Bo Kaprall has been a television show creator, director, writer, producer, executive producer, and actor for over thirty-five years. Currently (2024), he has created and is Executive Producing a new television series, “Operation Undercover,” for HBO Max & Discovery ID, which debuted last November.
Bo got his start in Chicago as an actor in the touring company of Chicago’s Second City. In the seventies he moved to Los Angeles where he started the Comedy Store Players and joined Kentucky Fried Theatre (Kentucky Fried Movie, Airplane, Police Squad). He then went on to write and produce several network series including The Carol Burnett Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Cher Show, Aaron Spelling’s Friends, Norman Lear’s Year at the Top, and Welcome Back Kotter. In addition, he has written over thirty network pilots.
Over the years Bo has created and executive produced shows for ABC, CBS, NBC, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Discovery, TLC, and HGTV. In the nineties Bo moved to Minneapolis, where he started his own creative production company focusing on humorous radio and television commercials and corporate communications. Bo has recorded, written, and produced over 1,000 radio commercials, winning several Cleo and Radio Best Awards. He has appeared as an actor on over 50 television shows, the latest being Law & Order and Third Watch. For the last five years he has been teaching a course in “Beginning writing for television,” at various writing and film centers in Minneapolis and across the country (via Zoom).
THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
Beginning Writing for Television (Dramatic, Comedic, & Reality)
Wednesdays*, June 17 – August 12
*Skips the week of July 4th
6:30pm – 8:30pm
via Zoom
Description
Applicable to comedy, drama, and reality, this unique course is designed for creative aspiring writers with no prior experience—as well as those with screenwriting experience—who seek to break into television writing. Learn in an interactive environment the basics of creating, writing, and presenting your first television script for both drama and/or comedy, including how to take your idea to the next step and create a complete half-hour or one-hour television script. Beginning and professional writers are welcome. Prior screenwriting experience is not required.
The course will cover:
• The steps usually taken for a first-time television writer towards writing the first
script (general idea, character development, style, story acts, etc.)
• Structure
• Character development
• The importance of your first script as a calling card
• How to find an agent and get your script read
• Who should you be writing for
• Who does what job on a television series
• The outlets for new shows and new ideas
• Developing your idea
• The best way to write for you
• The Writers’ Room
• Collaboration processes
• Overview of winning past and current television show scripts
• Feedback on your current concepts, outline, scenes and scripts
Students will be emailed several TV scripts (shooting drafts) in PDF format prior to the first-class session (and more during the course) to be read in advance if possible. We’ll also be viewing videos related to the topics throughout the course.
This course will also include special guests, including WGA writers and producers working in television today. Students will get the opportunity to ask questions and get a behind-the-scenes look into how television is made, learning about the different career paths to becoming a professional television writer and what showrunners, producers, creative executives, and fellowship competitions are looking for from writers working today.
