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What should i master in if i want to be a TV showrunner?

I have a bachelors degree in visual effects and motion graphics and i want to take a masters degree program that will help me write, produce and direct a show that i have already written. So preferably a program that will not only give me the skills to do so but meet the kinds of people who can make it happen.

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  • 5 years ago

    A more important thing to start doing is to write scripts, and submit them. You have a story now... It's up to you whether you start pitching it, or save it for later if you think it's that good... but you need to keep writing, write more.

    The most common starting point for a TV showrunner (and I assume you mean story-based TV, not game shows or reality TV) is to be a story writer.

    You could try to write scrips for an existing show (of course there's no guarantee that your script will be recognised or even read)... or you can try writing stories for a new show, and pitch it to a network. Neither option is easy, it's tough to even get a chance... but talent and quality will make a difference.

    Yes, you could do another course... in literature perhaps, or in some kind of media studies... or cinematography... but in truth that won't count for nearly as much as having some great work under your belt. Nothing can replace the power of being able to show a script of your own making, and say "here you go, this is what I do... what do you think?"

    It's like, you could do a bunch of courses in I.T. but none of it matters until you have actually written some good programs. You could do courses in music but none of it matters until you have some music that people like.

    So by all means look at new courses... I think filmmaking courses would be very useful... but more important than that, you need to be writing now. Write stories, build a TV show. Show your friends. Even if it's rubbish, that's progress, because you need to look at it and figure out why it is rubbish, and try again. That progress and development in the quality of your work takes time, so you should start using the time you have now.

    Education can help, but the bottom line is, a network needs to see that you can actually do it before you can be given a chance. And before then, your goal should be to write scripts for shows... you'll be doing that for years before you ever get a chance to run a show of your own.

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