Master Class: Comedy Writing for Television with Jenny Bicks (SEX AND THE CITY)
About this Master Class
Master Classes are in-depth, interactive learning experiences focused on craft and career building and led by renowned industry experts. Topics include fiction and documentary filmmaking, TV writing and production, and navigating and succeeding in the entertainment industry.
The entertainment industry adage goes that comedy is the hardest genre to write. This three-hour, live, online master class with a celebrated comedy writer of TV and films revealed the creative process of crafting scripts that engage audiences with humor and pathos. The class focused on how to develop memorable characters, a strong story at the core of your screenplay and how to create successful comedic setups and payoffs.
Topics presented included:
- Determining what genre of comedy works for your voice and story
- Developing memorable characters
- Writing comedic dialogue vs. writing comedic action
- Creating successful setups and payoffs
- Testing your material with audiences
- Finding collaborators
Pre-Class Preparation:
Please watch the watch the pilot episode of Barry prior to attending this class. Available on multiple platforms.
Resources:
Master ClassTeam
Jenny Bicks
Instructor
Jenny Bicks started her career in advertising in New York City and went on to write radio comedy before she began writing for film and television. Her series credits include Seinfeld, Dawson's Creek, and HBO's Sex and the City. She wrote on Sex and the City for all six seasons, rising to the rank of Executive Producer. Her work on the series earned her several major awards, including an Emmy® Award, multiple Golden Globes and Producers Guild Awards and three WGA nominations.
After Sex and the City, Bicks created, Executive Produced and show-ran comedy Leap of Faith, starring Sarah Paulson, for NBC and dramedy Men in Trees, starring Ann Heche, on ABC. She Executive Produced and show-ran Showtime’s critically acclaimed The Big C, starring Laura Linney, for all four seasons. Her work on that show earned her a Golden Globe nomination and a Golden Globe and Emmy win for Linney. Last season she Executive Produced and show-ran the second season of Divorce on HBO. She is currently under an overall deal to develop television for Lionsgate Studios.
In the feature world, her writing credits include What a Girl Wants, Rio 2 and the The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman. The film garnered three Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture. It has earned 500 million worldwide.
She recently completed her play Bounce-Hit for producer Sally Horchow.
A born and bred New Yorker, Bicks divides her time between New York, Maine and Los Angeles.