TV Writer Podcast - Video

075 – Former Development Exec Scott Manville, Creator of TV Writers Vault (VIDEO)

This week we meet Scott Manville… an entrepreneur who used his experience as the former Head of TV Development for Merv Griffin Entertainment, to create the unique Television Writers Vault, a resource that connects writers with top producers and network executives.

With 15 years of professional experience in TV program development, Scott Manville is the Founder and President of the Television Writers Vault (tvwritersvault.com), an online marketplace used by top producers and network executives sourcing new show concepts and stories for TV.

As the former Head of TV Development for Merv Griffin Entertainment, his hands-on experience within that development and pitching process inspired this groundbreaking service for the protection and promotion of new concepts and formats being pitched to Industry buyers.

Back in his days of development, Scott worked on writing pitches and formats that were produced as “Click” (game show, which was Ryan Seacrest’s first TV hosting gig), “Men Are From Mars,” “Good Samaritan,” and other in-house projects for Griffin.

The Television Writers Vault is the first industry website to bring new TV show “ideas” from everyday people outside the industry, to production and global broadcast on major networks, such as A&E, Discovery Channel, SyFy, OLN, and other international outlets. Scott is also a professional pitch writer, offering services for writers and creators developing reality-based concepts for television.

Scott also created www.creatorsvault.com and www.castmyreality.com… Check them out!

For more info and great resources, visit www.tvwritersvault.comand www.scottmanville.com.

Scott Manville on Twitter: @tvwritersvault or @ScottManville

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published April 29, 2013.

074 – House of Cards Creator/Showrunner Beau Willimon (VIDEO)

From never being on a TV staff, to becoming the creator and showrunner of “House of Cards,” Netflix’s original foray into dramatic television and the corrupted world of politics… this week’s interview with screenwriter, painter, and playwright Beau Willimon is sure to inspire you!

Beau Willimon is a screenwriter, playwright, producer and most recently, an executive producer, showrunner and creator of Netflix’s original series “House of Cards,” a wicked one-hour drama, from Media Rights Capital, that slithers behind the curtain of power, sex, ambition, love, greed and corruption in modern Washington D.C.

His play “Farragut North,” became the basis for the motion picture screenplay “Ides of March,” which he co-wrote with George Clooney and Grant Heslov. “Ides of March” earned Willimon Academy Award®, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, and it won The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Award for Best Screenplay.

Other plays include “Lower Ninth” (Flea Theater, 2008; UK premiere, Donmar Warehouse, 2010), and “Spirit Control” (Manhattan Theatre Club, 2010). Subsequent productions of his plays have been mounted across the U.S. and overseas. Willimon was a recipient of the Lila Acheson Wallace Juilliard Playwriting Fellowship, named 2008 Playwright-in-Residence at the Donmar Warehouse, and he is a two-time winner of the Lincoln Center Le Comte du Nouy Award. Current theater commissions include works for the National Theatre of Great Britain, South Coast Rep, and the Flea Theater.

His most recent play, “The Parisian Woman,” premieres at South Coast Repertory in the spring and will star Dana Delany, Steven Culp, Linda Gehringer and Rebecca Mozo. The play was inspired by Henri Becque’s “La Parisienne.”

Recently Willimon co-founded Westward Productions, a film and television production company, with co-founder Jordan Tappis. Among Westward Production’s current projects is the forthcoming “Wally and Andre Shoot Ibsen” – a film adaption of Ibsen’s play “Master Builder” developed by Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, directed by Jonathan Demme. Willimon is an Executive Producer on the film. Other projects in development include a documentary about adventure traveler Karl Bushby’s quest to circumnavigate the globe on foot over the course of two decades, and a documentary about Westerly Windina, a transgender Australian woman formerly known as legendary pro-surfer Peter Drouyn.

In addition to his career as a writer and producer, Willimon served on a number of political campaigns, including Chuck Schumer’s 1998 senate race, Bill Bradley’s 2000 presidential race, Hillary Clinton’s 2000 senate race and Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential race.

Willimon graduated with a B.A. from Columbia University in 1999 and an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Columbia University’s School of the Arts in 2003. A St. Louis native, he now resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Beau’s Twitter: @BeauWillimon

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published April 14, 2013.

073 – Shooting Your Own TV Pilot – Corinna Mendis (VIDEO)

The odds of a pilot script being sold and produced are incredibly small. What if you absolutely must see your story come to life? This week we meet Corinna Mendis, who despite having no film schooling or previous experience, independently produced and shot her own spec pilot!

Corinna Mendis, a native New Yorker, grew up wanting to become an actress. When her parents threatened to cut her off, she put creative pursuits on a shelf, and dug herself in to university studies. Two bachelor’s degrees and two Master’s degrees later, she found she couldn’t stop writing, especially about the trials and tribulations of the homeless population at a homeless center she volunteered at in Long Island, New York.

She pursued books, classes, seminars, and any resource she could find, to learn about the television writing process, including classes with Larry Brody, author of Television Writing from the Inside Out.

Rather than try to sell her pilot in script form, Corinna decided to produce it herself! With Larry’s encouragement and support, she spent $25,000 of her own money to produce “Not In My Neighborhood,” a single camera half hour TV pilot shot in the same homeless shelter where she volunteered.

Corinna learned a tremendous amount in the process… so much so, that she encourages anyone who is currently thinking about film school to consider instead following in her footsteps, and learning through doing.

The entire pilot “Not In My Neighborhood” is available online: CLICK HERE

Or, you can see a trailer for it here: CLICK HERE

Corinna’s Twitter: @CorinnaMendis

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published March 24, 2013.

072 – Continuum Writing Team Jeremy Smith & Matt Venables (VIDEO)

Writing teams are popular in Hollywood, as they can give shows more bang for their buck. But are they popular in Canada? Find out as we meet Jeremy Smith and Matt Venables, a Vancouver-based writing team currently staffed on Continuum.

Born in Barrie, Ontario and living in Vancouver, Jeremy Smithgraduated the Victoria Motion Picture School in 2000 and has been in the film industry ever since, thoroughly learning all aspects of production working as a Producer’s and Executive’s assistant on television series and feature films.

During the first season of Continuum, Jeremy was a Story Editor and co-wrote his first credited hour drama with fellow writer Jonathan Lloyd Walker. He also acted as the Creative director for the Continuum Transmedia Campaign.

Jeremy’s Twitter: @CaptainPunch

Matthew Venables’ love of music lead him to the world of film. Bands like Suicidal Tendencies and Public Enemy’s socially conscious lyrics inspired him to write poetry and song lyrics. After graduating from Victoria Motion Picture School in 1999, he moved to Vancouver and started directing music videos with fellow filmmakers Jeremy Smith and Troy Sitter under the “The Lollypop Kids” moniker. He has spent the past decade working on various TV series and Films learning the trade and crafting his art. After spending a year with the writing team of Continuum, Matthew’s writing talent earned him his first credited script assignment.

Matt’s Twitter: @palithean

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published March 17, 2013.

071 – Novelist/Screenwriter Vivi Anna / Tawny Stokes (VIDEO)

What are your excuses for not writing? This week we meet Vivi Anna / Tawny Stokes, a successful novelist and screenwriter, who writes and publishes mountains of material while being a single mom and homeschooling her teenage daughter!

Vivi Anna is an award-winning Canadian multi-published author in paranormal romance, urban fantasy, scifi, and young adult under the name Tawny Stokes. Since 2003, she’s written and published close to 23 books for New York publishers such as Harlequin, Kensington and Avon. She’s also independently published several projects on her own.

Vivi is also a screenwriter and TV writer and is one of the co-founders of the weekly TV Writer Chat. One of her pilots, adapted from one of her books, was a finalist in both the Austin and Slamdance Film Festivals in 2011.

Vivi is excellent at time management, having accomplished all of these things while being a single parent and home schooling her children. In this interview, she discusses some of her secrets, as well as trying to break in to Hollywood from thousands of miles away, and her impressions of the TV Writer Chat pilot writing program so far.

Website: www.vivianna.net
Twitter: @authorViviAnna

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published February 19, 2013.

070 – The Emotion Thesaurus Author Angela Ackerman (VIDEO)

Whether you’re a feature or TV writer, actor, or novelist, The Emotion Thesaurus is an indispensable tool for your arsenal. Find out why, in this week’s insightful interview with co-author Angela Ackerman!

Angela Ackerman lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband and two teen boys. A lover of mystery and mythology, her chapter books, middle grade and young adult novels are represented by Jill Corcoran of The Herman Agency.

Angela is also the co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression, a unique writing resource that tackles the “show-don’t-tell” aspect of character emotion. A strong believer in writers helping writers, Angela teaches workshops, runs critique groups both online and in person, and blogs at the award-winning resource, The Bookshelf Muse, a description hub for writers, editors and teachers.

In the interview, we discuss the many uses for The Emotion Thesaurus: to help train your powers of observation, as a scene tool, to help rewriting, to enhance readability of your scripts, and much more!

Website: thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.ca
Twitter: @AngelaAckerman

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published February 10, 2013.

069 – Suits, The Good Guys Writer Rick Muirragui (VIDEO)

Rick Muirragui did everything right… moved to LA, got assistant jobs on well known shows, wrote tons of spec material, and wrote freelance episodes for the shows he worked on, but it was when he was accepted into the NBC Writers on the Verge writing fellowship that his career really took off!

Rick Muirragui grew up in Virginia, but traveled a lot because his father was in the US Army. After studying journalism and writing several spec features, he moved to Los Angeles and became interested in television.

He landed assistant jobs on well known sci fi shows Roswell and Firefly. One show led to another, and he wrote freelance episodes when he could. However, he was on several short-lived shows, and his first potential staff writing job got killed by the 2007 Writers Strike.

Rick decided his career needed a boost, so he applied to the NBC’s Writers on the Verge fellowship program in 2008. He got an agent through a script he wrote in that program, and finally landed a staff job on Men of a Certain Age. From there, he has written for Past Life, The Good Guys, and his current series, Suits.

In his interview, Rick discusses the “Dos and Don’ts” of writers room etiquette, the importance of outlining, and the destructive power of negativity vs. the constructive power of “what if.” In addition, he takes us through the process of a TV episode, from idea to finished script.

Follow Rick on Twitter: @the_real_rick

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published January 27, 2013.

068 – Jamie Livingston - TV Writer Chat Pilot Program (VIDEO)

TV Writer Chat is launching a new FREE TV pilot writing program, and today’s interview with screenwriter/novelist Jamie Livingstontells you all you need to know!

Jamie Livingston is a great example of how you are never too busy to write! Aside from working full time at the restaurant she owns with her husband, she has a successful jewelry business, publishes a mystery novel series under the pen-name Jamie Lee Scott, attends conferences, made a short film, and wrote several screenplays… and that was just 2012! On the novel front, her ‘The Gotcha Detective Agency’ mysteries include Let Us Prey, Textual Relations, Death of a Sales Rep, What a Meth and Whine and Dine.

Her short script, No One Knows, was produced this summer and will hit the film festivals in 2013. You can watch the trailer HERE.

She currently writes feature films and TV dramedy, and is a co-founder of both ScriptChat and TV Writer Chat. She is also the former president of the Romance Writers of America’s screenwriting chapter, Script Scene.

In today’s interview, Gray and Jamie go over all the details about the TV Writer Chat’s new FREE pilot writing program, as well as explaining about Scriptchat and TV Writer Chat, and some important fundamentals about how to write for TV. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter ASAP and join the chat on Sunday night at 6:30pm, as the program is already underway! CLICK HERE for an easy link to the chat room (Twitter account required).

Website: www.jamielivingston.com or www.jamieleescott.com
Twitter: @Jamie_LD
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamie.JLD

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published January 9, 2013.

067 – Let’s Stay Together, Reed Between the Lines Writer LaMont Ferrell (mp3)

Acting, directing, writing, producing, teaching, stand-up comedy… LaMont Ferrell wears a lot of hats!

Originally from Philadelphia, LaMont Ferrell has been entertaining audiences for many years. He has performed for a variety of ages and ethnicities across the US, and around the world. A local magazine describes his act as, “Energetic, creative and original, but most of all just plain funny.”

After winning the 1996 Comic Relief Comedy Festival’s “Funniest New Comic” Award, he took his comedic writing talents to TV, and started writing for various sitcoms such as BET’s ‘Nothin’ But a Woman,’ the WB’s The Parent ’Hood and UPN’s Moesha. He won The Media Projects 2000 Shine Award for a Moesha episode he co-wrote.

LaMont is a busy pilot writer, having had sales to the Fox Network, TBS, and the UPN Network. He also works in motion picture writing, having been hired to punch up the movie, The Cookout, and is in pre-production for Family Business, a film based on the true story of his family’s restaurant business in Philadelphia.

In 2003, LaMont formed his own production company, Just Jokes Entertainment, and produced and directed three volumes of his own stand-up comedy DVD series. ‘LaMont Ferrell’s Just Jokes Comedy Tour’ features himself, several national known comedians and hilarious skits. The DVD is available online at www.justjokesentertainment.com, Netflix.com and various media outlets around the country.

He is currently a writer for BET’s series Reed Between the Linesand Let’s Stay Together. Also, you might have seen him in his recurring role on the hit NBC show, The Office.

In his interview, LaMont discusses how to train your observational skills, being a “clean” comic, and being an entrepreneur in today’s market.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published November 25, 2012.

066 – Literary Manager Jenny Frankfurt (VIDEO)

This week Gray talks all about management, with special guest Jenny Frankfurt.

Jenny Frankfurt is a film and television literary manager/producer who owns the company Highstreet Management in Los Angeles. She currently represents such writing talent as Sterling Anderson, David Madsen, Norma Vela, Joel Thomas, Malcolm Kohll, Jill Campbell, Crystal Hubbard, Phil O’Shea and others – most based in Los Angeles and the UK, but others throughout the US. She has sold television shows (both reality and fiction), features, and staffed television shows for almost 20 years.

After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Jenny began her career in representation by working at the William Morris Agency in New York, where she worked for a legendary film, tv and playwrights agent, who represented such writers as Eric Bogosian, William Mastrosimone, Warren Leight, Eric Overmyer and Jon Robin Baitz.

From NYC Jenny moved to Los Angeles where she worked at ICM with clients such as Susan Sarandon, Louis Malle, Johnny Depp, Lasse Hallstrom and Will Smith. After deciding management would give her more freedom to produce and influence her client’s careers, she started working with manager Rick Yorn and clients such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Claire Danes and Benicio Del Toro.

Jenny tried her own hand at producing the independent feature Johnny Hit and Run Pauline, to which Emma Thompson was attached as Executive Producer. Jenny then started working with the infamous manager Benny Medina at Handprint Entertainment, and incorporating all the time she had recently spent in London, started specializing in working with British and European clients including Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and writers, directors and production companies such as James MacInnes, Saul Metzstein, Daniel Bronzite and the production company F&ME. She soon became Head of Handprint’s Literary Department.

Follow her on Twitter: @TryingTrue

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.

First published November 18, 2012.