Breaking Into TV Writing - by Anton Schettini

About the Book

"Seasoned screenwriters love to tell young screenwriters, "Work on your craft, and the attention and work will come." This is false. TV writing is a walled-off industry that embraces those with a pre-existing network and keeps away those without one. There is little information for the aspiring screenwriter about how to break in, meet people, and start rising up. Even those who study TV/Radio/Film are taught to simply "get a production assistant job," but there is so much more to it than that. Breaking into TV Writing contains all the crucial information left out of most screenwriting books. When looking for helpful guidance and resources, aspiring TV screenwriters are often left with few helpful answers and far too many unanswered questions: What should your first script look like, and when should you show it to your boss? Which assistant jobs are worth your time? How do you break into the elusive TV writers' room? What kind of money can you expect to make in the various roles in which you might find yourself? Anton Schettini provides a rare insider's glimpse of the modern-day network and streaming TV writers' room. Here, you will find practical advice, career-path strategies, and first-hand accounts for how to establish your network, grow within it, and acquire the necessary tools to become a TV writer. The industry would love to tell you to put your head down, work hard, write a lot, and pay your dues; Schettini will show you why that hackneyed mantra is misleading, and how you can put yourself into the best position to break through all the barriers and see your work on the TV screen"--

Book Synopsis

The old screenwriting motto is, "Work on your script, and the jobs will come." This is false.

A great script is only as good as the effort you put into your career, but there is little information for the aspiring screenwriter about how to break in. Even those who study TV or film in college are taught to simply "get a production assistant job." But then what? And how do you get that job to begin with?

Breaking into TV Writing contains all the crucial information left out of most screenwriting books, like:

• How to get your first job in TV
• What TV writing samples you need
• How to break into the elusive TV writers' room
• How a writers' room creates an episode of TV
• Which assistant jobs are worth your time (and which you should avoid at all costs)

Anton Schettini provides a rare insider's glimpse of the modern-day network and streaming TV writers' room. Here, you will find practical advice, career-path strategies, and first-hand accounts for how to establish your network, grow within it, and acquire the necessary tools to become a TV writer.

The industry would love to tell you to put your head down, work hard, write a lot, and pay your dues; Schettini will show you why that hackneyed mantra is misleading, and how you can put yourself in the best position to break through the barriers and see your work on the TV screen.

Review Quotes

"This is the best thing I've read about how to become a television writer. Not 'how to write a television script, ' but 'how to become a television writer'! Anton has lucidly, comprehensively, and entertainingly described the real-world process of getting in the door and getting a job writing for TV. If this is your dream, I can't think of a more valuable book to help you achieve it." --David Kohan, Executive Producer/Showrunner, Will & Grace

"In the past, when people asked me for advice on breaking into TV writing, I'd say 'Good luck, and please don't ask me to read your spec script!' Now I have a better answer: Read Anton Schettini's book. It's filled with specific, practical, up-to-date information--steps you can take that will work, because they worked for Anton (I know, because I hired him as a writers' assistant and watched him ascend through the ranks.) Buy it now--and don't ask him to read your spec script." --Bob Daily, Executive Producer, The Wonder Years, Superior Donuts, The Odd Couple, Desperate Housewives; Co-Executive Producer, Frasier

"Many are called to write for television, but few are chosen. Of the thousands of aspiring writers I've encountered in over forty years of teaching, Anton Schettini is among that happy few who actually managed to become one. Now he's written a book that will help others who want to do the same. The advice he gives is specific, candid, and based on up-to-the-minute experience in the ever-mutating profession. It's not only the most pragmatic guide of its kind for those who want to write TV, but it's also an insightfully fun book for those who just like to watch it." --Robert Thompson, Director, Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture, Syracuse University

"This entertaining, informative, and engaging book is a must if you're looking to break into TV writing, but it's also an incisive and funny look at how TV gets made even if you're not. Buy it for your friends, and keep it from your enemies at all costs!" --Nathaniel Stein, Writer, Angie Tribeca, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Author of The Threat

"This book--written from the perspective of someone who not only survived the climb up the TV ladder, but thrived--should be required reading in every screenwriting program on every campus in America. Anton Schettini has produced a book that is informative, funny, and full of valuable inside info. Most important, it is bracingly clear-eyed--pulling precisely zero punches about the struggles that await anyone hoping to launch a career in this business. Breaking Into TV Writing is the essential read for anyone with dreams of writing for television. How I wish it had existed when I was starting out!" --Michael Price, Creator/Showrunner, F Is for Family; Co-Executive Producer, The Simpsons

"So many hurdles! You might be the most talented of writers and have great scripts to peddle, but if you can't even get producers and executives to read your work, your career will go nowhere. Anton Schettini discovered that first-hand when starting out, but then he developed a strategy for overcoming those hurdles and became a success. Many books focus on writing craft and technique--this book explains steps you should take to actually become a working TV writer." --Evan Smith, Author, Writing Television Sitcoms

About the Author

Anton Schettini is a screenwriter, producer, and author. He has worked in 14 different TV writers' rooms, which has included writing scripts for primetime TV comedies on CBS and writing/producing a series on AMC Networks. A native New Yorker, Anton betrayed his East Coast roots and moved to Los Angeles to pursue TV writing, slowly and steadily rising up in the industry. This provided him with a deep knowledge of the various paths, obstacles, drudgery, and opportunity that together make up a TV writing career. He hopes to share this knowledge with the next wave of TV writers.