Extreme Spec Makeover

DURATION/TIME 8 weeks Wednesdays, 7:00-10:00 p.m. Oct. 25-Jan. 3 (no class 11/1, 11/22, 12/27) LOCATION West Hollywood, Calif. MORE INFO Email us, or call (310) 659-5668. PRICE $499 ($475 for ) more info

Course Details

"Specs aren't written," said the legendary producer Irving Thalberg. "They're rewritten." Okay, so we're paraphrasing. Whether you're writing an Entourage spec that's going to get you staffed to that House or Lost episode that will snag representation for you,  the most important part of the process isn't writing... It's rewriting. Rewriting is the phase where writers tighten plots, tweak characters, punch-up jokes and dramatic act-outs. It's also, unfortunately, where most writers face their toughest challenges. After all, it's not easy to look critically at one's own work to analyze what's working and what's not and to separate the gold from the garbage.

The Extreme Spec Makeover is an 8-week workshop that gives one-hour drama and sitcom writers the chance to whip their specs into shape... just in time for staffing season. Each participant comes to class with the first draft of an already-written script. We'll then read each spec aloud and, led by television producer Chad Gervich, discuss its strengths, its weaknesses, and how to make it a marketable piece of writing. Each participant will get his/her piece read twice, with two "notes sessions," to allow for maximum script growth and evolution.

In a world where television staffs are shrinking and jobs becoming scarce, aspiring TV writers can't afford to have anything less than stellar specs. Which means they can't afford to miss this workshop.

Added bonus: Through a pre-negotiated deal, any students whom your instructor feels have a pitch-worthy show ideas (reality or scripted) or specs will be given a pitch meeting with the VPs of either scripted or reality show development at Fox Alternative Studios on the Fox lot.

In this seminar, you can expect to:

• Put your spec through a rigorous boot camp that will strengthen story and improve characters
• Make sure your spec is impeccably structured
• Learn to write accurate, character-specific dialogue... and hear it spoken aloud in your own script
• Craft compelling teasers and act breaks that will have readers hooked till the end
• Learn whether your jokes are funny...or flat
• Learn how executives and producers hire staff writers... and what they look for besides a great spec
• Emerge with the best spec you could possibly write. Or rewrite

Admission requirements:
Every participant must have a first draft of a relevant, marketable spec such as...

Hot specs right now: Grey's Anatomy; House, Entourage; The Office; My Name is Earl

No the best, but still marketable: Without a Trace; CSI; Two and a Half Men; Desperate Housewives*

Don't even bother:  The West Wing; ER; Will & Grace; That 70's Show; Malcom in the Middle; Friends; Curb Your Enthusiasm

* Desperate Housewives may be a hot spec this year, and we certainly don't want to be the ones to tell you not to write it. However, Desperate Housewives is, for all practical purposes, a soap. And soaps, because of their ever-changing plots, rarely make good specs. So if you want to write a Desperate, we say go for it...at your own risk.

One week before the first workshop, each participant will be contacted with the specs being written for the class. It is each participants responsibility to watch the last two episodes of each show, not just to understand the show, but know what's going on currently in the series.

Instructor Bio

Chad Gervich's Courses

Chad Gervich is a television producer, author, and playwright who spent five years as a development executive and producer with the Littlefield Company, where he developed pilots and series for NBC, ABC, CBS, UPN, the WB, and FOX. Chad has worked in development and production at NBC Studios, Sony Pictures, CBS Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox where he was involved in the development, production, and maintenance of Love, Inc., Malcolm in the Middle, Like Family, Time Tunnel, Star Search, and Do Over.

Chad has created and produced Style network's hit series Foody Call and executive produced Celebrity Drive-By, a talk show pilot for E! Entertainment. Chad has also developed, written, and produced Dirty Laundry, a soap for FOX TV Studios, Wig Out, a Warner Brothers sitcom, and Fox Reality Channel's Reality Binge. He is currently executive producing Spellbound: The Witches of Orange County for The Weinstein Company.

Chad is the author of mediabistro.com's Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writers Guide to the TV Business and is a contributing editor for Writers Digest, where he writes Script Notes, a regular screenwriting column/blog. He also writes for Daily Variety, Fade In, Moving Pictures, and Orange Coast.

Testimonials

Chad is a very energetic and charismatic speaker with a non-judgmental, supportive teaching style. I left his class with tangible tools to move forward with the next step. -- Sue Karlin, freelance journalist, Newsweek, Forbes, Esquire

"Chad has valuable insights to share about the TV business and the craft of writing pilots. Whether you're a rookie or a professional, you'll feel focused, smarter, and ready to write." -- Wendy Calhoun, staff writer, NBC-Universal/NBC

"The course content was fabulous and exactly what I expected in terms of starting from scratch to getting into the minute detail. It was just perfect." -- Georgia Cassimatis

"Chad is very knowledgeable and is able to present all topics in an informative, logical way with lots of enthusiasm." -- Vanessa Amador

"Chad is passionate about television and very down to earth. I was very impressed with the candid nature of Chad's information and his honest responses to people's questions. He gave them real answers." -- Chayah Masters

"I started this class with a blank writing tablet and ended the course with a spec script that I would be proud to submit to an agent. That's worth the time and the money." -- Dylan Conroy

"Chad was a dynamic speaker and took his time to make sure that everyone in the class participated and got their questions answered. I will definitely take another class with him." -- Angie Truschel

"The presentation of the material was excellent. This is probably the best course I've taken." -- Roberta Cruger

"Chad is a great teacher and brings with him a wealth of information. I learned a great deal and the class is a heckuva lot of fun!" -- Susan Morris

"Chad gives you the edge of really understanding the business, what it takes to get those pitch meetings, and how to leave an impression that gets you the assignment." -- Erica Land

"Chad is one of a kind in the entertainment industry. He really wants others to succeed and shows you the pathway to do so. Take his class!" -- La Mer Walker

"Chad not only gives you the basics, but tells you how everything works when you're entering into TV pilot script territory." -- Jerome Cleary

"Chad is an invaluable resource on the art and business of writing for television." -- Sarah Schreckengaust

"Chad knows his stuff and breaks it down for both the beginner and someone who's already in the business." -- Stevie Mac