Writing and Producing for TV
In the MFA Writing and Producing for Television program, students are trained to be writer-producers—the showrunners who create and run their own television programs. Our students take classes in a wide variety of genres such as playwriting, video game writing, animation and sketch writing, among others, and work closely with faculty to create polished portfolios to help secure representation. With pitch training, industry events, and access to professional mentors, our students use their third year to launch into jobs. This unique program that teaches writing and producing is designed to prepare students to become television writers and future showrunners.
Alumni include Karen Joseph Adcock ‘18 who has written on Atlanta, How I Met Your Father, Swarm and Yellowjackets. Adcock won a Writers Guild Award in 2023 for her work on The Bear.
Message from the Program Director
"I’m honored to work with our administration, staff, and faculty to ensure that the WPTV graduate cohort has the support they need as they go through our program. The first class I taught at LMU was the second cohort of the WPTV program. I’ve worked closely with each cohort since. Watching them grow through the years, culminating in the First Pitch event to become working professionals, has brought me incredible joy.
I will work to make sure each MFA student is on track to fulfill their creative and career goals, giving them the mentoring and the skills they need to succeed in writers’ rooms and in the film and television industry at large. With over twenty years of experience in television, on over twenty-five shows, I bring real world past experience to ground their future aspirations. Our three-year program gives each writer/producer the time to hone their craft and develop their contacts, so they can leave here ready and able to work."
– Michael F.X. Daley, Associate Clinical Professor of Screenwriting and Graduate Director of Writing and Producing for Television
Course Requirements
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Fall Semester
- SCWR 511 - Introduction to Television Production
- SCWR 550 - Elements of Television Writing
- FTVS 511 - History of Television
Spring Semester
- SCWR 660 - Writing Drama TV Series Spec or SCWR 670 Writing Comedy TV Series Spec
- SCWR 551 - Feature Film Screenwriting
- SCWR 554 - The TV Writer's Room
Total: 18 semester hours
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Fall Semester
- SCWR 661 - Writing an Original Drama Pilot
- SCWR 671 - Writing an Original Comedy Pilot
- SCWR 685 - The Business of Entertainment
Spring Semester
- SCWR 611 - Planning AHead:Producing Fundamentals
- SCWR 675 - Rewriting the TV Pilot: Drama or Comedy
- SCWR Elective - Topics very semester to semester, including Playwriting, Video Game Writing, Digital Storytelling, Writing the Short Film
Total: 18 semester hours
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Fall Semester
- SCWR 680 - Preproduction for Thesis Project
- SCWR Elective - Topics vary semester to semester, including Playwriting, Video Game Writing, Digital Storytelling, Writing the Short Film
- SCWR Elective - Topics vary semester to semester, including Playwriting, Video Game Writing, Digital Storytelling, Writing the Short Film
Spring Semester
- SCWR 681 - Post-Production for Thesis Project
- SCWR 692 - Feature Film and Television Portfolio Workshop
Total: 15 semester hours
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Thesis Project
A 5-15 minute short written and produced by the MFA candidate. This can be one of many things: a proof of concept for a larger script, a webseries episode, a sizzle reel for a show, or even a stand-alone short. We encourage the students to collaborate with a director, as a showrunner would. If a student wants to direct their own project, they need to present a reel to the professor for approval.
Portfolio
MFA candidates also polish 3-5 of their scripts which could include pilots, screenplays, plays or even sketches. Loglines for these projects will be printed in the MFA Screenwriting Directory, along with a photo, bio and contact information of each candidate. The Directory is sent to all agencies and management companies in town.