Story Expo

After months of negotiation, the Writers Guild of America has reached a tentative agreement with major Hollywood studios. One of the major points has to do with streaming. Streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO Max have been both a blessing and a curse for Hollywood writers. We’re living in what’s been called the golden age of television. Thanks to an array of streaming platforms, there are more TV shows than ever and more opportunities for talented and diverse new writ...ers. It’s also easy to stream old favorites Mad Men, Sex and the City, The Sopranos. But, for a lot of writers, there’s the ongoing issue of residuals money they get every time a show is rerun. Consider NBC’s The Office. Every time you are watching that, some distributor had to pay money for you to watch that again, and that money is getting broken down and distributed to the people who created it, said Danny Kravitz, a screenwriter who teaches at Columbia College Chicago. But when a show goes on a streaming platform like Netflix, it’s a one time deal. And again, they try to account for what some of that backend might be, but you’re not going to have those huge hits, Kravitz said. Otherwise, those payments would be huge because up until last year, The Office was the most watched show on Netflix. Which brings up another issue with streaming. Unlike traditional TV, platforms like Netflix don’t release ratings. And it makes it harder for writers to negotiate new contracts based on how popular their product is. Tim Hanlon is a media analyst with the Vertere Group. Television measurement was relatively simple, back in the day when there were less choices, Hanlon said. And the technology needs to catch up with how increasingly complicated the delivery and the viewership of television has become. The terms of the WGA’s tentative agreement haven’t been made public but reportedly include an increase in streaming residuals. Link: https://www.marketplace.org//tv-writers-set-to-get-more-r/

9-Time Emmy Award winning writer, producer and showrunner AL JEAN (The Simpsons, Not Necessarily The News, The Tonight Show, Alf, Sledgehammer!) joins us for the Story Expo Podcast! ww.StoryExpo.com . Al Jean is best known for his work on The Simpsons, where he's been the show's Showrunner since 2001. Born and raised near Detroit, Michigan, he graduated from Harvard University in 1981 and began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss. Al worked a...s a writer and producer on such television shows as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, ALF, The Critic, Not Necessarily The News, Sledgehammer!, Teen Angel and It's Garry Shandling's Show. . Al was offered a job as a writer on the animated sitcom The Simpsons in 1989, alongside his Harvard alum Reiss, and together they became the first members of the original writing staff of the show. Al and Mike Reiss went on to sign a three-year deal with The Walt Disney Company in the early 90s to produce shows for ABC (the duo created and executive-produced The Critic, Teen Angel, etc.), before returning to The Simpsons full-time during the tenth season (1998). Al became Showrunner during the thirteenth season in 2001, a position he still holds today in 2020, and won his 9th Emmy last year (along with the entire producing team of The Simpsons) for "Outstanding Animated Program." . More clips to come, including discussions about The Simpsons, Sledgehammer!, ALF, the creative process and more. . More on Al Jean: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419830/ See more

The World's Biggest Expo for Screenwriters, TV Writers, Novelists, Producers, Directors and more looks forward to returning with Story Expo NY and Story Expo LA in 2020! We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, writing everyday, and looking forward to when life gets back to normal. When it does, we'll be there with the the ultimate writers' weekends in NY and LA. Get on our email list for the latest updates. www.StoryExpo.com.

Yes, we are diligently monitoring the situation in NY. Thank you to everyone who forwarded this to us.

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STORY EXPO NY is just 10 days away! Over 85% of tickets have been sold. The biggest expo in the world for writers of all story - screenwriters, TV writers, novelists, streaming, directors, producers and more! Over 70 classes, star speakers, pitching room, networking and more! Story Expo New York - March 7-8, 2020 - Marriott Marquis Hotel Times Square. Still only $249 since 2013! Register Today: www.StoryExpo.com

STARTS IN 2 WEEKS! Don't miss STORY EXPO in New York the weekend of March 7-8, 2020! The biggest conference in the world for story writers - screenwriters, TV writers, novelists and more. Almost 70 sessions and workshops, star speakers, panel discussions, industry pitching, networking & more! Only $249. www.StoryExpo.com Some of the amazing classes in NY will include: -- Unleash Your Storytelling Superpower... -- Hollywood Pitching -- Mastering Suspense -- The 20 Beats Of All Hit Movies -- Adapting Books To Film & TV -- The Secrets of Love Stories -- TV Pilot: How to Get a Meeting (What To Do In The Room) -- How to Rewrite - 5 Steps From First Draft To Final Draft -- The PR World: Marketing Yourself -- Novel Writing: Before You Begin The Novel -- How To Outline Your Story (Feature Film & TV Pilot) -- Mastering Loglines: One Giant Leap For Your Career! -- Finding & Developing Entertainment IP -- A&E Networks: Inside A Cable Giant (Panel) -- From Zero to Story: Prewriting Your Screenplay -- Entertainment Law Crash Course For Writers -- Writing The TV Drama / Pilot -- Theme Master The Single Most Powerful Ingredient -- How To Get Your Book Published (Panel) -- Creating The Scripted Podcast -- Creating Non-Stereotypical 3-Dimensional Characters -- Screenwriting: The First Act -- Storytelling in Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality (Panel) -- Dating Your Character -- Star Speaker: Oscar-Winning Screenwriter -- Creating the TV Beat Sheet - The Heart Of All Great TV -- The Art of the Pitch -- Navigating Emotional Corridors -- Bottom-Up: Thinking About Story -- Star Speaker: The Structure of Jokes -- Pitch & Play: Perfecting Pitching + Putting It Into Practice -- The Writer's Diet: Nutrition For Success -- The Story Of Ideas -- The Doc Stops Here: Fund, Film & Sell your Documentary -- Advanced Script Editing: Script Editing Tricks -- The Novel Rewrite: The Process of Revision -- 75-Minute Film School -- Podcasting: How To Craft Your Stories -- How To Write Dramatic Dialogue for Film & Television -- Producer Panel: The Business of Selling Your Project -- Sequencing: The Hidden Art of Great Film Structure -- The Myth of 3-Act Structure -- Story Science of Connecting and Connection -- Genre: Finding A New Angle -- Selling To Netflix -- One-On-One Pitching with Industry Professionals -- More to Come! Join over 500 screenwriters, TV writers, novelists, streaming writers, podcasters, producers, directors and actors from around the world at the New York Story Expo the weekend of March 7-8, 2020. BOOK NOW at www.StoryExpo.com INFORMATION®ISTRATION Registration Fees -------------------------------------------- $249 Regular Fee. Includes all Sessions, Workshops, Pitching, Star Speakers & More! www.StoryExpo.com

STORY EXPO in New York the weekend of March 7-8, 2020! A listing of classes by category/track for the biggest conference in the world for story writers - screenwriters, TV writers, novelists and more! www.StoryExpo.com PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT -------------------------------------------------- The PR World: Marketing Yourself...Continue reading

Don't miss STORY EXPO in New York the weekend of March 7-8, 2020! The biggest conference in the world for story writers - screenwriters, TV writers, novelists and more. Almost 70 sessions and workshops, star speakers, panel discussions, industry pitching, networking & more! www.StoryExpo.com

STORY EXPO returns to NY (March 7-8, 2020) and Los Angeles (Sept. 25-27, 2020). Over 70 Sessions & Workshops, Star Speakers, Producer Panels, Networking and Much More! Early Bird Ending Soon (Save $50-100). www.storyexpo.com