The Quibi Revolution - How to Write, Pitch and Sell a Project to a Short Form Streaming Platform

For many years in the industry, there were only three types of scripts that a working film or TV writer would ever be asked to write: a feature-length script, an hour-long TV script or a half-hour TV script. But with the addition of Quibi as a major driver of content and a serious player in the entertainment space, more and more writers are finding themselves working in a newer, short-format style of writing. In this webinar, Tripper Clancy, who has sold two shows to Quibi, will discuss how a Quibi show is made: from conception, to pitch, to writing, and ultimately to production. It’s not rocket science, but it’s definitely unlike anything else in the TV landscape right now and it's something you should learn to have another tool to be armed with.

If you’ve got your sights set on becoming a working screenwriter in the industry, you may already know exactly what you want to write. Perhaps you want to be staffed on a particular HBO show. Or you have the perfect pitch for Netflix. Or you wrote a feature script that Blumhouse would love. Well, one of the things you’ll learn is that the secret to making a living as a writer is being open-minded about who pays your bills. And in TV, that means that a pitch that you knew was perfect for Amazon may actually end up at Quibi. And suddenly you’ll find yourself wondering how the hell you’re go tell a story that you imagined in one format in an entirely different, much shorter manner. When that moment happens, you need to understand how to be flexible with your story, and how you can adapt it to Quibi’s format.

Tripper Clancy is a screenwriter who dabbles in TV and film, comedy and drama. His credits include STUBER for 20^th Century Fox, I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS for Netflix, and two new shows for Quibi: DIE HART, an action-comedy starring Kevin Hart and John Travolta, as well as VARSITY BLUES, a modern day reimagining of the original movie. Tripper has carved out a successful career as a writer and has entered into short form storytelling with Quibi as a medium. Exclusively for Stage 32 Tripper will give you insight on how to write for a short streamer like Quibi.

Tripper will go over a general overview of writing the the film and TV industry, including how to break in and the roles managers, agents and attorneys play in your journey. You'll get an understanding of specs vs. OWA (open writing assignments), how to pitch and how to get staffed. After you have a clear understanding of the general landscape, Tripper will dive into the similarities and differences between Quibi and traditional TV. You will know the length of time per episode, number of episodes and how they roll the episodes to the public. You'll get to learn the SVOD model and the pros and cons of writing for a streamer like Quibi vs. broadcast/streamers. Tripper will teach you how to approach pitching a Quibi show, how to develop the concept and what to pitch in the meeting. Finally, Tripper will teach you how to write for a Quibi show using case studies of his two Quibi shows: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and DIE HART with Kevin Hart. You will walk away with a clear understanding of the short form storytelling eco-system for a short streamer like Quibi. 

Praise for Tripper's Stage 32 Webinar

"Tripper Clancy was an awesome presenter who cut to the chase in a clear, understandable webinar. I am writing a lot of short form, and until now, nobody was sponsoring presentations on anything but Quibi's business prospects until now. Thank you for getting ahead of the curve."

-Mark D.

"Tripper's webinar was terrific - he's a great conversationalist and his open, candid, honest, accessible and very knowledgeable presentation & Q&A were very empowering."

-Fran B.

"Tripper was really engaging. The conversational tone was enjoyable. Sometimes a seminar can feel like a stranger reading me their powerpoint, just slower than I would read it myself. That wasn't the case here."

-Nicholas G.

"Tripper was phenomenal. Within 1 hour he gave us a whole course in something I knew nothing about before, but feel I have the tools to apply to write for Quibi. Another Stage 32 phenomenal webinar."

-Ricki L.