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Breaking Into Television

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Breaking Into Television

WHEN
Thursday, July 27
6:30-9:30 pm

WHERE
mediabistro.com
494 Broadway, 3rd Floor
(Spring & Broome)
New York, NY 10012

WHO
Anyone looking to break into the industry as a television creator or writer.

PRICE
$65 ($50 for )
more info

Course Details

You have a great idea for a show. Now what? Learn how to develop your project, navigate the television industry landscape, pitch your ideas to networks, and get your new career started. This seminar is for creative people interested in scripted and non-scripted television who want to get their ideas heard, read, and ultimately produced. You don't need to be in the industry already or even quit your day job to create and pitch ideas that development executives will seriously consider, but you do need to know how the process works and how to develop your ideas into successful pitches.

This seminar will inspire you to start the process now. What good is that brilliant idea unless you're taking it to the networks that are always looking for smart and original content?

In this seminar, students can expect to learn:

  • How to create and develop your idea(s) so you're ready to start pitching
  • The hurdles for creating scripted v. semi-scripted v. reality projects
  • How to get a pitch meeting at a network and what to do when you're in the room
  • Treatments and teaser reel formats and uses
  • What happens when a network bites
  • Backdoors into the business: DIY content, spec scripts, writing contests
  • Whether you need an agent and how to get one

Instructor Bio

David Allan's Courses

No courses available at this time.

David Allan
David G. Allan, Travel & Styles editor for The New York Times, is a creator of the MTV series The X Effect, an idea that began as a few notes on a cocktail napkin, now in its second season. He is also the winner of the Scriptapalooza TV contest for his Desperate Housewives spec script, The Refrigerator Bandit. He has pitched scripted and non-scripted projects to networks on both coasts, including MTV, VH1, Spike, Sundance, ESPN, Oxygen, TLC, Discovery, E!, Fox Reality, ABC Family, UPN and Sony Pictures Television. He has written several feature screenplays and TV specs and co-written an original sitcom pilot. He is also the co-writer of the television industry blog tubesocket.tv and co-founded the production company Lower West Side Productions.

David graduated with degrees in journalism and philosophy from the University of Maryland. Prior to his screenwriting and television work, David wrote two travel books for Frommer's, was an editor for the liberal news site workingforchange.com, and an editor at Random House. His writing has also appeared in various publications including LIFE magazine and American Journalism Review. He has lived on three continents and spent a year traveling around the world with his wife writing stories for their travel site thedharmabums.com.

Testimonials


David Allan is exactly the guy you hoped your friend's cousin's old roommate's brother who does someting in TV and might give you some advice, would turn out to be and never is. Smart, engaging, savvy to the realities of the business, he is not above admitting a thrill over selling a cheesy MTV reality show, but never lets you believe that's all there is. -- Victoria McKernan, novelist

"David Allan is an engaging, intelligent, informative speaker and instructor with a great sense of humor who knows his stuff and shares it freely. There wasn't a dull moment. You can see why he is so successful when pitching ideas to development people." -- Scott Wallace, freelancer

"This was a great class. I gained lots of perspective on this writing genre and as someone involved in PR, I think that being familiar with all aspects of media is a positive thing. As someone who knew nothing about television writing, the class gave me great insight on how the process works, from A-Z. Thanks so much!" -- Vanessa French, media specialist, PCI Communications

"David was candid, informational, a natural public speaker, honest, forthright, and helpful. He took the time to answer all the questions that some of us had. This workshop was more than I expected -- it was wonderful, it gave me inspiration and some excellent leads, and it gave me real tangible hope." -- Elizabeth Gabriella, real estate sales

"I can't recommend David highly enough. His class is filled with incredible wisdom, and he delivers it warmly, with humor, and with hope. An investment worth every penny, and then some." -- Meagan Hawkes, freelancer

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