Crash Course in Writing for TV
October 15 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Eastern
Led by TV writer and Army veteran Jon-Alexander Genson (CBS and Dick Wolf’s CIA and FBI: MOST WANTED), come explore how to develop a television pilot—how pilots are structured and shaped around compelling characters with clear goals, conflict, and, at their core, a simple emotional story.
We will examine the basic components of a television pilot, including premise, tone, character, story engines, dramatic questions, act breaks, and more. These tools will help you root your story in a clearly defined genre, give it a robust spine, and generate compelling arcs that launch your pilot firmly into series. No prior screenwriting experience required.
This course is designed for anyone interested in understanding how television stories work dramatically and taking the first steps toward developing a pilot of their own.
About the Instructors
Hailing from the wintry northern suburbs of Chicago, Jon-Alexander Genson is a Mexican-American crime drama and mystery/thriller TV writer who writes about flawed, misguided fools and outsiders who stumble toward self-awareness. Most recently, he was selected for the Writers Guild Foundation’s 2026 Veterans Fellowship and paired with writer and author Dennis Lehane as his mentor. Jon served six years in the U.S. Army as Military Police before working as a W.A. on CIA and FBI: MOST WANTED, where he wrote his first episode, ‘100%.’
