Paper Team

Alex and Nick invite Sue Chung, writer on Agent Carter, The Brave, and The Red Line, to discuss her experiences working on TV dramas, including comic-book adaptations, limited series, and action-driven content.

What are ways of handling that first week in the writers' room? What was the writing process for Agent Carter and The Brave? How did The Red Line approach representation and social issues? What are differences writing on a limited series over an ongoing show? How was the experience of pitching and selling a pilot?

The Paper Team parachutes...

Content

Writing comic-book adaptations, action-driven content, and limited series, with Sue Chung (01:30)

Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (43:38)

Links

Sue Chung on Twitter

The Red Line on CBS

Agent Carter

Gotham

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 renew their popular Paper Tease session and give feedback on five of your TV pilot teasers.

Paper Tease Entries

"Princi-pal" by Michael Hager

"Black Market Freelancer" by David Crosman

"The Psychics" by Varta Torossian

"F.M.A.C." by Ahmed Aki Aslan

"Leopold: The Lost Elephant" by Jordan Sandfer

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

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 mark one hundred and fifty episodes of Paper Team with an incredible celebration all about your favorite moments from the podcast and new advice from past guests.

Which favorite episodes and iconic moments have our listeners and guests chosen? How are writers staying at the top of their craft? What are the records Paper Team has shattered over a hundred and fifty episodes?

We also feature updates and fresh insight from several of our TV writer friends, including: Liz Alper, Chris Monfette, Michelle Badillo, Caroline Levich, Gretchen Enders, and Ning Zhou.

The Paper Team raises a glass...

Content

1 - Favorite moments chosen by our listeners, our guests, and ourselves (00:00:44)

2 - Updates and new advice from past guests ft. Liz Alper, Chris Monfette, Michelle Badillo, Caroline Levich, Gretchen Enders, and Ning Zhou (01:33:07)

3 - Looking back at three years of Paper Team and special thanks (02:01:46)

Links

Breaking in as a TV Writer Later in Life ft. J. Holtham (PT92)

TV Staffing 101 (PT101)

International TV Writing Models ft. Des Doyle (PT122)

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

Comedy v. Drama II: Blurred Lines (PT143)

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your TV Scripts (PT148)

Rewriting Your TV Script (PT90)

Disney ABC Writing Program ft. Kristi Shuton (PT130)

CBS Writers Mentoring Program ft. Jeanne Mau (PT131)

NBC Writers on the Verge ft. Karen Horne (PT132)

Warner Bros. Television Writers' Workshop ft. Rebecca Windsor (PT133)

Fox Writers Lab ft. Moira Griffin (PT137)

VR Storytelling ft. Michael Masukawa (PT102)

Paper Team Mentorship I – “Mid-Death Crisis” Overview (PT128)

Paper Team Mentorship II – “Mid-Death Crisis” Beat Sheet (PT134)

Paper Team Mentorship III – “Mid-Death Crisis” Outline (PT138)

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

Paper Team Mentorship Patreon updates

TV Writing Programs and Fellowships ft. Andy Mathieson, Jenny Deiker Restivo and Thomas Reyes (PT85)

Performing In and Out of the Writers' Room ft. Charla Lauriston (PT141)

Meetings 101: Generals and TV Staffing (PT62)

Putting Yourself Out There (PT75)

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

Finding Stability as a Nascent TV Writer ft. Julia Yorks (PT120)

An Evening in the Writers' Room (PT100)

Finding Content for Digital TV ft. Hillary Levi (PT112)

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

Networking 201: Cold Contact, Queries and Etiquette (PT121)

Writing Samples and Preparing for TV Staffing ft. Liz Alper & Kai Wu (PT119)

Writing Heroes and Breaking Genres ft. Tamara Becher-Wilkinson (PT144)

Directing TV Comedy ft. Alethea Jones (PT118)

Staying Productive During Hiatus (PT126)

Comics and TV Writing: How to Bring the Page to Screen – Paper Team Live at WonderCon 2019 (PT129)

TV Writing Incubators and the Evolution of Access (PT125)

TV Writing for Comedy & Drama ft. Michelle Badillo & Caroline Levich (PT115)

Writing and Pitching Across Formats ft. Gretchen Enders (PT124)

Earning Your Way Into the Writers' Room ft. Ning Zhou (PT135)

Liz Alper's #WGASolidaritychallenge grid

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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]

Alex and Nick discuss the latest TV writing news on staffing submissions, and answer your TV writing questions about career obstacles, spec scripts, and how valuable ideas actually are.

Plus, we announce an upcoming Paper Team travel.

Reminder

Paper Tease is back! If you'd like a chance to get feedback on the teaser of your TV pilot, you can now submit it at http://paperteam.co/teaser

NOTE: We'll actually be off next week for Labor Day, but we'll return on Monday, September 9 for our jam-packed 150th Episode Special!

Content

Announcements: Austin Film Festival and Paper Tease (01:21)

Audience Questions: Specs, the value of ideas, and impostor syndrome (03:44)

TV Writing News: Fellowships, staffing submission threads, and commercials (22:42)

Links

"Desperate Networks" - Bill Carter

The TV Writer's Roadmap - TV Calling

Justin Marks' thread on cover letter submissions

Justin Marks' thread on staffing

"Disney Confirms Disney Plus-Hulu-ESPN Plus Bundle For $12.99 A Month" - Deadline

"TV networks vowed to cut back on commercials. Instead, they stuffed in more" - LA Times

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 many common mistakes to avoid in your TV scripts. From structure and character to dialogue and formatting, we go over the frequent problems we've encountered, and our advice on fixing them.

Content

1 - Before the draft (01:41)

2 - Macro mistakes: structure, acts, stories (13:54)

3 - Micro mistakes: scenes, dialogue, prose (28:37)

4 - On the page (42:07)

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 first mentee Paul Chang, recently staffed on a Disney animated series, to hear about what he's been up to and get his perspective on being a new staff writer in television.

How do you prepare yourself for staffing opportunities? How do gauge which representation is right for you? Why is it important to celebrate all the wins? How do you deal with imposter's syndrome? How do you stay present and useful in the writers' room?

Links

Paul Chang on Twitter

Paper Team Mentorship I – "Mid-Death Crisis" Overview (PT128)

Paper Team Mentorship I - Paul's Update

Paper Team Mentorship II – “Mid-Death Crisis” Beat Sheet (PT134)

Paper Team Mentorship II - Paul's Update

Paper Team Mentorship III – “Mid-Death Crisis” Outline (PT138)

Feedback and Notes: Building Your Reading Onion (PT08)

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 share the many TV business resources they use for networking, meetings, contact management, writing news, and everything to navigate the television industry.

We go over our personal recommendations we've used over the years, and why they matter to us.

Content

1 - Books (00:42)

2 - Apps/Software (11:34)

3 - Hardware/Tools (28:57)

4 - Websites (35:39)

5 - Podcasts (55:23)

Links

"Small Screen, Big Picture" - Chad Gervich

"How to Manage Your Agent" - Gervich Chad

"Hollywood Game Plan" - Carole Kirschner

"This Business of Television" - Howard J. Blumenthal

"Producing Animation" - Catherine Winder and Zahra Dowlatabadi

"The One-Hour Drama: Producing Episodic Television" - Robert Del Valle

"Desperate Networks" - Bill Carter

"Make Your Contacts Count" - Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon

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

Airtable

Contacts+

Teamweek

Trello

Boomerang

Slack

Discord

WhatsApp

Line

WeChat

Google Voice

@Voice Aloud Reader (TTS Reader)

Evernote

Google Keep

Venmo

Vistaprint

Moo

Stickermule

Whatshalfway

Doodle

IMDb Pro

Studio System

Variety Insights

WGA Find a Writer

Screenwriters Rant Room

The Business

Industry Standard

The Treatment

WGF Podcast

Australian Screenwriters Podcast

Screen Australia Podcast

Happier in Hollywood

3rd & Fairfax

The Writers Panel

Scriptnotes

Children of Tendu

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 look at the latest TV writing news and answer your questions about classes, branding yourself as a nascent writer, and advice about managers.

Plus, we announce the return of a fan-favorite segment and we need your help for a very special episode.

Announcements

1 - Paper Tease is back! If you'd like a chance to get feedback on the teaser of your TV pilot, you can now submit it at http://paperteam.co/teaser

2 - We need your help for our 150th episode! Do you have a favorite Paper Team moment, guest, or episode? Send us your suggestions at [email protected] to be featured during our milestone event.

Content

Announcements: Mentorship update, the return of Paper Tease, and our 150th episode (00:28)

Audience Questions: TV writing classes, branding, and managers (05:08)

TV Writing News: Big Little Lies drama and new OTTs (21:09)

Links

Paper Team Mentorship Updates on Patreon

Should You Pay for TV Writing Education? (PT19)

TV Writing Resources We Use (PT139)

Comedy v. Drama II: Blurred Lines (PT143)

"Inside Andrea Arnold’s Loss of Creative Control" - IndieWire

"WarnerMedia confirms its Netflix rival will be called HBO Max" - The Verge

"Disney Unplugs FX Plus Subscription Service After Fox Merger" - Deadline

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 invite Tamara Becher-Wilkinson, writer and co-executive producer on Doom Patrol and Daredevil, to discuss her writing process, breaking stories across different genres, and her experiences in the writers' room.

What are ways of overcoming procrastination and imposter's syndrome? How can you stay creatively fulfilled while working across multiple genres? What has the experience been working on both DC and Marvel properties? What was the writers' room of Doom Patrol like? Why does representation matter in genre? How do you balance meta and absurdity with grounded characters and stakes?

The Paper Team patrols...

Content

Writing Heroes and Breaking Genres with Tamara Becher-Wilkinson (00:32)

Final Advice, Resources, and Next Week On (48:09)

Links

Tamara Becher-Wilkinson on Twitter

Doom Patrol on DC Universe

Daredevil on Netflix

Runaways on Hulu

Warehouse 13

Covert Affairs

Cop Land

"When Rabbit Howls" - Truddi Chase

Resources

"Writing for Emotional Impact" - Karl Iglesias

Children of Tendu

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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 revisit the topic of one of their seminal episodes: Comedy versus Drama. Should you still declare a major in the age of dramedies and blurred formats? Are boundaries and page-count still relevant as a TV writer? How should you approach staffing and your writing samples in today's era?

Content

1 - What we covered three years ago and what prompted this episode (00:33)

2 - How these blurred lines have affected TV staffing and the industry (11:52)

3 - How this evolution has impacted our own TV writing (21:30)

4 - Frequently asked questions (31:26)

Links

Comedy v. Drama: Declare Your TV Major (PT02)

TV Writing for Comedy & Drama ft. Michelle Badillo & Caroline Levich (PT115)

Paper Scraps Monthly – Records, Routine, and Resolution (PT140)

If you enjoyed this episode and others, 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]