Paper Team

Alex and Nick invite lawyer Panayiotis Spanos, founder of Spanos Law, to discuss the essential things TV writers should know about entertainment law, from contracts to credits. In what capacity does a lawyer enter the picture when it comes to TV writing? What do they offer that a traditional manager or agent can't? How can a TV writer best use their entertainment lawyer? How does negotation of a TV staffing contract work? What is unique to the sale of a TV show? How should a writer go about optioning rights to a book or IP? What is the reality of people having their scripts "stolen" and how can writers protect themselves? At what point should a writer get a lawyer and how does one go about finding the right entertainment lawyer? The Paper Team signs on the dotted line... SHOWNOTES Content Entertainment Law with Panayiotis Spanos (00:47) Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (39:07) Links Panayiotis Spanos on Instagram Panayiotis Spanos on Twitter Writers Guild of America's Theatrical and Television Minimum Basic Agreement U.S. Copyright Office Worm (Web Serial) Resources "Hollywood Dealmaking" by Dina Appleton & Daniel Yankelevits "Contracts for the Film & Television Industry" by Mark Litwak This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers Use code ROADMAP to get $15 OFF your first Roadmap Writers Program Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick offer feedback on four more Paper Tease entries and reveal the two winners for the month of September. The Paper Team dissects... SHOWNOTES Paper Tease Entries "Student Visa" by Paul Chang "The English Department" by Jeffrey Warndof "Botany Bay" by Alexander M J Smith "Migra" by Christine Torres This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers' JumpStart Writing Competition Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick give an overview of what goes on inside a TV writers' room during a Roadmap Writers webinar. What is the purpose of a TV writers' room? What are the most important skills to have on a writing staff? Who's who in the room? How do shows break stories on a macro and micro scale? Why is room etiquette so important? The Paper Team calls in... This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers Use code ROADMAP to get $15 OFF your first Roadmap Writers Program If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick invite Joey Tuccio, CEO of Roadmap Writers, to discuss ways of establishing yourself as a writer when you're starting from outside the entertainment industry. How can someone outside LA get noticed as a writer? What can writers do to position themselves for success before trying to break in? What traits do succesful Roadmap writers share? How can writers make the most of their meetings with executives and reps? What are the biggest challenges for aspiring writers breaking in now? The Paper Team looks at their roadmap... SHOWNOTES Content Starting in LA, selecting what to write, creating a writer's brand, learning from your peers, finding a mentor, using social media, meeting with executives, being a "human first", finding a rep, using intellectual property (00:54) Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (40:35) Links Joey Tuccio on Instagram Roadmap Writers Roadmap's Career Writer Programs "How the horror short 'Lights Out' went from 3-minute film to Hollywood feature" - Los Angeles Times Roadmap's Page Analysis Resources SimplyScripts Short of the Week This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers Use code ROADMAP to get $15 OFF your first Roadmap Writers Program Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick give feedback on six new Paper Tease scripts and announce the two August winners. The Paper Team digs in... SHOWNOTES Paper Tease Entries "Alliance" by John Schuler "AD" by Rund Shami "Call Girl" by Delphine Chance "My Parents Live With Me" by David Cueman "Signs & Wonders" by Liz Maestri "Transplants" by Erik Nowak This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers' JumpStart Writing Competition Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick invite Michael Masukawa, manager of strategy and business development at Secret Location, to discuss emergent forms of VR storytelling. What are the unique challenges of developing VR content? How do you work across VR devices? Why is branded content so popular? What does a VR script look like? What makes for a good VR experience? How is VR evolving? The Paper Team puts on their headsets... SHOWNOTES Content Starting in LA, working in TV development, transitioning from linear scripted stories, challenges of VR content, types of VR, branded content, devices, financing VR, experiences, writing VR, VR distribution, future of VR (00:47) Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (46:32) Links Michael Masukawa on LinkedIn Secret Location Takashi Miike Sonar Entertainment Piller/Segan Google Cardboard Oculus Rift HTC Vive PlayStation VR Dear Angelica Magic Window Oculus Go HTC Vive Focus IMAX VR The VOID Blasters of the Universe Delusion Oculus Story Studio Henry Fable Studios Penrose Studios Unity Unreal Engine Accounting (VR) Virtual Virtual Reality Superhot Jack Resources Voices of VR Road to VR This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers Use code ROADMAP to get $15 OFF your first Roadmap Writers Program Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions,

Alex and Nick go over what you need to know about how TV writers get jobs in a writers' room, and how you can best prepare yourself for this process. From samples to showrunner meetings, get tips and advice on getting staffed. What is staffing season in TV? What are staffing differences between broadcast and cable? How is a TV writers' room staffed? How do the network, the studio, the production company and the showrunner work on hiring the room? What are ways to ace a staffing meeting? How should you prep for TV staffing? The Paper Team plays musical chairs... SHOWNOTES Content What is staffing season (00:46) Process of staffing and acing the meetings (11:31) Preparing for staffing season (25:01) Takeaways and Resources (30:08) Links Meetings 101: Generals and TV Staffing (PT62) Resources "Staffing-Season Brides" - Jane Espenson This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers' JumpStart Writing Competition Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick present two back-to-back TV writing panels, one for comedy and one for drama, digging into the intricacies of the writers' room. From staff writer to showrunner, we've assembled a dozen TV writers across every level to get a sense of what it's like to navigate a writers' room and sustain a career. Comedy/half-hour and animation panelists include Nina Bargiel (Barbie), Vicky Luu (Superstore), Adam Stein (Harley Quinn), Alison Tafel (BoJack Horseman), Brittani Nichols (Take My Wife), and Lauren Bradley (Spirit: Riding Free). Drama/one-hour panelists include Alison Schapker (Altered Carbon), Monica Macer (Queen Sugar), Chris Levinson (Tyrant), Grainne Godfree (DC's Legends of Tomorrow), Britta Lundin (Riverdale), and Hilliard Guess (Deadly Class). How do you navigate a TV writers' room? How does the dynamic and etiquette of the room influence pitching? How can you gauge if a script is effective? How have writers' rooms evolved over the years? What do showrunners look for when hiring their staff? How can you approach breaking macro and character arcs? What is the best way for lower-level writers to make themselves valuable in the room? How do you address notes without compromising creative integrity? What are ways of dealing with the instability of the profession? The Paper Team drops the mic... SHOWNOTES Content TV comedy (half-hour shows) panel (00:01:04) TV drama (one-hour shows) panel (01:02:22) Links Nina Bargiel on Twitter Lauren Bradley on Twitter Alison Tafel on Twitter Vicky Luu on Instagram Adam Stein on Twitter Brittani Nichols on Twitter Britta Lundin on Twitter Monica Macer on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Chris Levinson on Twitter Alison Schapker on Twitter Grainne Godfree on Twitter If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick celebrate the ninety-ninth episode of Paper Team with a jam-packed retrospective of the podcast, including clips chosen by our listeners, popular moments, and new insights from past guests. What are some of our listeners' favorite moments and episodes? What new advice do some of our most popular guests have to share? How has Paper Team evolved over nearly one hundred episodes? From assistants to writers and producers, we also get updates and fresh tips from several of our awesome guests: Britta Lundin, Hilliard Guess, Bob Dearden, Jenny Deiker, Zimran Jacob, T.A. Snyder, Franklin jin Rho, Ray Utarnachitt, and Kai Yu Wu. Plus, we make a major announcement about an upcoming project. The Paper Team puts on a bow tie... SHOWNOTES Content Paper Team Mentorship Announcement (00:01:20) 1 - Favorite moments and iconic episodes chosen by our listeners (00:03:43) 2 - Updates from our guests ft. Britta Lundin, Hilliard Guess, Bob Dearden, Jenny Deiker, Zimran Jacob, T.A. Snyder, Franklin jin Rho, Ray Utarnachitt, and Kai Yu Wu (01:02:1) 3 - Looking back at two years of Paper Team and special thanks (01:50:33) Links Managing TV Writers ft. Daniela Garcia-Brcek (PT59) Writing Adult Comedy Animation ft. Alison Tafel (PT39) The TV Writer’s Mindset: Dealing With Procrastination, Blank Page, and the Muse (PT17) Breaking in & Writing From “Outside the System” ft. Hilliard Guess (PT47) TV Pitch Documents (PT82) TV Writing Programs and Fellowships (PT85) Weaving Storylines: A/B/C Stories (PT53) Branding Yourself (PT86) TV Pilot 101 (PT30) Analyzing Great TV Pilots (PT54) TV Writer vs. Fandom – Paper Team Live at WonderCon 2017 (PT38) Reimagined for TV – Paper Team Live at WonderCon 2018 (PT83) Creating Animated TV Shows ft. Tom Ruegger (PT89) From Intern to TV Writer ft. Bob Dearden (PT87) TV Production Companies ft. Logan Kriete (PT74) TV Criticism ft. Heather Mason & LaToya Ferguson (PT81)

Alex and Nick invite Justin Michael Terry, writer on Stargate Origins, to discuss working, acting, and writing across different TV genres, in both comedy and drama. What was the process of writing Stargate Origins? What are the challenges in writing something within a pre-established canon? How do you approach writing mini episodes fitting a larger format? What lessons from improv and comedy can writers take? How do you transition writing between genres? The Paper Team dials the gate... SHOWNOTES Content Background, starting as an actor, improv, getting involved in Stargate Origins, writing SGO, Stargate franchise, shaping your writer's brand, balancing comedy and drama, approaching new projects (01:17) Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (47:28) Links Justin Michael Terry on Twitter Stargate Origins Stargate Command Walking with Dinosaurs Cannibal Holocaust The Blair Witch Project "The Torment of Tantalus" (1x11 - Stargate SG-1) Catherine Langford Fiasco Taylor Sheridan Robert E. Howard This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers Use code ROADMAP to get $15 OFF your first Roadmap Writers Program Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick answer more TV writing questions and react to recent TV business news, including WGAW's yearly earnings, CAA's Amplify database, Snowpiercer reshoots, and industry mergers. Where should you get feedback on your TV scripts? Is it better to write single-cams over multi-cams? Should a one-hour drama writer switch to writing half-hour comedies? How much of an impact does Netflix have on TV viewing habits? What influence do the AT&T/Time Warner and Disney/Fox mergers have on content? Plus, we reveal a major announcement for our 100th episode and crown the July Paper Tease winners. The Paper Team buys in... SHOWNOTES Content 100th Episode Announcement (00:54) Paper Tease Session (02:39) 1 - Audience Questions about TV writing (14:33) 2 - July TV news: Netflix, WGAW's earnings, CAA's database, Snowpiercer, industry mergers, showrunner panel, TV writing Twitter thread (37:00) Announcement The 100th episode of Paper Team will be a live event on Saturday, August 4. Find out more and get your free tickets now at http://paperteam.co/panel100 Paper Tease Entries "Miracle Village" by Alan R. Baxter "Unpresidented" by Matty Mendez Links Rewriting Your TV Script (PT90) Feedback and Notes: Building Your Reading Onion (PT08) CoverflyX Comedy v. Drama: Declare Your TV Major (PT02) TV Spec Script 101 (PT34) TV Spec Script 201 (PT79) "Netflix Is No. 1 Choice for TV Viewing, Beating Broadcast, Cable and YouTube" - Variety "WGA West Earnings Hit Record $1.4 Billion In 2017" - Deadline CAA's Amplify Database Scott Derrickson tweets about Snowpiercer reshoots Time Warner acquisition by AT&T Acquisition of 21st Century Fox Electronic Frontier Foundation "An Evening with Female Showrunners - Panel 1" (Video) "An Evening with Female Showrunners - Panel 2" (Video) Jose Molina's Twitter thread on "things you wish you knew then" This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers' JumpStart Writing Competition

Alex and Nick invite Mike Alber, co-creator of Disney XD's Kirby Buckets, to discuss everything about running a kids show, from producing a pilot and staffing a writers' room, to generating new material and staying creative. What is the process of selling a show? What is the journey of getting a pilot produced? How is a writing staff assembled? How do you transition from writer to showrunner? How is a kids television show made? What was it like working on Death Valley and Supah Ninjas? What was the experience of getting a freelance script on The Flash? The Paper Team gets warped... SHOWNOTES Content Getting a first writing assignment, moving to LA, working on Death Valley and Supah Ninjas, selling a show to Disney, getting the pilot of Kirby Bucket produced, interaction with other producers and showrunner, staffing and running a writers' room, breaking stories, production on a live-action children's show, freelancing on The Flash, transitioning between formats and genre (00:27) Resources and Next Week On (1:02:48) Links Mike Alber on Twitter (@MAlber) Mike Alber on Twitter (@MAlber2000) Kirby Buckets Gabe Snyder Death Valley Supah Ninjas Kristofor Brown "Subject 9" (4x14 - The Flash) Resources "Small Screen, Big Picture" - Chad Gervich "The TV Writer's Workbook" - Ellen Sandler This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers Use code ROADMAP to get $15 OFF your first Roadmap Writers Program Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick discuss the advantages and disadvantages of writing episodic and serialized television. Which format is better suited to your story? How does breaking a season change based on serialization? Why do serialized stories provide more developed character arcs? When is an episodic script more accessible to an audience? How is TV production impacted by the level of serialization? Plus, a major announcement and two more Paper Tease entries. The Paper Team connects the dots... SHOWNOTES Content Paper Tease Session (01:58) 1 - Characters (10:40) 2 - Story and Plot (23:44) 3 - Finding the middle ground (40:40) 4 - Production (47:43) Paper Tease Entries "How Grace Got to Run the World" by Reeve Segal & Kaela Crawford "Reunion Tour" by Paul Sprangers Links "The TV Writers' Room" - TV Calling Facebook Group The Art of the TV Episode (PT20) TV Viewing Habits: Writing for the Binge (PT42) "Day 478 " (2x11 - The Good Fight) "The Inner Light" (5x25 - Star Trek: The Next Generation) "Git Gone" (1x04 - American Gods) "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" (1x07 - Counterpart) "Kiksuya" (2x08 - Westworld) This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers' JumpStart Writing Competition Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick invite Miranda Miranda Sachetta, composer for Transformers: Prime Wars and The Voice, to discuss writing music on scripted and unscripted television shows. What is the process of writing a piece of music for a television show? How does the communication between the composer and creatives work? How are motifs and themes used? What can TV writers learn from music composition? How does music for scripted shows differ from unscripted? The Paper Team takes a cue... SHOWNOTES Content Starting in TV, process of composing, communication with creatives, addressing notes, temp tracks, motifs and themes, working with an orchestra, what writers can learn from composers, composing for interactive formats, post-processing (00:31) Resources and Next Week On (34:10) Links Miranda Sachetta Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy The Eagle Huntress Nobuo Uematsu Neon Genesis Evangelion My Hero Academia Special thanks to Chris Anastasi for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co

Alex and Nick offer tips and tricks to solve common TV writing obstacles. From procrastination, prose, and loglines, to characters, dialogue, and scene work, get actionable advice to troubleshoot your screenwriting problems. Can't find time or discipline to write? Having trouble coming up with ideas? Is your TV show premise unexciting? Does your TV script not have enough conflict? Are your characters uninteresting? Is your dialogue not working? Are your scenes running too long or too short? Plus, we offer feedback on two more Paper Tease entries and crown June winners. The Paper Team helps you out... SHOWNOTES Content Paper Tease Session (00:49) 1 - Problems with productivity, ideas, and procrastination (17:49) 2 - Macro script problems (24:55) 3 - Problems with character, dialogue, and prose (34:35) 4 - Scene problems (46:25) 5 - Problems after the draft (53:02) Paper Tease Entries "Duende" by Matt Sorensen "American Monarchy" by Bo Liu & Nick Ruck Links Bringing the TV Writers’ Room Process Home (PT06) Gary Provost Rewriting Your TV Script (PT90) "25 ways to kick exposition's ass" - Terrible Minds This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers' JumpStart Writing Competition Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode. If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :) You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: ask@paperteam.co