Comic-Con -- Write for the Entertainment Industry

Write for the Entertainment Industry

Would you like to write for TV? In 2017, I attended Comic-Con International, the annual popular arts extravaganza held every summer at the San Diego Convention Center. This is what I learned at a panel called “The Writer’s Journey: Breaking In and Managing a Career In Hollywood,” featuring advice from four industry professionals: Brandon Easton, Geoffrey Thorne, Ubah Mohamed, and Tony Puryear.

The Experts

Brandon Easton was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2014 for Watson and Holmes by New Paradigm Studios. His writing credits include Marvel’s Agent Carter and IDW’s M.A.S.K.

Geoffrey Thorne is a TV producer and has worked on TNT’s The Librarians and Marvel Comic’s Mosaic as well as USA Network’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Ubah Mohamed has written for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and ABC’s The Whispers.

Tony Puryear is an artist and writer and he worked on the Schwarzenegger film, Eraser and Dark Horse’s graphic novel, Concrete Park.  

Find Your Muse

Tony Puryear encouraged the audience to find their muse: “Being a writer is a holy calling. You must get in a quiet place and listen. It’s like joining a cult of one.”

Other panelists added: Never chase a trend because it leads to a brick wall. Instead, go after what you feel passionate about.

Decide what kind of writer you want to be: TV, motion picture, comics and graphic novels, or novels because they are different. Then research the business thoroughly. Find out everything you can about that industry—the roles, the terminology, the people, the ins and outs.

Be Professional

To go from “aspiring” to a “professional,” a writer needs to make time to create under any circumstances. You can’t write only when inspired. 

Finish projects and make sure you have a good product before attempting to network. When you are ready to network, have business cards ready.

Ubah Mohamed gave advice to those who bemoan the lack of diversity in the entertainment industry: “You must act like a professional. Don’t make waves. Don’t knock the developer of the show. (If something bothers you), play corporate America and make your mark by working in the industry to make changes.”

Research

Brandon Easton emphasized the importance of study: “Don’t just watch TV, watch it critically. Look at successful work and ask yourself why the show is successful, why it appeals to people even if it doesn’t appeal to you. What are they doing right? Watch a lot of shows. Read books and see what’s working.”

He cited The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae and The Martian by Andy Weir as examples of success.  

He recommended the following books: Stephen King’s On Writing, one of the best books on the craft. Other book suggestions: Writing the TV Drama Series by Pamela Douglas and Writers on Comics Scriptwriting by Mark Salisbury, which featured industry legends such as Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Todd McFarlane, and Grant Morrison.    

For film and TV research, take a look at Variety and Deadline Hollywood.

For literature and books, check out Publisher’s Weekly.

For comics: Newsarama, CBR, and ICV2.

For scriptwriting: Black List.

Writing Organizations: Writers Guild of America and Writers Guild Foundation.

Marketing

Panelists: Find your unique niche. What do you gravitate to? What sparks your interest? Once you discover this, identify a way to capitalize on it, make it your brand, build it, then market it. You are at the CEO of your company. You need to establish yourself as a character and/or someone with a unique point of view so people are invested in your product. Example: The Martian by Andy Weir is basically Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

To work in TV, move to LA and start by volunteering or interning. Be a production assistant on a project because you will learn by doing. Become a writer’s room assistant. Enter contests. Do a web series.

When marketing, use the internet: Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Instagram, Blogspot/Wordpress/Personal Website. Do Podcasts because Hollywood loves them.

In the closing segment, the panelists took questions from the audience. Geoffrey Thorne gave a clear response to an attendee’s question about whether to prioritize marketing or writing: “Don’t worry about the marketing. That will come soon enough. Focus on the writing.”

Comic-Con Info

Comic-Con 2018: July 19-22, 2018 with Preview Night July 18.

Site: https://www.comic-con.org/cci

Program Schedule: https://www.comic-con.org/cci/programming-schedule  

Portfolio Review -- Have your art portfolio reviewed by an industry professional. Info: https://www.comic-con.org/cci/portfolio-review