Writing the Series Bible: Developing Your TV Series

LYNN GRANT BECK

Writing the Series Bible: Developing Your TV Series

LYNN GRANT BECK

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It usually goes like this: the pilot is all that network execs are really interested in at first. That's because the pilot demonstrates basic writing and gives them a sense of where things will go (the season's "map" is built into any good pilot). But once they've decided they like a pilot, then they want to see more—your series bible, particularly the first season's sketch.

A strong series bible is a crucial sales tool for your series. This course will help you get your TV series ready for an executive by developing your series premise, honing your pilot, and writing your series bible.

Although not necessary, it would be helpful for students to have draft of their pilot or at least an outline before beginning this course.

Join the Waitlist

Subscribe to be notified when this course opens for registration.

It usually goes like this: the pilot is all that network execs are really interested in at first. That's because the pilot demonstrates basic writing and gives them a sense of where things will go (the season's "map" is built into any good pilot). But once they've decided they like a pilot, then they want to see more—your series bible, particularly the first season's sketch.

A strong series bible is a crucial sales tool for your series. This course will help you get your TV series ready for an executive by developing your series premise, honing your pilot, and writing your series bible.

Although not necessary, it would be helpful for students to have draft of their pilot or at least an outline before beginning this course.

Course outline

Course outline

Each session includes a written lecture, creative exercises to further your learning, and a writing assignment to turn in for personalized feedback from your instructor.


Meet the instructor

Lynn Grant Beck

Lynn Grant Beck was born in Montclair, New Jersey. She just completed a new feature thriller, Quiet Night. Her latest sci-fi TV series, Fuzion, is currently being pitched to broadcast and streaming networks. The TV series, Hashers, was commissioned by Google VP, Jim Kolotouros. Her TV movie thriller, My Mom is a Bank Robber, aired on Lifetime in 2016 and her TV movie rom-com, 12 Gifts of Christmas aired on the Hallmark Channel in 2015. She was also hired by Tim Johnson Productions to write two other MOW thrillers, Trapped and Cult of Lies. She also wrote an action/disaster feature spec called BlackOut and has completed an animated feature spec called Sandra Claus.

Her feature screenplay, Dead Wrong, won an award in the WIF/MORE Screenplay contest and was optioned by the director, John Rhode. Her one hour pilot, The House that Jackie Built, reached the second round of the Austin Film Festival and was optioned by the director, Allen Martinez. Her half hour pilot, Life in 2D, won her a fellowship at the Writers Boot Camp and she was hired to co-write a sci-fi web series, The Annex, by director Hank Isaac. She was also hired to write the feature comedy, Hollywood Hit, for Miracle Mile Entertainment.

Other feature scripts include two comedies, James Borkowsky 000 and Trophy Husband, two romantic comedies, The Death of Art and Trouble, and a sci-fi adventure story, Jonny Was. Lynn has also written a spec TV script of Mad Men and another half hour original pilot, Twindroids.

Lynn is a Professor of Screenwriting in the MFA graduate program at Pepperdine University and has also taught Writing the Television Pilot at Santa Monica College. Lynn also has significant industry experience as Vice President of Production at Kopelson Productions, and Creative Executive at Interscope Communications. At Interscope she traveled to Australia where she was an assistant producer on Pitch Black with Vin Diesel. Her first job in the entertainment business was working as an assistant in the television movie department of Kushner-Locke.

Lynn arrived in Los Angeles from New York where she was a playwright. She founded the independent theater company, The Chelsea Players, and wrote and produced many successful Off-off Broadway plays, including Restaurant A, Magic Soup, Platform 8, The Game and The Case of the Stolen Identity. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Russian Studies she traveled to Russia where she worked as an assistant director at the Nikitsky Vorot Theater. In 1990 and 1991, she spent six months working in Moscow and five months traveling across the former Soviet Union as it broke up and dissolved. She wrote a non-fiction account of that year entitled Adventure in the Soviet Union. Other works include an anthology of poetry and numerous manuscripts for children’s books. Her love of writing and the arts in general was first fostered at her time spent at Choate Rosemary Hall. She currently lives in Malibu, California with her husband, two children and tabby cat, Cream.

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