Summary
It's an undeniable fact, we are living in a gold rush of comedy content featuring lead female characters. Just think about the major box office and streaming successes we've seen over the last few years. On the feature film side, you have movies such as Late Night, Girls Trip, What Men Want, Rough Night, Bad Moms, and Trainwreck to name a few. On the networks, premium cable channels, and streamers Fleabag, 2 Broke Girls, Mom, Glow, Russian Doll, Insecure, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt have drawn huge audiences and many have won major awards. Is it any wonder why development executives, managers, agents, producers and financiers are looking for writers who have the ability to write screenplays and teleplays featuring memorable and iconic female characters?
There are many inroads to breaking and staying in the industry as a writer, but one of the most important factors is understanding what's hot in the marketplace. And right now, thanks to the massive buying power of the streaming platforms along with other major feature film and television production companies looking for comedies, it's never been a better time to understand how to write female driven comedies that pop.
David Shecter has has been working in the industry in production, development, and as a writer for over a decade. David has written on many shows, including season 5 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. His experience and success on that show landed David on the pilot of the CBS show. 2 Broke Girls where he worked his way up as a staff writer on the 6th and final season of the show. David is currently developing a female driven action comedy cop show, Lady Copped, with New Form and STX Entertainment. Most recently David was named one of the WGA TV Writer access honorees for his script For Worse.
David will teach you everything he's learned about writing female driven comedies throughout his career. He will show you how to avoid the all to common cliches that seemingly find their way into every female driven script. He will show you why sex sells, but how to properly write sex and sexuality into your screenplay to make it unique. He will teach you the practice of gender flipping and role reversals. He will show you how you can bring a personal connection to your female characters no matter whether you're a male or female. He will show you how to examine your plot and your characters before you begin writing to make the process flow more smoothly. He will show you the difference between one dimensional vs multi-dimensional characters and how easy it is to fall into the former, but how important it is that you learn the latter. Finally, David will present a case study of his latest screenplay Lady Copped which is now in development with New Form and STX.
Whether you're a feature or TV writer, you will learn all the important factors in writing a female driven comedy that will get you reads and attention.
PRAISE FOR DAVID'S TEACHINGS:
"Another incredible and insightful webinar presented by Stage 32. I have received notes on my screenplays in the past that my female characters fell into cliche. As a female, that pissed me off! But now I understand why and I'm already on the path to changing things for the better. Thank you, David, and bravo, Stage 32!
-Melissa J.
"Can men write female driven comedies? I often asked myself that question. I'm not any longer. Loved this presentation.
- Kyle P.
What You'll Learn
Who the H*ll is this GUY and What is He Doing Teaching About Writing Female Characters?
- Writer for 2 BROKE GIRLS, working on IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA and developing a new female comedy show with STX and New Form.
The Difference Between Men and Women When Writing Comedy
- Expectation vs. reality
- Anything he can do she can do (better)
- We’ll go over a list of great female comedy actors and what makes them so funny
How to Identify Your Female Driven Concept and Make the Comedy POP
- Sample script vs. development script
- Working through your concept
How to Write Multidimensional Characters:
- 4 pro writer tips
Don’t be Cliché:
- What is a cliché?
- How much sex appeal is too much sex appeal?
- Pro writer tips
Case Study: David's comedy pilot LADY COPPED in Development with STX Entertainment & New Form
- What is Lady Copped?
- Why make a female driven comedy?
- What does my dream cast look like? Spoiler alert. It’s not what the network wants.
Pitching Your Female-Driven Comedy Project
- General meeting tips
- Pitch meeting tips
- What to wear
Q&A with David
Who Should Attend
All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn about writing female driven comedies throughout his career.
All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn about writing female driven comedies throughout his career.
Producers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn about writing female driven comedies throughout his career.
Producers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) who want to learn about writing female driven comedies throughout his career.
Actors who want to learn about writing female driven comedies throughout his career.
Executive
David Shecter has has been working in the television industry in production, development, and as a writer for over a decade. He has written on many shows, including season 5 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. His experience and success on that show landed David on the pilot of the CBS smash hit 2 Broke Girls, where he worked his way up as a staff writer on the 6th and final season of the show. Since 2 BROKE GIRLS, David has served on the FOX sitcom OUTMATCHED starring Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson and was named a WGA TV Writer Access Honoree for his script For Worse. David’s continued work in the sitcom TV world has lent him a keen understanding of what makes these shows successful and how to make the most of your sitcom pilot.
Credits
