Creating a Successful Limited Series with Ron Nyswaner
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.
What makes a television series “limited”? What makes a story worth telling? How can your project stand out in a competitive market? And how do you determine how many episodes are right for your story?
In this live and interactive three hour Master Class with award-winning writer and producer, Ron Nyswaner (Fellow Travelers, Murder on Middle Beach, Philadelphia, My Policeman, The Painted Veil), you will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the limited series, using the critically-acclaimed Showtime series, Fellow Travelers, and the HBO true-crime drama, Murder on Middle Beach (Directed by Madison Hamburg, Executive Produced by Neda Armian and Ron Nyswaner), as case studies.
Ron is the recent recipient of the WGA East Walter Bernstein Award that “honors writers who have demonstrated with creativity, grace, and bravery, a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity” and will discuss these themes in his work. You will also learn about the structure of the limited series, why adaptations work particularly well in this format, how to create compelling character arcs, and what to consider when pitching your show.
Whether you are a working writer looking to gain insights from an expert in this field, have an idea for a limited series, or simply curious about the craft, this class will give you key insights into this arena of the television business from a veteran writer and producer.
Topics include:
- 00:00 - 01:30: Welcome and introduction from Sundance Collab
- 01:30 - 03:24: Introduction from Ron
- 03:24 - 24:55: The role of the showrunner from development to post-production
- 24:55 - 39:50: Q&A 1
- 39:52 - 47:50: Truth VS Fiction
- 47:50 - 1:13:10: The eight elements of a good story
- 1:13:10 - 1:21:00: Q&A 2
- 1:21:00 - Breaking down the pilot of Fellow Travelers
- 2:28:34 - 2:33:22: Q&A 3
- 2:33:22 - 2:36:37 : Wrap up and final announcements from Sundance Collab
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Master ClassTeam
Ron Nyswaner
Ron Nyswaner is the creator/executive producer of the acclaimed limited series, Fellow Travelers. Other television credits: Ray Donovan, Homeland; the HBO true crime series, Murder On Middle Beach and the MSNBC documentary feature, Loan Wolves. Feature screenplays: Philadelphia, My Policeman, Soldier's Girl, The Painted Veil, Freeheld, Mrs. Soffel, and Smithereens. He produced and directed the documentary feature She's The Best Thing In It that premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival; is the author of Blue Days Black Nights: A Memoir Of Desire.
Awards include nominations for Academy, Emmy, BAFTA, Writers Guild, Golden Globe, and Spirit Awards, winning the National Board of Review’s Best Adapted Screenplay Award, a Peabody Award, two GLAAD Awards, and the Writers Guild of America East’s Walter Bernstein Award that honors writers “who have demonstrated with creativity, grace, and bravery, a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity.”
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.
Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.
Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.