Join us on Thursday, December 4 for an exclusive look inside the writers’ room of Paradise presented by Hulu. Hear from the team behind one of TV’s most thrilling shows as they discuss continuing the story and unveiling new secrets about the city’s origins following the events of season one. 

Panelists include writers Katie French, Scott Weinger, Stephen Markley, John Hoberg, Nadra Widatalla, writers' assistant Seena Haddad, and script coordinator Eric Wen.

This special session is free to attend and open to everyone—no Festival Pass required!

Join us for an exclusive conversation presented by Hulu with Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson and Only Murders in the Building co-creator and showrunner John Hoffman as they share the process for developing their shows, advice for crafting sharp, character-driven comedies, and how they run their writers rooms.

Looking to break into the business of screenwriting? Need to realign your writing goals to your career ambitions? In this workshop led by Chris Sablan (Founder, Avenue 220), we’ll explore various career pathways based on your specific aspirations and help you set clear, achievable goals to build and maintain a sustainable screenwriting career. You’ll walk away with a practical framework for career planning, a clearer sense of your direction, and actionable steps to pursue throughout the year to head into 2026 with confidence.

Pitching yourself as a person and a writer is a skill that is just as important as pitching your projects—in fact, selling yourself helps you successfully sell your projects! In this session, Eli Edelson (development executive and writer/producer, Motherland: Fort Salem) leads an interactive workshop on crafting a unique, memorable, and effective personal pitch.

We're holding a lottery to determine the five attendees who will participate live and deliver a 3-minute personal pitch for feedback. If you’re interested in participating live and on-camera, please submit this form no later than 11:59PM on Sunday, November 30. All Pass Holders are eligible to submit. We’ll notify participants by email on Tuesday, December 2.

Writers on Writing takes a look at a screenwriter’s career and writing process, from their early introductions to screenwriting to their proudest career accomplishments—plus all the lessons learned in between.

For this session, we welcome writer and director Nia DaCosta to discuss her extensive career in film, including her most recent project, Hedda.

This session is sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios.

Great characters are essential to great stories, so what goes into creating memorable and authentic characters that audiences will want to spend time with? In this session, Robert Munic (Power Book IV: Force, The Cleaner) shares important elements to consider about character backgrounds, goals, and personalities to create well-defined characters.

Participants will be selected to discuss a character they’re developing for a live development session, sharing the character’s backstory, personality, internal and external motivations, their connection to the story, and any challenges they’re having with developing the character.

Story structure isn’t just a basic formula: it’s the key to building clear arcs and achieving memorable moments. In this session led by Shari Goodhartz, we’ll define the key narrative terms within story structure evolved from the methodology of Syd Field to help you map out your story and ensure all your scenes are purposeful and connect with one another. Plus, you’ll learn about the history of narrative storytelling from 1948 to the present day and how you can apply the lessons throughout Hollywood’s primeval years to your approach to story structure.

It all starts with an idea…but where does it go from there? In this workshop led by Diane Drake, we’ll cover how to approach developing your feature ideas into complete stories using time-tested structural principles that give your ideas depth and which help to create essential narrative momentum. This session will provide a guide of key questions to consider when developing your next incredible feature script and how to approach structuring and detailing your outline to make beginning your first draft easier.

It all starts with an idea…but where does it go from there? In this workshop led by WGA and Emmy nominated television writer Adam Armus, we’ll cover how to develop your ideas into complete stories with rich characters, and engaging narratives while bringing the underlying themes that give your ideas depth and meaning to life. This session will provide a guide of key questions and considerations to answer when developing your next incredible script and how to approach structuring and detailing your outline to make approaching your first draft effortless.

Get an exclusive look Inside the Writers Room with Overcompensating with Benito Skinner and Scott King, sponsored by Prime Video. This iteration of our ongoing event series gathers the writers room of a TV series to learn how their room runs, from how they plan each season and break story to their individual experiences cracking episodes. Learn how the writers approach character development, how they pitch jokes in the room, and their process for crafting funny storylines for the hit Prime Video series.

Explore the art of adapting real-life true-crime stories with Michael D. Fuller (Murdaugh: Death in the Family) and K.J. Steinberg (The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox) in this session presented by Hulu. Hear from Michael and K.J. as they share how to balance truth with creative liberties when dramatizing true stories, how to build tension through scenes, and much more. 

Ready to break into television writing by conquering the "other half" of your career? In this session, author and TV writer Nikhil S. Jayaram will guide you through three key areas of your career development: how to pitch yourself confidently, how to network authentically, and how to succeed in a meeting. Based on the teachings in his book The TV Writer’s Hidden Path, you’ll learn how to navigate the “non-writing” factors of your career and gain valuable insights into strategies and formulas to land your first role as a working TV writer.

We're holding a lottery to determine the 3-4 attendees who will participate live and deliver a self-pitch for feedback. If you’re interested in participating live and on-camera, please submit this form no later than 11:59PM on Sunday, November 30. All Pass Holders are eligible to submit. We’ll notify participants by email on Tuesday, December 2.

Get a glimpse into the mechanics of a writers' room in this live, interactive workshop. Brian Studler leads a virtual room of 10 staff writers through the process of breaking a TV episode.

We’re holding a lottery to determine the “staff writers” who will participate live and on camera for this session. If you’re interested in participating as a staff writer, please submit this form no later than 11:59PM on Sunday, November 30. All Pass Holders are eligible to submit. We’ll notify participants by email on Tuesday, December 2.

Get an exclusive look Inside the Writers Room with The Handmaid’s Tale featuring  Bruce Miller, Yahlin Chang, and Eric Tuchman, presented by Hulu. We’ll take a look back at the series and learn how their room planned each season, along with their individual experiences cracking episodes. Learn how the writers approached adapting Margaret Atwood’s classic novel to expand the character arcs and the dystopian world of Gilead for the screen and their process for crafting gripping and high-stakes storylines across each season.

You’ve heard the mantra before: writing is rewriting. But if you have a messy draft with conflicting feedback, how should you best approach revisions? 

In this session, Rodney Barnes will break down how he tackles rewrites and evaluates feedback. We’ll explore the major layers of revision from big-picture structural changes to scene-level refinements and share how to identify a script’s weaknesses, prioritize notes, and decide what to cut, keep, or rethink. Whether you’re preparing for a professional rewrite or polishing your first draft, this session offers practical insights into how to strengthen your scripts.

Whether you’re working with a novel, podcast, article, or historical event, adapting existing stories to film and television means balancing originality with respect for the source material.

In this session, Janet Batchler will guide attendees through the process of adapting intellectual property to the big screen. We’ll discuss what makes an existing idea adaptable, how to approach iterating on the original work, and evaluating areas of opportunity to expand, condense, or reinvent the stories you’re adapting.

Get a glimpse into the mechanics of a writers' room in this live, interactive workshop. Jonathan Groff leads a virtual room of 12 staff writers through the process of breaking a TV episode.

We’re holding a lottery to determine the “staff writers” who will participate live and on camera for this session. If you’re interested in participating as a staff writer, please submit this form no later than 11:59PM on Sunday, November 30. All Pass Holders are eligible to submit. We’ll notify participants by email on Tuesday, December 2.

Sex scenes are among the most delicate moments to write—and the easiest to get wrong. Learning how to craft these stories with intentionality, purpose, and respect is key to strengthening the collaborative partnership between writers, actors, and directors.

In this session led by experienced intimacy coordinator Katherine O’Keefe, you’ll learn how to approach sex scenes professionally, thoughtfully, and artistically. By the end of this lecture, you’ll learn how to communicate intentions clearly, build trust on set, and navigate vulnerability. We’ll break down common script issues that can lead to on-set problems, examine examples of unprofessional and underwritten scenes, and study effective scripts that model best practices.

CONTENT NOTICE: This session is intended for mature audiences and includes references to sexual content and may contain strong language.