TV Drama 1: Reverse Engineer Your Perfect Pilot with Neil Reynolds

Execs, agents and showrunners want to work with people whose writing pops. That means your pilot needs to start with a spark, that sense of wonder that allows us to see it clearly in our minds. Without it, our writing loses its course and we become stuck. But what if you could craft your tale in reverse, starting with the destination to discover the journey, guided by your gusto for your concept as your North Star? In this Online TV Drama Pilot class, you’ll do exactly that, starting with the scenes you most want to see and using them as the organic vehicles to take your story and your message where you want it to go.

Netflix’s YOU Executive Producer Neil Reynolds (3 Pilots) helps you craft characters that reflect the passion your show demands, brainstorm the elements you want to see along the way and reverse engineer your five-act story through thrilling act outs that will take your narrative to its desired conclusion. From your big teaser to your penultimate reveal, you’ll stay the course, discovering your voice as your show’s author while twisting and turning your way into a riveting confrontation that leaves us yearning for more.

By the end of the class you’ll leave with a concise, compelling beat sheet, the map that’ll take your future draft to the finish line, as well as answers to essential questions that will point you there.

After studying with us, our alums have landed 400 staff writing positions on shows including FARGO, PERRY MASON, AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, THE BROTHERS SUN, FRASIER and DAVE and won 173 fellowships/staffing program spots at organizations including Disney, NBCU, WB, Paramount & Disruptors.

Note: If you’ve never taken a TV writing class before, we strongly recommend you take TV Dramedy 101 and TV Structure for Pilot Writing in addition to this class.