Private, interactive lab on Zoom with Top Development Executive Anna Henry, who's set up projects at AMC, HBO, Starz, and Amazon Prime

8 live sessions. 3 private one-on-one consultations. One completed pilot or outline you can continue developing!

Only 10 spots available - 5 spots remain!

Payment plans available at checkout or email edu@stage32.com for more info!

If you've been waiting for the right time to write your historical television pilot, that time is now! Historical storytelling is having a major moment. DEATH BY LIGHTNING launched as Netflix's #1 show globally and landed among the platform's top 10 most-binged titles in the U.S., while THE GILDED AGE continues to be one of HBO's flagship series, drawing 5 million U.S. viewers for its season three finale. Audiences are hungry for bold, character-driven period dramas that make the past feel as gripping as today's biggest thrillers, creating more opportunity than ever for you to bring your historical story to market. Instead of wondering whether your idea could work, you'll learn how to turn it into a compelling television pilot buyers want to read.

You could be the next Stage 32 writer developing a historical series for the marketplace. Anna is currently working with two Stage 32 writers to develop and pitch their historical fiction projects, including one project that is set up with a major production company. In this lab, you'll learn from someone who is actively helping writers move historical stories from idea to the marketplace right now.

Writing a historical television pilot takes more than choosing a fascinating time period or doing extensive research. You need to know how to build a story engine that keeps modern audiences hooked, weave historical facts into compelling drama without slowing your pacing, create authentic worlds that never feel like a history lesson, and make real historical figures feel emotionally complex without losing what made their stories worth telling. These are the challenges that often keep talented writers from finishing a pilot that's truly market-ready. In this lab, you'll learn how to overcome every one of them while building a pilot you can feel confident pitching to the industry.

You'll learn from Anna Henry, a producer and development executive who is actively developing and selling television today. Anna has developed and set up projects at AMC, Amazon Prime, Starz, HBO, Sony, FOX, EOne, ITV America, and OddLot Entertainment. Her experience also includes CBS, ABC, and Nickelodeon, as well as managing writers at Andrea Simon Entertainment, where she helped shape material for today's marketplace. Anna currently teaches as part of the Netflix & Stage 32 Creating Content for a Global Marketplace Program, giving you direct insight into what buyers, producers, and executives are looking for right now.

Over eight sessions, you'll build your pilot step by step while learning how to choose the strongest historical approach for your concept, create immersive worlds, write authentic period dialogue, avoid common historical writing mistakes, and craft compelling characters that resonate with today's audiences. Every assignment you complete will receive personalized feedback from Anna, so you'll always know what's working, what needs improvement, and how to strengthen your script before sending it into the marketplace. You'll also receive private one-on-one consultations tailored specifically to your project.

By the end of the lab, you'll walk away with a completed historical television pilot, professional feedback on your work, and the confidence to start sharing your script with managers, producers, executives, fellowships, competitions, and other career-building opportunities.

This private, interactive Stage 32 lab is held live on Zoom and goes substantially deeper than a Stage 32 webinar, giving you the opportunity to receive direct feedback, ask questions, and make meaningful progress every week. As soon as you enroll, you'll be introduced to Anna by email and receive a questionnaire so she can begin learning about your project before class even starts. Throughout the lab, you'll have direct email access to Anna for guidance on your craft and career—it's like having an experienced television development executive in your corner. If you can't attend a live session, every class is recorded and uploaded to your Stage 32 Library within 48 hours, so you can learn on your own schedule. You'll also join a community of ambitious, like-minded writers who can become your collaborators, accountability partners, and industry network long after the lab ends.

Praise for Anna's Education:

"Anna's webinar was fantastic. I am writing my first one hour drama pilot so this webinar was packed with the exact information that I will be immediately putting to use in my rewrite. The slides were clear, concise and informative. The speaker was excellent at conveying the information I needed." -Bobby C.

"It was really great information. Anna was a terrific host, very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information and tips." -Marla H.

PRE-CLASS PREP – Select the show idea for which you will write your pilot and review your research.

Session 1 – Introduction, Elements of a TV Series, Approaches to Historical Subjects, Managing Research and Budget

Topics: types and formats of television series, finding the story engine for your show, how setting, tone, themes and point-of-view affect your story, various approaches to historical / period subjects, setting philosophical guidelines, scope and levels of research, uses of source materials, generating contemporary appeal, and managing budget requirements.

Q&A with Anna

The assignments for this week will be:

• Review your research for key elements you will utilize in your pilot story.
• Write a description of the concept of the pilot you intend to write.
• Find a template for your pilot.

Session 2 – Pilot Structure and Story Mapping

Topics: essential pilot format and structure, differences between pilots for episodic vs. serialized shows, A / B / C stories, pacing, building stakes, “and so” vs. “and then” construction, creating mystery/suspense/anticipation, act breaks, devices (flashbacks, narration, dream sequences, etc.), breaking up episodes/seasons, using true events and historical context. Guidance on the process of outlining.

Q&A with Anna

• The assignment for this week will be to continue working on your series elements and begin writing a beat outline for your pilot.

Session 3 – NO CLASS - Consultations: Series Elements (virtual one-on-one sessions)

This week will consist of one-on-one consultations on your series elements written so far. Each writer will send in their written materials 48 hours in advance and will have a phone consultation for feedback.

Session 4 - Authenticity vs. Accuracy, Altering / Creating Characters and Story, World Building

Topics: striving for authenticity over accuracy, choosing historical and fictional characters, adding, altering and conflating characters, realism and relatability of characters, relationships between the characters and the world, multiple perspectives and complex relationships, revealing the interior truth of characters, and techniques of world-building.

Q&A with Anna

The assignments for this week will be:

• Write a detailed description (around half of a page) on each of your series' regular characters.
• Review how your character elements will be communicated in your pilot.

Session 5 – Pilot Writing Act by Act

Topics: effective teasers, establishing and introducing characters, types of character moments, challenges of writing exposition, setting up the “rules” of your world, setting tone and incorporating themes, creating an effective launch point for your pilot, focusing on conflict and stakes, increasing layers and complexity with subplots, scene order and causation, types of plot points, creating a series launch, and common pilot problems.

Q&A with Anna

• The assignment this week will be to complete the beat outline for your pilot OR write Acts One & Two of your pilot.

Session 6 – NO CLASS - Consultations: Pilot Outline or Pilot Acts One & Two (virtual one-on-one sessions)

This week will consist of one-on-one consultations on your outline or acts one & two. Each writer will send in their written materials 48 hours in advance and will have a phone consultation for feedback.

Session 7 – Writing Effective Scenes, Period Dialogue, and Conjuring a World

Topics: structure of a scene, building stakes, multi-function scenes that move the plot forward & reveal character & build the world, avoiding “dead” scenes, how to enter and leave scenes, moving from scene to scene using character motivations, writing visually, authentic & nuanced dialogue and the value of subtext, avoiding anachronisms, emotional scenes, and common scene problems.

Q&A with Anna

• The assignment this week will be to watch a list of sample scenes and to continue writing.

Session 8 – NO CLASS - Consultations: Finished Pilot or Revised Series Elements & Outline (virtual one-on-one sessions)

This week will consist of one-on-one consultations on your finished pilot script or your revised outline and other written materials. Each writer will send in their written materials 48 hours in advance and will have a phone consultation for feedback.

What To Expect

PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 lab is limited to 10 writers and will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis. The opportunity to work this closely and for this long with an executive and an expert in the field is an incredibly unique and valuable opportunity. If you are interested, please book quickly. Once the spots are gone, they’re gone for good.

• This lab is designed for beginner, intermediate, or advanced writers interested in writing a historical fiction television pilot script.
• **Anna will be available on email during the 8 sessions to answer any questions you have about your craft or career.**
• By the end of this 8-week lab, you will have a completed pilot script or outline that has been vetted by an industry executive.
• This is an in-depth, practical, and detailed lab with one-on-one time with the instructor and significantly more content than a standard 90-minute webinar.
• You will be held accountable to take the lessons from each week and move your work forward.
• Plus, to stay motivated and inspired, you will have access to a private, dedicated Stage 32 Lounge where you can communicate with your fellow classmates throughout the length of the lab.

• Screenwriters of all levels who want to write a marketable historical fiction pilot with guidance from a working development executive.
• Writers with a period piece idea who need help finding the right story engine and structure to make it stand out in today's market.
• TV writers who want hands-on, one-on-one feedback to take their pilot from concept to a completed, industry-vetted script.
• Writers interested in adapting real events or figures who want to learn how to balance authenticity with dramatic license.
• Aspiring showrunners who want to build the world-building and pilot-writing skills needed to launch a historical series.

Praise for Anna's Education:

"Anna's webinar was fantastic. I am writing my first one hour drama pilot so this webinar was packed with the exact information that I will be immediately putting to use in my rewrite. The slides were clear, concise and informative. The speaker was excellent at conveying the information I needed." -Bobby C.

"It was really great information. Anna was a terrific host, very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information and tips." -Marla H.