Category: News

NBC Picks 8 “Writers on the Verge”

NBCUNIVERSAL EVENTS — Writers On The Verge Program — Pictured: (l-r) — (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC)

by David Robb

NBC’s Writers on the Verge, the network’s program to develop aspiring television writers from diverse backgrounds, has named eight writers to its class of 2017-18. This year’s crop includes comedy writers Nick Bouier, Octavia Bray, Eugene Garcia-Cross and Felicia Pride, and drama writers Celena Cipriaso, William Garroutte, Amy Lambert and Eileen Shim. They were selected from a pool of more than 2,600 applicants.

Founded in 2005, Writers on the Verge is an annual program for talented, aspiring writers of diverse backgrounds who are “on the verge” of breaking out, but need a final polish of their writing and pitch presentation skills to equip them for staff writer positions on television series

Over the course of 12 weeks, they’ll learn how to develop spec and pilot scripts and how to pitch their ideas in front of television executives, and receive feedback on their scripts and pitch styles from industry professionals, including network executives, showrunners and agents. The class will also receive individual mentoring from NBCUniversal programming executives. At the end of the program, which is now in its twelfth year, the writers will be considered for available writing assignments on NBC series. read article

Another Web Series is Heading For TV

The biggest news we’ve heard from CBS in quite awhile (yes, even bigger than that Star Trek thing they’re streaming in terms of what it means to new writers) is that I Mom So Hard, a web series presided over by Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedly has been picked up as a multi camera comedy series on real CBS TV. The big Eye itself.

The web series is about a couple of moms – Hensley and Smedly – learning the hard way about what being a mother entails. Here’s a sample:

We’re excited as all hell to see any web series go from YouTube to what used to be called the Boob Tube until “boob” became a politically charged word. The only negative here is that – yeah, you guessed it – some actual CBS TV type people will be involved. Talking about you, Michelle Nader and Rob Thomas. Don’t screw this up! read article

WGAW 2017 Officers & Board Of Directors Election Results

The Writers Guild of America West has announced the results of its 2017 Officers and Board of Directors election.

The following members were elected to serve as Officers: President – David A. Goodman; Vice President – Marjorie David; Secretary-Treasurer – Aaron Mendelsohn.

The following eight members were elected to the WGAW’s Board of Directors for two-year terms, effective immediately: John August, Nicole Yorkin, Andrea Berloff (inc.), Meredith Stiehm (inc.), Angelina Burnett, Luvh Rakhe (inc.), Michele Mulroney, Zak Penn (inc.). *Editor’s Note: (inc) denotes incumbent. read article

2017 Emmy Winners that Mean the Most to TVWriter™

Stars? Directors? Producers? Necessary evils, sez this TVWriter™ minion. Here are the Emmy Award winners we love most – the WRITERS!

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series read article

If You’re a U.S.-Born Poet, This Scholarship is for You

LB’S NOTE: As some of you may know (from clues such as this), I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for poetry. (Notice that I didn’t say that soft spot is in my head, no matter what many people think.)

Because of my love for – and dedication to – poetry, I’m stretching TVWriter™’s mission just a bit by letting all our visitors in on what I believe is a Golden Opportunity…provided that you, like me, not only read poetry but write it too.

Here we go: read article