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TV 2

Online Mar 5, Mar 19, Mar 26, Apr 2, Apr 9, Apr 16, Apr 23, Apr 30, May 7, May 14 (10 Thursday Afternoons)5:00pm - 8:00pm Pacific$1165Limited Spots

8 Spots Left

The main cast of the TV show TRANSPARENT posed in a family portrait, i.e., trans male-to-female father Maura, son Joshua, Mom Shelly, Daughters Sarah and Alexandra. They are dressed in hip outfits and have happy expressions.You have a killer beat sheet for your TV Pilot, but when you sit down to write, everything turns to mush: vague characters, huge data dumps, clunky dialogue, and scenes that go nowhere. If this sounds familiar, successful writer Brett Paesel (Transparent, 7 Pilots Sold) can help. In this ten-week TV Draft Writing Workshop, you’ll get Brett’s help crafting an amazing outline and writing scenes that have a complete beginning, middle, and end that pack a serious punch.

You’ll learn to how to open your pilot, capture the imagination of the reader, write with a clear voice, and introduce your main character like a pro. By the end of the class you should have major chunks of your pilot written and the confidence to finish it with flair. Emmy not included.

420 padders have been staffed & 192 won fellowships at ABC, Fox, CBS and NBC after taking our TV classes.

Prerequisite: Beat sheet of TV Comedy, or Dramedy, or Drama pilot finished in TV I, TV Drama I, TV Comedy I, TV Pilot or TV Basic writing class at Writing Pad.

Brett Paesel

NY Times Modern Love (2x), TRANSPARENT, 7 Pilots Sold, Bestselling Memoirist

Brett Paesel’s stories, essays, and articles have been published in The New York Times Modern Love column (2 times), The Los Angeles Times, Salon.com, More magazine, Self, Family Fun, amongst other publications. In addition, she was a contributing editor to Parents and Wondertime (where she was also a beauty and wellness columnist). Brett Paesel has sold 7 pilots to HBO, ABC, Comedy Central, Fox, WB, Lifetime, and Nick at Nite (three of which were based on her bestselling memoir, "Mommies Who Drink". She was a consulting producer on Amazons' Emmy Award Winning, "Transparent" and "I Love Dick". In her producing capacity, Brett consulted with writers and directors on identifying and carving out emotional beats for characters in both episodes and the season as a whole. Brett is the author of the novel "Everything is Just Fine" (Grand Central Publishing) and the Los Angeles Times bestselling memoir, “Mommies Who Drink: Sex, Drugs, and Other Distant Memories of an Ordinary Mom” (Warner Books) and the blog, “Last of the Bohemians”. “Mommies Who Drink” was selected as an Elle Magazine Must Read, a hot summer pick in Entertainment Weekly, and one of “Summers’ Hottest Reads” in People Magazine. The Boston Globe proclaimed the book “honest, affectionate, and smartly written. . . real, and laugh-out-loud funny.” Her comic essays have been included in several collections including “Lights, Action, Travel” and “Behind the Bedroom Door”. Brett has taught screenwriting and sketch at Second City and nonfiction writing for The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. Brett recently sold her novel "The Last Perfect Day" to Grand Central Publishing. As an actor, Brett was in the casts of "Mr. Show with Bob and David" and played Rita on "Transparent". MORE

“Brett is kind, funny and so good at improving your writing. Her sense of story, character and flow is impeccable. My class was fun, lighthearted and oh so illuminating. She's an extraordinary teacher. Wonderful experience.”
“She's great at tracking the emotional through line for the character and giving tips to strengthen scripts so that the character drives the plot and not the other way around! She created a supportive, friendly environment, allowing for just the right amount of feedback from other students while maintaining control of the class.”
“Brett gives excellent notes, she takes the time to really gauge what each individual may need.”
“Brett was not only kind, thoughtful and approachable but she has so much wisdom and gives an outstanding critique. I've gotten something valuable from every Writing Pad class I took but I feel like the way Brett structures the class uses the time in the best possible way and meets every student where they are. It was the perfect blend of discussion and feedback from her and I could see, in real time, not only my writing improve but also that of all of my classmates.”
“My last class with Brett Paesel was FANTASTIC!!! I can’t praise her enough for guiding my ideas and attempts at writing a script to a MUCH stronger and more professional script.”
“This is my 4th class now with Brett, so needless to say I love her. She's so great at pulling out which characters should be concentrated on, or that we care about, while also keeping your project true to the idea you had. She cares deeply about each student, and remembers things about their specific writing, which is a big feat considering she has so many. She's very encouraging, and wants to make sure you feel good about her feedback and understand it as well.”
“Brett is an extraordinary teacher: funny, knowledgeable, and able to pinpoint exactly what your pilot lacks or has too much of. She's such a joy.”
“Brett's essay class was filled with an astonishing buffet of useful information for anyone who is seeking to get their voice out into print. She has a keen eye for shaping and crafting of personal essay, has profound insight into what kind of story will be attractive to publishers and how to pitch our work to them. I learned so very much from working with her. She was so encouraging, helpful, insightful and a master of her craft.”
“Brett is literally a golden woman! I absolutely adored her. She is so talented, has excellent pushes, and above all she is kind. I couldn't ask for a better experience and I can't wait to take more classes with her.”
“Brett was positive and specific with her notes. She is excellent, and I would take the same class with her again or a different one. The entire experience was great!”
“Brett gave thoughtful feedback and pushed me to dive deep to understand the story I wanted to tell. She is amazing! I learned so much in 5 weeks.”
“She took the mystery out of what makes a scene work. She helped us refine our characters' intentions and then showed us how to make their wants actionable. She was encouraging while still giving us her honest perception. She never claimed to know the answer. She shared what worked for her and allowed us access to those tools.”
“Brett is very engaging and authentic. She is an awesome and insightful teacher, who offered hands-on activities that trained us to submit to newspapers and publications. She even presented strategies for our submissions.”

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