Write Your TV Comedy Pilot: 6-Week Course with Kaitlin Fontana

This class will take your 30-minute episodic comedy script from idea to outline to first draft, providing you with current insider knowledge of the industry along the way. Taught by award-winning writer and filmmaker Kaitlin Fontana, who hosts the popular screenwriting podcast OnWriting, this six-week course promises to teach you the world of pilot writing right now, and get you started on finally writing your pilot, right now. Not only will you receive direct feedback from a professional TV writer who is actively pitching pilots herself, but you’ll get to workshop your script with other classmates week after week, and leave with a second draft.

Registration for this course is full, but you may qualify for the Hon. Birdie Jamison Scholarship, or you can email us to add yourself to the waiting list in case someone drops out.

COURSE SCHEDULE:

Every Tuesday at 6-8pm ET from June 1–29, 2021 & Jul. 13, 2021

• Class 1: The Pitch/Logline & The Outline
• Class 2: Your First 10 pages // Act One
• Class 3: Your Next 10 pages // Act Two
• Class 4: Your Final 10 pages // Act Three
• Class 5: Rewrites & Dialogue
• One week break for rewrites
• Class 6: The Pitch (Loglines & Series Bibles) & The Industry

This class is a great value: at the end, you’ll have a draft, lots of notes, you’ll have met other writers and seen them through their development, and learned about the industry. The regular deadlines mean you write incrementally, and you have time to reflect and improve as you go, constantly refining your idea.

—Jess M.

ACCESSIBILITY

Pandemic University is committed to offering a fulfilling and inclusive education. Classes are held via Zoom with Closed Captioning features enabled through auto-transcription technology. A teaching assistant will be present to correct transcription mistakes and assist in other ways. The course includes workshops and class discussions, thus students are required to participate through audio; accommodations can be made for people with speaking or other disabilities if they inform us ahead of schedule. Video is encouraged of all students in order to optimize everyone’s virtual classroom experience.

ELIGIBILITY AND PREREQUISITE

This is an intensive course intended for serious and committed students. Only people with some writing experience should register. Some examples of qualifying experience include: writing comedy; TV, film, or theatre; poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or journalism. If you’re unsure about your qualifications, email info@pandemicuniversity.com.

In addition to attending each class, students are expected to be available across all dates to complete their writing at a rate of 10 pages per week. They are also required to read and comment on the work of 1–2 peers every week.

I couldn’t be happier with my experience in Kaitlin’s class. I was able to finish a draft of an idea that’s been circling around in my head for over a year. With the help of Kaitlin’s notes, lectures, and my fellow classmates’ suggestions, I now feel as if I have a strong first draft and know the steps I need to take to make my script even better!

—JACK C.

REGISTRATION

After checkout, you’ll receive a receipt with a link to download your syllabus, which will include Zoom passcodes, pre-class homework, and additional course information. You will also receive an emailed reminder a few days before your first class.

REFUNDS

Space is limited to fourteen students. Anyone wishing to cancel their registration has until May 25, 2021 to receive a guaranteed refund (minus 2.9% e-commerce service fee charge). If you cancel after May 25 but before June 1, we will only offer a refund if the vacated spot is filled. No refunds whatsoever will be offered after the course begins on June 1. Violations of the Code of Conduct may also result in your removal from the course without compensation.

I’ve been struggling with starting my pilot for a few years now, and Kaitlin gave me the push I needed to finally put something on paper. I now have a draft I’m really proud of thanks to her notes and guidance, as well as the feedback from the rest of my class. She fostered a class environment that made me feel comfortable trying different things.

—JESS K.

Although PanU is technically a fake university, we’re committed to high standards of artistic integrity, quality education, and maintaining a safe virtual environment for students. Abusive behavior toward classmates or instructors will not be tolerated at any point during the course, including in private messages, and will result in expulsion without refund.

Other violations that could have you expelled from this course include: refusing to participate in group workshops; plagiarism and misrepresentation of others’ ideas as your own; sharing recordings of classes; sharing classmates’ work without their consent; and racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia either in your notes feedback to classmates or in your written work.

The final say on whether or not you continue in class belongs to the instructor alone. If you have any questions, email info@pandemicuniversity.com.