Master Class: Episodic Writing with Glen Mazzara (THE WALKING DEAD)
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.
Showrunner and Executive Producer Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead, The Shield) leads a three-hour Master Class with a focus on writing for television. Using interactive exercises, real-world examples, and case studies from the field, Mazzara reveals the necessary skills for breaking into the writers’ room and succeeding as a staff writer.
Trigger Warning: This video contains a scene breakdown from 1:38-1:48 dealing with a traumatic assault. We encourage you to practice self-care while viewing this video.
Topics covered include:
4:23 - Introductions
8:50 - Glen Mazzara Recounts His Career Path
18:30 - Role of the Showrunner and How it Relates to the Writing Team
22:45 - Other Roles: The “Number Two”, Producing Positions, and Staff Writers
25:29 - The Mechanics of the Writers’ Room
36:22 - Beating Out a Story and the Writing Process
49:25 - Q&A: The Writers’ Room
1:08:50 - Creating Characters
1:24:00 - Q&A: Creating Characters
1:33:50 - Scene Design
1:38:20 - Scene Breakdowns: What Works and What Doesn’t
1:59:26 - Crafting a Pilot and Setting Up a Show
2:09:18 - The Character Pass: How to Strengthen Your Characters’ Voices
2:21:18 - Closing Q&A
2:43:15 - Closing Thoughts
Resources:
Master ClassTeam
Glen Mazzara
Instructor
Glen Mazzara is a television writer/creator/showrunner who is currently developing Stephen King’s Dark Tower novels as a series for a streaming network. His most recent work was A&E’s series, Damien, based on the classic horror film, The Omen. Before that, Mazzara was Executive Producer and Showrunner for AMC's record breaking series, The Walking Dead, which earned him two Saturn awards and was listed as one of AFI’s Top Ten TV Programs of 2012. He was awarded the 2013 Bram Stoker award for Superior Achievement in a Screenplay. He also earned a Peabody for his work on the Golden Globe-winning The Shield. He ran season two of TNT's medical drama Hawthorne and worked on NBC's Life. He created the series Crash, the first scripted drama on STARZ.
Mazzara recently served on the Writers Guild of America West Board of Directors and the WGA Negotiating Committee. He is co-chair of the WGA’s Inclusion & Equity Group and has been working to improve television employment opportunities for writers of diverse backgrounds. He is a co-founder of the WGA Staff Writer Bootcamp. Mazzara is a frequent speaker at the WGA, the Writers Guild Foundation, the WGA Showrunner Training Program, and the WGA Writers Access Project. He is on the Board of Trustees for Humanitas. He is a member of ReFrame, which works to improve opportunities for women in the entertainment industry. He has taught classes and seminars at colleges across the country and is a frequent speaker at professional conferences both in the U.S. and overseas. He is a proud member of NYU’s Mentoring Network and received their inaugural Mentor of the Year Award. He has served as an advisor for the Sundance Institute’s Episodic Story Lab. Mazzara lives in LA with his family.