By: Sarah Chaisson-Warner
Last month, Shore Scripts welcomed back several of the winners from last year’s TV Pilot Mentorship Program for an informative look at their experiences in the program and how the program helped shape and create momentum for their screenwriting careers.
Over 100 writers from around the world joined us for our chat with 2025 winners Ryan Luong, Joanna Dack, Ryan Cunningham, and Sierra Ducharme-Hansen, where they offered their insights and advice on everything from sharpening your point of view to networking to working with industry professionals and everything in between.
If you’re interested in breaking into the television industry, and are considering entering the TV Pilot Mentorship Program, keep reading for first-hand experiences from last year’s class of participants and their advice for emerging writers:
EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES, GROUNDED BY REAL-LIFE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
In its inaugural year, six writers (3 one-hour pilot winners and 3 half-hour pilot winners) built lasting relationships, networked with industry professionals, and learned about the ins and outs of working in this industry from our panel of esteemed mentors.
SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT
Writers in the TV Pilot Mentorship Program had the opportunity to work closely with our Writer Development Manager, Brandon Lauriero. Brandon provided feedback and input on their scripts, as well as guidance about how to connect with industry professionals who might have a particular interest in the work. Joanna worked with Brandon on her pilot, “How to Sell Sex.” Even though she is based in the UK, “A US agent read a few of my scripts and I’m currently working with a US-based producer with a shopping agreement on my pilot.”
Sierra also related her positive experiences working with Brandon, noting this was one of her favorite aspects of the program.
“I loved meeting with Brandon, it was probably one of my favorite meetings, and we did that one on one. It wasn’t just about the script that got us into the program, it was about our portfolios as a whole, and how to package that and how people would perceive us based on our portfolio and what pieces to add. I had an old script that he was like, I think we should wait to send you out until you do edits on this script. It was very helpful to get that perspective”
Participants also remarked how the table reads (cast by program director Sarah Eagen) helped to strengthen their script and take it to the next level. “If you’ve never had actors reading out your work like that before, it was such a unique and fun experience,” said Joanna.
INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS AND MENTORSHIP
Program participants also had the opportunity to meet with a slate of mentors, including Showrunner Beth Schwartz (ARROW), Dev Exec Duane Luu (Peacock), industry leader Karen Horne, agents and managers, and even working TV writers from shows like YOUNG SHELDON, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, SUPERMAN & LOIS, DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN, and more.
Joanna recalled her favorite program moment, when the group was meeting with a rep, who emphasized relationship-building. “She talked about how we can have the best relationship with a manager and the mutual respect and engagement required to make it successful. It really drilled into me this idea that you’re doing something for them as much as they’re doing something for you and the level playing field. It’s changed the way I approach cold querying and emailing back and forth with people, whereas before, I tended to cold query and worry that I might annoy this person. But now I think, no – because if this is something that they’re interested in, then I’m doing something for them as much as they are for me.”
LASTING RELATIONSHIPS
Program participants enjoyed the opportunity to get to know one another, and even re-connect with old friends. Ryan Luong and Ryan Cunningham had previously met in Los Angeles years prior, and reconnected through the TV Pilot Mentorship Program. “We got a great writers group out of this program and we keep in touch. It’s great to have that community of writers where you can bounce scripts and ideas off each other with people who are very talented. It’s hard to do alone and it’s been such a blessing,” said Ryan C.
The group has also established a WhatsApp group since the program ended – “It’s so nice to have that community and I’ve been to so many events in the past and we say we’ll set up a group and it dies in the first week. These online sessions allowed us to get to know one another more and gain some personal cheerleaders,” remarked Joanna.
ADVICE FOR WRITERS LOOKING TO BREAK INTO THE TV INDUSTRY
For those who are interested in taking the leap and breaking into the television industry, the alumni from last year’s program had the following words of wisdom:
First, be choosy. Hundreds of screenwriting contests abound, and creating a strategy for choosing which contests to enter can be tricky. Matching your screenwriting career objectives to what the contest is offering (feedback, cash prizes, mentorship, etc) is imperative for making contest wins work for your career.
Before he entered the Shore Scripts’ TV Pilot Mentorship Program, Ryan Lyong felt confused and somewhat overwhelmed by the many contests and platforms. The closure of Coverfly left him wondering if submitting to contests was a worthwhile strategy for advancing his career.
But once he found Shore Scripts’ TV Pilot Mentorship Program, he immediately connected to the program’s layout and objectives, and immediately found himself drawn to the opportunities it created for emerging writers.
“I was like, whoa, there’s an actual thing where you meet actual working writers who’ve done what you want to do. And then you have this cohort of awesome, you know, excellent writers who you can bounce ideas off of and rely on and just be friends with.”
Ryan C. was in a similar place prior to entering the contest. “I remember thinking…man, I wish I just had someone to bounce questions off in a very low pressure or no pressure environment. And then a couple of weeks later, I found out about Shore Scripts and a door opened.”
Second, learn how to sell yourself. Most screenwriters can talk about their script all day long – what it’s about, the most paramount character arcs, the twists and turns the plot takes, and the surprise ending. What many screenwriters are less comfortable with, though, is talking about themselves as writers. Being able to do both is not only necessary, but tantamount to being successful in this industry, yet so many writers struggle to elucidate what makes their perspective unique, and why their voice deserves to stand out at this particular moment in the industry.
Sierra felt this tension prior to joining the mentorship program. “I think it really came at the right time – that even had I come across an opportunity to meet with an agent, a manager, or production company, I knew how to talk about my script, but I didn’t know how to talk about myself as a writer. That’s the number one thing I took away from Shore Scripts and it was absolutely the exact time I needed to learn it too.”
Ryan Luong struggled with this as well prior to joining the TV Mentorship Program, remarking that most writers don’t have a PR team, so being able to advocate for yourself is essential. “The marketing part about writing is what I got from this. We worked on our writers bio and our 60 second spiel. How would we introduce ourselves and define ourselves? That is such a thing about the industry that they don’t really teach you. How do you put yourself in this market and market yourself?”
Third, keep writing, no matter what. Each of our alumni writers urged participants to write as much as they can, both to hone their practice, but also to develop a strong portfolio of scripts, noting that industry professionals are always curious about “what else do you have?”
Ryan C urged writers to write what you know. “It sounds so simple, but it’s so easy to kind of get sucked into what’s popular right now, and what’s popular on TV. But at the end of the day, you got to figure a lot of people are trying to do that. They’re trying to write what’s popular. So if you can just if you have some crazy idea that you really love, that’s the direction you have to lean into.”
Writing at times can stall, as well, due to writer’s block. It’s natural to hit a block when writing – what’s important is how you get beyond it. When Joanna experiences writer’s block, she moves on to a different project. “When I was bashing my head against a wall, I would pick another idea I like and write one or two pages. It might be terrible, but it’s a palate cleanser. Sometimes you need to step away.” Ryan C will often use music to help him navigate through writer’s block, listening to musical scores and using that as inspiration for imagining what might happen in a scene with this musical background.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
If you’re ready to take your TV writing career to the next level, consider submitting to the TV Pilot Mentorship program – an exclusive opportunity designed to help you get staffed or sell your pilot.
Six writers will be selected for this 8-week intensive mentorship, where you’ll learn directly from top industry professionals, get insider access to how hit shows are made, and build real connections with decision-makers. You’ll work with: showrunners from BRIDGERTON and ARROW, a development exec at Peacock, plus top agents, managers, and more. If you’re serious about breaking into TV, this is where you take the next step and get noticed.
