Paper Team

Alex and Nick are joined by Jimmy Nguyen, executive producer of the documentary Showrunners, to discuss independent producing, collaborating with other creatives, and lessons he's learned over his years working in Los Angeles.

What is the role of a producer? How did the documentaries Showrunners and Barista came to be? How does he approach creative and professional collaborations? What are some tips to getting started and networking properly?

The Paper Team gets good at the ask...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - Moving to Los Angeles, connecting with people, and getting involved in Showrunners (00:37)

2 - Working as an independent producer, their collaborative role, and helping make Showrunners/Barista (08:39)

3 - Inspirations and other projects (38:04)

4 - Tips and advice for aspiring producers (47:15)

Resources and Next Week On (53:48)

Links

Jimmy Nguyen on Twitter

Showrunners (Documentary)

Showrunners (Book)

Barista

Comic Book Sunday

Des Doyle

Ryan Patrick McGuffey

Jason Rose

Wally Schrass

Irish Film Board

Jane Espenson

Damon Lindelof

The Pirate Tapes

Indie Game: The Movie

Charles Mruz

Going Clear

The Imposter

The Family

The King of Kong

Shut Up and Play the Hits

Helvetica (Documentary)

Searching for Sugar Man

Man on Wire

The Jinx

O.J.: Made in America

Mayor of Sunset Strip

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Heroines (Short)

The Big Short

Rachel Moore

The Champ

Search Party

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Trollhunters

Top of the Lake

Essen Game Fair

Roy Lee

"Adventures in the Screen Trade" - William Goldman

The Ring

Gravitas Ventures

Resources

"A Pound of Flesh" - Art Linson

"Save the Cat!" - Blake Snyder

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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick discuss the basics of getting an agent or manager representation as a television writer (also known as "TV Lit" representation).

What are the main differences between agents, managers and entertainment lawyers? What will they do for you, and what will you be able to do for them? When are you ready to be represented? Should you get an agent or manager first?

The Paper Team makes some calls...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - What is representation for TV writers? (0:35)

2 - The artist/rep relationship (2:00)

3 - Should you get a rep? (11:06)

4 - FAQs and common myths (21:38)

Takeaways and Resources (26:32)

Links

Mike Ovitz meeting in "The Late Shift" (Video)

The Geometry of the Deal

WGAW's Signatory Agency List

Networking 101: How to Talk With People in Hollywood (PT05)

How to Follow Up (Without Seeming Desperate) (PT07)

Getting Your TV Script Read (PT29)

Resources

"How to Get an Agent" - TV Calling

"How to Manage Your Agent" - Chad Gervich

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]

NEW: Get the episode cheat sheet on our Patreon!

Alex and Nick go over everything you need to know to get started on writing your new pilot script, as well as some dos and don'ts for each step of the process.

How do you juggle writing a compelling hour of television versus only writing the first hour of a television show? Who is your target audience? What concepts and story archetypes exist in pilots? Why is this pilot story yours to write? What are some particularities of writing a TV pilot script?

The Paper Team sets up their premise...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - What makes a TV pilot, a TV pilot or "what it's about and who it's for" (0:56)

2 - The particularities of writing a pilot script (25:36)

Takeaways and Resources (54:31)

Links

"Disappointed - Hercules" (Video)

17th Precinct

"Sunset" (3x06 - Breaking Bad)

"Bringing the TV Writers’ Room Process Home" (PT06)

"Act Breaks" (PT15)

"Exposition in TV Writing" (PT24)

Resources

"TV Pilot Checklist" - Secret of Story

"TV Script Standards" - The Black List

"Write to TV" - Martie Cook

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick discuss strategies on getting your shiny new TV script read around town, and what to actually expect from your efforts.

Who should you want to read you? How do you know when you're ready to be read? What should you send over? What if you don't hear back?

The Paper Team has some recommendations...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - Who you should get read by (0:39)

2 - What to send and knowing when you're ready to be read (4:48)

3 - Expectations versus Reality (10:47)

Takeaways and Resources (21:12)

Links

"How to Meet People in LA (When You Don’t Know Anyone)" (PT03)

Networking 101: How to Talk With People in Hollywood (PT05)

The Second City

Starship Troopers - Would You Like to Know More? (Video)

Seeso

Kay Reindl

"How to Follow Up (Without Seeming Desperate)" (PT07)

Resources

"I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script" - Josh Olson

Louis C.K.'s Newsgroup Post

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick discuss how to turn an outline for a TV script (pilot or spec) into a fully-fledged draft.

Where should you begin? What if you're stuck or don't know where to start in a scene? What should you tweak and improve when looking back at your first draft? Should you use every option in Final Draft?

The Paper Team opens their screenwriting software...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1) Outline versus Draft (0:42)

2) Where to start? (2:23)

3) Scene Work (7:08)

4) Writing and refining the draft (14:51)

5) FAQs (22:23)

Takeaways and Resources (28:50)

Links

"Scribble version, final version" (John August)

The Wolf of Wall Street

Heat's diner scene (Video)

Waze

Resources

Hemingway Editor

WordCounter

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick welcome Sam Miller, writer on YouTube's Single by 30 and CBS' Mom, to discuss his own process for creating a web series (L.A. Beer), the state of the format, his TV writing work, and being involved in JHRTS and the WGA.

How do you make and market your own independent web series? What are the differences between television writing and writing for a YouTube web series? What are the benefits of being involved in JHRTS and the Writers Guild of America?

The Paper Team skips the ad and goes straight to the content...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - Beginnings and making/marketing an independent web series (00:37)

2 - The relationship between professional web series and tradition television (18:13)

3 - Writing for TV versus a YouTube Red series (23:39)

4 - Being involved in JHRTS, the WGA, and how Sam sees the evolution of television content (28:32)

Recommendations and Outro (38:49)

Links

Sam Miller on Twitter

L.A. Beer

Machinima

Half-Life

"Small Screen, Big Picture" - Chad Gervich

LA TV Writers Yahoo Group

Desperate Housewives

Supah Ninjas

Mike Alber

Kirby Buckets

Chris Wu

Ali Chen

Jessica Kivnik

Greg Machlin

Andrew Orillion

The Exes

"L.A. Beer, First Web Series Filmed With Live Studio Audience to Launch" (Variety)

High Maintenance

Teachers (TV Land)

CW Seed

Broad City

Single by 30

Machinima, Inc.

Maker Studios

FullScreen

Todd Waldman

JHRTS

"#TheGreyBox: A TV Writing Chatroom" (TV Calling)

"Creating Your Web Series: Empowering Writers to do their Own from Concept to Completion" (Video)

WGF Library

James L. Brooks

Jeff Melvoin

"Farewell, Hulu! Hello, Criterion Channel!" (Criterion)

Seeso

CBS All-Access

YouTube Red Membership

WGAw (YouTube)

PGA (YouTube)

MIPCOM (YouTube)

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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick ring in the new year by discussing how they manage their TV writing goals and resolutions.

How can you prepare for a typical year in the TV writing industry? What tools can you use to track and manage your goals? What are some practical resolutions to have? What does Paper Team have in store for 2017?

The Paper Team looks at the year to come...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - Goals and Resolutions (00:28)

2 - Mapping out the TV writing year ahead (7:08)

3 - Tools to track and manage goals (15:40)

4 - Paper Team in 2017 (20:56)

Resources and Next Week On (23:10)

Links

SMART criteria

TV upfronts

YearCompass

Resources

r/GetDisciplined (reddit)

Jerry Seinfeld's Don't Break the Chain

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick celebrate the holiday season and the end of 2016 by taking a look at their favorite TV holiday episodes, the best media of the past year, and some stats about the first six months of Paper Team.

What makes a TV Christmas special? What are some of the best holiday specials? What was the best thing of 2016? What gifts did Nick and Alex give each other?

The Paper Team settles down in front of the fire and grabs a cup of eggnog...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - What makes a TV Christmas special? (00:30)

2 - The best holiday TV episodes (11:12)

3 - Best of 2016 (27:10)

4 - A look back at Paper Team's first year (47:45)

Gift Exchange and Outro (52:45)

Links

Jingle All the Way

It's a Wonderful Life

Christmas Episode (TV Tropes)

List of U.S. Christmas television episodes

EastEnders

Downton Abbey

Doctor Who Christmas specials

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)

Home Alone

Die Hard

"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (1x01 - The Simpsons)

"Marge Be Not Proud" (7x11 - The Simpsons)

"Xmas Story" (2x08 - Futurama)

"Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" (1x09 - South Park)

"Amends" (3x10 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

A Christmas Carol

"Merry Mayhem" (6x10 - Dawson's Creek)

"The Best Chrismukkah Ever" (1x13 - The O.C.)

The OC Insider Shop

Yamaclaus

"The Strike" (9x10 - Seinfeld)

The Get Down

The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story

BrainDead

Atlanta

The Good Place

"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" (1x06 - American Crime Story)

"San Junipero" (3x04 - Black Mirror)

“Fish Out Of Water” (3x04 - Bojack Horseman)

"Category 55 Doomsday Crisis" (1x05 - The Good Place)

Travelers

We Bare Bears

The Hamilton Mixtape

Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)

"Conscious" - BROODS

"Sprained Ankle" - Julien Baker

Moonlight

Arrival

Eric Heisserer

Lights Out

La La Land

"Bitch Planet" - Kelly Sue DeConnick

"Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days" - Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky & Braden Kowitz

The Influence of TV: Scratching the Surface (PT11)

Diversity in TV and the Writers’ Room ft. Francesca Butler & Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (PT14)

The Writers Guild Foundation Podcast

Time Timer

Pomodoro Technique

Aaron Sorkin's Trump Letter

YearCompass

Home Alone: The Authorized Coloring Book

Die Hard: The Authorized Coloring and Activity Book

Aqua Notes Water-Proof Notepad

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick take a look at exposition in television writing, from dialogue to prose, action, and meta information.

What should be revealed to the audience? How can you give exposition in an organic and entertaining way? What differentiates good exposition from bad exposition?

The Paper Team shows and tells...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - What is exposition and what information should you reveal (00:29)

2 - How to do exposition in TV: bad versus good exposition, dialogue, prose, and meta (06:52)

Takeaways and Resources (30:29)

Links

Mr. Exposition (TVTropes)

"Why Fall TV is Choking on Its Own Voice-Over" - IndieWire

"And Maggie Makes Three" (6x13 - The Simpsons)

"Lizard" (1x01 - Man Seeking Woman)

"Pilot" (1x01 - Breaking Bad)

"Top Banana" (1x02 - Arrested Development)

Fringe's location chyrons

"Through the Looking Glass" (3x22-23 - Lost)

Lost's flash-fowards

"Premiere" (1x01 - Farscape)

Resources

"Dialogue Secrets" - William Martell

"Escape From (Dull) Exposition" (Video)

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]

Alex and Nick discuss the contentious subject of copyrighting and idea theft in television. From the WGA to the Copyright Office, we take a look at the basics of protecting your work.

What does a copyright do? Should you register your TV spec script or pilot? Have there been cases of TV copyright infringements? Why is it important for TV writers to share their work?

The Paper Team consults their legal team...

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 - What is copyright or WGA West Registry vs. Copyright Office (1:01)

2 - Common questions about copyright (04:06)

3 - International copyright (9:55)

4 - When you should copyright and if copyright is enforced in TV (12:00)

5 - Why you should share your work instead of over-protecting it (19:02)

Takeaways (28:14)

Links

WGA West Registry

U.S. Copyright Office

Copyright Act of 1976

Authors' Rights (AKA "droit d'auteur")

"Judge Rejects New Girl Idea Theft Case" - Variety

"Forest Park's Breach of Contract Suit Over USA Network's 'Royal Pains' Not Preempted by Copyright Act" - Seattle Copyright Watch

John August's thoughts on idea theft

"Speccing and Sharing Star Trek: Terran" - TV Calling

Javier Grillo-Marxuach's "Experimental Design Bureau"

John August's draft library

"A darkly comedic Seinfeld spec script set days after 9/11" - AV Club

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn 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: [email protected]