Paper Team

By Alex Freedman & Nick Watson

Paper Team is a podcast about television writing and becoming a TV writer.... more

4.9

112112 ratings

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FAQs about Paper Team:

How many episodes does Paper Team have?

The podcast currently has 212 episodes available.

Paper Team episodes:

March 22, 2021 Paper Pause (PT212)
Alex and Nick announce that they’re taking a break from Paper Team. From new content to COVID fatigue, we go over all the reasons behind our decision in this episode.
Plus, we discuss the future of the podcast and our Patreon campaign.
Links
Survivor: Hollywood – Emotional and Practical Realities of TV Writing (PT209)
COVID-19 and Hollywood: How We Adapt (PT177)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
20min
March 15, 2021 TV Access, Financial Support, and Finale History – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT211)
Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about the usefulness of being an assistant, limited access for lower-level writers, and supporting yourself financially.
Plus, we discuss the latest TV writing news, including the Paramount+ presentation and a series finale’s oral history.
Content
Review shout-out (00:32)
TV Writing Questions: Usefulness of being an assistant, supporting yourself financially, and limited access for lower-levels (01:18)
TV Writing News: Paramount+ presentation, revivals, and the oral history of Lost‘s series finale (22:25)
Links
Dunbar’s number
James Hamilton’s Twitter thread on supporting yourself financially
Michelle Denise Jackson’s Twitter thread on diminishing lower-level access
TV Writing Incubators and the Evolution of Access (PT125)
Less TV, Less Opportunity (PT186)
WGAw’s 2020 Inclusion Report (PDF)
“ViacomCBS Bets on Big-Tent Strategy for Streaming Growth With Paramount Plus” – Variety
“Avatar: The Last Airbender To Expand With Launch Of Avatar Studios” – Deadline
“The Oral History of Lost’s Series finale” – Vulture
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
29min
March 08, 2021 Paper Tease Revisited (PT210)
Alex and Nick follow up on past Paper Tease entrants to see what has happened with their scripts and their careers since their work appeared on Paper Team.
Links
Paper Tease: Hooked On A Story – July Session (PT180)
Paper Tease Reveals – November Session (PT158)
Paper Tease Returns – September Session (PT151)
Paper Scraps Monthly VI – Mentorship Announcement, November Paper Tease, Overall Deals & Executives (PT113)
Paper Tease: Microcosms – August Session (PT185)
Paper Tease: Context For Your Text – September Session (PT189)
Paper Scraps Monthly – March Paper Tease and Mentorship Winner (PT127)
Paper Tease Returns – September Session (PT151)
Survivor: Hollywood – Emotional and Practical Realities of TV Writing (PT209)
WyldCats Table Read – Paper Team Live (PT162)
Paper Scraps Monthly – February Paper Tease and Syndication News (PT123)
Paper Tease Returns – September Session (PT151)
Paper Tease: Clash of the Tightens – March Session (PT173)
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
49min
March 01, 2021 Survivor: Hollywood – Emotional and Practical Realities of TV Writing (PT209)
Alex and Nick discuss the realities of sustaining a career as a TV writer, from financial and mental hardships, to professional and personal burnout.
What does “breaking in” really mean? What are the practical and emotional realities of being a TV writer? What are strategies we’ve found helpful for our own well-being? Why is taking care of your mental health so important for your work? How does social and professional burnout manifest? When should you quit the industry? How do you outwit, outplay, and outlast in the entertainment industry?
It’s time for Survivor: Hollywood.
Content
1 – Realities of sustaining a TV writing career (00:01:31)
2 – Taking care of your mental health (00:30:23)
Resources and Next Week On (00:59:45)
Links
Julia Yorks’ Twitter thread on career momentum
Finding Stability as a Nascent TV Writer ft. Julia Yorks (PT120)
Managing Finances as an Assistant & Staff Writer ft. Kiyong Kim (PT16)
Brittani Nichols’ Twitter thread on TV writer pay disparity
Positive Mindset and Resilience in the Writers’ Room ft. Rochée Jeffrey & April Shih (PT161)
Resources
WGA Career Longevity Committee
Mental Health Resources for Angelenos
“Happier in Hollywood” podcast
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
1h 3min
February 22, 2021 TV Writing Conditions and WGA Win – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT208)
Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about ideal writing conditions, writing essentials, and predatory representation contracts.
Plus, we discuss the latest news, including the WGA/WME agreement, and problematic behaviors in our industry.
Content
TV Writing Questions: Ideal writing conditions and predatory contracts (00:32)
TV Writing News: WGA/WME Agreement, problematic behaviors, and a new OTT (21:14)
Links
WGA Agreement with WME
“Gina Carano fired from ‘Mandalorian’ after social media posts” – PBS News Hour
“More Voices Speak Out Against Joss Whedon’s Conduct” – Deadline
“ViacomCBS’ Paramount+ Campaign During Super Bowl” – AdWeek
“Frasier Revival Eyed at Paramount+” – TV Line
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
33min
February 08, 2021 TV Outlines: At Home and in the Writers’ Room (PT207)
Alex and Nick take a look at the outlining process in television writing. Whether you’re working on your own TV sample scripts, or asked to deliver outlines in a writers’ room, we dig into everything you should watch out for.
Why is outlining a critical step in television? How do we approach outlines? Have there been times we’ve decided not to outline? How early in the process do we outline? How do outlines differ between your own work and what is expected in a writers’ room? Why has there been a push against outlines by some showrunners?
Content
1 – Outlines in your own work: TV samples, specs, pilots (00:28)
2 – Outlines in a professional environment: TV writers’ rooms and pushback (19:21)
Links
From Outline to (First) Draft (PT28)
Twitter thread on TV outlines
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
35min
February 01, 2021 2020 Paper Team Mentorship VI – “The Pirate King” Strategy (PT206)
Alex and Nick conclude the 2020 Paper Team Mentorship with mentee Ben Warner, and his drama pilot THE PIRATE KING.
Final step of the process: strategizing on what to do with your new pilot script, from using this sample to attract representation, to using it as a TV staffing or selling tool, and much more.
Content
2020 Mentorship Recap and “The Pirate King” Script Updates (00:49)
Internal Strategies: Understanding your script and yourself (04:32)
External Strategies: What to do with your script? (19:54)
Links
2020 Paper Team Mentorship I – “The Pirate King” Overview (PT190)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship I – Ben’s Update
2020 Paper Team Mentorship II – “The Pirate King” Beat Sheet (PT193)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship II – Ben’s Update
2020 Paper Team Mentorship III – “The Pirate King” Outline (PT198)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship III – Ben’s Update
2020 Paper Team Mentorship IV – “The Pirate King” First Draft (PT201)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship IV – Ben’s Update
2020 Paper Team Mentorship V – “The Pirate King” Revised Draft (PT204)
Branding Yourself (PT86)
Branding Samples, Manager Opinions, and OTTs (PT145)
Tell Us About Yourself: Crafting the Personal Pitch (PT165)
TV Writing Competitions (PT33)
Script Readiness, Contests, and Career Detours (PT160)
TV Writer Representation 101 (PT31)
Networking 201: Cold Contact, Queries and Etiquette (PT121)
Putting Yourself Out There (PT75)
TV Staffing vs. TV Selling (PT182)
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
1h 13min
January 25, 2021 Pitches, Pivots, and Pilots – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT205)
Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about pitching with a script, and pivoting towards a screenwriting career.
Plus, we discuss the latest news, including productions halting in LA, and pilot season during a pandemic.
Content
Editor Goodbye and Shout-Outs (00:31)
TV Writing Questions: Pitching with a script, pivoting towards a screenwriting career later in life (02:56)
TV Writing News: Warner Bros, Alex Trebek, and production shutdowns (17:58)
Links
Networking 201: Cold Contact, Queries and Etiquette (PT121)
Protecting and Over-Protecting Your TV Script: Copyright, Ownership and Idea Theft (PT23)
Breaking in as a TV Writer Later in Life ft. J. Holtham (PT92)
“Warner Bros will stream its 2021 films” – The Ringer
“HBO Max Planning Original DC Content for International Markets” – CBR
“The Hidden Depths of Alex Trebek’s Banter with Jeopardy Contestants” – The New Yorker
“SAG-AFTRA, Producers Guild & Advertisers Urge Temporary Shutdown” – Deadline
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
30min
January 18, 2021 2020 Paper Team Mentorship V – “The Pirate King” Revised Draft (PT204)
Alex and Nick continue the 2020 Paper Team Mentorship with mentee Ben Warner, and the revised draft of his drama pilot THE PIRATE KING.
Step five of the process: revising the first draft of the original pilot.
We share our thoughts on Ben’s revised draft.
Content
2020 Mentorship recap (00:00:45)
Discussion of “The Pirate King” revised draft (00:02:05)
Links
“The Pirate King” revised draft
2020 Paper Team Mentorship I – “The Pirate King” Overview (PT190)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship I – Ben’s Update
2020 Paper Team Mentorship II – “The Pirate King” Beat Sheet (PT193)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship II – Ben’s Update
2020 Paper Team Mentorship III – “The Pirate King” Outline (PT198)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship III – Ben’s Update
2020 Paper Team Mentorship IV – “The Pirate King” First Draft (PT201)
2020 Paper Team Mentorship IV – Ben’s Update
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
1h 20min
January 11, 2021 Work-Life Balance in TV: Tips and Strategies (PT203)
Alex and Nick discuss tips and strategies on how to deal with work-life balance in the television industry now that it has moved to a remote model. How has “work-from-home” had an impact on the industry? What are strategies we’ve worked on to manage both remote work and life? What are some resources for time and productivity while creating healthy boundaries?
Content
1 – Life and Work-From-Home Balance in the TV Industry (00:31)
2 – How We Manage a Work-From-Home/Life Balance (07:36)
Resources and Next Week On (38:28)
Links
Fun Habit (FKA Loop Habit) App
The TV Writer’s Mindset: Dealing With Procrastination, Blank Page, and the Muse (PT17)
Staying Productive During Hiatus (PT126)
If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)
You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]
...more
45min

FAQs about Paper Team:

How many episodes does Paper Team have?

The podcast currently has 212 episodes available.