Tag: writers on writing

Kelly Jo Brick: Takeaways from the Austin Film Festival and Screenwriting Conference

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Terry Rossio and Shane Black in Austin, TX.  Photo courtesy of Austin Film Festival (Photo by Jack Plunkett)

by Kelly Jo Brick

The Austin Film Festival and Screenwriting Conference, an event dedicated to focusing on writers’ contributions to television and film, celebrated its 22nd year by bringing together aspiring and established writers, producers, filmmakers, development executives, agents, managers and directors.

Attendees to the screenwriting conference had the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of panels on writing for television and film. TVWriter.com was there to bring you some of the top takeaways from the event.

ABOUT BREAKING IN – read article

Kelly Jo Brick: Highlights from the Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit

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By Kelly Jo Brick

Developing material through a different lens was a recurring theme during Variety’s Entertainment & Technology Summit. In this day long event, panelists discussed the challenges of staying relevant and reimagining their strategies as the entertainment industry grows and adapts to new technologies.

When looking at the current entertainment atmosphere and the future of the film industry, President of Imagine Entertainment, Erica Huggins, declared, “A good story is a good story.” But stories can now be told in many ways as she added that there is, “A select group of people that will always tune in for something that is great.” read article

Kelly Jo Brick: The Write Path With Dean Batali, Part 2

A series of interviews with hard-working writers
by another hard-working writer!

by Kelly Jo Brick

Batali Headshot (dark bg)Aspiring writers often wonder how the pros got where they are. The truth is, everyone’s story is different, but there are some common elements: dedication, persistence and hard work.

Writer Dean Batali’s Hollywood career began with a brief stint counting money for the Central Vault at Universal Studios and led to writing for shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, That ‘70s Show, What’s Up Warthogs and Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch. Through all his experience, he credits much of his start to a mythical Hollywood mailroom job and Froot Loops.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU GOT WHEN YOU WERE BREAKING IN? read article

Sublime Primetime – Insights From Emmy-Nominated Writers

 Sublime Primetime

by Kelly Jo Brick

Several of this year’s Emmy-nominated writers attended the annual Sublime Primetime event presented by the Writers Guild of America, West, the Writers Guild Foundation and Variety. Writers Elliott Kalan (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Jane Anderson (Olive Kitteridge), Joshua Brand (The Americans), Alec Berg (Silicon Valley), Stephanie Gillis (The Simpsons), Christine Nangle (Inside Amy Schumer), Semi Chellas (Mad Men) and Matthew Weiner (Mad Men) spoke about the episodes they submitted, their inspirations, challenges and the business of TV.

Emmy-nominated writers shared with TVWriter.com some of the best advice they got as they were growing their careers. read article

Insights from the PaleyFest NCIS: Los Angeles Fall Premiere

HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 12: Actors Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies and executive producer Ronald D. Moore attend The Paley Center for Media's 32nd Annual PALEYFEST LA "Outlander" at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

By Kelly Jo Brick

To celebrate the arrival of the fall TV season, the Paley Center for Media held its annual PaleyFest, featuring premieres and panels highlighting several new shows as well as some returning favorites, including a special evening with the cast and creative team of NCIS: Los Angeles sharing their experiences and reflections as they begin their 7th season.

When did Executive Producer Shane Brennan know this cast would work for the show? “I knew, to be honest, the very first scene that we shot, James Whitmore was directing it. It was the first scene we shot when we were making the imbedded pilot on NCIS and the very first scene we shot was Chris and LL Cool J together and the director and I stood in video village and we watched these two guys appear on screen and we thought, is there going to be chemistry? And it was there. At that point we knew we had it, because that’s the thing.” read article