Company: A&E
Location: New York, NY
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's Degree
Minimum Years of Experience: 7+ years

Job Description: Responsible for developing and piloting unscripted programming for A&E as well as for overseeing current A&E productions. Oversee all aspects of program creation, from conception and deal-making to production and delivery. Work with outside producers on concepts, talent development, program direction and scripts as well as the overall creativity and brand integrity of presentation reels, pilots and series. Be a driver for idea generation.

Company: NBC Universal - Cable Productions
Location: Culver City, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's Degree
Minimum Years of Experience: 5-10 years

Job Description: NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal’s policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

Universal Cable Productions (UCP) creates innovative and critically acclaimed original scripted and digital content across multiple media platforms and outlets for domestic and international distribution. UCP produces “Covert Affairs,” “Dig,” “Royal Pains” and “Suits” for USA; “12 Monkey’s,” “Defiance,” and “Dominion” for Syfy; “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce” for Bravo.

Company: major cable network
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Start Date: March 2, 2015
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's Degree
Minimum Years of Experience: 1-2 years

Job Description: Looking for a development/writers' assistant to start around March 2nd for 12-16 weeks to assist two supervising producers of a group of 8 scripted romance/drama web series, being funded by major cable network.

Company: GSN TV
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's Degree
Minimum Years of Experience: 1-2 yers

Job Description: Seeking a PR Coordinator for GSN TV (offices in Santa Monica, CA).

Strong time management, organizational, and oral/written skills required. Will provide admin support, maintain press site, manage assets, service press clips daily, book travel.

The Jeff Sagansky Harvardwood TV Writers Program uses peer review, guest speakers and workshops to foster a motivating and supportive environment for each participant’s writing. This program is currently available in Los Angeles only.

Participants of the TV Writers Program may be considered for the annual Harvardwood Most Staffable TV Writers List (see below).

In recent years, participants in the Harvardwood Writers Program and Competition have seen unprecedented success with pilot sales to ABC, the CW, Showtime, Sony, Spike, Syfy, and TV Land, in addition to blind script deals at ABC Studios and Warner Bros. Harvardwood writers have been staffed on Agent Carter (ABC), American Dad (Fox), Billions (Showtime), Community (NBC), Covert Affairs (USA), Family Guy (FOX), The Flash (CW), Girlfriends’ Guide (Bravo), Goliath (Amazon), The Good Wife (CBS), Gotham (Fox), Great News (NBC), Grey's Anatomy (ABC), How To Get Away With Murder (ABC), Jane the Virgin (CW), Justified (FX), The Newsroom (HBO), Perception (TNT), Power (Starz), Sleepy Hollow (Fox), State of Affairs (NBC), and The Tomorrow People (CW). Among our feature film writers, successes include the theatrical releases of Jamesy Boy and Unfriended, as well as OddLot Entertainment’s optioning of Septillion to One; previous HWC feature category winner Capture is in post production with Circle of Confusion producing. Participants have also secured representation at Apostle, Benderspink, Brant Rose Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, CAA, Circle of Confusion, Echo Lake, Gersh, ICM, Madhouse Entertainment, Management 360, Original Artists, UTA, WME, and others.

Most Staffable TV Writers List

Within the Harvardwood Writers Competition, the top scripts from the Jeff Sagansky TV Writers Program may be selected for the annual Harvardwood's Most Staffable TV Writers list (2016 Deadline article) and sent to managers, agents, networks, studios and production companies. Each of the selected writers may also be paired with an Industry mentor. The Most Staffable List is part of the annual Harvardwood Writers Competition, but only writers of original pilots from the immediately preceding fall and spring HWP — TV Modules will be eligible to be considered. However, spec scripts will not be eligible for submission, and writers who complete only a spec script during the Program will not be eligible for the Most Staffable List. If you would like more information about the Most Staffable List, please review the rules.

If you have any questions, please contact the Program Director. IMPORTANT NOTE: Only Full Members are eligible for the Most Staffable List, the Harvardwood Writers Competition, and any Harvardwood-organized showcase.

***

Special thanks to Harvardwood Advisory Board member Jeff Sagansky AB '74, MBA '76,
whose generous support makes this program possible.

FALL 2022 RULES & REQUIREMENTS

APPLY HERE

Deadline: September 2, 2022

COMMITMENT

There is a high expectation of preparation and writing done outside of the meetings (approx. 15-20 hours per week). Each module will have approximately eight participants, and will meet for approximately eleven sessions over a fourteen-week period beginning the week of Sept 19th in Fall 2022. The program has a strict attendance policy, so please make sure that you can fully commit before applying. Participants are required to give constructive feedback to fellow writers in each session, so there is an expectation that you will have read applicable work prior to the meeting. The modules are successful because of this peer review, and you should expect a "writers room" format for your group.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, we will be meeting primarily via Zoom, but participants should be based primarily in Los Angeles for future events, networking, and community-building. Pending interest, we will also accommodate remote (non-LA-based) writers.

MODULE DESCRIPTIONS

1. HOUR-LONG MODULES – ORIGINAL PILOTS

Requirement: Full member of Harvardwood, have written a spec TV episode or TV pilot.

Program fee: $100

Workshop your idea and receive peer review each step of the way: pitch, synopsis, outline, and first draft. This module is structured to help you get feedback when you need it, and produce work that has been vetted and strengthened by your peers. This module may include workshops with professional actors reading your material.

Exact Dates: Meetings will take place nearly every week from Sept 2022 - early January 2023

Module Leader: TBD

2. HALF-HOUR MODULES – ORIGINAL PILOTS

Requirement: Full member of Harvardwood, have written a spec TV episode or TV pilot.

Program fee: $100

Workshop your idea and receive peer review each step of the way: pitch, synopsis, outline, and first draft. This module is specifically structured for writers of comedy pilots or comedy spec scripts, and will be run like an actual comedy show writers’ room. This module may include workshops with professional actors reading your material.

Exact Dates: Meetings will take place nearly every week from Sept 2022 - early January 2023

Module Leader: TBD

3. TV PILOT REWRITE MODULE

Requirement: Full member of Harvardwood, have a complete TV pilot to rewrite.

Program fee: $100

This module is structured in three steps: 1) an in-depth peer-review of your script, with special emphasis on the premise and the first act; 2) a live reading of your first act followed by a discussion with industry professionals 3) a second full review of your script, with a focus on the page-by-page execution. This module is for those who are looking for a detailed analysis and polish.

Exact Dates: Meetings will take place nearly every week from Sept 2022 - early January 2023

Module Leader: TBD

4. SPEC TV EPISODE (Drama & Comedy) - FELLOWSHIP PREP COURSE [TENTATIVE SPRING SEMESTER ONLY]

Requirement: Full member of Harvardwood, have written an original TV pilot.

Program fee: $100

This module is highly structured and designed to prepare participants for the competitive studio writers' fellowships in the late spring (ABC Disney, Warner Bros., etc.). Attendance is mandatory, and only two absences will be allowed. The goal of this module is to have every writer submit a high-quality spec script to the fellowships. As with the fellowships themselves, this is not for brand new writers, but for writers looking to take themselves to the next level. Because at least one of the fellowships requires original material as part of the application process, only writers with a completed original pilot will be considered.

Exact Dates: Meetings will take place nearly every week from Sept 2022 - early January 2023

Module Leaders: TBD

PANEL DISCUSSIONS & WORKSHOPS

All module participants will be invited to attend panel discussions and stand-alone workshops during the program. Past Program discussions and workshops have included:

Pitching Round Robin - A Workshop with Industry Professionals

All module participants pitch their TV series or spec ideas to guest panelists for expert feedback early in the Program. This workshop is intended to give the writers a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their pilot or spec episode ideas.

Agents and Managers Panel

Moderated discussion with top literary agents and managers. In the past, agencies and management companies including UTA, WME, Paradigm, Benderspink, Echo Lake, and more have been represented.

Staff Writers Panel

Moderated discussion with those new to the trenches of television writers rooms. In the past, we have welcomed writers from Community, The Flash, Jane the Virgin, Parks & Rec, Silicon Valley, and more.

View a partial list of HWP guest speakers.

General

Books on Writing
Blogs, Videos, & Podcasts
Harvardwood Videos
Links to Other Resources

Features

Books on Screenwriting
Programs and Competitions

Television

Books on TV Writing
Loglines
Industry Standards
TV Spec Writing
Pitching
TV Series Bibles
Competitions & Festivals
Diversity Fellowships & Writers' Programs

Browse all book recommendations in our Amazon store below!

General

Books on Writing

• The Artist's Way* by Julia Camon
• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
• The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri
• The Now Habit* by Neil A. Fiore
• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
• On Writing by Stephen King
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• Writing from the Inside Out* by Dennis Palumbo
• The War of Art* by Steven Pressfield
• Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story by Jerry Weissman

Plus a Harvardwood special—book recommendations for writers/directors offered by Paris Barclay !

*Particularly helpful for writer's block and/or procrastination

Purchasing these books on Amazon? Shop AmazonSmile to support Harvardwood!

Blogs, Videos, & Podcasts

• BBC Writers Room Interviews
• Creative Screenwriting (magazine) - Editor Jeff Goldsmith conducts carefully researched and thoughtful interviews with some of today's top Feature and TV writers in front of a live audience.
• Go Into the Story by Scott Myers, official screenwriting blog of The Black List
• On Story - by the Austin Film Festival
• Podcasts by Jen Grisanti Consultancy, Inc. - An outstanding series of interviews with today's working writers. Jen uses her experience as a TV exec and her in-depth knowledge of the industry to ask insightful questions that really bring out the best in her guests.
• Scriptnotes - John August and Craig Mazin discuss screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters, everything from the craft to the business to the best ways to actually get yourself writing.
• WordPlay - Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio's blog, a great series of articles on writing and the industry.

Harvardwood Videos*

• Rodrigo Garcia AB '82
  
• Paul Gulino
  
• Gregg Hurwitz AB '95
  
• Corey Mandell

Links to Other Resources

• BBC Writer's Lab
• The Black List (founded by Franklin Leonard AB '00)
• Writers Guild of America Resources
• UCB's LA Diversity Program

Features

Books on Screenwriting

• How to Make It in Hollywood by Linda Buzzell
• Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood & Screenwriting by William Goldman
• Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach by Paul Gulino (see Paul's Harvardwood lecture)
• Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business by David Mamet
• Good in a Room: How to Sell Yourself (and Your Ideas) and Win Over Any Audience by Stephanie Palmer

Purchasing these books on Amazon? Shop AmazonSmile to support Harvardwood!

Programs and Competitions

• Academy Nicholl Fellowship
• Austin Film Festival
• Film Independent Screenwriting Lab
• Final Draft Big Break Contest
• Harvardwood Writers Competition
• Slamdance Screenplay Competition
• Sundance Screenwriters Lab
• Universal Pictures' Emerging Writers Fellowship
• The Guide to Screenwriting Contests

Screenplays

• Oscar Nominations 2015-2016
• Oscar Nominations 2014-2015
• Oscar Nominations 2013-2014

Television

Books on TV Writing

• Desperate Networks by Bill Carter
• Writing the Television Drama Series by Pam Douglas
• Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business by Chad Gervich
• The Hidden Tools of Comedy by Steve Kaplan
• Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger
• Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV by Joe Toplyn AB '75, MBA '79
• Writing for Episodic Television: From Freelance to Showrunner edited by John Wirth and Jeff Melvoin AB '75

Purchasing these books on Amazon? Shop AmazonSmile to support Harvardwood!

Loglines

• How to Write a Logline by Christopher Lockhart - "I WROTE A 120 PAGE SCRIPT BUT CAN’T WRITE A LOGLINE: THE CONSTRUCTION OF A LOGLINE"
• Writing the TV Spec & Pilot Scripts by Jen Grisanti - How can you write a memorable spec script that helps get you staffed? Why is it so hard to write a TV pilot script that not only gets you noticed, but could sell?

Industry Standards

• WGA Writer & Producer levels / titles
• In order of seniority:
  • Executive producer / Showrunner
  • Co-executive producer
  • Supervising producer
  • Coordinating producer (for reality / documentary)
  • Producer
  • Co-producer
  • Consulting producer
  • Associate producer (for reality / documentary)
  • Segment producer (for reality / documentary)
  • Executive Story Editor
  • Story Editor
  • Staff Writer
  • Freelance

TV Spec Writing

• What's Hot & What's Not: Drama 2014 & Comedy 2014

Pitching

• "How to Survive Pilot Season" - The Hollywood Reporter
• Tips from the HWP—TV Modules Program

TV Series Bibles (PDF Downloads)

• Battlestar Galatica
• Carnivale
• The Crow
• Freaks & Geeks
• The Mentalist
• The Wire

Competitions & Festivals

• Acclaim Scripts
• Austin Film Festival
• Harvardwood Writers Competition
• Project Greenlight
• Scriptapalooza TV 

Diversity Fellowships & Writers' Programs

• CBS Diversity Institute & Writers Mentoring Program
• Coalition for Asian Pacifics in Entertainment New Writers Fellowship
• Disney | ABC Writing Program
• NALIP Diverse Women in Media Initiative
• National Hispanic Media Coalition TV Writers Program
• NBC Writers on the Verge
• Nickelodeon Writing Program
• Slamdance Screenplay Competition
• Sundance Episode Storytelling Lab
• Sundance Institute | YouTube New Voices Lab
• WB Writers' Workshop
• WhoHaHa TV

View The Black List's Writers Calendar for competition & festival deadlines.

Launched in 2005, the Harvardwood Writers Program (HWP) offers ongoing workshops for film and television writers in LA, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., and more. HWP groups meet regularly to discuss and critique original material and to hear from experienced guest speakers in different fields (see here for a list of previous speakers).

Below, you'll find more information about the TV Writing Modules, Feature Writing Program, and our annual Writers Competition. 

In recent years, participants in the Harvardwood Writers Program and Competition have seen unprecedented success with pilot sales to ABC, the CW, Showtime, Sony, Spike, Syfy, and TV Land, in addition to blind script deals at ABC and Warner Bros. Harvardwood writers have been staffed on Agent Carter (ABC), American Dad (Fox), Community (NBC), Covert Affairs (USA), Family Guy (FOX), The Flash (CW), The Good Wife (CBS), Gotham (Fox), How to Get Away with Murder (ABC), Jane the Virgin (CW), Justified (FX), The Newsroom (HBO), Perception (TNT), Sleepy Hollow (Fox), State of Affairs (NBC), and The Tomorrow People (CW). Among our feature film writers, successes include the theatrical releases of Jamesy Boy and Unfriended, as well as OddLot Entertainment’s optioning of Septillion to One; previous HWC feature category winner Capture is in post production with Circle of Confusion producing. Participants have also secured representation at Apostle, Benderspink, Brant Rose Agency, CAA, Circle of Confusion, Echo Lake, Gersh, ICM, Management 360, Original Artists, WME, and others.

Harvardwood is especially proud that our programs are dramatically more diverse in terms of race and gender than the current entertainment landscape, according to the stats in the “2015 Hollywood Diversity Report” conducted by UCLA’s Bunche Center. Please consider donating to the Harvardwood Writers Program, so we can continue to support new, thoughtful and diverse voices in the arts.

DONATE TO HWP

Finally—writers, want to connect with one another? Join the Harvardwood Writers' Directory.

Special Competitions

Harvardwood Writers Competition

Held every summer and open to all Harvardwood members worldwide. Each winner receives a cash prize and a one-on-one mentorship with an industry VIP. View past HWC winners!

Most Staffable TV Writers List

Held in conjunction with the Harvardwood Writers Competition and open to participants of the HWP - TV Modules program from the previous fall and spring. View past writers who made the Most Staffable list!

TV & Features Showcases [on hiatus]

Held in late spring and open to members who have completed the HWP Features or TV Modules program the previous fall.

Current Writing Modules

Los Angeles

• FEATURE SCREENWRITING - Contact: Nick Baker
• TV WRITING - Contact: Joey Siara and Todd Bartels
• ACTORS READING WRITERS GROUP

New York

• FEATURE SCREENWRITING - Fall 2021 - Apply Here!
• TV WRITING - [on hiatus]

Boston

• FEATURE SCREENWRITING - Contact: Sarah Zeiser & Heather Faris

PLEASE NOTE: Only Full Members and registered Friends of Harvardwood (on a case-by-case basis) can submit their finished work to the Harvardwood Script Menu and for consideration in the Harvardwood Writers' Showcases each Spring. If you are an Affiliate and wish to upgrade to Full Member status, please click here. If you are new to Harvardwood and wish to join, please register as a Full Member, Affiliate, or Friend of Harvardwood.

As a Full Member, you'll be able to receive the weekly and monthly newsletters, make unlimited postings on the website, view postings in your area(s) of interest, access all other areas of the Harvardwood website, and receive preferred access and free or discounted admission to programs and events.

Previous HWP Speakers

FILM

• Meredith Bagby ’95 (exec, Dreamworks)
• Stacy Cohen ’89 (producer, DREAMER)
• Alex Franklin ’96 (exec, The Weinstein Co)
• Sean O’Keefe ’95 (KING TUT)
• Keir Pearson ’89 (HOTEL RWANDA)
• Peter Rader ’82 (WATERWORLD)
• Jeff Schaffer ’91 (EUROTRIP)
• Josh Simon ’00 (exec, Disney)
• Massy Tadjedin ‘99 (THE JACKET)
• Nicky Weinstock '91 (Red Hour Films)
• Ed Zwick '74 (GLORY, LEGENDS OF THE FALL, THE LAST SAMURAI, BLOOD DIAMOND)

TV DRAMA

• Zadoc Angell (Manager, Echo Lake)
• Neal Baer GSE ’79 (LAW & ORDER: SVU)
• Samuel D. Baum '98 (LIE TO ME, COCKED)
• Peter Blake ’91 (HOUSE)
• Terence Carter (Exec, Fox)
• Carlton Cuse ’81 (LOST)
• Jeff Davis (CRIMINAL MINDS, TEEN WOLF)
• Dawn DeNoon (LAW & ORDER: SVU)
• Grainne Godfree '03 (THE FLASH, LEGENDS OF TOMORROW)
• Mark Goffmann (THE BEAST, WEST WING, SLEEPY HOLLOW)
• Abram Hatch ’96 (exec, Darren Star Prods.)
• Melinda Hsu Taylor (LOST)
• Glenn Kessler ‘92 (RHD/LA)
• Todd A. Kessler ’94 (THE SOPRANOS, PROVIDENCE)
• Jeff Melvoin (EP, ARMY WIVES)
• Adam Perlman '04 (BILLIONS, THE GOOD WIFE, THE NEWSROOM)
• Amy Retzinger ’95 (agent, Gersh)
• Sam Shaw '99 (MANHATTAN)
• Tom Smuts (CLOSE TO HOME)
• Thania St. John (EUREKA)
• Sarah Watson (PARENTHOOD)
• Nicky Weinstock (exec, Apatow, Fox)

TV COMEDY

• Andy Cadiff '77 (Director, Hot in Cleveland, Spin City, Young & Hungry)
• Megan Amram '10 (Writer, Parks & Rec, Silicon Valley)
• Nell Scovell '82 (Writer & Creator/Executive Producer, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, The Muppets Show)
• Kristin Newman (Writer & Executive Producer, That '70s Show, How I Met Your Mother)
• Colleen McGuinness '99 (Writer & Producer, About a Boy, 30 Rock)
• Carolyn Cassidy ’99 (exec, NBC)
• Vali Chandrasekaran ’03 (MY NAME IS EARL)
• Danny Chun ’03 (THE SIMPSONS, THE OFFICE)
• Jason Gelles ’96 (EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND)
• Aisha Muharrar '06 (PARKS & REC)
• Dan O’Keefe ’90 (THE DREW CAREY SHOW, SEINFELD)
• Mike Reiss ’81 (THE SIMPSONS)
• Patric Verrone '81 (FUTURAMA, Former President of WGA West)
• Matt Warburton ’02 (THE SIMPSONS)
• Adam Fratto (Harvardwood Board)
• Cort Cass (ABC Comedy)
• David Garrett (LIVING WITH FRAN)
• Steve Tompkins '88 (THE SIMPSONS, THE CRITIC, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND)
• Harris Goldberg (NUMB)
• Allen Zipper (FAMILY TOOLS, GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW)