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Fellowship/Staffing Panel Networking Hour (Private) Exclusive to Certificate Program Participants

Online Apr 14 (1 Friday Evening)6:00pm - 7:00pm Pacific

30 Spots Left

You attended the panel, now spend some time in a smaller group session to get more deets on TV & Screenwriting Fellowships/Staffing Programs as well as how to get staffed. This intimate networking opportunity is only available to Writing Pad TV Certificate Program participants.

More sections are available:

Christianne Hedtke

WB & Sundance Fellow, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Christianne Hedtke has been a fellow of the Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop, the Sundance Institute Episodic Writing Lab, and a featured series creator at the Independent Filmmakers Project IFP Week. She went on to write on all four seasons of CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA for Netflix. She’s also written on Nick Jr.’s animated series, SUNNY DAY, and has been a contributing writer for Filmmaker Magazine and MovieMaker Magazine. Before staffing as a writer, Hedtke spent four years developing original content for Nickelodeon. She began her career in production where she served as a PA on various TV shows and movies including the original Gossip Girl and Factotum starring Lili Taylor and Matt Dillon. She’s been a long-term staffer at film festivals, with stints at Sundance, Tribeca, and sixteen years and counting with the Telluride Film Festival. Hedtke holds a BA in Mass Communications with a focus in Film and TV Production from the University of Denver. MORE

“Christianne was awesome. She was well-prepared for each class, very positive and upbeat. Her notes were surgical--very clear and sent me in an actionable direction.”
“I felt Christi was really keyed into the themes of my pilot and ideas I was playing with. Her feedback and notes are going to help me sharpen and develop my script even more. I’ve been telling my writer friends and strangers about Writing Pad ‘cause I’ve had such a great experience. I’ve learned so much and gotten to work with incredible writers. And I’m so proud of the scripts I’ve written in the Certificate program.”
“Christi gives invaluable feedback that will help focus in on your pilot’s direction before you even start writing. She not only helps with your current pilot but also teaches you how to formulate all of your pilots as sellable, compelling projects. She’s an excellent teacher who gets invested in your story and wants to help you make it as strong as it can be.”

Karen Noble

Universal Writing Experiences

As Senior Manager of Creative Talent & Content for Global Talent Development & Inclusion (GTDI), Karen Noble is responsible for developing and implementing initiatives and practices to increase representation. In terms of the Universal Writing Experiences, Karen manages the Universal Writers Lab (Film), Universal Global Writers Program (Film) and the Universal Animation Writers Program (for both TV & Film). With a focus on above-the-line talent, she works with global and domestic writers, directors, as well as developing on-camera strategies. Prior to joining Universal, Noble was an Entertainment Manager with Disney Parks Live Entertainment, overseeing live, themed entertainment at Walt Disney World. Noble also served as Manager of Casting for ABC Television Network and ABC Studios, where she produced a diversity casting initiative to discover, highlight and develop emerging talent. In addition to talent development Noble oversaw the casting process for more than 20 primetime network and cable TV projects from pilots to hit TV show such as Brothers and Sisters, Criminal Minds, and Army Wives to name a few. Raised in Michigan, Karen has a BA in American Studies, from Michigan State University with a film specialization, and a Master of Fine Arts, in Film Writing & Directing from Columbia College Chicago. MORE

Michael Pogarian

NBCUniversal

Michael Pogarian is an award winning producer and a Senior Manager on the TV Programming DEI team at NBCUniversal, also known as NBCU LAUNCH, where he helps oversee creative development programs for emerging TV writers, directors, and below-the-line talent. Prior to working at NBCUniversal, Michael was an Associate Creative Producer at Fullscreen where he co-created and lead the AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program, that brought together entertainment industry leaders including Common, Lena Waithe, Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Taika Waititi with filmmakers from diverse backgrounds to create their signature work. In the first two years of the program he developed, produced and distributed ten short films that premiered on DirecTV Now and were accepted to notable international film festivals including SXSW, Outfest, Calgary Film Festival, Maoriland Film Festival and many others. During his time at Fullscreen he also developed award winning interactive digital content and social media series for AT&T Hello Lab, a collection of original and immersive entertainment created by, for and with Millennial and Gen Z audiences. Before that, Michael worked in unscripted development and production at Magical Elves (Project Runway, Top Chef). In 2012, he graduated with a BA in Film and Television Production at Boston University. MORE

Nathan Varni

Executive Director of Current Programming, Disney-ABC

Nathan Varni is Executive Director of Current Programming, Disney-ABC Television Group, reporting to Vicki Dummer, Head of ABC Network Current Programming, Walt Disney Television. Mr. Varni oversees all creative and day-to-day management on ABC’s The Conners, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19 as well as new projects including Rebel and Harlem’s Kitchen. In past seasons, Mr. Varni was the covering executive on Grand Hotel, How to Get Away with Murder, Once Upon A Time, Dr. Ken, Scandal, The Middle, Kevin Probably Saves the World, Roseanne and also oversaw over 2500 episodes of ABC’s long running daytime drama, General Hospital. Mr. Varni joined ABC in November, 2006 as an assistant in programming and development working on comedy and drama series including According to Jim, Samantha Who?, Better off Ted, Cougar Town, Castle, V, 666 Park Avenue and three seasons covering Happy Endings. Prior to joining ABC, Mr. Varni worked in series development at Regency Television (Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show). Prior to his time at Regency TV, Mr. Varni worked in reality series as a story assistant for series such as America’s Next Top Model, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, High School Reunion, For Love or Money and The Next Great Champ. Game show experience includes working on 65 episodes of GSN’s Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck. Mr. Varni served as a production assistant and then Exec Producers assistant on the CBS sitcoms Listen Up and How I Met Your Mother. Mr. Varni earned a bachelor of arts in television production/media management from California State University Northridge. MORE

“Nathan was so real. Very open-minded. Gave excellent guidance. And best of all offered to have a follow-up with each of us in the class if we wanted to re-pitch or talk through something about pitching. So unbelievably generous!!!!”
“He explained everything in thorough detail and listened intently to everyone's questions and pitches. He made himself readily available for any follow ups we might have.”
“He gave us great direction and great resources. Then when we had to pitch for him, he really listened to every world and gave specific, clear and actionable advice.”
“Nathan is incredibly generous and knowledgeable about the business and about storytelling. He gave us plenty of food for thought on how to develop our ideas as well as how to navigate the business/pitching side of entertainment. I appreciate that he was patient and asked great questions about everyone’s work. He’s very encouraging, but also very sharp eyed.”
“Nathan is down-to-earth, warm, welcoming, and insightful. Everything about this class was great!”

Paola Limon

Disney & NHMC Fellow, Home Economics, 1 Pilot Sold

Paola is currently developing an hour-long medical drama with a major studio. She was a Staff Writer on Season 2 of ABC's HOME ECONOMICS. She also completed the 2021 Disney Writing Program, was a 2020 NHMC Writing Fellow, and 2023 & 2024 Rideback Circle Fellow for BIPOC creators. Paola worked as a Production Assistant for shows like MASTER OF NONE and UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, Director's Assistant for Hulu's THE PATH, Showrunner's Assistant for Jessica Goldberg, Writers’ Assistant for Netflix’s AWAY and Apple's ACAPULCO, and Script Coordinator for Shonda Rhimes’ INVENTING ANNA. She also spent over five years in New York City working her way up to Writer/Supervising Story Producer for unscripted shows such as INK MASTER and WHAT NOT TO WEAR, while writing and directing comedy web series, live comedy shows, and short documentaries. Paola studied Film and TV at Tecnológico de Monterrey in México and at FAMU in Prague. She graduated from American University with a B.A. in Film and Media Studies. MORE

“She gave a lot of information on what the fellowships are looking for and she also gave great feedback.”
“She was great at explaining what we need to do to prepare to apply for a fellowship. I really appreciated how she gave us so much information in a short amount of time and how she gracefully kept us on task. She was excellent.”
“Paola was really helpful explaining TV episode structure and was super helpful with her feedback on my Spec. I learned so much about TV structure in her class.”
“Paola shared generously about her extensive experience with the Fellowship process and gave deep, thought provoking, soul searching prompts and questions. I am 100% more prepared for applying to fellowships and knowing what to expect now.”
“Paola is a delight and her feedback on how to handle the essay, personal statement, and interview questions was invaluable. I wish we had more time!”

Sarah Cho

THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE (Hulu), THEM (Amazon), Universal Writers Program Fellow

Sarah H. Cho is a screenwriter who works in both TV and Features. She previously staffed on THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE for Hulu and the second season of THEM for Amazon. She has several projects in development in both the animation and live action space. Her projects cover a wide breadth of genres including drama, comedy, horror, action, and more. She’s also currently writing a graphic novel, a narrative podcast, and a short story anthology. She got her start through the Universal Writers Program and she’s repped by CAA and Grandview Management. MORE

“Sarah gave us good learning tools, explained structure well and excellent notes.”

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