The primary aim of this six-week class is to guide students in developing their own characters and worlds. (Part II would be the script, outline, draft and polish). By the end of the first course, students will have characters developed and the worlds developed, and will have studied other scripts, scenes, dialogue, structure, etc. The goal of this class is to introduce aspiring writers to the fundamentals of pilot writing, focusing on character development, relationships, and world-building. By the end of the six-week course, students will have a solid foundation for crafting their own television pilots. We will study and break down structural elements for total understanding of the pilot form.
About Rich Talarico
Rich is a Peabody® Award-winning writer/producer with four Emmy® and four WGA Award nominations, best known for his work on Key & Peele. Rich was responsible for K&P fave Substitute Teacher, (“…Ay-ay-Ron?”) which in 2024 was added to The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum Of American History. Rich wrote dozens of K&P faves: Racist Zombies, Karim and Jahar, Hatz, Teaching Center, Obama Greets, Black Ice, and co-wrote many more.
Other credits include: MADtv, The Tonight Show w. Jay Leno, Saturday Night Live, and the critically-acclaimed, Review. An alum of Chicago’s Second City and Improv Olympic, Rich also provided punch-up work on Mean Girls and Get Out.
As an improviser, Rich teaches, coaches and performs with long-form group Dasariski, Rich played in the early casts of Chicago’s The Armando Diaz Show and co-created the shows, Close Quarters, Strap Heads and Trio. As an actor, Rich appeared on screen on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, MADtv, the feature film High Fidelity, and in A&W Root Beer’s classic TV ad, “Mr. Dumass.” Talarico’s extensive experience in the comedy industry has made him a sought-after teacher, writer and consultant. Rich is currently teaching and performing stand-up comedy around the US.