Guess Our Next Speaker! - Episode 1

Calling All Screenwriters!

It's time to play a game. It's called... guess our next speaker! So far, we've announced 6 amazing speakers, but we're sitting on 6 more and we just can't wait to tell you about them all. We'll be announcing another speaker very soon but we can't reveal our secrets too quickly. Especially when they're really good. Here are a few hints:

• He started from small beginnings before he became a screenwriter, so all you screenwriting Student Bodies will want to listen to his inspirational story. 
• You can hear him at the conference talk about the mind games of television writing. 
• He may have written about an anti-social doctor, but you'll want to get an appointment with this screenwriting expert.
• Our next speaker will be coming all the way from L.A. to speak at the conference. We hope he doesn't get Lost. Hopefully a Good Wife will keep him on track to Toronto for April 9th and 10th.

Who could it be? Guess you'll have to wait! Register now before Early Bird Registration ends this Monday, February 28th.

TSC 2011 Early Bird Closing Monday!

Hello Fellow Screenwriters! 

I know you're busy tonight catching new episodes of 30 Rock, The Office, Parks & Rec, Community and what not, but I thought I'd remind you of something that's just as important.

Early Bird Registration closes Monday, February 28th 5pm EST. Register Today! The Early Bird Rate, which is 279 $ + HST, is the cheapest rate for the conference. We've announced 6 speakers so far, and we're sitting on 6 more. We're way too excited to start telling you about them over the next few weeks.

Register here today to get the best price for the best screenwriting event in Canada. Join us as we gather the best US and Canadian creative talent in screenwriting for an intimate look at the craft of writing straight from the visionaries behind the pages.

And for more inside scoops and announcements: 

Follow us on Twitter.
Like us on Facebook.
And join our mailing list here.

Other screenwriting events can't compare

Professional writers, producers, directors, and executives will benefit from this gathering of the best creative talent, authors and speakers in writing for screen-based media. Other screenwriting events and conferences can't compare to the TSC 2011! 

The Toronto Screenwriting Conference gives you:

• Extraordinary key-note sessions with high-profile showrunners and screenwriters
• Incomparable breakout sessions with leading international screenwriting academics, book authors and industry execs
• Advanced level of education and skills development unparalleled by any other screenwriting event 
• Speakers so far include Christine Zander, Pen Densham, Kevin Shortt, Dara Marks, Sheldon Bull, Chris Vogler, and many more to be announced

Our Canadian supporters in the industry, NSI, CFC, and Meridian Artists, would tell you the same!  Here's what they're up to:

NSI Canada recently interviewed Pen Densham who is speaking at the TSC 2011. Here is the audio interview! http://tiny.cc/j37t4

 

Pen Densham's session at the TSC 2011 will be co-presented by the CFC.

 

www.cfccreates.com

We are also proud to welcome several authors from Michael Wiese Productions. 

 

www.mwp.com

Register here before our Early Bird rate ends in two weeks.

Early Bird's Almost Over!

Good Thursday morning fellow screenwriters!

Early bird registration for the Toronto Screenwriting Conference 2011 is only two weeks away. Make sure to register before Monday, February 28th to take advantage of the early bird price.

If you're having any doubts, just let Pen Densham explain how we all have doubts as writers. Pen Densham (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Author: Riding the Alligator) is an extremely inspirational speaker for screenwriters of all levels and he will be at the conference. Along with Christine Zander (Raising Hope, Nurse Jackie, SNL), Kevin Shortt (Avatar: The Game, Lost: The Game), Dara Marks (Script Consultant - Inside Story), Chris Vogler (Script Consultant - The Writer's Journey), and Sheldon Bull (Mash, Newhart).

You can register to see them all at the TSC 2011 right here.

And don't forget to follow our twitter @ScreenConf2011  or to like us on facebook for updates and information about the conference and new speakers.

Stay a while...

For our out-of-town friends who are attending or planning on attending the conference, we are excited to welcome you to Toronto- a city that we're proud to call home! The Toronto Screenwriting Conference is one of hundreds of amazing events that go on year round and we are hoping that one day, our conference will be another annual event that puts Toronto on the map.

Maybe this is your first time in Toronto, or maybe you've been here so many times you know the city like the back of your hand. Either way, we hope that you enjoy and discover our city while you and take in all that it has to offer!

Here are some activities that a screenwriter visiting Toronto must do!

• Attend the Toronto Screenwriting Conference 2011 (As if you weren't planning on that already, haha)

• Visit local TV Studios such as CityTV, Much Music, CTV, Global etc. 

• Seek inspiration by the water front and take a look at the beautiful brand-new Corus Centre.

• People-watch at the skating rink in Nathan Phillips Square for some new character inspirations.

• Visit the Art Gallery of Ontario and expose yourself to other spectacular mediums of art.

• Clear writer's block by taking a walk through beautiful High Park. 

• See a play or musical at one of our many theaters such as The Sony Centre, The Canon Theatre, The Princess of Wales Theatre etc.

• Visit some of the coolest cinemas such as the Toronto Underground Cinema, The Royal, The Scotiabank Theatre, the AMC at Yonge and Dundas Square etc.

Of course there are many, many more places for you to discover, but when I think of film entertainment in Toronto these are the first places that come to mind. 

We can't wait to see everyone at the conference, and maybe we'll bump into you at the art gallery, a movie, or while on a walk.

Let me break it down for you...

In today's world of iPhone 4, xbox 360 and 2 and Half Men its clear to me that numbers speak to people.

In light of such an epiphany I've pulled together some facts and figures for Toronto Screenwriting Conference 2011. There's a lot you can do with words, but these numbers speak volumes as to why TSC 2011 is the must-attend event for screenwriters and those that work with them:

250,000 - copies sold world-wide of TSC 2011 speaker Chris Vogler's The Writer's Journey

450 - TV episodes produced by our speakers

250 - Episodes of TV written by speakers Sheldon Bull, Pen Densham and Christine Zander

$90 - How much you save with the Early Bird Registration rate

14 - Nominations our speakers have received ( 7 Emmy, 4 Gemini, 2 Academy, 1 WGA)

12 - Sessions: 4 Master Classes & 8 Breakout workshops

6 - More speakers to be announced! (All these stats are for just HALF of our speakers)

5 - Free tickets to the TSC the NSI is giving away on twitter - follow @nsi_canada for a chance to win!

4- Books written on screenwriting by our speakers - Elephant Bucks, Inside Story, Riding the Alligator, The Writer's Journey - if you don't have a copy yet they'll all be on sale at the conference

2 - Award-winning speakers (1 Emmy & 1 Gemini)

1 - Speaker once mentored by Canadian film legend Norman Jewison - that's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves scribe Pen Densham

As I mentioned earlier, these figures are just based on the 6 speakers we've announced so far, you can expect much, much more from TSC 2011, check the website often and of course register (at the early bird rate!) while you still can.

T.G.I.T. (Thank God It's Thursday!)

The prime-time comedy line up on Thursday nights - or "Friday-eve" as I like to call it - gives me something to look forward to for the first time in nearly a decade.

Since "Friends" said their farewell Thursdays lost their spark, I stopped setting my VCR to record the "Must-See-TV" time-slot and busined myself with other non-TV watching activities (Homework?)

Well the wait is over (and it has been for a few seasons but now I'm making the official announcement, a la my hero, George Costanza) "Sitcoms are back, baby!" and yes, they have cache, cache up the ying-yang!

Finally, I am back on the couch Thursday nights from 8-10pm, where I belong!
Community, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock keep me parked and laughing, and its feels gooooood.

Taking a look at the resumes of our speakers for TSC 2011, I see sitcoms that had me glued to the TV in the 90's, here's what I was watching thanks to Sheldon Bull and Christine Zander:

Sabrina the Teenage Witch With comedienne Caroline Rhea in a supporting role and recurring guest stars like Penn and Teller, this quirky family friendly sitcom had something in it for everybody. Sheldon Bull had writer and producer credits on the ABC hit.

Now it was a little before my time but Newhart is another Sheldon Bull claim to fame, earning him 2 prime-time Emmy nominations for outstanding comedy series.

Sheldon Bull is the half-hour comedy expert, he knows what makes 'em tick and the guide to cooking up a winner. He's got a killer 90 minute workshop that was so popular at TSC 2010 we had to have him back for TSC 2011! Check out his website

3rd Rock from the Sun Hysterically funny, a group of exploring aliens disguised as a highly dysfunctional "family unit". With colourful characters like promiscuous landlord Mrs. Dubcek, over-weight incompetent cop Don Orville, and reporting back to a holographic "Big Giant Head" (William Shatner) this off the wall comedy provided a solid 30 minutes of entertainment weekly. Christine Zander wrote and produced a combined 88 episodes for 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Check out this 3rd Rock clip about re-writing the X-files!

Christine Zander has a long list of credits, chances are you've seen something she's worked on, like, I don't know, Saturday Night Live?! Curious about the transition between writer and producer? Writing for a show like SNL? You'll have the chance to pick her brain at our 90 minute Q&A session, only at TSC 2011

Our website has more information on these 2 great speakers and more! Check back often for more announcements!

Early Bird Registration is still open, but only 'till the end of the month, and its a short one!