A recent invited speaker at the WGA and London Screenwriting Festival, author of the best selling book Getting It Write: An Insider's Guide To A Screenwriting Career Lee Jessup is a career coach for professional and emerging screenwriters, with an exclusive focus on the screenwriter's professional development. Her clients include television writing program fellows (Humanitas, CBS, WB Television Writers Program), WGA members, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated screenwriters, writers who sold screenplays and pitches to major studios, contest winners, and many more. Lee spent 6+ years as director of ScriptShark.com. During her time with ScriptShark, Lee introduced hundreds of screenplays to entertainment industry professionals, and spearheaded a national Business of Screenwriting seminar series launched in partnership with Final Draft and sponsored by The New York Times Company. An invited speaker at screenwriting conferences and festivals both in the US and Europe, Lee is a regular contributor to Script Magazines and was the interview subject for a number of film-centric television and web programs. To learn more about Lee and her services, visit www.leejessup.com. Full Bio »
First impressions are everything. And in today's industry, where screenplays are not easily read and many writers are competing for every rep's or executive's attention, screenwriters deliver their best first impression with their loglines, one-sheets, pitches and all-important personal narrative. This is how an executive becomes interested not only in reading a particular script, but also in working with the content creator behind it on assignments, adaptations, or future works.
True story: One of my coaching clients was pitching via Happy Writers. His material was strong, but represented some subject-matter challenges right out of the gate. However, he kept getting screenplay requests. I called up one of the managers who requested to read the work, and asked for her impression. "The work has issues" she said "but the presentation was so strong, the writer's identity was so clear, I just wanted to read for voice."
Careers are rarely built on any one script these days; instead, they are build on the writer's identity and voice, and nowhere are those more powerful than in the materials you use to introduce yourself. In today's shifting industry climate where single script sales present a challenge, agents, managers, development executives and producers are seeking to get involved with content creators who will deliver again and again, complete with a strong understanding of not only how to market their work, but also how to position their personal narrative and brand, the sort that executives want to work with, and reps want to sell. Remember: Executives get in business with people, not with a piece of paper. They want to know that you understand how to present both your material and yourself. In order to take you on as a client or a creative partner, they want to know that they can send you on a general meeting or a pitch assignment in which you will thrive and impress. Those are the skills that will get you into the room again and again.
Stage 32 Next Level Webinars is excited to present Developing Your Marketable Identity: Loglines, One-Sheets, and the Critical Personal Narrative presented by Lee Jessup, career coach for professional and emerging screenwriters. Lee is the best-selling author of Getting It Write: An Insider's Guide to A Screenwriting Career, whose clients include television fellows, contest winners, produced screenwriters, and more.
Lee will discuss the various materials you should prepare for meetings, pitches and events, and provide practical examples and guidelines for each. She will also explore the often-under-prepared personal narrative, which will allow you to effectively communicate who you are as a person and a writer, and the critical life events that inspired you to explore the specific themes, wounds and worlds that will set you apart in your work.
This webinar is for screenwriters aiming to present their work to the professional space, be it via Skype or in-person pitches, general meetings or screenwriting events.
Lee Jessup
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4 part class taught by award winning screenwriting career coach and author Lee Jessup! AVAILABLE ON DEMAND! Finishing your script may be one of the hardest steps, but it's only the first! Now what? Despite its reputation, many writers are still surprised at how hard it is to not only break into the entertainment industry, but sustain a screenwriting career once inside. What you need is a proven mentor, someone who can give you the know-how to help you break into Hollywood with stunning success. Stage 32 Happy Writers is excited to bring you the previously-recorded 4 part class: Breaking Into the Industry – Creating and Maintaining a Screenwriting Career taught by Lee Jessup, award winning Screenwriting Career Coach and author of the best-selling screenwriting book, Getting it Write. Learn everything you need to know to help jump-start your screenwriting career from a seasoned veteran who has coached WGA members, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated writers, best-selling authors, and contest winners. Purchasing gives you access to the previously-recorded live class. Although Lee is no longer reviewing the assignments, we still encourage all listeners to participate!
As you know, for a screenwriter, the best education comes from reading great screenplays. We're going to take it one step further. Our Director of Script Services, Jason Mirch, who has spent over 10 years as an executive and producer, is going to break down the Oscar Winning Screenplay GREEN BOOK and show why it works so well. Everyone signing up for this FREE webinar will receive the screenplay for GREEN BOOK to read and review. Then, during the webinar Jason will take you step by step as he examines the setups, beats and character arcs that make the script sing.
In this Pitch Tank Webcast, Jason Mirch is joined by The Bucket List and Hairspray producer, Travis Knox. Travis and Jason listen to 5 pitches and offer feedback to Writers' Room members. Projects include a contained political thriller, family drama series, elevated action thriller, anthology series, and a feature with a big conceptual hook! Travis also offered his thoughts on how to deliver a pitch and shared the best advice he ever received.
Only 15 Spots Available! By popular demand, we're bringing in TV executive Anna Henry (who has 100% satisfaction with her webinars!) to teach a one-on-one TV pitch document writing lab! Need help with writing your TV series pitch document? Look no further! Anna's here to help. This is the golden age of television and the appetite for content has never been greater. What does everyone network and streamer want? Fresh, unique, authentic voices with never-been-told stories. While the door is open to new writers, the competition is fierce. Of course you need a very strong finished script, but before that will be read, you need to be able to communicate what makes your show stand out from the crowd, what will make people want to watch it for years and years, and why you are passionate about writing it. You need a blueprint of what the series will be beyond one episode. That's where a pitch document (aka bible, aka treatment) comes in. Whether you are selling your show verbally, sending the pitch to a potential producer, or applying for a fellowship, this document carries the weight of your imagined world with all its inhabitants and stories. That's a tall order! So where do you begin? How do you organize your ideas? What should be in a pitch? How detailed should you get? Should you start with a summary of the pilot? Should you have ideas for future episodes? What should you say about your characters? In this lab we will delve deep into writing an effective pitch for your scripted television idea - one that will clearly communicate your intentions, excite the reader, and convey your voice and your passion. Most writers need help with switching gears and selling their story in addition to telling it - which is the purpose of this lab. Anna has spent her career developing television projects with writers and selling those show ideas as a development executive, manager and producer. What she has found is that most screenwriters have taken classes that helped them learn about story structure, writing scenes, dialogue, etc. but writing a pitch is entirely different. She will not on ly teach you how to write your document, but work one-on-one with you to make sure it's the best it can be to go to market. Testimonials from Anna's previous lab: "I thought it was a great course and really helped me understand the format. Anna is knowledgeable and quickly cuts through to what can help your story better. Her notes on my script were insightful and really demonstrated her thorough experience." - Lee L. "Anna’s class was by far the most thorough, well put together, and organized screenwriting class I’ve ever taken. I have an MFA in filmmaking and, after graduating, I still felt as if I didn’t fully understand the structure of pilot writing. Anna’s class laid it out step by step and she went through every piece in detail. She was also extremely available to her students. During our one-on-one sessions, I expected to have a quick 15 minute call with her but she ended up speaking extensively with me about my story from outline through script stages. She really, truly cares for her students and is there to answer any questions, which, given her abundant experience in the industry, is a priceless piece of her labs. Thank you, Anna!" - Jacqueline D. "Anna was concise, and detailed. I've been working on log-lines/treatments/synopsis for 2 years for my scripts and never had it nailed like Anna was able to do. She rocks!" - Cheryl Lynn S. WHAT TO EXPECT This lab is designed for intermediate writers and producers looking to get their individual television project pitch document ready. 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. ***Only 15 Spots Available. No exceptions.*** (10 Spots Remain!) You will be given exclusive and confidential handouts that will accompany the lessons and that you will be able to hold onto after the lab ends. This lab will consist of six sessions occurring twice weekly for three weeks, each roughly 90 minutes in duration. In addition to the lessons where Raquelle teaches the class, you will have the opportunity to ask her questions during each session as well as multiple chances to speak with her directly about your specific project. 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 TV project development process. To see the full TV project development lab schedule, see below under "What You Will Learn". PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 lab is limited to 15 writers and will be booked on a first come, first served basis. The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with a manager 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. Payment plans are available - please contact Amanda at edu@stage32.com for more information
Learn how you can write an Oscar caliber screenplay based on a true story from the two time Academy Award winning writer of GREEN BOOK! PLUS! Get a copy of the script for GREEN BOOK! You’ve heard the phrase “write what you know.” Well, it might just win you an Oscar. For writer/actor Nick Vallelonga, his screenplay for the 2018 film GREEN BOOK is much more than a creative expression. It is a testament to his father, Tony Lip Vallelonga, whose life Nick based the screenplay on. And it led to Nick winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Nick wrote the film to highlight his father’s relationship and friendship with African-American pianist Don Shirley as they encountered staggering racism in segregation-era America. The film became a huge hit and went on to receive wide critical and audience acclaim (winning both Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture at the Academy Awards). In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you will learn directly from Nick Vallelonga about his writing process and production journey on GREEN BOOK and how he was able to take a true life story about his father and turn it into an award-winning film. While writing what you know often leads to creating compelling and nuanced stories, it is not easy to discern which elements of the true story should be part of the script. Nick will walk you through how he effectively chose particular elements of his father’s story to create a compelling Hollywood movie and give you the tools you need to create your engaging screenplay based off real world events. Through a case study of the script of GREEN BOOK, Nick will teach you how to break down a scene and create interesting dialogue for your characters so your audience is always emotionally involved in the story. In addition to writing GREEN BOOK, Nick has worked on dozens of films and television series for major studios, networks, and streamers including Universal, NBC, Fox, Lionsgate, and more. Nick is an avid educator and is excited to share his wealth of knowledge with the Stage 32 community. Don’t miss this chance to learn from and engage with a TWO TIME ACADEMY-AWARD WINNING WRITER in this exclusive Stage 32 webinar! PLUS! Nick will provide you with a copy of the script for the GREEN BOOK to keep! Praise For Nick's Webinar: "Nick was very inspirational, especially to someone like myself, who is writing a screenplay based on a true story. I loved hearing more about the real life characters of GREEN BOOK, which is one of my favorite movies. His script breakdown and discussion of his process helps me see why it was so successful." -Martha C. "I grew up in New York City so I'm a little biased but I think Nick V is the real deal. The webinar felt like I was a guest in his home as he gets to chatting about his work and his life over some delicious lasagna. It great to hear the true story behind the true story, especially when he admits that he doesn't really follow the rules or process we are have all learned. Five stars." -Jim M.
Learn how to outline your script to make your writing process more effective with a writer of M. Night Shyamalan's film KNOCK AT THE CABIN and the upcoming TRANSFORMERS ONE! Outlining before writing your script can dramatically help the workflow and quality of your writing process. Outlining isn’t for everyone. But if you find yourself struggling with where to begin, or getting stuck in the middle of a draft, or if the concept of writing a full screenplay just feels too daunting, then an effective outline can help make the process easier. An outline helps you to dive into your story before you begin writing, so that you can craft a plan for turning your vision into a reality. If your screenplay is a house, the outline is the architectural blueprint. Mastering outlining can elevate your next project to new heights and convince more people to take notice in your story. It happens to everyone: You have an idea that you’re passionate about and leap into writing page one. But eventually, that initial spark wears off and it’s a struggle to figure out what to write next. Outlining is a great way to curate your ideas into a game plan so you can hold on to that spark. But in order to have a successful plan and structure for your screenplay, it’s crucial to know not only how to outline, but to read what that outline is telling you about your story. Let’s take a closer look. Steve Desmond is a WGA screenwriter whose screenplays have been voted onto the prestigious industry Black List four times in the past five years, including in 2020 with his latest script, The Saturday Night Ghost Club. He sold his sci-fi adventure screenplay, Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers, to Warner Bros in a bidding war, with an Oscar nominated producer attached. FilmNation (Arrival, The King’s Speech) hired him to adapt the Stoker-award-winning horror novel The Cabin at the End of the World into M. Night Shyamalan's recent horror hit KNOCK AT THE CABIN. He’s also been hired to work on projects for Legendary Pictures, Sony, Blumhouse, and Mandalay, amongst others. In honing his craft as a writer, Steve has leaned heavily on the art of outlining and has used it to find success for his work. Steve will provide tips and best practices for outlining to help you better prepare for writing your script and zero in on your project’s story and structure. He’ll explain the positives and negatives of outlining and how to find the outlining approach that’s best for you. He’ll also discuss how best to research and the benefits of creating a notes document. Steve will delve into ironing out your premise, focusing in on theme and tone, and building out characters. He will talk about three act structure and his own “build the bridge” method for outlining. Finally he’ll discuss next steps after you finish your first go at the outline. Expect to leave this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar with strategies and ideas you can take back with you to better organize and attack your own script. Praise for Steve's Previous Stage 32 Webinars: "This was fantastic. Steve offered so much insight, dozens of little nuggets that rang true or gave me pause to think of something I'd never considered before."-Ed K."Perfectly laid out, clear and concise material taught by a genial host!"-George P."Steve was fantastic. His examples and insights were on point. Thanks!"-Adam H."I made 3 pages of notes; good pertinent topics with simple fundamental answers presented. Very helpful, worth the time and fee."-Thomas W.