Episodes

Alex and Nick invite J. Holtham, writer on Marvel's Cloak & Dagger, to discuss breaking into the TV industry later in life, and writing on a comic-based series. What is some important advice for people wanting to pursue TV writing later in life? How can breaking in older help in the writers' room? What is the process of writing for Marvel's Cloak & Dagger? What can writing plays teach you about screenwriting? The Paper Team powers up... SHOWNOTES Content Breaking in older, getting noticed, ...

Alex and Nick answer audience questions about television writing and the TV business. Is there a benefit to writing beyond the pilot? Do dramas have an equivalent to comedy "punch-ups"? What does an outline look like? How do you sell a TV concept? Where can you find networking events that TV writers go to? Plus, we look at two new Paper Tease entries. The Paper Team raises their hand... SHOWNOTES Content Paper Tease Session (00:56) 1 - Questions about TV writing (11:22) 2 - Questions abo...

Alex and Nick discuss everything you need to know about rewriting your TV script. Whether you’re working on a spec or in a writers' room, we look at reasons why you should rewrite and things to watch out for. When should you rewrite? Why are notes a critical part of rewriting? What edits should you do on the page? What if your script still runs too long or too short? Plus, we give feedback on four teasers in our inaugural Paper Tease session! The Paper Team goes back to the page... SHOWNOTES...

Alex and Nick welcome Tom Ruegger, creator of iconic TV series Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, Pinky & the Brain, and Histeria!, to discuss the process of writing and producing animated television shows. What is the process of generating and selling animated TV series? What makes for a great idea that can be succesful? What are the differences between storyboard-driven and script-driven shows? How was Animaniacs developed? How can you take established characters from franchises and give them ...

Alex and Nick discuss how to use your characters' perspectives and points-of-view to drive your episode narrative. From unreliable narrators and voice-overs, to POV on the page, see the world through your characters' eyes. What is a point-of-view in the context of a television story? How can you put your audience in the shoes of a character? What are interesting and unique ways of using POV as a narrative device? How can you translate a character's perspective to the page of a script? What are ...

Alex and Nick invite Bob Dearden, writer on the CW's iZombie, to discuss how he worked his way up from assisting Rob Thomas on the Veronica Mars movie to being staffed on a television show. What is the journey of becoming a television writer? How do you work in US TV as a Canadian? What is it like working with Rob Thomas and cowriting for Play it Again Dick? How was the transition to iZombie from writers' assistant to staff writer? How does the writers' room break episodes and arcs? The Paper ...

Alex and Nick discuss the importance of branding yourself as a TV writer and ways to define why you write what you write. Why should you "brand yourself"? How are you able to drive the conversation about you? How to understand what you can bring to a writers' room? Why is it important to know your strengths and weaknesses in TV? How do you translate your personal story into your writing? What are ways of showcasing yourself online? Plus, an announcement about an announcement. The Paper Team m...

Alex and Nick invite three fellows of TV writing programs to discuss their experiences. Guests include Andy Mathieson (2016 Disney/ABC Writing Program), Jenny Deiker Restivo (2018 FOX Writers Lab) and Thomas Reyes (2016 Warner Bros. TV Writers' Workshop).

Alex and Nick discuss how to be proactive in the way you write your TV pilot script, and how to keep the reader interested. Why are loglines and titles so important? How can you connect your script to your personal story? How do you set things up in a pilot? What are ways of counteracting reader fatigue? Plus, we take a look at the recent revelations about Amazon Prime Video's internal numbers. The Paper Team turns the page... SHOWNOTES Content Paper Scraps: Amazon Prime Video viewership (...

Alex and Nick return to WonderCon for a discussion on adapting IP to TV. Panelists include Michael Perry (Altered Carbon), Ray Utarnachitt (DC's Legends of Tomorrow), Kai Yu Wu (The Flash), Britta Lundin (Riverdale) and Colleen McAllister (My Little Po...

Alex and Nick discuss the content and formats of successful TV pitch documents, from one-pagers to pitch bibles. How do you effectively communicate the vision of a TV show? What are the different formats of TV pitch documents? What should you include in your pitch? How do you structure a pitch document? What are the burning questions you need to answer? How do you write your pitch in a compelling and unique way? Plus, we talk dramedy script categories. The Paper Team gives their sales pitch.....

Alex and Nick invite Heather Mason (SyFy Fangrrls, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls) and LaToya Ferguson (The A.V. Club, IndieWire) for a lighthearted conversation about the current state of TV criticism in the era of peak content and serialized storytelling.

Alex and Nick invite Eva Miller, Manager of Development at Canvas Media Studios, to discuss digital content and cross-platform storytelling. What does the digital landscape look like for scripted content? How do stories evolve with the format? What genres are more suited to online formats over traditional linear forms? How can interactivity drive narratives in unique ways? How are digital content or creatives discovered? What is the development process for digital shows? Plus, a special panel ...

Alex and Nick discuss how to start researching your TV spec script. Which episodes and scripts should you watch and read to prepare? How do you research structure, characters and stories? What should you look for in the show you want to spec?

Alex and Nick invite Jona Xiao (Halt and Catch Fire, Being Mary Jane, Gifted) to discuss acting for television, and what writers can learn from actors. What is the casting process like in TV? How are character descriptions influenced by the script? What preparation can actors do before going into production? What makes an interesting character and compelling scenes for an actor? What can TV writers learn from performers? The Paper Team gets set to recur... SHOWNOTES Content Early influences...

Alex and Nick break down six iconic TV scenes to look at what makes them engaging and unique writing. Scenes explored in this episode include extracts from Deep Space Nine, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Good Place, The Good Wife, Lost and The Simpsons.

Alex and Nick invite Sydney Mitchel from NCIS: New Orleans & Outcast, and Zimran Jacob from Marvel's The Punisher, to discuss the responsibilities, duties, and opportunities of being a TV showrunner's assistant. What does the job of a showrunner's assistant entail? How do you get hired on a show? What does a typical work-day look like? How do assistants communicate with their showrunner? How creatively involved are showrunner's assistants? What amount of notes and feedback do showrunners get? H...

Alex and Nick discuss how you can put yourself out there as a creative and TV writer. From proactive networking to content generation, learn ways of staying in the loop and in people's minds. How do you build new connections and foster meaningful professional relationships? How do you stay in the conversation for new jobs and opportunities? What are ways of putting your content out there and creating a presence? What should you look for in a mentor? Plus, we talk finding a first agent. The Pa...

Alex and Nick invite Logan Kriete, producer and development executive at Escape Artists (and formerly from Superb Entertainment/Baer Bones), to discuss how TV production companies work and find their projects. What are overall deals or "PODs" and why are they important? How is material turned into a TV show? What makes a script stand out for an executive? How does the development and notes process work? How do production companies sell shows to studios and networks? How does the evolving TV for...

Alex and Nick go over how formatting works in TV scripts and pre-draft documents you'll be writing on TV shows. What are important formatting elements to know and common mistakes to avoid? What will you be writing before going to draft on a TV episode?

Alex and Nick break down four iconic TV characters to look at what makes them memorable (24's David Palmer, You're the Worst's Lindsay, The Good Place's Michael, Farscape's Scorpius). What makes a great character? What are key decisions to define them?

Alex and Nick celebrate the end of 2017 by taking a look back at Paper Team's past year, and a look forward at what is to come in 2018. What were the most popular Paper Team episodes of the year? What was the best thing of 2017? What new gifts did Nick and Alex exchange with one another? Plus, a word about contacting our guests. The Paper Team throws some confetti... SHOWNOTES Content Paper Scraps: A word about etiquette (01:10) 1 - Paper Team 2017: A year in review (03:26) 2 - Best of 2...

Alex and Nick discuss nonlinear narrative in television writing, from flashbacks to flashforwards. What are effective uses of nonlinear storytelling? When should you work with flashbacks, flasforwards or parallel storylines? What are dos and donts of nonlinear narratives? Are there drawbacks of out-of-order storytelling? Plus, we talk The Mick case and Amazon's Lord of the Rings. The Paper Team flashes around... SHOWNOTES Content Paper Scraps: The Mick and Amazon's LOTR (00:52) 1 - Brief ...

Alex and Nick invite Jorge Gonzalez, from the Tracking Board and Launch Pad Writing Competitions, to discuss what makes a contest-winning script. How does the selection process of a TV writing competition work? What do readers look for when evaluating scripts and pilots? What separates top-tier screenplays from all others? What should writers watch out for before submitting their scripts? The Paper Team strikes gold... SHOWNOTES Content Getting involved with Tracking Board, the Launch Pad C...