How To Develop Your 30-Minute Multi-Cam Television Series

Learn the fundamentals of how to create a successful multi-cam television series from a seasoned television writer who has worked on FX's IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, Freeform's BABY DADDY, Disney's SYDNEY TO THE MAX, and more!

PLUS! You'll receive exclusive handouts to help you on your multi-cam comedy writing journey, including the script for the pilot episodes of FRIENDS, NEW GIRL, CHEERS, IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, BABY DADDY, and SYDNEY TO THE MAX!

Multi-cam comedies are half-hour shows filmed in a studio in front of a live audience with multiple cameras directed toward standing sets, like a living room, that we get used to seeing in every episode. The multi-cam sitcom has been the mainstay of TV comedy since I LOVE LUCY first invented it in 1951.

From CHEERS, SEINFELD, and FRIENDS to EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BIG BANG THEORY, FULL HOUSE and FULLER HOUSE, so many of the mega-hit TV shows that we all know and love are multi-camera series. Even in 2023, multi-cam sitcoms are everywhere, with shows like LOPEZ VS LOPEZ, THE CONNERS, NIGHT COURT, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, and THAT 90'S SHOW garnering huge ratings and anchoring program schedules for their respective networks/streamers. There will always be a robust market for multi-cam comedy writers who can deliver laugh-out-loud scripts, which means writing your own multi-cam pilot will greatly increase your staffing and development opportunities.

In fact, most kids and family sitcoms are multi-cams, which in many cases represent the easiest path to getting that ever elusive first writing job or sale. In a world where writing staffs and episode orders are shrinking and opportunities for writers to go to set and gain valuable producing experience are becoming less and less the norm, multi-cam television is one of the few genres where the traditional job of a TV writer/producer still exists.

In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, veteran TV writer Eric Zimmerman will teach you the essential elements that comprise a successful multi-cam television series - characters, tone, dialogue, and set ups, to name a few - so you can create your multi-cam series that sets you up for a successful career. Eric has been a working TV writer for 14 years, including writing on all 100 episodes of Freeform’s multi-cam hit BABY DADDY. Most recently, he served as a Co-Executive Producer on Disney’s multi-cam series SYDNEY TO THE MAX. He has also sold several multi-cam projects to Disney and Netflix, as well as worked on multi-cam network pilots. Eric wasn’t always a multi-cam writer. He got his start writing on single camera and animated series, including the Emmy-nominated DAN VS. But once he started writing multi-cams, he quickly fell in love with the genre. 

In this information-packed webinar, Eric will go in depth on the differences between writing a multi-cam versus single camera or animated sitcoms. He will give you the necessary tools to determine if your pilot idea works best as a multi-cam, single-cam, or perhaps the often hard to purely define “hybrid” series. Eric will also break down all the essentials of writing your own successful multi-cam pilot script, with an eye toward the goal of it serving as an effective writing sample or to be sold as a spec.

PLUS! You'll receive exclusive handouts to help you understand multi-cam character and structure so you can write your own. Downloads include the PILOT SCRIPTS for:

• FRIENDS
• NEW GIRL
• CHEERS
• IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
• BABY DADDY
• SYDNEY TO THE MAX

If you want to explore the key elements of writing a successful multi-cam series and learn the process of writing your very own multi-cam pilot, this webinar is a must! 

"I am thrilled to be part of this vibrant stage 32 community! I have every confidence that my Multi-cam 101 class will prove more valuable to your life than food, water, and perhaps even air." - Eric Zimmerman