Netflix and Stage 32 have partnered on an exclusive global education series in an effort to democratize the worldwide entertainment industry. Together, over the course of 5 webcasts Stage 32's world class educators will bring their knowledge of what it takes to write, develop and produce today's television for the Stage 32 and Netflix creator community. These global webcasts have been seen by hundreds of thousands of creatives worldwide with a 100% satisfaction rate!

In our fifth webinar in this exclusive "Creating Television Content for a Global Marketplace" series, we are going to give you the ins and outs on how you can effectively write drama scripts for streaming television.

We are in the Great Content Gold Rush of drama television

Over 550 original shows aired in 2021 alone and that number is expected to almost double in 2022. Streamers such as Netflix have committed to spending $19 billion in original content this year.  The rush for dramatic television shows is on. Are you ready for it? 

With the success of shows such as Lupin, Squid Game and Bridgerton there is no doubt that streamers are on the hunt for dramatic global stories. These shows drop us into worlds that are new, foreign and exciting for viewers around the globe to watch, yet they all have universal themes we can relate to. The secret to this success is a solid understanding of how to write effective dramatic television...and be able to sustain it for seasons to come. 

Stage 32 and Netflix are going to teach you how. 

To help you understand the nuances of drama television is Stage 32 Educator Leila Cohan who is an Emmy-nominated television and feature writer, currently serving as Co-Executive Producer on Netflix’s THE PERFECT COUPLE. Previously, she’s written for SPECIAL (WB/Netflix), BRIDGERTON (Shondaland/Netflix), THE FIRST WIVES CLUB (Paramount/BET Plus), SANTA CLARITA DIET (Netflix), TELENOVELA (NBC), and AWKWARD (MTV). She’s developed pilots for Paramount, Hello Sunshine, The CW, YouTube Red, and the last days of ABC Family, as well as features for Lionsgate and Picture Start.

In an exciting FREE webcast Leila will go into more detail on choosing a drama series concept, core elements of your drama pilot, planning your drama series for season one and beyond, plus she'll go over an exercise to turn an idea into a pilot and a series so you can get the practice of what it's like breaking drama television. You do not want to miss this! 

To see the full webinar overview, see below. Some of the case studies Leila is going to go over in the webinar are:

• BREAKING BAD
• LUPIN
• SCANDAL
• KILLING EVE
• YELLOWJACKETS
• MAD MEN
• ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
• BRIDGERTON
• THE WIRE

Note: You will receive the Zoom link to login by the morning of the webinar.

If you are not yet a member of the Stage 32 community, we encourage you to join the community today at www.stage32.com, it is FREE! You will instantly connect with over 800,000 creatives and professionals in the entertainment industry from all over the world who use Stage 32 to network, find work, learn and develop their projects. YOU MUST HAVE A STAGE 32 PROFILE TO WATCH YOUR VIDEO.

SECTION 1: THE PILOT

What Should You Write? 

• The Four Main Types of Drama Series
  • Realistic (Friday Night Lights)
  • Mystery (Big Little Lies)
  • Procedural (Law & Order)
  • Supernatural/Superhero (Stranger Things)
• Subtypes
  • Family drama (Parenthood)
  • Period drama (Bridgerton)
  • Apocalyptic drama (Squid Game)
• How to get Inspiration
  • Other work
  • Your life
  • The importance of living your life
• Limited v. Ongoing Series
  • How to know what serves your idea the best
  • Fosse/Verdon v. Smash

About Your Pilot

• Drama Pilots: the Basics
  • Formatting
  • Length
  • Substance
• What Does You Pilot Need to DO?
  • Set up characters
  • Set up world
  • Introduce series engines
  • Where in this story are you picking up? Why are you starting the series NOW?
  • Network v. streaming structure
  • Examples: Scandal, Lupin, Breaking Bad
•  Characters
  • What makes a great character? (Examples: Killing Eve, Yellowjackets)
  • What makes a great ensemble? (Examples: Mad Men, Orange Is The New Black)
  • How to create three-dimensional characters
• World
  • What makes an exciting world? (Examples: Bridgerton, The Wire)
  • How much detail do you need?
• Plotting
  • Pacing your episode
  • Pacing your season
  • What makes a compelling drama series?

SECTION 2: YOUR SERIES

Developing Your Pilot into a Series

• What does your pilot set up?
• What is owed?
• Eating your big clams first – don’t hold out on stuff for too long

Season Arcs

• What are you saying in this season
• How does it affect each character?
• How to tie character arcs together to make a cohesive whole

Series Arcs

• How to envision future seasons before you’ve written season one
• What’s your endgame?

Introducing new characters, stakes, and storylines

• How to keep the audience invested
• How to keep true to what the core of your show is, even as circumstances change

SECTION 3: INTERACTIVE

In this section, we will work together to turn an idea into a pilot and series. Leila will provide a world and a few characters. From that, together we’ll work to fill out the ensemble, come up with a story for the pilot, and arc out the season.

Q&A with Leila

Want to see the other webcasts in this exclusive Stage 32 + Netflix Creating Television Content for a Global Marketplace series?

Click here: TV Pitch Documents with Chris Mack

Click here: TV Pitch Documents with Chris Mack - Closed Caption

Click here: TV Story Structure with Anna Henry

Click here: Writing Scripts to Budget with Jeanette B. Milio

Click here: Writing Hit Sci-Fi Scripts for Streaming Television with Mickey Fisher

Click here: Writing Hit Comedy Scripts for Streaming Television with Vijal Pital

Click here: Writing Hit Drama for Streaming Television with Leila Cohan

All levels of directors (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn learn the nuances of drama television

All levels of writers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn the nuances of drama television

Producers looking to learn the nuances of drama television

Actors looking to learn the nuances of drama television