Paper Team

Alex and Nick invite Shannon Houston, writer on the HBO series Lovecraft Country and co-host of the Lovecraft Country Radio podcast, to discuss writing Lovecraftian horror, representation in genre, and producing a companion podcast for a popular series.

How does Lovecraft Country strike a balance with its tone and format each week? What kind of rules are there around the mythology of the world? How is genre and horror used as an allegory to explore social issues? What goes into running a companion podcast to a popular TV show? How is feedback from viewers and listeners received and considered when it comes to the content of the show?

Content

Writing Lovecraftian horror and making a TV companion podcast with Shannon Houston (00:42)

Final advice, resources, and next week on (40:05)

Links

Shannon Houston on Twitter

Lovecraft Country on HBO

Lovecraft Country Radio Podcast

Resource

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

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]

Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about non-adult animation, reverse-engineering shows, and cultural references.

Plus, we reveal details of our online virtual mixer and discuss the latest TV news, including broadcast comedies under threat, productions resuming, and controversial release schedules.

Reminder

We're having our first online virtual mixer this week!

Join us Saturday, October 3 at 6PM PST over Zoom.

Link and information available at http://paperteam.co/onlinemixer

Content

Virtual Mixer Announcement and Shout-Outs (00:33)

TV Writing Questions: Non-adult animation, reverse-engineering shows, and cultural references (03:54)

TV Writing News: Controversial release schedules, broadcast comedies, freelance laws, and productions resuming (26:05)

Links

Nickelodeon Animation Writing Program (PT179)

ScreenplaySubs extension

"The Boys Showrunner Addresses Backlash to Season 2 Release Schedule" - CBR

"Network Comedies’ Future Threatened By Outdated Broadcast Business Model" - Deadline

California Assembly Bill 5 (2019)

"‘For Life’ Suspends Production Due to ‘Inconsistent’ COVID-19 Test Results" - Variety

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]

Alex and Nick begin the 2020 Paper Team Mentorship with winner and mentee Ben Warner, with his new drama pilot THE PIRATE KING.

Step one of the process: a basic overview of the series and pilot, with premise, characters, themes, and arcs.

We hear for the first time Ben's pitch and share our thoughts live.

The 2020 mentorship begins...

Content

About the 2020 Paper Team Mentorship and mentee Ben (00:49)

"The Pirate King" - Basic series overview (05:54)

Discussion of the basic series overview (11:44)

Links

"The Pirate King" basic series overview document

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]

Alex and Nick give feedback on five of your teasers on this year's final Paper Tease session.

Plus, we reveal the winner of our new 2020 Paper Team Mentorship!

Paper Tease Entries

"There Goes the Neighbourhood" by Tobias Tobbell

"Hench" by Kwame Lewis

"Rift Jumpers" by José David Ernand

"The Lot" by Travis Brashears

"America’s Strangest Syndromes" by Annaliese Eisenstadt

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]

Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about character arcs and animated script length, and discuss the latest TV writing news involving the All-Rise writers' room mutiny and the WarnerMedia restructure.

Plus, we talk with director Charles Mruz about his new board-game documentary Gamemaster, and tease an upcoming Paper Team mixer.

Content

Mixer Tease and Shout-Outs (00:35)

TV Writing Questions: Character arcs and animated script length (05:31)

Gamemaster documentary with director Charles Mruz (14:45)

TV Writing News: All-Rise mutiny and WarnerMedia restructure (25:16)

Links

Gamemaster Documentary on Linktree

Independent Producing ft. Jimmy Nguyen (Showrunners) (PT32)

"Writers Mutiny at ‘All Rise,’ the Rare CBS Show With a Black Female Lead" - New York Times

"Bob Greenblatt, Kevin Reilly Out at WarnerMedia in Management Shakeup" - Variety

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]

Alex and Nick catch up with their 2019 Paper Team Mentee Paul Chang, staff writer on the upcoming animated Disney TV comedy The Curse of Molly McGee.

We discuss what he's been up to over the past year, including how his first full season in a writers' room went, the importance of building relationships, how COVID has had an impact for him professionally, lessons learned from the mentorship, and much more.

Plus, we reveal an update about our 2020 Paper Team Mentorship.

Links

Paul Chang on Twitter

"The Curse of Molly McGee"

Paper Team Mentorship IV – Staffing Update With Paul (PT147)

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]

Alex and Nick discuss the current trend of diminishing episode orders and shorter seasons, and how that affects the size of writers' rooms, opportunities for emerging writers, and other worrying consequences for television writing.

Why are TV season orders shrinking from twenty-two episodes down to as few as three? How does this affect professional opportunities for writers, both emerging and established? What does it mean for the TV business and distribution models? What are some of the long-term consequences for access and diversity in television? What are proactive ways of combating and solving these issues?

Content

1 - Shorter seasons and diminishing episode orders (00:34)

2 - How that affects writers and opportunities (10:17)

3 - How that affects business and creativity (29:34)

Links

"Michael Schur on What We Lose When TV Gets Shorter" - Vanity Fair

TV Writing Incubators and the Evolution of Access (PT125)

The Art of the TV Episode (PT20)

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]

Alex and Nick feature their next Paper Tease session by giving feedback on four more of your original TV pilot teasers.

Paper Tease Entries

"Dad’s the Word" by Peter C. Hayward

"Earthrise, Earthset" by Zac Kostyrka

"Cuba Libre" by Stephen Nolly

"Out for Blood" by Jack Fuhrmann

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Want to get feedback on the teaser of your TV pilot in an upcoming Paper Tease session? Find all the information you need at http://paperteam.co/teaser

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]

Alex and Nick talk about the big picture of your TV pilot script and its scope, from what the first episode should capture, to what it can leave out.

What defines the scope of your TV pilot? What are ways of deciding when the pilot should start and when it should end? How do you tell a satisfying episodic story while also setting up a longer-tail series? What are common mistakes people make when deciding on the scope of their pilot story? Why shouldn't you "save it for later"?

The Paper Team hones in...

Content

1 - TV pilot scope and common mistakes (00:29)

2 - TV pilot beginnings and ends (28:58)

Links

TV Pilot 101 (PT30)

TV Pilot 201: Keeping the Reader Interested (PT84)

TV Formula 101: Building an Engine For Your Show (PT117)

Act Breaks (PT15)

Weaving Storylines: A/B/C Stories (PT53)

Teasers & Cold Opens (PT61)

Analyzing Great TV Pilots: Case Studies of Alias, Community, Homicide, The O.C., Scrubs and 3rd Rock from the Sun (PT54)

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]

Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about reference letters, international writing programs, spec script timelines, and title page fonts.

Plus, we take a look at the latest business news, notably the new WGA 2020 MBA and success stories of past guests.

Content

Shout-Outs and Updates (00:32)

TV Writing Questions: Reference letters, international writing programs, spec script timeline, and title page fonts (04:36)

TV Writing News: 2020 WGA MBA, past guests' overall deals, and series pick-up (18:01)

Links

Nickelodeon Animation Writing Program ft. Katherine Wells (PT179)

Building Your Career as a TV Writer ft. LaToya Morgan (PT111)

DaFont

Summary of the Tentative 2020 WGA MBA

"LaToya Morgan Inks Overall Deal With Warner Bros. Television Group, Launches Production Company" - Deadline

"Amazon Sets Mystery-Comedy ‘Nancy Wu Done It’ From Kai Yu Wu And Jessica Henwick" - Deadline

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]