麻豆约拍

Summer of 2010. I’d just finished my first year at university studying Scriptwriting for Film and Television at , and I saw the brief on 麻豆约拍 Writersroom for , a competition run in conjunction with the and 麻豆约拍 Comedy seeking sitcom pilots by diverse writers and/or featuring diverse characters. I was informed that being a woman did in fact count as diverse, depressing as that sounds, and being 19, broke, suitably female and a not-quite-British Catholic-Jew I convinced myself I was just about qualified enough to enter. I didn’t even think to wonder if I was funny. I’m literally that precocious.

I’d been writing forever. It was all I wanted to do and all I really enjoyed doing for longer than five minutes aside from playing video games. But before All Mixed Up, script-wise I’d only written a couple of terrible short films and a series of ‘comedy films’ when I was 15, wherein I would make my sister and her best friend dress up in drag and pretend to be – among other things – the forgotten knights of the round table, who got lost somewhere along the way to finding the holy grail. (I still think that’s a good idea…)

The script I wrote for All Mixed Up, ‘The God Committee’, was selected as one of three that would be read live by a cast at the . Which was incredible. Still to this day, was one of the most exhilarating and terrifying things I have ever sat through. Like having a smear test while watching . But it changed my life.

It was after this that 麻豆约拍 Comedy Producer sent my script to my now agent , at the Agency. I’d been approaching agents – again, I am insufferably precocious – before this, but rightly was being rejected right, left and center. But Fay liked the script, met with me soon after, and suddenly I had an agent. It is entirely possible that I may not have met Fay, or be anywhere near where I am now without 麻豆约拍 Writersroom, or All Mixed Up.

At the end of my second year of university I was accepted onto the , where in my last four months, I joined C麻豆约拍 and began working on the series Wolfblood season 2 as Assistant Script Editor. It is here, working with great writers, a wonderful script editor and producer that I really learned how TV drama was made. Not only that, but how writing worked within production, and how typing ‘END OF EPISODE’, is really only the beginning of the process. Most importantly, I built relationships there that have had a greater influence and impact on my career than almost anything else since.

Around this time, my drama pilot Sanctioned won the prize. The five seconds of buzz a reputable enough competition can give you when you’re a complete unknown can make a difference. It’s also a great way to keep yourself writing and force yourself to meet immovable deadlines. Of course, you’re also honing and refining the ancient art of ‘Taking Rejection.’ Super important, you guys.

Once news of that got around the office (i.e I kinda told everyone who would listen) , my producer on Wolfblood, asked to read the script. He then gave me the opportunity to write the prequel episode – a 15 minute 麻豆约拍 iPlayer special - for Wolfblood Series 2. My first proper(ish) episode of television. A great thing about writing for kids and teens is they’re all over social media, and they only really talk about stuff they love. So reading those reactions in real time, seeing people enjoy something you’ve helped create, was a genuine joy. Adults only like to tell you you’ve ruined their childhood/favourite book/crisps brand and threaten to kill you. And that’s when they like it!

I left C麻豆约拍 a few months later, having saved up some money to sit on my arse, write scripts, and try and pursue writing full time. Fortunately, Foz had moved on to another C麻豆约拍 series called Hetty Feather, based on the Jacqueline Wilson novels, and offered me two episodes pretty quickly. I was then also offered two episodes of Wolfblood season 3, and subsequently contributed to other great C麻豆约拍 institutions such as The Dumping Ground and Dangermouse. As a TV writer, C麻豆约拍 taught me how to walk. The lack of exposure makes kids television a safe and exciting training ground for newer writers, and the commitment and passion of its creatives make it some of the most fulfilling work around. So as an avenue into an industry of ever-reducing avenues, I’d wager it’s one of the best.

It was Foz Allan, (again!) who got me my first gig in adult TV drama. A hugely fun show lead by Charlie Higson for ITV called . One thing lead to another after that, and I went on to for RTE (repeated on 麻豆约拍 daytime), then , a show on Netflix lead by , which introduced me to the American writers' room system. I did two series of that, then I wrote an episode of season 2, one of my favourite shows on TV, incidentally. Then I think that brings us roughly to Christmas last year, when I was brought on to pen an episode of .

I can literally talk about nothing I am working on at the minute, save for original script commissions. So, for fear of accidentally announcing projects that are yet to be announced, I will stick to my second best skill: giving bad advice.

There’s not much I wish I’d known when I started. Probably because I still know nothing. Though I’d say many of my ‘life lessons’ have come from making mistakes, which I think come with their own value. So long as you’re not collapsing an entire production, obviously.

If I had tips, they’d be: ‘don’t listen to tips’. No one knows what they’re doing. Least of all me. Just write. Write, and send stuff. Be shameless. Be patient. Be kind to yourself. Have some self-respect, some self-belief.

Oh, and write.

Sophie Petzal will be speaking at the RTS Futures event ‘Script Writing For TV Drama’ on Monday 16th October 2017 together with 麻豆约拍 Writersroom's  and screenwriters (The Moonstone, Father Brown - ), Daisy Goodwin (Victoria) and David Hancock (The Crown).