Showrunner Sessions is our ongoing event series where we go one-on-one with a showrunner (or showrunning team) to find out, “What exactly does a showrunner do?” Find out what they look for in a writing staff, the lessons they’ve learned on the job, and their approaches to running the writers’ room.
For this session, we’ll hear from Abe Sylvia, the showrunner of the Apple Original comedy Palm Royale, about his journey to the showrunner chair, how he runs his writers’ room, and his advice for writing comedies. Moderated by Jenelle Riley (Deputy Awards and Features Editor, Variety).
Panel starts at 4:00pm Pacific time.
RSVP for free or with a suggested donation of $10. All donations go towards producing future panels and events. After signing up, you’ll receive information on how to access the Zoom webinar.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at events@wgfoundation.org.
About the PANELIST
Photo Credit: Joe Viles
Prior to his work on "Palm Royale," Abe Sylvia served as creator, showrunner and executive producer on the Emmy nominated "George & Tammy.” Starring Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain and Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon, the series tracks the tumultuous love story of country music icons George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Abe penned the feature film "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," starring Jessica Chastain in her Academy Award-winning performance opposite Andrew Garfield as disgraced televangelists Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, directed by Michael Showalter. Previously, Sylvia served as showrunner and executive producer for the southern gothic romp "Filthy Rich," starring Kim Cattrall. He served as co-executive producer and director on the hit "Dead to Me," for which he received a WGA nomination for Best New Series. Sylvia spent three seasons working on the Emmy Award winning comedy "Nurse Jackie," on which he served as supervising producer, the writer of seven episodes and a director of two, including the acclaimed series finale. Abe joined the critically lauded drama "The Affair," as co-executive producer and spent two seasons writing and directing on "Hap & Leonard." Sylvia's debut feature as writer and director, "Dirty Girl" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the second largest independent acquisition of the year. Starring Juno Temple, Milla Jovovich, Tim McGraw, William H. Macy, Mary Steenburgen and Dwight Yoakam, "Dirty Girl" has become a cult classic thanks to a second life streaming. Sylvia was included in the prestigious OUT 100, named one of W Magazine’s 25 Artists to Watch, is the winner of the Vito Russo Screenwriting Award and has been featured on the BlackList.
About the Moderator
Jenelle Riley is a screenwriter, actor, journalist, host, and producer. She is the winner of three Emmy Awards for producing and hosting PBS’ “Actors on Actors” series and regularly hosts Q&A conversations with talent for several outlets, primarily SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s “Conversations” series. She is an editor at Variety and the writer of the award-winning plays “A Kind of Love Story” and “Jane Austen’s Emma Frankenstein” along with the films “Warning Labels” and “Crazy Love.”