Private, interactive lab on Zoom with Emmy-Winning TV Development Executive Colleen Labella

Get personalized one-on-one Zoom consultations plus expert feedback on your pilot script

10 spots available - ONLY 6 spots remain!

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

If you have a female-driven TV story you’ve been wanting to write, this eight-week lab is designed to help you take YOUR idea from concept to completed pilot. In this lab, you’ll learn how to build your series from the ground up—from developing your premise, characters, and world to writing your one-pager, building your beat sheet, crafting an opening that pulls us in, and drafting your pilot act by act. You’ll also learn how to develop a lookbook and pitch deck so you can package and present YOUR series professionally.

There’s also a reason to be writing these stories now. In 2026, television continues to make room for complicated, unpredictable women, with series like His & Hers, Lucky, The Testaments, and Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed exploring female ambition, power, survival, identity, and obsession in very different ways. Audiences aren’t just looking for another “strong female character”—they want women with contradictions, flaws, desires, and stories that feel specific and unexpected. This is your opportunity to develop the female-driven story only YOU can tell.

Your guide through the process is Colleen Labella, Vice President of Development and Production for Leslye Headland’s Shoot to Midnight, the production company behind the Emmy Award-winning Russian Doll. Colleen has read hundreds of scripts and worked with major players including FX, Hulu, Freeform, and Lucasfilm, produced Single Drunk Female, and served as a development executive on Star Wars: The Acolyte. You’ll learn directly from someone who knows what makes a television project stand out because she has spent her career developing and evaluating scripts.

Over eight weeks, you’ll move from your initial idea to a completed first draft, with one-on-one consultations with Colleen built into the process. You’ll study acclaimed female-driven pilots, apply what you learn directly to YOUR pages, and get guidance as you develop your story, structure, characters, and voice. You’ll walk away knowing how to build a stronger television engine, structure a compelling pilot, develop characters audiences will want to follow, and make your voice stand out—plus a completed first draft and the foundational materials to keep developing YOUR series.

This interactive Stage 32 lab is held live on Zoom and goes substantially more in depth than a Stage 32 webinar. As soon as you enroll, you’ll connect with Colleen by email and complete a questionnaire about YOUR goals and project. You’ll have access to her throughout the lab for questions about your craft and career, receive recordings of every session within 48 hours, and connect with fellow writers in a dedicated class lounge. You have the idea. Now give yourself eight weeks to turn it into the pilot only YOU can write.

PLUS! You will receive exclusive handouts of successful female-driven scripts including:

• Russian Dolls
• Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

TESTIMONIALS FROM COLLEEN'S PREVIOUS STAGE 32 EDUCATION:

"Being made aware of the shift in patterns of how women are being presented, learning about the popular themes and knowing I fit in, learning about the negative traps, seeing the five-act structure broken down gave me a clearer perspective to assess my development, learning what hooks her and different ways it can be done and what it includes (great)." -- Laurie W.

"Colleen Labella was fantastic! I cannot wait until she has pitch sessions available again!" - Maeve T. 

"Colleen was a fantastic instructor. The information she provided was practical, helpful, and encouraging." - David B.

Session One: Introductions, This Moment in Female Centric Storytelling & Getting Started 

Preparation:

• Bring in 2-3 basic ideas/loglines 
• Watch the pilot of Beef 

In Class 

• Introductions 
• Review syllabus and discuss goals 
• Group discussion of The Female Centric Pilot 
• Loglines 
• Writing exercise 
• The one pager

Assignment 

• Write a one pager for your show 
• Watch the Russian Doll pilot and be prepared to discuss in detail 
  
  

Session Two: Pilot Structure and the Beat Sheet 

In Class 

• Review the building blocks of a pilot: length, A/B/C stories, act breakdowns of comedy and drama pilots 
• Work one pagers with partners 
• Writing exercise 
• Beat sheets 
• Group exercise: Make a beat sheet for the pilot of Russian Doll 

Assignment 

• Make a beat sheet for your pilot 
• Watch the pilot of The Dropout 
  
  

Session Three: One-On-One Consultations 

(No online class) 

Individual consultations to review and work your pilot beat sheets 

Assignment 

• Write a detailed outline (6-12 pages) 
• Make a tone board 
• Be prepared to talk about ideas for your opening image 
• Watch the pilot of Yellowjackets 
  
  

Session Four: Going Deeper & the Visual World of Your Pilot 

In Class 

• Continue what makes a good pilot: world building, characters, theme Discuss the “Opening Image” 
• Group exercise: Review individual opening images 
• The teaser/cold open (watch examples and discuss) 

Assignment 

• Write act 1 of your comedy pilot or acts 1 and 2 of your drama pilot 
• Watch the pilot of I May Destroy You 
  
  

Session Five: One-On-One Consultations 

(No online class)

Individual consultations to review act 1 of comedy/acts 1 and 2 of drama 

Assignment 

• Make adjustments based on consultation 
• Continue writing 
• Watch the pilot of Fleabag 
• Choose 2-3 pages to workshop in class next week 
  
  

Session Six: Where To End Your Pilot & “The Business” 

• The tag 
• Infusing your pilot with personality 
• Lookbooks and pitch decks 
• The Business Q & A: Ask me anything! 
• Group exercise: Workshop 2-3 pages of your pilot 

Assignment 

• Finish first draft 
• Watch the pilot of Euphoria 
• Choose 4-5 pages to workshop in class next week 
  
  

Session Seven: Workshopping Your Pilot 

• Writers group style workshop (focusing on dialogue) 

Assignment 

• Rewrites 
• Watch the pilot of Inventing Anna 
  
  

Session Eight: One-On-One Consultations 

(No online class) 

Individual consultations to review completed screenplay

WHAT TO EXPECT:

PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 lab will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis. The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with 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 all level Screenwriters who have a female-driven TV pilot idea but don't know where to start

• This is an intimate, in-depth, practical, and detailed class held on Zoom where you will be interacting with your instructor.

• This class consists of 8 sessions roughly two hours in duration and offers significantly more in-depth content than a standard Stage 32 webinar.

• ***Colleen will be available on email during the entire duration of the lab to answer any questions you have about your project.***

• To stay motivated and inspired you will have access to a dedicated Stage 32 Lounge post where you can meet, connect and communicate with your fellow classmates throughout the length of the class and beyond. Let Stage 32 help you find your tribe!

• Can't make it live? Don't worry, each session will be recorded and you can watch it on demand at your convenience. 

• You will be held accountable to take the lessons from each week and move your work forward.

• Payment plans are available at checkout through Shop Pay

• Screenwriters who have a female-driven TV pilot idea but don't know where to start
• Writers who have started a pilot but are stuck on structure, voice, or story
• Playwrights and theater writers looking to transition into the world of television
• Emerging writers who want to understand what development executives are actually looking for in a script
• Writers who are ready to tell a female-centric story but want guidance on how to make it relevant and distinctive in today's market
• Any writer who wants personalized, one-on-one feedback from an industry insider with real credits at major networks and studios

TESTIMONIALS FROM COLLEEN'S PREVIOUS STAGE 32 EDUCATION:

"Being made aware of the shift in patterns of how women are being presented, learning about the popular themes and knowing I fit in, learning about the negative traps, seeing the five-act structure broken down gave me a clearer perspective to assess my development, learning what hooks her and different ways it can be done and what it includes (great)." -- Laurie W.

"Colleen Labella was fantastic! I cannot wait until she has pitch sessions available again!" - Maeve T. 

"Colleen was a fantastic instructor. The information she provided was practical, helpful, and encouraging." - David B.