The Alex Berman Podcast

What It Means To Be a Showrunner (The Art Of Running a TV Show) w/ Carole Kirschner

08.27.2018 - By Alex Berman, Chairman of Experiment 27Play

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Carole Kirschner started as an assistant and worked her way up to become a senior level creative television executive. She was at CBS Comedy and then hired as Vice President of Steven Spielberg’s first Amblin Television. During that time, she heard more than 3,000 pitches, bought hundreds of scripts, and was involved in developing dozens of television series. She also created the CBS Diversity Institute Writers Mentoring Program, which she ran for 14 years. She also helped Jeff Melvoin (creator of the WGA Showrunner Training Program) develop the program’s curriculum. She's also an entertainment career coach. She wrote a book revealing the “inside,” unwritten truth about what it takes to succeed in this business. Hollywood Game Plan: How to Land a Job in Film, TV and Digital Entertainment has been enthusiastically received and is used in many colleges and universities across the country. She recently launched a 20-part virtual course on breaking into the business: Carole Kirschner’s Hollywood Boot Camp.   This show is sponsored by Experiment 27. Get the discovery call script & questions template HERE.   In this episode you'll learn: [01:36] about WGA showrunner training program [04:17] Who typically applies to the program [06:13] What is a network looking for in a showrunner  [07:37] Being a showrunner is hard job [09:05] How are top showrunners spending their time [11:45] In TV only a writer can be a showrunner [13:22] How to decide on a story development [15:40] How to staff the writers room [17:25] Book to read on how to develop a TV series [18:10] How applicants get picked for the program [21:50] What do writers find most challenging [24:00] How can writers delegate better Links mentioned: Carole's website WGA Showrunner Training Program Brought to you by Experiment 27. Find us on Youtube.   If you’ve enjoyed the episode, please subscribe to The Alex Berman Podcast on iTunes and leave us a 5-star review.   Get access to our FREE Sales Courses.

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