Entertainment is all about branding, so there’s no reason why TV writers shouldn’t approach their career the same way. Whether you’re making your rounds at the San Diego Comic-Con, festivals, conventions, premieres or networking events around town, devising a clear strategy to help yourself pitch your ideas, work, and personality to the right showrunners, producers, agents, and managers can open doors and get you noticed.
At this special event, our panel of writers and industry insiders give their insight into branding, from how to effectively communicate your ideas and leverage various types of writing opportunities to presenting yourself at meetings and networking like a boss.
Panelists:
Brandon M. Easton – In 2015, Brandon was selected as one of the eight winners of the 2015 Disney/ABC Writing Program which led to his position as a Staff Writer for season two of Marvel’s Agent Carter. He wrote, directed and produced the documentary Brave New Souls, and he is also writing IDW Publishing’s M.A.S.K. reboot comic book series that was released in November 2016. Also in 2016, Brandon was nominated for the 2nd annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics for his acclaimed graphic novel Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven, which was recently optioned for a big-screen biopic. A multiple Glyph Comics Awards winner and an Eisner Award nominee, Brandon is also adapting the Japanese horror franchise Vampire Hunter D as a comic book for Unified Pictures and Stranger Comics.
Natasha “Tash” Gray – Born and raised in the tumultuous streets of South Central LA, Tash barely resisted the urge to become a gangsta rapper. Instead, she received her BA (UCLA) and MA (SDSU) in Film/TV. Since then, Tash was accepted into the PGA’s Diversity Workshop program, earned a spot in NBC’s “Writers on the Verge”, and was chosen for ABC-DISNEY’s Writing program. Tash is a writer that exercises both her funny bone and dramatic flare. She was staffed on The Comedy Get Down, set to premiere in fall 2017 on BET and Comedy Central, starring George Lopez, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Charlie Murphy and Eddie Griffin. As a drama writer, she was staffed on executive producer John Singleton’s Rebel. Currently, she is part of the writing staff on a USA show scheduled to premiere early 2018. Tash is also an accomplished director who won awards for web series direction and recently wrote/directed the TV movie, Daddy’s Home, now streaming on Netflix. She was a part of the Emmy-nominated Dog With A Blog writing staff. Overall, Tash’s ultimate goal is to prove that ovaries have super powers.
Jeff Loveness – Jeff has written for Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Emmys, The Oscars, The Onion, Marvel Comics and is currently on Miracle Workers by Simon Rich on TBS. Also, he is the writer and creator of AfterShock Comics’ World Reader.
Marc Zicree – Along with his writing partner Elaine Zicree, Marc’s credits include classic episodes of Star Trek – The Next Generation, Sliders, Babylon 5, Deep Space Nine, Friday the 13th – The Series, Smurfs, Superfriends, He-Man, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, The Littles, The Incredible Hulk, Forever Knight and The Real Ghostbusters, among many others. Elaine and Marc have just founded Better Angels, a production company based in Los Angeles, Dallas and London, dedicated to making TV series and films that are socially relevant and inspiring. Marc is a lauded novelist with the bestselling Magic Time trilogy, published by HarperCollins and Blackstone Audio, and his landmark book, The Twilight Zone Companion. Marc’s most recent book, co-written with Guillermo del Toro, is Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, which debuted as the number one movie book on Amazon at Christmas.
Stay tuned for more panelist announcements!
Doors open at 7:00pm. Event starts at 7:30pm.
All events advertised on our “Events” page are open to anyone who wants to buy a ticket – not just WGA members!
Proceeds benefit the Foundation’s library and archive and other outreach programs.