On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
Veteran producer and creative executive Kelly Edwards has worked with every major studio in Hollywood and on many sides of the business and is responsible for the success of Living Single, Girlfriends, Clueless, Malcolm in the Middle and a host of other television series. She has produced award-winning shorts for HBO, a drama series for Paramount, and a movie for Hallmark. She has been a Sundance Episodic Lab fellow and a writer on Our Kind Of People. Her new book The Executive Chair: A Writer’s Guide To TV Series Development, is an Amazon Bestseller and is currently available in stores and online. Full Bio »
How you can land the coveted role of Development Executive at a streamer, studio or network from an executive who's worked with HBO, Paramount, Hallmark, and more!
PLUS! You'll receive exclusive handouts to help you get ahead in your job search.
Who picks what scripts get produced and become your favorite films and television shows?
This role belongs to the Development Executive.
The best development executives know how to spot a great script or book that can become a successful film or TV show. They nurture relationships with top talent. They shepherd projects from inception through development and into production managing the creative process while keeping the business side on track. It's all about finding and connecting the right people and helping mold a great script and package that companies want to make and audiences want to see.
In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you’ll see exactly what being a development executive is all about and how you can land this creative and often lucrative position through both traditional and non-traditional routes. This webinar will flatten your learning curve and get you closer to stepping onto the development executive ladder.
You’ll cover everything from how to find scripts to giving notes to landing the development jobs themselves.
Your host, Kelly Edwards, is a former HBO executive who teaches a top-tier leadership program for creative executives, and now she’s sharing her fantastic insight on how to be a development executive with you.
Kelly has worked with every major studio and her new book, THE EXECUTIVE CHAIR: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO TV SERIES DEVELOPMENT is a bestseller available in stores and online. She’s also responsible for the success of LIVING SINGLE, GIRLFRIENDS, CLUELESS, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, and a host of other television series.
In addition to Kelly’s incredible knowledge, she’s providing you with sample coverage, a list of ways to get your foot in the door, a sample resume, and more.
When you’ve finished your webinar with Kelly, you’ll know what it takes to be a successful development executive and how people in the industry land these coveted positions. Put yourself ahead of the competition in your job hunt by snagging a spot with Kelly today.
PRAISE FOR KELLY'S WORK AND EDUCATION:
"Candid, witty, and extremely knowledgeable, she gets straight to the point which is so helpful for everyone - it’s a masters class on the business and TV in particular." -- Rona Edwards, writer/producer and author of l Liked It, Didn’t Love It (Screenplay Development from the Inside Out)
"One word -- AMAZING! Kelly left our entire group feeling newly inspired not only about their writing but also about living their best selves. We will definitely be having her back!" -- Lynelle W. (TV writer, BLACK LIGHTNING, Z NATION, ARMY WIVES)
"Kelly delivers an essential guide to necessary skills that every writer needs to successfully navigate the entertainment industry. She is a fantastic, knowledgeable presenter who will help you step up your career game." -- Katherine Craft, writer
Kelly Edwards
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Receive exclusive handouts from your host to help you define your identity as a writer, including your career mission statement, your personal narrative diagram, and your networking grid. Here’s a secret no one in Hollywood will tell you: it’s not enough to have a great script, you also need to know how to sell yourself to the industry. But getting out there isn’t always as easy as it sounds. This exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar will focus on 8 simple but often overlooked insider tips to ensure you have what you need to successfully launch your career as a writer. Your host, Kelly Edwards, is a veteran producer and creative executive who has worked with every major studio and is responsible for the success of LIVING SINGLE, GIRLFRIENDS, CLUELESS, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, and a host of other television series. Kelly has been a Sundance Episodic Lab fellow and a writer on OUR KIND OF PEOPLE. Her new book, THE EXECUTIVE CHAIR: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO TV SERIES DEVELOPMENT is a bestseller and is currently available in stores and online. Selling ourselves doesn’t always come easy. It’s hard to get out there, know the right things to say, and follow up without being annoying. We’re afraid of coming on too strong or not strong enough. This webinar will help you overcome all those fears so that you never miss out on an opportunity again. It will give you practical tools from a former development executive turned writer who understands what you need as you get out there to start your career. Be smart. Be confident. Be ready. This webinar will cover important topics which will help you propel yourself and your career forward. Praise for Kelly's Teaching "Candid, witty and extremely knowledgeable, she gets straight to the point which is so helpful for everyone - it’s a masters class on the business and TV in particular." - Rona E., writer/producer and author of l Liked It, Didn’t Love It (Screenplay Development from the Inside Out) "One word -- AMAZING! Kelly left our entire group feeling newly inspired not only about their writing but also about living their best selves. We will definitely be having her back!" - Lynelle W. (TV writer, BLACK LIGHTNING, Z NATION, ARMY WIVES)
This Webinar Has a 100% Satisfaction Rate Aren’t you tired of querying and pitching agents and managers only to be dismissed or ignored? The truth is that reps find writers through referrals, which is annoying for those who don’t have the connections yet. But there’s a better way. You can be your own rep, keep the 10% commission for yourself, and get yourself and your work noticed on your own. In this Stage 32 exclusive on-demand webinar, professional screenwriter Brooks Elms will show you how to get yourself and your work noticed without a rep and how use your passion to become an unstoppable sales force on your own. Brooks is an accomplished screenwriter, who’s penned over 35 scripts, selling several of them, writing a dozen movies on assignment and whose projects have screened all around the world. Brooks most recently sold a script with Brad Peyton (SAN ANDREAS) attached to executive produce. Brooks brings his vast experience to show you how to up your outreach game, use your social media for success, build sustainable relationships, keep smiling and selling in the face of adversity, and so much more. Brooks believes that the best way to sell your work is to sell yourself, making the process less about “sales” and more about embracing your strengths and communicating them in the best way possible to the industry. This is a next-level, world-class relationship-building webinar and that shares a fun way to launch your career in your own unique style. Praise For Brooks' Stage 32 Webinar"I learned so much and feel more confident than ever that I can get my work seen the right people. Thank you, Brooks!" - Jeanine R.
One of the biggest challenges that you face as a filmmaker is finding real financiers and actually raising the funds to produce your movie. Team building and your presentation is key to attracting both creative and finance partners to your film. Since you are the biggest cheerleader for your project, you need to have the answers to the key questions and steps before you engage. What makes your project attractive? What partners do you need and how do you find them? What exact steps do you take to get your film financed? In order to produce a film that actually gets made requires work, research, and a targeted plan of attack. It requires a full understanding of the financial prospects of your project, the marketplace, and potential distribution and recoupment strategies. You also need to present yourself as the kind of partner others are looking for. How you show up is also a key to attracting investors and could be the difference between a successful pitch and one that fails. You have to come with the willingness to listen, learn and collaborate and be nimble enough to pivot when needed. Teaching you how its done is Aimee Schoof, the co-founder of Intrinsic Value Films. Aimee has produced more than 35 feature films. Of those, nine have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, four at the Tribeca Film Festival, three at SXSW, and one each at LA Film Festival, Toronto, Venice, New York FF, New Directors/New Films, and Berlinale, to name a few. Aimee’s extensive experience has made her intimately familiar with successfully getting a project off the ground and building a team to get a script made. Let’s dive in together and tackle the strategy and art of successfully attracting investors to get your movie financed and made. We will set you up for success.
As you know, independent film is enjoying a resurgence. Whereas a few years back, it seemed as if getting a low budget indie off the ground was a Herculean task, now, especially with the rise of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney+ and other streaming platforms not only purchasing indie fare, but producing it on their own, lower budget independent films are back in high demand. However, to take advantage of the current gold rush, you must understand what makes an independent script attractive to managers, agents, producers, development execs, financiers and others in a position to greenlight your screenplay. For most writers focused strictly on the craft, the disconnect between a script that gets high marks for the writing, yet still has a problem drawing attention of managers and agents or finding a buyer, is a lack of knowledge as to the current marketplace. It is vital that you understand the creative and commercial realities of the business. Everything else streams from there including all the aspects that you will need in your screenplay to make it a no brainer for the aforementioned gatekeepers and decision makers to want to get involved with the project. With so many screenplays flooding the market, reps, producers, filmmakers, financiers want to choose those screenplays that already have the heavy lifting toward getting the script into production already figured out. James Kicklighter is a multi-award winning writer/director whose work has been recognized by the world’s press, including The Hollywood Reporter, The Times of India, Film Courage and FilmInk Australia. James began his career raising funds for numerous small budget short films, which allowed him to move into award-winning feature films. Most recently he directed The Sound of Identity about the first transgender woman ever to perform as Don Giovanni in a professional opera. The film is produced by Emmy Award-winning producers Russ Kirkpatrick & Andy Kinslow and executive producer Josh Bachove (Lizzie, Yoga Hosers, The Little Hours). James will teach you the ins and outs of writing a producible, low budget independent feature that will draw the right attention. He'll start by diving into the marketplace and how you can research, review, and understand the current landscape. He will then discuss how to choose material, create compelling, deep, and unique characters, and how to write using accessible locations. He will teach you how to optimize the screenplay for production, including some tips and tricks to help a filmmaker and/or producer understand how they can schedule efficiently just by reading the script. If you are looking to control your own material, James will even dive into how to attach talent and modify the script while in production. PRAISE FOR JAMES'S TEACHINGS: "James has style and class to spare. I've taken over 20 Stage 32 webinars and this was one of my favorites." - Theo K. "So much detail and so much information. Makes me look at my scripts in a whole new light." - Amanda D. "I've had so many screenplays that have received Consider or Recommend coverage from executives in this business, but I've never been able to get one of these screenplays launched and I could never understand why. Now I do. The writing is there, but the awareness to a producer's needs can be better. I'm on it. Thanks, James." - David V. "I learned something today. I want to produce my own work. Actually two things. I CAN produce my own work. This webinar was worth its weight in gold." - Martina S. "There’s nothing like listening to one who is passionate and educated on the craft of Filmmaking. James is a voice for aspiring filmmaker's ears. Thank you for the well outlined course.“ - Emeka M.
Rich and diverse talent exists all over the world. We see it in stories like Netflix hits THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT and UNORTHODOX, both produced in Germany, and LUPIN, the hit Netflix series that originated in France and has exploded to the global audience. Or even SUBURRA, the Netflix hit which launched Italian lead actor Alessandro Borghi into the global series DEVILS. It is no surprise that multi-cultural, multi-national stories are here to stay. And, now with film and television productions taking place in every country, more and more filmmakers and actors have opportunity to work. The exciting part about this global storytelling is that it opens the door for creatives all over the world to work internationally - as long as you do the research and put in the work to find opportunities. It's time to stop thinking locally and start thinking globally for your career. Who you are, where you've lived, your heritage, your background makes you unique in the global industry. There are key differences between the US and EU film and television markets, and at the same time there are unique needs within both. By educating yourself on the different type of structures in each region you will open up the possibility to understand how your own personal background can play a key role in an international production's need. Whether you have a strong family heritage that allows you to speak multiple languages, or you are German or Portuguese and moved around to different countries, or a Texan that now lives in the Netherlands, or Emily who lives in Paris ;) - all of that is valuable in today's global filmmaking industry. How can you take these unique characteristics that you have and apply them to help you get more work? Alex Surer is a producer and manager who leads the Berlin division of the global talent management company Bohemia Group. Through this position, Alex links multi-lingual actors, writers and filmmakers from Europe with the US film and TV industries. Born in San Francisco to Swiss parents, Alex grew up in Vancouver and Basel, Switzerland, and was shipped off to Houston as an exchange student, returning to graduate in Zurich, adding proper German, French and Latin to her native Swiss-German and English. Alex has used her deep multilingual, multicultural and multinational background to help actors bridge these gaps and has helped countless performers find roles and long-lasting careers in other countries. Alex will teach you how European creatives can find success in America and how American creatives can find success in Europe. She’ll first go through the differences between European and US acting communities, how opportunities are found on stage and on screen for each region and how unions work. She’ll then compare how European filmmakers work compared to US filmmakers, and how this informs casting. She will also explain how film festival can be the key to expanding your sights and the resources you can be using aside from just IMDB. Alex will even bring in a few special guests--actors and filmmakers who have found success by moving to different countries--to dive into their journeys. ***And, even if you are based outside of the US or EU, there are key things you can learn from this webinar which you can apply to your own region. If you’ve been contained to your own region or country in looking for creative opportunities, prepare to have your mind permanently expanded by Alex’s deep experience and global perspective
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.