Learn the craft of writing for television and how to build and navigate a successful career as a television writer from a veteran showrunner who has worked with Disney, The CW, ABC, and more!

PLUS! You'll receive exclusive handouts including series pitch documents, outlines screenplays, and screenplays from real television series including MELROSE PLACE, HE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY, SHADOWHUNTERS, ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, and the pitch document for Fox's SOAR!

Millions of people dream of becoming a television writer in Hollywood. You want to write the next hit television show and have high hopes of seeing your stories come to life on the screen. Sharing your creative vision with the world is one of the most rewarding experiences there is.

However, becoming a Hollywood television writer is hard. Very hard. There is a craft and technique to writing a dramatic television series and working in writer's room that take time and hard work to acquire. Not to mention, navigating a career as a writer. How can you sustain your life as a writer when you don't know what you'll be working on next? How can you stay creative over years of writing and hard work? And during all of this, how can you consistently create good material that studios and networks want to buy? Stage 32 is here to help you answer all of this and more. 

In this exclusive Stage 32 4-part class, you will learn the craft and process of writing for scripted drama television and how to navigate a career as a television writer. Taught by veteran television/film writer and showrunner Todd Slavkin, you will learn the creative and practical aspects of writing and producing a television pilot, writing and producing on the staff of a television show where most of the work happens in the writers room, and navigating a long, illustrious career. Todd's experiences showrunning series for Disney, The CW, ABC, and more have provided him with an arsenal of showrunning tools that he will share with you to prepare you for your own career as a showrunner. Todd has worked in all different kinds of genres and has been involved with many popular television shows, including SMALLVILLE, SHADOWHUNTERS and most recently THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY, for which he was nominated for two Emmys. He has written pilots for ABC, NBC, FOX, FREEFORM and The CW, where he developed and was the showrunner of MELROSE PLACE 2.0. Other television credits include NO ORDINARY FAMILY, ALPHAS, DEFIANCE, DOMINION and GUILT. He began his career in features, penning DARK REFLECTION and CONTROL, starring Ray Liotta, Willem Dafoe and Michelle Rodriguez.

Each session of this 4-part class will include industry guests, mainly successful writers with high levels of experience, all sharing their own stories and tips for success. You will have the rare opportunity to learn from a handful of industry experts how to navigate a television writing career in Hollywood so that you can make the best decisions for yourself and your career. Trust us, you don't want to miss this!

PLUS! Todd will provide you with exclusive handouts to help you with the craft and business of television writing in Hollywood. Downloads include:

• Pitch document for SOAR Fox Pilot & Series Document for MELROSE PLACE Pilot
• Outline and Teleplay for ADJUSTMENT BUREAU Pilot, Outline and Teleplay for SOAR Fox
  Pilot, Teleplay for MELROSE PLACE Pilot
• Outline and Teleplay for an episode of SHADOWHUNTERS & Story Area, Outline and
  Teleplay for an episode of THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY

You will walk away from this class with a treasure trove of knowledge about the art and craft of writing professionally for television, and the insight into how you can build a sustainable career for yourself as a successful television writer.

Praise For Todd's Teaching

"Todd's experience and expertise shine through. If you've ever wanted to be a showrunner on a TV series then learn all you can from him." -- Rahime B.

"I never realized how much fell on the showrunner before working with Todd. He's a fantastic educator!" -- Meg L.

"You brought to the zoom screen the qualities I’m sure you excel at as a showrunner – humour, vulnerability, candidness, insight, patience, wisdom, respect, humility, confidence, inclusion. Each of these words have been selected specifically!" -- Jan R.

"I just wanted to send a quick note to say THANK YOU for the wonderful showrunner class! The amount of information given in the 4 classes was incredible and you can tell by the stellar guest speakers that Todd you are truly admired for not only your work, but also for being a kind, thoughtful human :)" -- Sage P

"Todd is an absolute angel! This was the most wonderful class I’ve ever taken! If we ever does another class, I’d love to join." -- Lauren M.

"I loved Todd's class. Todd is so enthusiastic and informative, he has a true love of teaching. I would take future classes with him, no question. I really came away with an understanding of how showrunning works and the responsibilities and career paths." -- Allyson M.

• WEEK ONE - GENESIS
  • Introduction - The Life of a Writer
    • History of Todd
    • State of Mind
    • The Daily Grind
    • Read and Watch
  • Coming Up with the Idea aka The Golden Goose
    • Stimulating Creativity
    • The Spec
    • Art versus Commerce
    • The Story That Won’t Go Away
  • What Medium Fits Your Story?
    • The Pilot
    • The Screenplay
    • The Novel
    • The Graphic Novel
  • Writers Write
    • Power Through
    • Don’t Be Too Precious
    • Always Save
    • It’s Okay to Change Your Mind
    • The Right Job
    • Writer Groups
  • Receiving Notes
    • Listen Don’t Talk
    • Keep An Open Mind
    • Maintain Your North Star
  • Representation
    • Agents
    • Managers
    • Lawyers
• Q&A with Todd

Assignment: Read Pitch document for SOAR Fox Pilot & Series Document for MELROSE PLACE Pilot.

• WEEK TWO - THE PILOT
  • The Pilot Business
    • It’s A Sample
    • Ratio of Sold to Screen
    • Broadcast or Streamer
    • I.P.
    • Straight to Series
  • The Idea
    • Passion
    • Accessibility
    • Is it a Television Series?
    • Character Character and more Character
  • The Characters
    • Relatability
    • Specificity
    • Arcs
    • Actor Comps
  • The Series
    • Tone
    • Comps of Other Shows
    • Season One Arc
    • Beyond Season One
  • The Pilot Story
    • The Origin Story
    • The Teaser
    • The Push-Off
  • The Script
    • Language equals Tone
    • Distinct Voices
    • Scenes With Turns
    • Economy of Words
  • The Pitch
    • A Performance
    • Passion
    • When to Shut Up
  • Bringing It To Market
    • When To Present To Your Reps
    • Pitch or Spec?
    • Lookbook
    • Packaging
  • Congratulations, You Sold It!
    • The Deal
    • The Story Area
    • The Outline
    • The Script
    • The Wait
  • Producing The Pilot
    • Working With a Showrunner
    • Collaborating with Director
    • Being On Set
• Q&A with Todd

Assignment: Read the Outline and Teleplay for ADJUSTMENT BUREAU Pilot, Outline and Teleplay for SOAR Fox
Pilot, Teleplay for MELROSE PLACE Pilot

• WEEK THREE - WRITING ON A STAFF
  • From a Conversation to a Script Where is it?
  • When does it occur?
  • How many writers?
  • What’s the process?
  • Why is it necessary?
  • The Sample
  • Support Staff
  • The P.A.
  • Showrunner’s Assistant
  • Writer’s Assistant
  • Script Coordinator
  • Representation
  • Research
  • Positive Commentary
  • No Criticism
  • A Few General Ideas
  • Passion and Desire
• The Writer’s Room
• How do you get a seat at the table?
• The Interview
• The Room Where It Happens
  • Getting Acclimated
    • Personalities
    • Pacing
    • Kindness
    • Fitting In
  • The First Week
    • Anything Goes (Lionel Has Wings)
    • Creating the Season
    • Three Acts
    • Character Arcs
    • The Calendar and Writing Order
  • Breaking an Episode
    • The Board
    • The Story Area
    • The Outline
    • The Script
  • Taking Advantage of Downtime
    • Upper Level Mentors
    • Bonding with Support Staff
  • Producing Your Episode
    • Prep meetings
    • On Set
    • Giving Notes to Director
    • Giving Notes on Cuts
  • Watch and Enjoy
    • Live Tweeting
    • Gratitude
    • Thank You Next
• Q&A with Todd

Assignment: Read the Outline and Teleplay for an episode of SHADOWHUNTERS & Story Area, Outline and
Teleplay for an episode of THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY

• WEEK 4 - NAVIGATING A CAREER
• Diversify to Stay Fresh
  • Experiment
  • Different Genres
  • Different Mediums
  • Creating Your Own I.P.
• Screenwriting
  • A certain kind of story 
  • Writers as Architects
  • Art versus Commerce
• Working With Your Reps
  • They work for you 
  • Kindness and Patience
  • Firm When You Have To Be
  • Making A Change
• Keys to A Long Career
  • Low cost of living
  • Create constantly
  • Read and watch
  • Have fun
• Q&A with Todd

WHAT TO EXPECT:

PLEASE NOTE: The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with an executive and an expert in the field is an incredibly unique and valuable opportunity. 

• This class is designed for beginner and intermediate students looking to learn the fundamentals of writing dramatic television and building a career as a Hollywood screenwriter. This is an in-depth, practical, and detailed class with significantly more content than a standard 90-minute webinar.
• This class will consist of four sessions, each roughly two hours in duration.
• This class consists of four sessions, each roughly two hours in duration.
• PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 class is now available to watch on-demand but we highly encourage you to do any assignments to get the most out of the educational experience.

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to create and advance their career as a television writer.

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to understand the business of television shows and writing for television.

All levels of television showrunners (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn the craft and business showrunning a television show.

Producers who want to better understand the craft and career of television writers and showrunners.

Actors who want to take control of their careers by learning the fundamentals of writing for television and showrunning a television series.