You've Written a Screenplay—Now What?
Taught by Timothy Cooper
Timothy Michael Cooper is an award-winning writer, director, and improvisor based in Brooklyn.
He wrote and directed the Writers Guild Award-nominated CONCIERGE: THE SERIES, starring Kate McKinnon. His short comedy LEMON, starring Jennifer Westfeldt, Noah Bean, and Jenn Lyon, premiered at Tribeca, played at dozens of festivals throughout the world as well as on United Airlines and Amazon Prime, and is currently being developed as a sitcom.
At Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in NYC, he created and directed the improvised shows SUNNY-SIDE UP and FAREBEATER: IMPROV IN A CAB, starring cast members like Pete Holmes and Thomas Middleditch.
Timothy also wrote the feature AWAY FROM HERE, starring Nick Stahl, Alicia Witt, and Ray Wise, now available on Amazon Prime.
He’s been part of the writers’ room for the Writers Guild Awards for the past six years, writing monologue jokes and sketches for comedians like Lewis Black, Colin Quinn, Larry Wilmore, Amber Ruffin, Michael Ian Black, Roy Wood Jr., and many more.
Through his company, Blueprint Screenwriting Group (blueprintscreenwritinggroup.com), he’s taught hundreds of writers, helping them sell their scripts to major studios; staff on multiple network and cable TV shows; find representation; screen and win at SXSW, Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, and many more; and get their movies and shows made across the globe.
Timothy is a proud member of the WGAE, the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, and the Hollywood Radio & Television Society.
Learn what it really takes to get your TV shows/movies made, find agents or managers, and actually get paid in this crazy, highly competitive industry.
In this fun but brutally honest overview of the art and business of screenwriting—whether you have plenty of screenwriting experience or are simply curious about the industry—I'll present the pro tips that have helped me and my students get staffed on major TV shows, sell their scripts, win festivals and fellowships, find representation, and launch their careers.
We'll address concrete steps you can take toward making a living through writing for film and television, including:
- Identifying, meeting, and getting past the gatekeepers
- How to know if you're ready for representation
- What agents and managers want to see from you
- Who's actually reading your scripts?
- Forming genuine connections with mentors and professionals
- Connecting with producers and directors
- Film festivals, screenplay contests, and fellowships
- What “selling a script” really means
- Indie vs. studio work
- Jobs within the industry that you might not have thought of
- Producing your own projects
- Short films, sizzle reels, mock trailers, and webseries
- Enhancing your voice
- Joining the WGA
- Unexpected ways to make money while enhancing your contacts
- Forming a writers' group
- Creating your own opportunities
- ...and much more.
