The 5-Week Premise to Page Workshop: Write Your Holiday TV Movie

'Tis the Season to Write Your Holiday TV Movie!

And now you can do it with weekly guidance, instruction and feedback from Samantha Herman and Danny Manus.

With the recent explosion of the holiday romance genre, more and more platforms are hungrily searching for the next festive hit.

In this 5-Week Workshop over Zoom, you will shape and develop your premise, create your perfect lead characters and their arcs, complete your 9-Act outline, and write (at least) your first 2 Acts. So, get ready to work!

Each week, there will be a mini-class with specific lessons on the craft and business of writing in this genre, going more in-depth than we did in the Webinar a few weeks ago, followed by reading and critiquing that week’s assignments for all Tier 1 attendees, and giving feedback to further develop your project.

By the end of the 5 Weeks, you will be well on your way to completing your TV Movie script equipped with feedback and the knowledge that it’s a story that will work! But Register NOW - The first class begins THIS WEDNESDAY OCT 16th!!

There are TWO tier options for the course. Tier One will submit their work every week to be read, reviewed, and get feedback in-class. There is a limit of 8 Writers Max for Tier 1 (ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT!!). Tier Two will observe and participate in the class, but will not submit their work or have it critiqued in-class. Registered writers in both tiers will receive all class materials and class recordings.

What you’ll learn:

• How to develop and evaluate your premise to work for this genre & know if it’s sellable or a better writing sample
• What you should and should not include in your story (highlighting some of Samantha's own successes and missteps)
• What makes for appealing lead characters and how to craft satisfying arcs
• How to write an Outline you could submit to a network
• What milestone moments your characters must experience and enjoy
• How to work the right amount of authentic festive cheer into your plot
• How to be sure your set pieces and locations will work for the budgetHow to make the 9-Act Structure work for your story
• How to keep the Romance and magical moments flowing throughout
• What execs are looking for in the next holiday hit
• What the next steps are to finishing your TV Movie Script and Submitting it!

Who Should Attend?

• Writers of all levels
• Writers looking to develop their Holiday TV Movie concepts and write their outlines
• Writers looking to write or rewrite their Holiday TV Movie
• Writers looking for feedback and guidance throughout the outlining and writing process
• Writers who want deadlines and weekly assignments to stay on track
• Writers who want to learn the 9-Act TV Movie structure
• Writers who want insights on what TV Networks are looking for (and not looking for) in these genres
• Fans of Holiday and Romantic TV Films who want insight into the Outlining and Writing Process

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTORS:

Samantha Herman grew up celebrating the holidays by watching an array of festive films and romcoms. While working as a lawyer, in 2017 she sold her first holiday spec to Hallmark Channel, Mingle all the Way, which was released in 2018. During the same season, she was hired to rewrite another film for the holiday slate, Small Town Christmas, also released in 2018. Since then, she’s been steadily working with Hallmark, while taking forays at Lifetime and CBS. Last year’s Christmas Island was the third most watched movie of Hallmark’s 40+ holiday titles of 2023, premiering to 2.6 million viewers. Her 12th Hallmark film is currently in production, set for release during the 2024 festive season. She is already pitching away at Hallmark for 2025 and has two holiday specs in consideration at the streamers.

Danny Manus is a former development exec, a screenwriter, and has run No BullScript Consulting since 2009. He’s the author of “No B.S. for Screenwriters: Advice from the Executive Perspective” and has consulted on produced projects including Strangerlands starring Nicole Kidman, King of Killers starring Frank Grillo, I, Frankenstein starring Aaron Eckhart, and Satanic Panic starring Rebecca Romijn.  His clients have been produced, sold, optioned, signed, staffed, won fellowships, and have won or been finalists or semifinalists in every major contest. Danny was a Consulting Producer on the TV Pilot Millennial Rules and was previously the Director of Development for Clifford Werber Productions (Sydney White, Just Add Water), Sandstorm Films (The Covenant, Prom Night), and Eclectic Pictures, which combined had four #1 films at the box office. He’s taken thousands of pitches, appeared on numerous podcasts, and has been a speaker at dozens of events across the country.

REGISTER NOW!