Alana Sanko

Alana Sanko is an award-winning writer and creator whose work explores the authentic realities of life’s different chapters and the complicated women who navigate them. Across comedy, drama, and animation, she has developed a wide-ranging body of work that began with a staff writing position on the legendary CBS series, Murphy Brown. She has since written and developed for numerous platforms, including her produced pilot, See Jayne Run for ABC, the original Disney Channel Movie, Get a Clue with Lindsay Lohan, and MTV’s Spy Groove, where she served as Head Writer for the Annie-nominated series. Alana created and supervising produced the WGA award-winning series Just for Kicks alongside Whoopi Goldberg – the show that launched the career of Jessica Williams (Shrinking). Her background in television also includes writing for numerous children’s favorites, such as Dragon Tales, Little Einsteins, and HBO Family's, A Little Curious


Recently, Alana made her directing debut with the short film, The Happiness Intervention, shot in Iceland, and is currently co-writing and producing an independent feature. Dedicated to mentoring the next generation of writers, Alana teaches at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, SUNY Purchase and is a recipient of the Artemis Rising Filmmaker Fellowship, where she teaches a TV Writers Room class at Barnard College. Alana is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and New York Women In Film and Television.

Courses and Content

Live Online Course

Rewriting Your TV Pilot and Crafting Your Pitch

Instructor: Alana Sanko and Emmylou Diaz

Rewriting Your TV Pilot and Crafting Your Pitch

Advanced
With: Alana Sanko and Emmylou Diaz
Looking for support to polish your original pilot and prepare your TV series pitch? Revise your pilot with an accomplished TV writer as your guide. In this live online, eight-week course designed for aspiring and experienced TV writers, a Sundance Collab Instructor will offer a comprehensive approach to refining your pilot, creating a TV series show bible, and preparing a compelling pitch to industry professionals.