From HBO to Sony to Showtime to ABC to Disney: Meet Our New Faculty

This spring four new faculty members join the TV Writers Studio^sm – and if you’re interested in learning from people who wrote HOUSE OF LIES, or MURPHY BROWN, or MAX PAYNE, you’re in the right place.

Barbara Nance

is teaching our Building a Career class. 

Barbara Nance has written extensively for television, both as a writer/producer for series such as HOUSE OF LIES, THE LIZZY BORDEN CHRONICLES, THE CLIENT LIST, IN PLAIN SIGHT, and FLASH FORWARD, as well as long form television movies such as I WAS LORENA BOBBITT, and an upcoming movie for Lifetime. She has been a professor of television writing at USC, Stephens College’s M.F.A. program, and at Florida State University. She also teaches internationally for Amazon and Netflix.

Beau Thorne

is teaching our Original Pilot class.

As a professional screenwriter, Beau Thorne has written for major studios (Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox) and top producers in the international film industry (Dan Lin, Michael London, Neal Moritz), as well as developing television pilots for Academy Award-winner Oliver Stone’s company and the former head of HBO dramatic series programing.  He was awarded sole screenplay credit on MAX PAYNE, a $35 million feature film that debuted at number one on 3,376 screens.  Born in North Carolina, Beau spent twenty years studying and teaching film at The University of Texas in Austin, TX before moving to New York in 2021.  

Sofía

Quintero

is teaching “Brilliant But Cancelled,” leading students in conceiving a re-boot of a great show that was cancelled after one season.

Sofía Quintero is a Gen-X Afro-Latina screenwriter and novelist. Raised in a working-class Puerto Rican-Dominican family in the Bronx, the self-proclaimed “Ivy League homegirl”  graduated from Columbia University and began her first career as a policy analyst and advocate working for various nonprofit organizations and government agencies including the Vera Institute of Justice and the Hispanic AIDS Forum. After years of working on diverse policy issues, Sofía turned to cultural work with the intention to meet audiences where they are, yet take them someplace better.

Sofía wrote her debut novel Explicit Content (Penguin 2004) under the pen name Black Artemis, and has since published six more novels and twice as many short stories and novellas with every major house and across genres – young adult, “chick lit”, erotica and hip-hop noir.  She's presently producing adaptations of her own work for TV and film as well as developing original series for others. Sofía has an MFA from the TV Writers Studio at Long Island University and was an inaugural Made in NY Writers Room Fellow with a TV pilot based on her novel Burn. Inspired by the #SayHerName movement to demand justice for Black girls and women murdered by police, her seventh novel #Krissette will be published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in 2023. Sofía is also the co-author of Miss Me With That, a collection of essays by the first Black Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay which was published this January. 

Alana Sanko

is teaching History of Television Writing.

Alana Sanko is an award-winning television writer and Executive Producer who has written and developed for comedy, drama, kids and animated series, as well as TV movies and network and cable pilots for ABC, CBS, Bravo, MTV, HBO, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Nick at Nite, to name a few.

Her credits include: Creator/Executive Producer of the ABC comedy pilot SEE JAYNE RUN; Head Writer for MTV’s Annie Nominated series SPY GROOVE; the Disney Channel Original Movie GET A CLUE, starring Lindsay Lohan, the Nickelodeon series she created, JUST FOR KICKS, with Executive Producer Whoopi Goldberg, which earned her a WGA Award and staff writer on the acclaimed television series MURPHY BROWN, which was named on the WGA’s list of 101 Best TV Series. In addition, Alana has written for numerous children’s series, including Cartoon Network’s ANGELO RULES, Disney Channel’s LITTLE EINSTEINS, PBS’ DRAGON TALES and HBO Family’s A LITTLE CURIOUS. Recently, she acted as a Consulting Producer for Half Life, the limited series winner of the NYC women’s initiative screenwriting competition #GreenlightHer! 

LaVarro Jones

is teaching – for the second time – our Post Production class.

LaVarro started his professional career at BET (Black Entertainment Television) working as a camera operator and assistant editor on various shows, promos, and television specials.  As his career progressed LaVarro worked as an editor for other networks including VH1, Bravo, HGTV, History Channel, And Viceland. Currently, through his production company, LaVarro Productions, he writes directs, and edits web series, short films, music, and promotional videos. The company’s first web series,  “Love And Money,” won 4 best acting awards at the 2013 LA Web Fest. The latest web series he directed and edited “Bubbly Brown Sugar” won best web series at the Newark International Film Festival. His short film “Fade” is making the rounds on the festival circuit being accepted to 7 film festivals so far. LaVarro is currently in development on the Feature-length version of “Fade.”

The Future of Latinx Representation

This fall, UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report showed a vast underrepresentation of Latinx talent on television.

LIU TV Writers Studio alum Jorge Rivera (A.P.B., TWISTED SISTERS, and REAL MURDERS of the O.C.), who is also co-chair of the WGA Latino Writers Committee, will discuss the implications of this report with Ligiah Villalobos (UNDER THE SAME MOON, GO, DIEGO, GO!), Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (Showrunner for THE CARMICHAEL SHOW), and veteran agent David Lopez from A3 Artists Agency.

Join us:
Thursday, December 9th
8 pm EST

Register here for this important webinar!

December Open House: There’s a seat in the TV writers room for you!

Ever thought about a career in TV?

There’s a seat in the TV writers room for you.

At our MFA, over two years, you’ll not only learn how to develop, write, and produce a series.

You’ll actually do it.

Come to our Open House to hear how we can jumpstart your journey.

Sunday, December 5th

2 pm EST

Location:

LIU - H Building

1 University Plaza, Brooklyn, New York 11201

2nd Floor

Media Arts Lounge

Enter at the corner of Dekalb and Flatbush:

https://www.liu.edu/brooklyn/about/Visit-Campus/Campus-Map

You can RSVP here https://forms.gle/wK5nERfNiXg2FTEJ8 or simply show up!

Any questions?

Contact MFA Director Ken LaZebnik: kenneth.lazebnik@liu.edu

Norman Steinberg Scholarships

Named in honor of the Founder of the LIU M.F.A. in Writing and Producing for Television, the Norman Steinberg Scholarship awards $1,000 grants to new TV Writers Studio students. You’ll get $1,000 for your first year and then $1,000 for your second year as well!

Applying for the scholarship is simple:

1.    When students apply for admission to the LIU TV Writers Studio program, they will indicate if they are interested in also applying for the Norman Steinberg Scholarship.

2.    The Norman Steinberg Scholarship application will consist of a personal statement and a writing sample. The writing sample may be the same one as the applicant used to apply to the LIU TV Writers Studio program. The scholarship will be awarded by a committee of faculty members and will be awarded to incoming students whose writing shows the promise of creating authentic characters with compelling journeys.

Those wishing to apply for the Norman Steinberg Scholarship must apply for admission to the TV Writers Studio by January 31st, 2023.

For more information, please contact either Director Ken LaZebnik, or Assistant Director Kmur Hardeman.

ABOUT NORMAN STEINBERG

Founder of the LIU TV Writers Studio, Norman Steinberg is a legendary screenwriter/producer whose film and TV credits span nearly forty years. His screenwriting career began under the tutelage of his mentor and friend Mel Brooks when he became part of the team with Andrew Bergman and Richard Pryor that wrote Blazing Saddles. His films include My Favorite Year, starring Peter O’Toole, and Johnny Dangerously and Mr. Mom, both starring Michael Keaton. His television credits include Cosby, Doctor, Doctor, and Showtime’s Paradise. He is currently writing the book for a Broadway musical based on Sheridan’s School for Scandal.