Stage 32 2-Part Class: Finding & Structuring Your Half Hour TV Pilot Story - With 3 Free Pilot Script Downloads

Learn the fundamentals of structuring your 30 minute tv pilot with a writer from HBO's Emmy nominated comedy series Silicon Valley!

PLEASE NOTE: Although this exclusive Stage 32 class is no longer live and the teacher is not available on email, we highly encourage you to do any assignments to get the most out of the educational experience.

If you want to work as a TV writer, you need a great writing sample, and these days, that comes in the form of a pilot script. Writing a pilot is hard, though, and writing a great pilot is even harder. One of the most common pitfalls is failing to write a compelling story that showcases your characters and world. But it’s that story that will get a reader to finish the script. It’s that story that can help you get a job. Figuring out the best version of your pilot story often comes down to structuring the script into an A, B and C story. This will allow you to introduce your characters, world, and plot points while still maintaining a pace and shape to the episode.

Writing a great pilot script is such a tricky balancing act, ESPECIALLY for a 30-minute show. In just 30 pages, you need to establish your world, your characters, and your ongoing stories without overloading the audience with exposition all while still injecting the episode with its own story and arc. That’s a lot of plates to spin, but if you can’t nail your pilot’s structure, your characters and world won’t reach their full potential.

How can you structure your own half hour pilot into an effective script with a clear A, B and C story? How can you find the balance and spin every plate so you can have a standout pilot script and writing sample that can get you the attention and opportunities you’re looking for?

Meghan Pleticha is television writer with over a decade of entertainment industry experience who has most recently worked as a staff writer on HBO’s Emmy Nominated comedy series SILICON VALLEY. Her work has also appeared on Cartoon Network’s POWER PLAYERS, and in Escala, AeroMéxico’s official in-flight magazine. Previous to being staffed on television shows, she worked as a writer’s assistant and script coordinator for shows like FX’s MARRIED, ABC’s CHARITY CASE, and VH1’s HIT THE FLOOR. 

Over two sessions in this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand class, Meghan will dive deep into how to effectively structure a 30-minute TV pilot script, focusing on finding your pilot’s story and building it out with an A, B, and C story. In the first session, Meghan will dissect what makes a great A story for a pilot, discussing the goals you should have for this story as well as helpful strategies and secrets to bring it together. In the second session, Meghan will look deeper into B and C stories, how to integrate them into your A story, and how to use them to further define your series and world.

Meghan’s career as a writer as well as her experience teaching other aspiring creatives has given her powerful insight into television story structure, and she’s excited to bring what she’s learned to the Stage 32 community.

You will walk away from this course with a firm understanding of how you can effectively structure your 30-minute TV pilot so your script will get you noticed!

PLUS! You will receive the pilot scripts used as case studies:

• ARCHER pilot script
• GLOW pilot script
• SUPERSTORE pilot script

Praise For Meghan:

“Meghan is a wealth of knowledge and a fantastic teacher. She's truly an ally to all writers." -- Carol L.

"Megan taught me so much more than just structure of an episode of TV. I feel very well versed in the craft and business of television after working with her." -- Nick M.