116 - Tawnya Bhattacharya, Founder of Script Anatomy

This week, host Gray Jones interviews Tawnya Bhattacharya, founder of the #1 TV writing school in the USA, Script Anatomy. 

Please watch Tawnya's original interview from June 2013 (episode 078) to find out about her background, how she teamed up with Ali Laventhol (interviewed in episode 115), and how and why she started Script Anatomy.

TAWNYA BHATTACHARYA BIOGRAPHY:

Tawnya Benavides Bhattacharya is the Founder & CEO of Script Anatomy and currently the Co-Executive Producer of Apple’s "Salsa."

A screenwriting teacher for the past 15 years, Bhattacharya launched Script Anatomy in 2011 just as her career was taking off. Her objective: to use her experience of breaking into the TV industry and building a career to help other writers do the same.

She created a unique writing curriculum with trademark tools for development, writing and rewriting, which have helped hundreds of writers get a job writing for TV, find representation, or sell pilots, screenplays and novels. 

As a guest instructor, Tawnya has brought the Script Anatomy method to the Disney | ABC Writing Program, The WGA Foundations, WGFestival, the Austin Film Festival, the Producer's Guild (PGA) Power of Diversity Workshop, Hugo House in Seattle, the Willamette Writers Conference, Stage 32, The International Screenwriters Association, TV Writers Fund and the CineStory TV Writers Retreat in Idyllwild. Her column “Your TV Guide“ can be read in Script Magazine. She's also been a guest on several podcasts, including Scripts & Scribes, Sell Your Screenplay, The TV Writer Podcast, and On the Page.

Bhattacharya and her writing partner, Ali Laventhol, are Co-Executive Producers and prior to Apple’s Salsa, she and her writing partner have written on "Ginny & Georgia" (Netflix), "A Million Little Things" (ABC), "Famous in Love" (Freeform), "The Night Shift" (NBC), "Perception" (TNT), "The Client List" (Lifetime) and "Fairly Legal" (USA). They've sold pilots to eOne, Lionsgate and MGM and been hired to do rewrites for Legendary. They are currently writing a movie for Ozy Media and Lifetime based on Trump's "Zero Tolerance" policy and family separation at the border.

They are former NBC Writers on the Verge fellows, and were semi-finalists for the ABC Disney Fellowship before getting a job that took them out of the running. Bhattacharya was also a FOX Writer’s Intensive fellow. The team is repped by Industry Entertainment and Morris Yorn and UTA.

Bhattacharya, an alumnus of Cornish College of the Arts Conservatory, studied acting and playwriting, and interned with playwright, Marie Irene Fornes and New City Theater in Seattle. She has performed in Seattle, Chicago, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and LA.

 

INDEX TO THE EPISODE:

2:14 - Interview start, intro
3:22 - Why she feels Script Anatomy is the #1 TV writing school in America.
7:08 - The value of current working writers doing the teaching. Talks about some of her teachers and the courses they teach.
12:24 - Theory vs practical, how there is a huge system teaching theory, but Script Anatomy teaches practical tools. Tawnya expands on their method.
26:36 - Explain why they teach a lot about how to develop projects. Tawnya tells about some of the tools they use, particularly around theme.
34:58 - The successes of Script Anatomy alumni.
41:22 - The community outside the classes.
44:42 - Sponsor break - visit sponsors avgearguy.com & drivingfootage.com.
45:52 - Script Anatomy’s offerings in 2021.
50:24 - Where should someone start?
54:59 - Other workshops, and weekend festival they’re planning.
58:45 - Tawnya tells how to navigate their website, and script consultation services they provide.
1:02:36 - How should someone prepare for one of Script Anatomy’s classes, so they can hit the ground running?
1:05:57 - Her recommended writing books.
1:09:55 - What will set people up for success in 2021?
1:13:03 - Conclusion

Follow Tawnya on Twitter: @tbhattacharya

Visit Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com

Follow Script Anatomy on Twitter: @scriptanatomy

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