Writing the Pilot
Develop a pilot script for your original series.
All it takes is ONE CAPTIVATING PILOT to win the hearts of your audience.
Easier said than done, right?
Anybody can muster up a pilot with a decent plot, but to gain a massive audience for your series, you need a pilot that:
- Taps into the primal human instinct for story, for conflict, and the evolution of character arcs.
- Rises to the top, above the piles of scripts that land on an agent's desk.
- Serves as your unique, personal introduction to the industry.
- Articulates your original voice and perspective.
The big question is, how do you write that ONE CAPTIVATING PILOT?
While there's no magic formula or secret handshake that promises success, there ARE invaluable lessons that can save you years of trial and error.
It’s our mission to simplify and streamline this learning process. We aim to share the tools you need to write your ONE CAPTIVATING PILOT straight out of the gate.
And we've seen it work.
Our students have won places in the Black List, the Nichol's Fellowship, Austin Film Festival, Netflix Fellowships, and more. They've produced their own work, won awards, gained representation, and developed audiences who have fallen in love with their storytelling. And we want you to join them.
Introducing...
Our 6-module course presents a clear, step-by-step process for creating
ONE CAPTIVATING PILOT and SERIES BIBLE
Inside, you’ll find the tools you need to:
- Master the ART OF STORYTELLING, ensuring that every page leaves viewers on the edge of their seats, eager for the next episode.
- Gain an INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MECHANICS OF EPISODIC WRITING, laying the perfect foundation for your TV series.
- Develop CRAFTSMANSHIP to shape your ideas into a streamlined, compelling narrative.
- Refine your own CREATIVE VISION, and captivate your audience from the pilot to the season finale.
Our system for writing captivating pilots is flexible and efficient, with a series of small projects that build upon one another until you have a complete, original script.
Plus, you'll receive feedback from working, professional screenwriters at every step of the process.
For just $147, you'll receive:
- Over 10 hours of exclusive high-quality video content.
- A comprehensive action plan for transforming your ideas into a fully fleshed-out pilot script.
- Exclusive access to a community of screenwriters for personal feedback and workshops.
When you’re ready, join us in WRITING THE PILOT.
Get started now!
Get started now!
Your Instructor
Professional screenwriters Adam Schaller and Alexie Basil both began their teaching journey as assistants to NYU Tisch Professor John Warren, and have since become mentors for thousands of writers worldwide.
Adam Schaller is a Cuban-American screenwriter and educator born and raised in Los Angeles. He enjoyed early success as a child voice actor, appearing in many projects such as The Adventures of Lindy and Loon for Kidz-up, The Peanut Man, and Universe of Song for Music for Little People distributed by Warner and Kid Rhino.
Currently, he is serving as co-producer and lead writer for a feature film set to be produced in 2025.
Alexie Basil is a screenwriter and educator originally from Kentucky. At NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she was Professor John Warren's student, and they connected over their love of teaching. Together, they launched Young Screenwriters to make screenwriting more accessible to writers everywhere.
She has been nominated for the prestigious Webby Award for her work as lead writer on the episodic narrative podcast series, Live from Mount Olympus, and currently has several other projects in the works.
Course Curriculum
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Start1.1 Welcome to Writing the Pilot! (2:35)
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Start1.2 Setting the Foundation (2:12)
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Start1.3 Pilots: Your Promise to the Audience (10:08)
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Start1.4 Logline: A Simple Story Engine (19:02)
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Start1.5 The Three Cs: Character, Choices, and Conflict (33:06)
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Start1.6 World-Building: More Than a Setting (20:20)
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Start1.7 Story Triangle: Episodic Stories That Thrive (8:05)
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StartAction Step: Create Your Wishlist (3:51)
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Start2.1 Developing Your Series (2:37)
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Start2.2 How Your Pilot Fits into Your Series (14:32)
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Start2.3 Series Tentpole: Roadmap for Your Show (20:01)
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Start2.4 Character vs World: Who Makes the Cut? (14:47)
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Start2.5 Series Inciting Incident: What Sparks the Change? (4:18)
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Start2.6 Core Story Questions: The Spine of Your Series (19:11)
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Start2.7 Resolutions: How Will It End? (12:54)
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StartAction Step: Write Your Series Tentpole (3:57)
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Start3.1 Plotting Your Pilot (2:22)
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Start3.2 Essential Components of Every Pilot (38:57)
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Start3.3 Beginnings: Where Every Pilot Starts (18:48)
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Start3.4 Middles: The Adventure (21:26)
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Start3.5 Endings: Launching a Series (24:32)
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Start3.6 Pilot Tentpoles: 5-Act and 3-Act (30:07)
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StartAction Step: Write Your Pilot Tentpole (3:12)