Selling Your Own Network TV Show with Evan McGahey

Show notes

Evan McGahey, staff writer on Season 8 of Outlander, breaks down how he worked his way up in TV from support staff to staff writer; how he recently sold his original TV pitch to a major studio; and what he predicts with future writers given Hollywood's contraction and battle over A.I.

Episode Breakdown

1. 1:30Writing a first episode of Outlander
2. 3:00Lessons from writing an episode after working as writers room support staff
3. 4:20Experience co-writing an episode with another writer
4. 5:00How Evan landed a support staff role on Outlander
5. 7:26How Evan made the connections who ended up referring him for the interview
6. 10:00How to sell an original show to a major network
7. 15:45Choosing a production companies
8. 17:06Landing a manager
9. 18:30Co-writing a pilot
10. 20:10Getting started in TV writing: first jobs—
11. 26:20Writer’s PA vs. Writer’s Assistant: how to maximize each job
12. 28:20Why Evan chose Outlander over staying at NBC’s The Black List
13. 35:00We Survived ’til ’25, now what?: How to navigate the current contraction as a writer
14. 39:50Writers vs. A.I.
15. 43:40From going to USC to become a doctor to switching to pursuing screenwriting with a biology degree
16. 44:00underGRAD
17. 47:46Having a dedicated creative space for working
18. 50:50TIME CAPSULE