Rob Thomas has a fascinating story. He went from basketball and football player to rock band bassist, then graduated from college with a history degree and taught high school … all by his early twenties! Based on the popularity of his YA novels, he got on the staff of Dawson’s Creek in its first season.

In this interview, Dan Goor goes into great detail about the process of writing Parks and Recreation, with very helpful tidbits from behind the scenes, including how to build a story, how to get the most out of the various departments, and the role of improv in the performances. You don’t want to miss this one!

If your story’s characters don’t end up in a different emotional space from where they began, neither will your audience. (Even on a sitcom.)

Awarded a full scholarship to study at USC, Ari Posner moved to L.A., and soon after graduating was on his first sitcom staff, Fox’s Partners. Since then he has worked on numerous multi-camera sitcoms, including Call Me Fitz, which was recently nominated for 16 Gemini Awards.

Sheldon Bull has earned Elephant Bucks as a highly successful TV writer and producer for 30 years. He has held positions from story editor to executive producer on 11 different primetime network situation comedies, including Newhart, A Different World, Coach, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

Comedy writer & stand-up comic Karey Dornetto has worked on all kinds of comedy shows, from sketch to traditional sitcom, and many in between. The daughter of a military professor and an ex-nun, Karey was headed for a life of financial trading before taking the plunge to join the sketch comedy group The Perch, in Charlotte, NC.

Comedy writer Courtney Lilly has only been in Hollywood 11 years, and yet has had tremendous success on a number of well-known sitcoms, including Arrested Development, Everybody Hates Chris, My Boys, and The Cleveland Show. You’re going to love his story!

Aspirants often think cold-calling, querying, and unsolicited submissions are viable methods for getting an agent. But they’re actually a waste of time, energy, and postage. So let’s take a look at some methods that work …

There is no bigger sign of an amateur than someone who’s worried about their stuff being stolen. If you worry your show can be stolen… you haven’t written it well enough.