Creating a Successful TV Series Engine

Sunday, May 1
11:15AM – 12:45PM
Constitution Hall (Room 105)

One of the essential keys to a successful spec pilot, or pitch, is a strong story engine that can truly go the distance.

Being able to write interesting characters, worlds and themes is important, but all that work will probably be wasted without the ability to organically fuse it to a strong series engine that can authentically create hundreds of hours of compelling TV.

This workshop will teach the specific tools and techniques successful writers use to create the strongest possible series engines. We’ll break down the engines used for such shows as GAME OF THRONES, BREAKING BAD, MAD MEN, TRUE DETECTIVE, VEEP, SEINFELD and others. Participants will be able to practice the tools in the class to come up with brand new, professional-level, series engines, or to strengthen engines for show ideas that they are already working on.

Corey Mandell

Corey Mandell

Award-Winning Playwright & Screenwriter

Corey Mandell is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who has written projects for Ridley Scott, Wolfgang Petersen, Harrison Ford, John Travolta, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Warner Brothers, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000, Fox Family, Working Title, Paramount, Live Planet, Beacon Films, Touchstone, Trilogy, Radiant, Kopelson Entertainment and Walt Disney Pictures. Corey is also a distinguished instructor at UCLA, where he earned his MFA. He is also a teacher and mentor for Film Independent's Screenwriting Lab. His students have gone on to sell or option scripts to Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Disney, Fox, Fox 2000, MGM, Universal, Showtime, FX, USA Network, AMC, MTV and HBO. Others have been staffed on such shows as COMMUNITY, JUSTIFIED, BONES,THE MENTALIST, THE FOSTERS, YOUNG AND HUNGRY, PLAYING HOUSE and TREME.