Working with The Sinner’s Derek Simonds and Stowe’s David Pope, write a new TV pilot, develop skills, and master a process to create story

Writers Room

12 WEEK REMOTE PROGRAM

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DESIGNED FOR WRITERS WANTING TO WRITE EPISODIC SCREENPLAYS

This program is capped at 12 participants and is broken into two parts encompassing building a show and writing a show.

GOALS + RESULTS

At the completion you will have completed your pilot episode and be ready to create your series bible

Writers Room participants will leave the program with a strong pilot episode.

PART I: BUILDING A TV SHOW

Delivered by Director/Showrunner Derek Simonds

INTENTION

Part I delves into building a show. Creator/Showrunner/Screenwriter Derek Simonds will take participants through building the fundamentals of a successful TV show and teach them how to apply these techniques to writing a new TV pilot. In 2017, THE SINNER debuted as the #1 new cable series of the year, and received two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Limited Series and an Emmy Nomination.

Past contributors to Part One of the Program have included Screenwriter/Showrunner Clive Bradley (TRAPPED, and CASTLEVANIA: NOCTURNE), Creative Producer Alex Boden (SENSE 8, TOKYO VICE), Screenwriter (and Stowe Alum) Melody Cooper (LAW & ORDER SVU, POWERBOOK IV), and Screenwriter/Showrunner Mark Protosevich (SUGAR, I AM LEGEND).

METHOD

Over the first four sessions of this program, Derek Simonds will talk with program participants to break down episodes, discuss the fundamentals of building a successful show, and outline how to apply these techniques to new work.

The program consists of:

  • 4 weeks / 1 session per week

  • Each session is 3 hours long (2.5 hours with a 30 minute break)

  • Before the program starts, the group will be provided with reading and watching assignments for these sessions

SESSIONS WILL COVER

  • Envisioning a series: creating compelling lead characters, building an effective story engine, and clarifying the goal of the series.

  • Building a pilot, how to introduce characters effectively, how to raising compelling questions that will be addressed in series

  • Creating season-long character arcs, designing dynamic relationships between characters that drive your story forward

  • Create a season-long plot, orchestrate story turns and keeping an audience engaged

  • Nuts and bolts of the writing room process 

  • How an episode is “broken,” beat sheets, outlining an episode, and the draft process from writer’s draft to production draft

  • Pitching and selling a show

PART II: WRITING A SHOW

INTENTION

In Part II, writers will build on their initial work and produce an original screenplay.

By the end of Part II participants will have:

  • Written both outline and complete pilot episode

  • Be ready to create their series bible

METHOD

Part II of the program blends presentations, one-to-one meetings, group work, a writers room experience, and peer-to-peer feedback sessions.

  • 8 weeks / 1 session per week

  • Each session is 3 hours long (2.5 hours with a 30 minute break)

  • Participants should schedule in additional time for writing toward program deadlines

SESSIONS WILL COVER

  • Theme

  • Episode and Season Structure

  • Subtext and Scene Analysis

Alongside project development, participants will be encouraged to develop the collaborative skills so important for writers working in the episodic space.

KEY DATES AND TIMES FOR WINTER/SPRING 2025 PROGRAM SESSION

Part I runs Mondays 7-10 PM Eastern Time with Derek Simonds.

  • February 10, 17, 24

  • March 3

Part II runs Sundays from 12 - 3 PM Eastern Time with David Pope.

  • March 9, 16, 23, 30

  • April 6, 13

  • May 4, 11

*Dates subject to change slightly

Feature Campus Program Leader David Pope delivers a presentation on pitching at the 2024 Stowe Narrative Lab.

Writers Room Fee

$2,650

Partial Scholarships and Payment Plans Available

Stowe Story Labs is proud to support artists’ projects and professional development through Fellowships and Scholarships.

Meet Writers Room Program Leaders

David Pope

David Pope is a script consultant and screenwriter working internationally. 

Script consultation projects include Tiger Stripes, winner Jury Prize Critics Week Cannes Film Festival 2023 and candidate for Best International Film Academy Award 2024, Take it or Leave It, a candidate for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award 2019 and Truth or Justice, a candidate for Best International Film Academy Award 2020. 

Other recent projects as script consultant include the feature films Natatorium, 2024, Last Sentinel, 2023, Splendid Isolation, 2022, Magic Mountains, 2021 and the drama series’ Imperial Spy for Fremantle (American Gods, Deutschland 83). David was Creative Producer on feature film The Goat, 2023, Cast including Mira Sorvino, John Savage and Nelly Karim. In addition to co-founding Stowe Story Labs, he is the long-standing annual advisor and facilitator for Rotterdam Lab at IFFRPro for producers. David has been a creative consultant on Rawi Screenwriting Lab for Royal Film Commission – Jordan, facilitates the CONVERGENCE program funded by Screen Scotland and British Film Institute and is a regular script consultant for both MIDPOINT Institute and BoostNL. He sits on the film committee of the Writers Guild of Great Britain and is an external expert for the Council of Europe Eurimages fund. 

Recent screenwriting commissions include writing the latest draft of feature film Tempelhof, the feature film Rulin from source material and rewriting the latest draft of the feature film Summer of 81. David has a slate of projects in development through advance films. 

Previous development and training clients include Creative Europe, BFI, Screen Scotland, New Horizons Studio+, Cannes Cinefondation, Creative England, Polish Film Institute, UK Film Council, BBC, BAFTA, Fremantle, National Theatre, British Council, Warp Films, Allfilm, KulturaTV, Cannes Film Festival, Film London, Lionhead Studios, Xingu Films, Irish Film Board, FAS Screen Training Ireland, and Estonian Film Institute amongst many others.

Derek Simonds

Derek is a writer, filmmaker, and the creator/showrunner of USA Network’s hit series, The Sinner, which broadcast its fourth and final season in November 2021. In 2017, The Sinner debuted as the #1 new cable series of the year, and received two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Limited Series and an Emmy nomination. Derek has developed numerous independent film projects as a writer and director, most recently executive producing Sony Pictures Classics Oscar-winning release, Call Me By Your Name. Derek was a writer on the ABC miniseries event, When We Rise, a recounting of the gay civil rights movement created by Dustin Lance Black, as well as ABC’s 2015 limited series, Astronaut Wives Club. He has developed television pilots for Universal Content Productions, ABC Studios, and TNT, and also wrote and directed his debut feature film, Seven and a Match. He is currently developing new television projects for Peacock and UCP.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Applications are closed. Subscribe to our newsletter here to stay up to date.

  • There are a dedicated number of partial scholarships and payment plans available. If admitted, applicants can request partial scholarships and payment plans by submitting a statement of need. Scholarships awarded based on merit and need.

  • A team of two may apply and if admitted the team will share meetings with David Pope and any peer group sessions.

  • Yes!

  • Just email us at info@stowestorylabs.org.