Who I turned to when I wanted to learn this. (And how you can too.)
Last summer, in the midst of my Pandemic Productivity Phase (the other “PPP”), I vowed to finish an idea I had years ago.
And it wasn’t a show. It was a screenplay.
I optioned the rights to a true-life story and sat down to start writing.
I have written and produced for TV and film before, just on a much smaller scale than Broadway. I actually won a screenwriting award for a pilot I wrote years ago and directed and produced an award-winning documentary and an award-winning web series.
But a full-length screenplay? That was new to me.
It wasn’t too long after typing the title page . . . that I realized I needed help.
And who doesn’t need help when you start something new? Especially when you want to compete at a high level. Olympic athletes have 27 different kinds of coaches. Our own Broadway performers train for decades to learn to sing and dance at the highest level.
But for some reason, many people think writing is au naturel or nothing.
Not me.
That’s why I immediately drown myself in studying screenplays. From Syd Field’s classic Screenplay to the obligatory Save The Cat to Aaron Sorkin’s Masterclass and more.
And they were all good. And they all helped.
But one stood out.
And I shouldn’t have been surprised, since it’s one of the Best Selling book on Screenwriting on Amazon.com.
Jill Chamberlain’s Nutshell Technique
Her book broke out the structure of the screenplay so simply, that . . . well . . . I had to meet her.
I booked private coaching with her, told her about my story and what I wanted to do . . . and bam . . . she made my story better in about 30 minutes.
That’s when I knew YOU had to meet her.
So, in partnership with TheTheaterMakersStudio, I booked Jill for an exclusive private presentation just for you.
Jill herself will be teaching a virtual seminar on “The Nutshell Technique For Your Screenplay (Or Your Show!)” on Wednesday, March 10th at 7 PM.
You can sign up here.
In two hours, Jill is going to break down her best-selling beat-sheet for successful screenplays. You’ll leave the Zoom Room with a map on how to tell your story. If your screenplay is done . . . you’ll see where the weak points are that you need to bolster.
But after my time with Jill, I can guarantee you this . . . your story will be better. (And you’ll also be jazzed to get to work on it – because so much of how to shape these things will make so much more sense.)
And yeah, in case you’re wondering because a story is a story, The Nutshell Technique works for shows too. (I already made three changes to a musical I’m working on as a result of my time with Jill.)
Book the seminar here.
Podcasting
Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.