INTRO TO TELEVISION WRITING & STORY DEVELOPMENT

Join Mark Labella, Creator, Showrunner and Director of Nurse the Dead, for a hands-on introduction to television writing and story development.

You don’t need to arrive with a screenplay, or even a fully formed idea. Come with something you care about: a family story, a profession, a community, a funny experience, a loss, a secret, a contradiction, or simply an idea you’ve been curious about exploring.

Over the course of the workshop, Mark will take you through the process of developing that spark into a dramatic premise and begin building it into a television story.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

You’ll get an introduction to:

• Turning lived experience or a raw idea into a dramatic premise
• Identifying your protagonist, objective, conflict, stakes, theme, world and tone
• Understanding what gives a television series its ongoing “engine”
• Building a practical one-page starter show bible
• How professional writers’ rooms use carding to break an episode into story beats
• Moving from cards → beat sheet → outline → your first screenplay scene

This is a practical, beginner-friendly workshop designed to give you a better understanding of how television stories actually get developed and written, and tools you can continue using after the workshop.

No previous screenwriting experience is required.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Saturday, October 3
10:00 AM–3:00 PM
VS Creative Lab
1884 Main Street, Vancouver

Recommended level: Beginner to intermediate
Recommended age: 12+.
Capacity: 20 participants

*Please refrain from wearing perfume or cologne, essential oils, scented lotions or body products, or other fragranced products to the workshop.

Bring something to write with, your laptop, an open mind, and a story you care about!

Special thanks to KJAM, Pinoy Pride Vancouver, Diwa Roasters, Freshslice Kingsway, Lee’s Donuts
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Come back on Sunday, October 4 from 5–9 PM for Nurse the Dead: Vancouver Closing Night at VS. Creative Lab.

Meet and mingle with Mark, the Nurse the Dead team and Vancouver’s creative community, learn more about the series, and hang out with us as we wrap up their Vancouver visit.

Entry by donation • Snacks • Cash bar • 50/50 raffle

Everyone is welcome, whether or not you attended a workshop, so feel free to bring a friend!

RSVP here.

See you soon,
The VS. Creative Lab Team