Join NYWIFT for our Masterclass Series: Writing for Television with writer/director Lara Shapiro.
Learn the essentials of episodic storytelling under the mentorship of Lara Shapiro, whose credits include The Americans, Berlin Station, and Impulse. Through a combination of case studies, group discussions, lessons, and exercises, students will hone their skills and come away with fresh perspective and inspiration to bring their long-form stories to life.
Price: $25 for Members* / $60 for Non-Members
Price includes admission for all three sessions.
*Executive, Platinum, and Leadership Circle members attend for free. Contact membership@nywift.org to upgrade your membership.
NYWIFT Masterclass Series: Writing for Television
SESSION 1: Craft Fundamentals — The Nuts and Bolts
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Time: 6:30 – 8pm ET
In Session 1, you’ll get to know writer Lara Shapiro and share your own goals and writing experiences. Lara will delve into her background and her own approach to writing for TV and film, including how to tackle character, plot, setting, outlines, and more. The class will complete a group exercise in breakout rooms focusing on generating a “hooky” premise, share their results, and get feedback.
SESSION 2: Crafting a Distinct POV
Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Time: 6:30 – 8pm ET
In Session 2, Tracy Scott Wilson, joins to discuss how she pivoted from being a playwright to being a tv and film writer. Tracy and Lara will speak about their time writing together on The Americans. The class will also complete a group exercise.
SESSION 3: Character Arc — Episode and Series
Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Time: 6:30 – 8pm ET
Session 3 focuses on Lara’s episode of The Americans as well as the series’ pilot, discussing various strategies for that series and others. The class will do a deep dive on writing exercises attuned to that specific dramatic style.
About the Instructor
Lara Shapiro’s work as a writer includes the FX drama The Americans, the EPIX spy drama Berlin Station and the YouTube Premium drama Impulse. Pilots in development include Sticky Fingers, a dramedy for Bad Robot and Warner Bros, The District for Richard Plepler and Apple TV+, and Quiet Rebel for Jessica Chastain, Alexandra Milchan and Sony TV.
Lara comes from a directing background, having directed studio financed feature films, episodic TV, numerous global commercial campaigns and award winning shorts before transitioning to writing features and TV full time.
Lara was elected to both the Directors Guild and Writers Guild councils, was selected to be on the Women’s Steering Committee of the Director’s Guild and the first Women and Diversity Initiative Council at the Writer’s Guild. Lara is an adjunct professor in writing for television in the graduate film schools of Columbia University and New York University/Tisch. She has been a fellow at the Macdowell Colony, a New York State Council of the Arts fellow, a Carla Kuhn fellow at Columbia University, and a recipient of the Sloan Filmmaker Fund Award.
Lara received her BA with honors from Cornell University, and her MFA in filmmaking from Columbia University.
About the Special Guest
Tracey Scott Wilson (MA, Temple University) is the Barbara Berlanti Professor in LGBTQ Writing for the Stage and Screen in the Department of Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University. She most recently wrote the teleplay for MGM’s film RESPECT, starring Jennifer Hudson, based on the life of Aretha Franklin. On the TV side, she served as a Co-Executive Producer on FOSSE/VERDON at FX. Before that, she was a Co-Executive Producer on FX’s award-winning series THE AMERICANS, where she wrote for five seasons and received two WGAE awards, two Peabody awards and a Golden Globe. Tracey is also a renowned playwright, and her plays include BUZZER (Guthrie Theater, The Public Theater), THE GOOD NEGRO and THE STORY (both at The Public Theater and the Goodman Theater). Tracey is the winner of the 2001 Helen Merrill Emerging Playwright Award, the 2003 AT&T Onstage Award, the 2004 Whiting Award, the 2004 Kesserling Prize, the 2007 Weissberger Playwriting Award as well as the 2007 Time Warner Storytelling Fellowship. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence at the O’Neil National Playwriting Conference. She has taught and guest lectured at several schools including, Brown University, Yale University, Rutgers University and NYU. She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from Temple University.
About the NYWIFT Masterclass Series
The NYWIFT Masterclass Series offers in-depth virtual multi-class workshops that explore various aspects of the film, television, and media industry. Led by award-winning experts, the classes will teach students about the craft, content, and business strategies involved in each creative pursuit, building a solid foundation for artistic fulfillment and commercial success.
This program will take place virtually as a webinar via Zoom. Please register in advance, and all registrants will receive a link to attend the webinar the day of the event.
We encourage you to download and create a Zoom account in advance.
programs@nywift.org
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NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
