Stage 32 Screenwriting Lab: Write Your Female-Driven Feature Film Script In 8 Weeks
Other education that may be of interest to you:
How To Write A Query Letter That Gets You Past The Gatekeepers
Learn how to write a query letter that makes people take notice of you and your script so that you can make connections, get repped, and launch your career! Your script is ready. You have a killer logline and an impressive bio. So, why isn’t anyone responding to your query letter? The truth is managers and agents are inundated with daily emails from hopeful writers looking to get their scripts into the right hands. These are “cold queries,” where writers reach out to industry professionals or "gatekeepers," hoping the executive will want to read their script or even meet. Most of the time, these queries are dismissed or ignored, and sometimes can harm your ability to build a relationship with an executive. However, a select few will cut through the clutter and gain attention. So how do you break through? In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you’ll learn what managers are looking for from your query letter, how to find the people to contact, and how to ultimately grab their attention so you can move your career forward. Showing you exactly what representatives want to see in your query letter is Audrey Knox of The Cartel, a full-service management and production company. Audrey has built a successful roster of screenwriting clients who have written for shows including SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, GINNY & GEORGIA, P-VALLEY, and THE GOLDBERGS, and are writing projects for Netflix, Nickelodeon, Apple TV+, and more. She recently found her client, Heidi Lux, through Stage 32 and produced Heidi’s feature film CRUSHED, which premiered on Tubi this year. Audrey will also show you examples of successful query letters and will provide you with the best format and formula in a handout to keep and use in your future query letters. Don’t miss out on your chance to learn exactly what literary managers are looking for from one of the best in the business! Praise for Audrey's Teaching: "I can't say enough good things about Audrey. She cares about helping her students and provides very valuable information. I wish she was MY manager!" --Sam R. "I didn't realize how much should go into reaching out to reps until I took this class from Audrey. I was doing it all wrong!" -- Morgan B. "Audrey is one of the best teachers on Stage 32. I can't recommend learning from her enough." -- Sydney M.
TV Writing 101
Learn The Fundamentals Of Writing For Television With A Literary Manager Who Recently Staffed Clients On SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, GINNY & GEORGIA, P-VALLEY, GROWN-ISH, HACKS, UPSHAWS, and more! Last year, a record number of 559 original scripted shows aired on broadcast, cable, and streaming television. From Succession and The Morning Show to Ted Lasso and Abbott Elementary, the most successful TV shows can capture a generation of fans and generate cultural conversations. And every show started with a great pilot script that launched the series. Television pilot structure can be complex but there are several principles that should always be followed. Writers who dream of that coveted “Created By” credit must first develop a sellable concept and compelling characters, then tell a self-contained story in either thirty or sixty minutes that sets up a larger story with an engine strong enough to carry it for multiple seasons. In this exclusive 4-part Stage 32 on-demand class, Audrey Knox, a literary manager at The Cartel, will teach you all of the basic steps required to write a strong TV pilot script so that you can flourish as a TV writer. Audrey has recently staffed her writers on series such as SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, GINNY & GEORGIA, P-VALLEY, GROWN-ISH, HACKS, UPSHAWS, and more. Whether your goal is to write a pilot script that sells or to write a sample that gets you staffed in the writers’ room of a TV show, the first step is to learn the basics of writing a TV pilot. Many showrunners only give your script five pages before deciding whether you’re worth hiring, and thousands of writers attempt to get their foot in the door in Hollywood every year. Knowing the challenges new television writers face when starting out in TV is essential for building a writing process and knowledge base that helps you overcome them. This class is ideal for feature or novel writers that are looking to write their first TV pilot, TV writers who are looking to take their pilot writing skills to the next level, and new writers who are looking for how to start writing for TV. Praise for Audrey's Teaching: "I can't say enough good things about Audrey. She cares about helping her students and provides very valuable information. I wish she was MY manager!" --Sam R. "I didn't realize how much should go into reaching out to reps until I took this class from Audrey. I was doing it all wrong!" -- Morgan B. "Audrey is one of the best teachers on Stage 32. I can't recommend learning from her enough." -- Sydney M.
Stage 32 Screenwriting Class: How to Better Approach and Sign With a Literary Manager to Advance Your Screenwriting Career - With a Query and Writing Sample Workshop
Learn how to approach managers the right way to get the representation you need to further your career from a literary manager at The Cartel, with clients on IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, THE UPSHAWS, LUCIFER, and more! All writers think they have the next great screenplay or series. And maybe you do! But to get the proper feedback, get the script into market shape, and have a confidant on the business side of your pursuits to get your work out there, having a great manager who's plugged in can make all the difference. It’s your manager who often is the key to getting in front of execs, getting staffed on a TV show, and building your career to writing full-time. But as most writers can attest, finding a manager can be HARD. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though. It’s more in your power than you may think. Most managers will tell you that most newer writers make the same mistakes when looking for a manager that can prevent them from ultimately finding representation. The good news is that these mistakes are easily avoidable and can be replaced with effective strategies and actions that can greatly help your chances. It’s time to hear from a successful literary manager herself on how she finds clients and what you can do to find the representation you need for your own career. Audrey Knox is a TV literary manager at The Cartel, a premiere management company with clients on shows including the Emmy-nominated IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, Golden Globe winning CALIFORNICATION, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, BONES, LUCIFER, HAPPY!, BLACK LIGHTNING, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, and more. For years, Audrey has been helping clients get their work in front of execs and networks and most recently staffed one of her clients on THE UPSHAWS for Netflix. As an established and successful literary manager, Audrey has seen more than her fair share of queries and writing samples and has met her fair share of hungry writers. She knows very well what mistakes most writers make and how the writers she ends up working with find success. And now she’s going to lay it all out for the Stage 32 community. In a special and exclusive 2-part on-demand class, Audrey will give you the tools you need and the strategies you’ve been lacking to put your best foot forward and better your chances of getting a great literary manager for your own screenwriting or TV writing career. In the first session, Audrey will walk you through how to approach managers the right way and explain the proper approach to query letters, writing samples, bios, and loglines. She even dissects brave volunteers’ own query letters and writing samples. After laying out this approach, Audrey will leave you to put these skills to use and actually reach out to managers on your own! The second session will discuss how the new approach worked and then dive into next steps you can take as a writer once you have an interested manager, including signing, how to be a good client that your manager will want to keep on board, and the other members of your team you may or may not need, like agents and lawyers. If you’ve been struggling to find representation, there are likely things you can be doing differently to better your chances. here’s no one better than Audrey to help you adjust your approach and ultimately get the representation you’re looking for. Praise for Audrey's Teaching: "I can't say enough good things about Audrey. She cares about helping her students and provides very valuable information. I wish she was MY manager!" --Sam R. "I didn't realize how much should go into reaching out to reps until I took this class from Audrey. I was doing it all wrong!" -- Morgan B. "Audrey is one of the best teachers on Stage 32. I can't recommend learning from her enough." -- Sydney M.
Script Clearance 101
Learn from an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer who's worked with HBO, NBCUniversal and Lionsgate how to protect your film or television project's future. PLUS! Receive Handouts Including A Production Rights Cheat Sheet and Sample Location Agreement In today’s marketing world, your project’s title and content is its brand. You’ll use your film or television project’s title for social media handles and the website URL. It’s one of the most vital tools for getting the word out about your project. It can also be something that grows much bigger. For example, HARRY POTTER started as a book series, but the franchise includes movies, spin-offs, toys, clothing, theme parks, and so much more. When determining the title for your project, you need to think of the bigger picture and how best to protect you title, and brand, to ensure it doesn’t conflict with other brands so that you can capitalize on your project from all angles. In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you’ll learn everything you need to know about title clearances and how to protect your project’s title and brand. You’ll also cover script clearances to ensure that you’re safe to include the people, places, real events, and existing material and brands you want to use without fear of reshooting your project from legal issues. Without the necessary title and script clearances, your project could receive legal notices to halt marketing because of a conflict with another project. You might have to reshoot valuable footage if the script isn’t cleared. But you can avoid these stressful legal and financial setbacks by doing the work correctly now. Walking you through these legal processes step by step is Kennington Groff, an attorney who launched her own firm, Lilenfield PC, to focus on entertainment and intellectual property. Kennington has extensive experience with clearances and has worked with top entertainment executives at HBO, NBCUniversal, and Lionsgate. Kennington will show you how to protect your title and the differences with the process in the US versus internationally. You’ll cover error and omission insurance (E&O), the differences between copyright and trademark protection, finding out if your title isn’t available, and more. Save yourself the time and frustration later by joining Kennington for this invaluable webinar, and protect your project’s future.
Stage 32 Free Workshop: Learn from a Pro How to Pitch Your Project on Zoom - with Pete Goldfinger (SAW Series - SPIRAL, JIGSAW)
Learn how to pitch remotely from the writer of JIGSAW and SPIRAL (Number one movie at the box office this year) Includes a live pitch demonstration and an exclusive pitch workshop with 5 volunteers! As Zoom pitches continue to be our “new norm,” it’s important to know how to deliver the most effective virtual pitches, because let’s face it, it’s not the same as pitching in person. The energy is different, and you need to make sure you keep the energy high and engaging. How do you keep producers interested through a computer screen? Now, more than ever, you have to be quick, clear, and concise. Structure is key, but so is knowing how to handle small talk. Pitching is as much about selling your project as it is about selling yourself. Armed with the right tools, conversation, and materials, your chances are as good as anyone else’s. Pete Goldfinger is an incredibly successful feature and television writer in Hollywood, perhaps best known for penning the two newest features in the SAW horror universe, including JIGSAW, which grossed over $100 million, and SPIRAL, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock, which debuted at number one at the box office this year. He’s going to teach you how to quickly hook producers and showrunners with the most valuable and authentic pitch. Pete will share his years of experience handling everything from small talk to delivering strong loglines with pitch decks so that you’ll have all the tools to feel confident in your next virtual pitch. To demonstrate a live Zoom pitch and being quick on your feet with your pitches, Pete will deliver one of his own pitches, and then give you the opportunity to practice your own one-minute pitches and provide you with feedback. This is an amazing opportunity to fine tune and get advice on nailing your pitch from someone who knows just how to do that.
The Adaptation Journey: Adapting Existing Intellectual Property for TV and Film
Learn how the pros acquire the rights to books or other intellectual property and adapt them into your favorite films and television shows, from a writer who’s worked with Clint Eastwood, Kevin Bacon and more! IP, short for “intellectual property,” has become the buzzword in recent years. Sometimes it seems like there aren’t any originals left. So if IP is what producers want, how are you supposed to get them to read your original pilot? Maybe it’s time to adapt that short story, magazine article, or epic fantasy novel you’ve had on your mind for years. Now, where do you begin? How do you lock down IP before someone else does? What does it cost to get the rights to the source material? And once you do get the rights, how do you attack it so that it has your voice but stays true to the original? In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you’ll learn the ins and outs of landing the rights to every kind of source material, including understanding the chain of title, how to approach the author or reps of the IP, and the different rights agreements available to you. You’ll know how to break the story in a way that audiences will love while still making the story your own, and how to attract talent to create a package that sells. Taking you through the journey of adaptation is Micky Levy, a screenwriter who launched herself in the industry with the script RAILS & TIES, which was directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden. She has a long history of adapting IP, including AMISH GRACE, which earned her a Humanitas Prize nomination, NOBODY by Caryl Phillips, DANCING IN THE DARK, THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS by Yuav Blum, and STOLEN WATERS by Ada Shauluv. Micky will take you through the process of securing IP, her own process of breaking the story, and how to launch your own writing career or package the project to produce. Micky will even provide examples of decks and mood boards that help emerging writers and producers sell their projects and that you can use to create a buzz for the next hit film or series created by you. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask Micky any questions you have during the live webinar about your own adaptation, writing process, or breaking into the industry. With Micky’s incredible industry experience, you can use this webinar to get ahead of the trends and snag the next juggernaut project based on IP that you had the foresight to discover. PRAISE FOR MICKY'S TEACHINGS: "Micky Levy was really well prepared and gave tremendous advice. Not only an experienced screenwriter and a skilled communicator, but just a fine human being too." -John D. "The webinar was very informative and helpful. I appreciated the inclusion of the instructor's own pitch deck during the presentation to have as an example." -Ardith M. "GREAT info - I will have to watch the replay to get it all again! Thank you!" -Paolina M.
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