Neil Landau is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, and author. He is currently an Associate Professor at Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and founding Director of Screenwriting in the MFA Film and Television Program at the University of Georgia. He served as Executive Script consultant for Sony Pictures Television International for many years. His movie credits include the teen comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead; his TV credits include Doogie Howser, M.D., Melrose Place, The Magnificent Seven, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Twice in a Lifetime, and MTV's Undressed, and pilot deals at CBS, Disney, Freemantle, Lifetime, Spelling, and Warner Bros. Television. Neil currently chairs the preselection committee for the Entertainment category for the Peabody Awards.

Also by Neil Landau Foreword How To Navigate This Book Introduction 1. From Concept to Pilot Script 2. Intellectual Property and Adaptation 3. World Building, Specificity of Setting, and Revising History 4. Fueling Your Story Engine: Central Questions and Central Mysteries 5. The Power of Empathy 6. The Value of Family Dynamics 7. Get to the Heart of Your Story 8. POV and Subtext 9. Antagonists 10. Defying Formulaic Structure 11. Theme 12. Cliffhangers 13. Life on the Cringe: Comedy and Culture 14. Pitching and Selling Acknowledgments About the Author Index