!) after finishing the first pilot script. Format-wise it was not too difficult to adapt to the different act structure (Um, "teaser", "tag", and four-five acts vice three?!). I numbered scenes. One thing I did NOT know is that the term "spec" in TV Land is different from the feature screenplay realm. This program required two non-spec (i.e., original, not unsolicited) scripts. Also my feature stuff has thus far all been meant to be standalone so I had to think more about a larger world/story...without actually writing much of it (foreshadowing baby!)...
Thinking on all of my interactions on this site I don't actually remember seeing any posts about the aforementioned writing programs. Fellowships, yes. Adapting features to series/pilots, yes. I mean I get it, but TV is where the money is right? I mean I really like writing feature scripts, but...
So to my fellow Noobs: craft your features and Shorts, but don't get myopic and forget shun the TV Pater Familias!
Cheers,
~Mike
2 people like this
Happy Holidays, Mike Childress! Welcome back. That's great advice! I'm mainly a short script and feature script writer, but I'm outlining a TV series. Congratulations on getting into the TV writing program! I hope you get into the writing program in Feb!
2 people like this
Maurice Vaughan Thanks, finalists for the first program are announced in Feb. Part of the appeal for me is that if you are selected you get trained in the art of TV writing, and potentially get staffed as a writer on a series. Where these programs and regular competitions are similar is in the fact that the former are usually open to writers with zero to one years of experience so you are likely competing against some writers with legitimate experience on an actual series. What I have noticed after extensive data mining re: competition results is a lot of finalists/winners have not only been writing for multiple years or DECADES, but their placing/winning scripts are the result of years of judge/jury feedback and rewrites.
2 people like this
You're welcome, Mike Childress. That sounds great! I have some experience writing TV. I came up with scripted TV series and wrote pilots (four series and three pilots). I might enter a TV writing program and competitions next year.
2 people like this
The studio programs are the holy grail of fellowships, so very few people are accepted. I applied this year to a couple. I've never made it to a 2nd round in the TV fellowships, but I have been a participant in/graduated from 2 industry fellowships. I know people who owe their career to these fellowships, and I know people who didn't go anywhere afterwards as well.
On that latter note: I would caution against applying again on a whim. A lot of the program directors talk to each other and they will remember a bad submission. Not to say yours was bad, but besides being a self-described "noob", I can tell from your post that you're a little green. Hey we all start somewhere! Rushing to get material ready for a submission/ putting stuff out there with your name on it when it's not ready is one of the worst things you can do.
I recommend making a list of programs for which you'd like to apply. Those who still ask for specs want it to be from a current airing program. Nickelodeon puts out a qualifying show list every year. If there's any particular program you're considering, feel free to reach out. I might have some insight.
1 person likes this
Maurice Vaughan Nice! I feel like you have given the USCO a lot of $$$$ haha.
Joshua Keller Katz Yeah, I have only been in the game for a little over nine months at this juncture, but I have been a writer in other realms for eons. I cranked out the pilot samples for the program submission quickly, yes, but they both aptly demonstrate my ability to craft/structure an original story. I rushed my first three feature scripts for contest entries, but that was before I read actual scripts, and a screenwriting book (cover-to-cover). The difference between that point and seven months later is by the time I entered the program in question I understood the screenplay format much better than when I first opened Final Draft. Ideation will never be an issue for me so the only enemies to progress (besides a xenophobic industry) are time and learning to write stuff for others, not just for myself. So my strategy re: screenwriting is the same it is for other facets of life, i.e. something akin to saturation bombing -- drop enough bombs you will hit something eventually. I harbor no delusional pretenses that any particular step in my screenwriting efforts will launch me into screenplay superstardom (including my planned Nicholl entry for April). So for me, in perpetuity, it's "Retreat? Hell, [I] just got here!"
3 people like this
Haha I have, Mike Childress. It's worth it though.
5 people like this
Several years ago, I got into the WB Drama Writing Program and was part of the Humanitas New Voices Program. All writing programs are worth entering, Mike Childress. I learned a hellova lot in the programs and met some great writers that are to this day my ride-or-die in the Industry.
4 people like this
Maurice Vaughan It's funny, now that the USCO offers the ten unpublished works for one application fee it motivates me to write more, more quickly!
Francisco Castro That's very cool. It would be great if there were more writing programs for rookies with zero staff writing experience, but it is what it is.