Private, interactive class on Zoom with Top Development Executive Anna Henry, who's set up projects at AMC, HBO, Starz, and Amazon Prime

Get One-on-One Consultations to Perfect Your Historical Pilot Script

Only 10 spots available 

Payment plans available at checkout or email edu@stage32.com for more info!

Historical storytelling is having a moment. Death by Lightning launched as Netflix's #1 show globally and landed in the platform's top 10 most-binged titles in the U.S., while The Gilded Age continues to be one of HBO's flagship series, pulling in 5 million U.S. viewers for its season 3 finale. Audiences are hungry for period pieces that bring the past to life with the momentum of a modern thriller, and that means the market is wide open for a fresh historical pilot with your voice behind it. If you've got a story rooted in another era, there's real opportunity waiting for you right now.

But writing historical fiction for television comes with its own set of creative puzzles. How do you find the story engine that makes centuries-old events feel urgent to a 2026 audience? How much do you lean on your source material before it starts to weigh down your narrative? Where's the line between altering a historical figure for dramatic purposes and losing the authenticity that made their story worth telling in the first place? And how do you handle exposition-heavy world-building without it reading like a history lecture instead of a scene? These are the exact questions that stop talented writers from finishing a pilot that's ready for the marketplace — and they're exactly what you'll work through in this lab.

You'll be working directly with Anna Henry, a producer and development executive who has set up projects at AMC, Amazon Prime, Starz, HBO, Sony, Fox, EOne, ITV America, and OddLot Entertainment. Anna's résumé also includes stints at CBS, ABC, and Nickelodeon, plus management experience at Andrea Simon Entertainment, where she worked hands-on with writers to shape their material for the marketplace. She currently teaches as part of the Netflix & Stage 32 Creating Content for a Global Marketplace Program — meaning you'll be learning from someone who is actively developing and selling this kind of content, not just teaching theory.

Over eight weeks, you'll dig into everything from finding your story's engine and choosing the right approach to your historical subject, to world-building, avoiding anachronisms, and writing authentic period dialogue with real subtext. You'll also get one-on-one consultations with Anna to make sure your pilot is landing the way you intend. By the end of this lab, you'll walk away with a completed, industry-vetted historical pilot script — one you can add to your portfolio and start sending out into a marketplace that's clearly ready for it.

This interactive Stage 32 lab is held on Zoom and goes substantially more in depth than a Stage 32 webinar. Best of all? As soon as you sign up you will be linked on email with your Stage 32 Educator and given a questionnaire to fill out and send back to them. You will have access to your Educator for the duration of your class by email to ask them any questions you have about your craft or career - it’s like having a mentor on demand! And, if you can't make a live session, don't worry! All class recordings will be available 48 hours after each session and you will be able to view them in your Library on your Stage 32 profile. Finally, you can expand your network with like-minded creatives - you'll have a dedicated lounge for interactive support and discussions with your fellow classmates!

Praise for Anna's Education:

"Anna's webinar was fantastic. I am writing my first one hour drama pilot so this webinar was packed with the exact information that I will be immediately putting to use in my rewrite. The slides were clear, concise and informative. The speaker was excellent at conveying the information I needed." -Bobby C.

"It was really great information. Anna was a terrific host, very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information and tips." -Marla H.

PRE-CLASS PREP – Select the show idea for which you will write your pilot and review your research.

WEEK 1 – Introduction, Elements of a TV Series, Approaches to Historical Subjects, Managing Research and Budget

Topics: types and formats of television series, finding the story engine for your show, how setting, tone, themes and point-of-view affect your story, various approaches to historical / period subjects, setting philosophical guidelines, scope and levels of research, uses of source materials, generating contemporary appeal, and managing budget requirements.

Q&A with Anna

The assignments for this week will be:

• Review your research for key elements you will utilize in your pilot story.
• Write a description of the concept of the pilot you intend to write.
• Find a template for your pilot.

WEEK 2 – Pilot Structure and Story Mapping

Topics: essential pilot format and structure, differences between pilots for episodic vs. serialized shows, A / B / C stories, pacing, building stakes, “and so” vs. “and then” construction, creating mystery/suspense/anticipation, act breaks, devices (flashbacks, narration, dream sequences, etc.), breaking up episodes/seasons, using true events and historical context. Guidance on the process of outlining.

Q&A with Anna

• The assignment for this week will be to continue working on your series elements and begin writing a beat outline for your pilot.

WEEK 3 – NO CLASS - Consultations: Series Elements (virtual one-on-one sessions)

This week will consist of one-on-one consultations on your series elements written so far. Each writer will send in their written materials 48 hours in advance and will have a phone consultation for feedback.

WEEK 4 - Authenticity vs. Accuracy, Altering / Creating Characters and Story, World Building

Topics: striving for authenticity over accuracy, choosing historical and fictional characters, adding, altering and conflating characters, realism and relatability of characters, relationships between the characters and the world, multiple perspectives and complex relationships, revealing the interior truth of characters, and techniques of world-building.

Q&A with Anna

The assignments for this week will be:

• Write a detailed description (around half of a page) on each of your series' regular characters.
• Review how your character elements will be communicated in your pilot.

WEEK 5 – Pilot Writing Act by Act

Topics: effective teasers, establishing and introducing characters, types of character moments, challenges of writing exposition, setting up the “rules” of your world, setting tone and incorporating themes, creating an effective launch point for your pilot, focusing on conflict and stakes, increasing layers and complexity with subplots, scene order and causation, types of plot points, creating a series launch, and common pilot problems.

Q&A with Anna

• The assignment this week will be to complete the beat outline for your pilot OR write Acts One & Two of your pilot.

WEEK 6 – NO CLASS - Consultations: Pilot Outline or Pilot Acts One & Two (virtual one-on-one sessions)

This week will consist of one-on-one consultations on your outline or acts one & two. Each writer will send in their written materials 48 hours in advance and will have a phone consultation for feedback.

WEEK 7 – Writing Effective Scenes, Period Dialogue, and Conjuring a World

Topics: structure of a scene, building stakes, multi-function scenes that move the plot forward & reveal character & build the world, avoiding “dead” scenes, how to enter and leave scenes, moving from scene to scene using character motivations, writing visually, authentic & nuanced dialogue and the value of subtext, avoiding anachronisms, emotional scenes, and common scene problems.

Q&A with Anna

• The assignment this week will be to watch a list of sample scenes and to continue writing.

WEEK 8 – NO CLASS - Consultations: Finished Pilot or Revised Series Elements & Outline (virtual one-on-one sessions)

This week will consist of one-on-one consultations on your finished pilot script or your revised outline and other written materials. Each writer will send in their written materials 48 hours in advance and will have a phone consultation for feedback.

What To Expect

PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 lab is limited to 10 writers and will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis. 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. If you are interested, please book quickly. Once the spots are gone, they’re gone for good.

• This lab is designed for beginner, intermediate, or advanced writers interested in writing a historical fiction television pilot script.
• **Anna will be available on email during the 8 sessions to answer any questions you have about your craft or career.**
• By the end of this 8-week lab, you will have a completed pilot script or outline that has been vetted by an industry executive.
• This is an in-depth, practical, and detailed lab with one-on-one time with the instructor and significantly more content than a standard 90-minute webinar.
• You will be held accountable to take the lessons from each week and move your work forward.
• Plus, to stay motivated and inspired, you will have access to a private, dedicated Stage 32 Lounge where you can communicate with your fellow classmates throughout the length of the lab.

• Screenwriters of all levels who want to write a marketable historical fiction pilot with guidance from a working development executive.
• Writers with a period piece idea who need help finding the right story engine and structure to make it stand out in today's market.
• TV writers who want hands-on, one-on-one feedback to take their pilot from concept to a completed, industry-vetted script.
• Writers interested in adapting real events or figures who want to learn how to balance authenticity with dramatic license.
• Aspiring showrunners who want to build the world-building and pilot-writing skills needed to launch a historical series.

Praise for Anna's Education:

"Anna's webinar was fantastic. I am writing my first one hour drama pilot so this webinar was packed with the exact information that I will be immediately putting to use in my rewrite. The slides were clear, concise and informative. The speaker was excellent at conveying the information I needed." -Bobby C.

"It was really great information. Anna was a terrific host, very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information and tips." -Marla H.