Master Class: The Role of the Showrunner with Graham Yost (SILO)

With: Graham Yost

$30

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.

Do you have a vision for your dream television show? Are you a writer who wants to know what goes into running the room? In our live and interactive three-hour Master Class, you will learn about the entire process - from developing and pitching a concept through putting together a Writers’ Room to casting, production, post-production and promoting your show. Using examples from shows like Justified, Boomtown, Sneaky Pete and the new Apple series, Silo, Graham Yost will demystify the showrunner’s role and explain what goes into making a compelling series that will resonate with viewers for years to come.

You will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the nuances of working in different formats and countries. Whether you’re an established writer/producer or new to the television medium, you will walk away with a greater understanding of this all-important job.

Please download the recommended resources here.

Topics covered include:

0:00:00 - 0:05:15: Welcome and introduction from Sundance Collab
0:05:15 - 0:11:00: Developing ideas into marketable television shows
0:11:00 - 0:32:00: The current network, cable and streaming landscape
0:32:00 - 0:37:05: How to prepare for a pitch
0:37:05 - 0:45:50: The various outcomes of a pitch
0:45:50 - 1:02:00: Q&A Break 1
1:02:00 - 1:06:53: Running the room
1:06:53 - 1:22:28: Casting and shooting Silo
1:22:30 - 1:29:38: Adapting the books to the screen
1:29:39 - 1:33:22: Setting the tone
1:33:22 - 1:36:49: Creating the visual style of the Silo
1:36:49 - 1:48:58: Dealing with production challenges
1:43:58 - 2:09:24: Q&A Break 2
2:09:24 - 2:15:18: The Showrunner’s role in post-production
2:15:18 - 2:23:00: Publicity and promotion
2:23:00 - 2:28:45: Getting past Season 1
2:28:45 - 2:34:38: Sustaining a career in television
2:34:38 -2:48:52: Q&A Break 3
2:48:52 - 2:52:53: Wrap up and final announcements

Preview

Master Class

All experience levels

Team

Graham Yost

Instructor

Graham Yost began writing for television in 1989 on the Nickelodeon series HEY DUDE. After a brief stint on FULL HOUSE his script for SPEED was picked up by Paramount (it was later produced by 20th Century Fox). His other feature film credits include BROKEN ARROW, HARD RAIN, MISSION TO MARS, and THE LAST CASTLE.

Yost was nominated for an Emmy as a writer for the HBO miniseries FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, and won Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for it as a producer. He later wrote/co-wrote two installments of the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning HBO WWII miniseries BAND OF BROTHERS, and won an Emmy Award for THE PACIFIC, HBO’s epic miniseries following three Marines through the Pacific theater of World War II. In 2002, Yost created BOOMTOWN for NBC, which was honored with a Peabody Award and two Television Critics Association awards. In 2006, Yost created RAINES starring Jeff Goldblum for NBC.

Yost was the showrunner on JUSTIFIED, the Emmy winning FX series starring Timothy Olyphant, based on a character created by America’s preeminent crime novelist Elmore Leonard. He also served as an Executive Producer on the Emmy-winning FX series THE AMERICANS, and was the showrunner and executive producer on seasons one and two of Amazon's SNEAKY PETE. Since 2019, Yost has been with AppleTV+. Along with producing SLOW HORSES, Yost is Executive Producing and showrunning SILO, based on Hugh Howey’s Silo series of novels.

Discussion

$30