Upcoming Events + Workshops
Fireside Chat (May): Sarah Cogan, Professional Film Designer
About Sarah Cogan: Sarah Cogan is a film designer with over 16 years of experience helping up-and-coming filmmakers realize their creative vision without busting their budget. She has taken her experience designing costumes, sets, and lighting for theater, indie film, network television, and major motion pictures and combined it with her experience and training as a director and actor to create a digestible and replicable system that will allow you to thrive creatively and become the filmmaker others aspire to be. She is passionate about making these tools available to filmmakers who are looking to up-level their craft. She will share everything she knows to give YOU the boost you need in your projects and your career. She’s the creator of the course: From Text to Moving Images and the workshop Art of the Lookbook, which guides filmmakers through the process of crafting their lookbooks.
New York Women In Film & Television: The Business of Adaptations Panel Program
Role: Producer, Moderator, Panelist
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 6 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Online (Virtual)
Learn More + Register >>
The Next Bestseller™ Workshop – November 2022 (Virtual)
Role: Featured Speaker, Core Trainer + Workshop Producer
Date(s): November 11-13, 2022
Location: Online (Virtual) via Zoom
Learn More + Register Beginning in Early August »»
Polish Your Pitch: Pitch Deck/Treatment – Summer Session
Role: Core Trainer + Training Series Producer
Date(s): TBD
Location: Online (Virtual)
Learn More + Register Beginning TBD »»
The Author Platform: How to Build It Professionally, Productively and Profitably
Date(s): September 9, 2013 to Present
Location: Online Tutorial (Writers Digest)
Learn More + Register for Part 1 »»
Learn More + Register for Part 2 »»
Past Events + Appearances
Fireside Chat (May): Mark DeGasperi, Professional Film/TV Story Analyst
About Mark DeGasperi: Mark DeGasperi has been a freelance writer, lecturer and professional story analyst in New York for many years. He has read and scouted screenplays, stage plays and fiction and non-fiction books for film and TV adaptation — currently for Sony Pictures Entertainment, Tribeca Productions, and independent producers. Previously, he has covered material for Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, New Line Cinema, the William Morris Agency (WME), Miramax, and more.
He teaches Advanced Television Writing and Advanced Screenwriting at New York University. He has received an NYU-SPS Award for Service.
He was also involved in the non-profit theatre world as a theatre and literary manager and contributed to the Off-Off and Off-Broadway community.
Fireside Chat (March): Jill Michelle Williams, Television Producer/Developer
About Jill Michelle: Jill Michelle Williams has been producing and writing for television for more than 15 years. She is also a content creator and has shepherded numerous projects through the entire development process. Her specialties lie in the unscripted lifestyle and competition space with a sweet spot for working with high-profile talent.
After graduating with a degree in Broadcast Journalism she made the leap from local news to network prime time and to date, has produced over 185 hours of television for NBC, ABC, HBO Max, MTV, OWN, and LIFETIME to name a few.
From the upcoming HBO Max series “Ellen’s Next Great Designer” to the fashion sensation “Project Runway All Stars” wrangling the likes of Pharrell, Miss Piggy, and Diane von Furstenberg, her range knows no bounds and she is constantly looking for ways to elevate whatever project she touches.
Topic: How to Prepare Properly Presented Television & Episodic Series Projects
Role: Host & Interviewer
Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 6 pm – 8:00 pm ET
Learn More + Register »»
* Seats are limited to 30 *
The Next Bestseller™ Workshop – February 2021 (Virtual)
Role: Featured Speaker, Core Trainer + Workshop Producer
Date(s): February 26-28, 2021
Location: Online (Virtual)
Learn More + Register »»
Fireside Chat (February): Lindsay Jill Roth, Founder of RIZ Productions
About Lindsay: Lindsay Jill Roth has created, developed and produced a wide variety of award winning linear and digital programming globally. At Carlos Slim and Larry King’s ORA TV and Stick Figure Studios in NYC, she produced Emmy Nominated Larry King Now, and Executive Produced Emmy Nominated Haylie Duff’s Real Girl’s Kitchen (which she created for Ora and Cooking Channel), Catching Hell (NBC), Queen Bee and Queen Boss (BET Network). Founder of RIZ Productions (offices in London and New York City), Lindsay has produced a wide variety of projects for clients and platforms including IBM, US Open, The Masters, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, Pebble Beach, Jason Beauty, Green Chef, ESPN Fantasy Football, Guinness World Records, Nokia, Facebook Live, Facebook Watch. She graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Speech and Medill School of Journalism. Her novel What Pretty Girls Are Made Of was published by Simon & Schuster in 2015.
Topic: Television Pitches for Scripted & Unscripted Projects
Role: Host & Interviewer
Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 4 pm – 5:30 pm ET
Learn More + Register »»
* Seats are limited to 30 *
Fireside Chat (November): Brian Berlandi, Esq.
(Intellectual Property Attorney at Berlandi Nussbaum & Reitzas LLP)
Topic: Intellectual Property 101 for Writers & Inventors: How to Protect Your IP
Role: Host & Interviewer
Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Learn More + Register »»
* Seats are limited to 30 *
New York Women In Film & Television: The Business of Adaptations Panel Program
Role: Producer, Moderator, Panelist
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 6 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Online (Virtual)
Learn More + Register >>
PUBLISH & DELIVER Program
Role: Featured Speaker, Core Trainer + Workshop Co-Producer
Date(s): Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 6 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Online (Virtual)
Learn More + Register »»
Fireside Chat (September): Nina Sadowsky
(Best-Selling Author | Filmmaker | Educator)
Topic: Writing & Producing in Hollywood and Now Writing Thriller Novels
Role: Host & Interviewer
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 6 pm – 8:00 pm
Learn More + Register »»
* Seats are limited to 50 *
Fireside Chat (August): Lane Shefter Bishop
(Multi Award-Winning Producer/Emmy Award-Winning Director)
from Vast Entertainment
Topic: How to Sell Your Story in a Single Sentence: Advice from the Frontlines of Hollywood
Role: Host & Interviewer
Date: August 4, 2020 at 6 pm – 7:30 pm
* Seats are limited to 50 *
Fireside Chat (June) with Karen Strauss from Hybrid Publishing
Topic: How to Make Your Book An Amazon Bestseller
Role: Host & Interviewer
Date: June 23, 2020 at 6 pm – 7:30 pm
* Seats are limited to 50 *
2019 Writers Digest Novel Writing Conference
Role: Featured Speaker/Conference Session Leader
Date: October 22 – 25, 2019 – Pasadena, CA
The Next Bestseller™ Workshop
Role: Featured Speaker, Core Trainer + Workshop Producer
Date: November 1-3, 2019 – New York, NY
The Next Bestseller™ Workshop
Role: Featured Speaker, Core Trainer + Workshop Producer
Date: November 2–4, 2018 – New York, NY