Toronto Screenwriting Conference

GOT ONE THING for you today.


And this is a post about a gulf between newbie-professional development.


The problem with a lot of screenwriting or TV conference/panel thingies is because it's a so-called "glamorous" business (trust me, the reality's anything but, but you don't learn that til you're in it) you often get a very high level of wheat-to-chaff or noise-to-nuggets ratio.  


If it's something like the Paley panels, half the people are there to see the actors. Or sometimes the audience wants to know what it's like to work with so-and-so.  At something like Comic-con you're going to get some very specific fanboy-like stuff, which can lead to better questions and answers or worse depending on how on the ball the moderator is and out of hand the audience is.

See, somehow I don't think that, say, P.D. days for teachers ever get this nuts. Or Policy Wonks.  Actually, I've got a pretty funny image in my head right now of a bunch of Economics geeks showing up with signs & bumph to a Paul Krugman lecture.  (And that's probably b/c of the great New Yorker piece I read on him where one of the scenes is the longtime sci-fi fan addressing a con in Montreal.)


Anyway, if you're a working writer and you've ever sat in the crowd at one of these things thinking, "God, can you please ask something USEFUL?" or even if you're a newbie, up and coming writer who's been frustrated when you sat through a panel that told you stuff you already knew about a show, then I've got news for you.

There's a two-day conference coming to Toronto in April that is going to be a process-oriented, nitty gritty professional development seminar for screenwriters.  It's aimed at working writers, and seriously motivated, craft-oriented up-and-comers.  The moderators and questions will be process and craft focused, not "what's Dexter really like?" or "How do I get a job on your show?"


The Toronto Screenwriting Conference 2010 website is now up and open.  The two day event takes place April 10 and 11th, 2010 at Ryerson University.


Confirmed speakers/guests include:  


Chuck Tatham - Co-Executive Producer, How I Met Your Mother 


Rob C. Cooper - Co-Creator & Executive Producer, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: Universe


Tim Long - Executive Producer, The Simpsons


Rob Zotnowski - Head of television development and production for Stars Road Entertainment (producing partners are Sam Raimi and Josh Donen)


Sheldon Bull - author of the excellent half-hour comedy writing book, Elephant Bucks


Ellen Sandler - (Everybody loves Raymond, The TV Writer's Workbook), Dr. Linda Seger (mutliple screenwriting books)  Pam Douglas (Writing the TV Drama Series) & others confirmed & yet to be announced.


This conference is an initiative of my agency, Meridian Artists, and it comes out of a lot of frustrated conversations about past events like this and how they fell short.  This is not a cash grab -- it's an initiative to try and raise the level of craft talk & discussion & deliver professional development that all screenwriters can get behind.  


If you attend, you're going to get trenchant questions that drill down into the nitty gritty of process, craft, the state of TV writing today, and in the future.  I'll be moderating at least one of the discussions, and there'll be plenty of time for networking & audience questions.


Cost is $369. (CDN, obviously.) There's a student rate that I believe is limited to the first 50 who register with valid student I.D.   


I've been to a lot of these things and come away disappointed.  Whatever level you find yourself at in the business today, I know you're going to find this conference useful, if you attend.


Anyway, check out the schedule, and maybe I'll see you there.