Showrunners - Training Gaps Analysis - Cultural Human Resources ...

V. Training Offerings
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
Showrunners Training Gap Analysis
All Showrunners working today learned their role on-the-job. Without exception, the
interviewees emphasized that Showrunners must continue to have significant on-the-job
experience as an absolutely key component of training. Some spoke of the process as being “the
fly on the wall”; others as “moving up through the chairs”; others as learning in the trenches.
You can’t learn to be a Showrunner in theory…you need to run a show to learn how to run a
show. (a producer)
Essential to on-the-job training is the availability of productions on which to train, and mentors
who are willing to shepherd writers as they work their way up through the ranks. It is apparent
that experienced Canadian Showrunners have given time generously as role models for aspiring
writers.
This review of training offerings would be incomplete without the recognition of a couple of
particular production companies and individuals who excel as mentors. Producers, writers and
Showrunners commented on the huge impact of Linda Schuyler, and her company Epitome
Productions. The long-running Degrassi franchise has been a training studio for creative talent, in
particular writers, for years.
Another producer with a writing background, discussed her role in working with writer and
Showrunner talent as a business model. We used to create our own shows and showrun them.
Now our goal is to build story departments and showrunners. The only way to build them is to
build the real thin. To build a showrunner, we understand that we needed to surround that person
with people who would support him and recognize that he has the final say, to allow his vision to
soar. (a producer)
One version of on-the-job training that has previously been mentioned is the pairing of an
experienced Showrunner with an inexperienced creator, with the expectation that the creator will
eventually take over the show. With time, this can be a very effective process, particularly if the
creator has writing experience. However, one season of working with a Showrunner mentor
cannot replace several years of writing room experience.
FORMAL TRAINING OFFERINGS
Professional Showrunner training offerings
Three professional development offerings directly targeted at Showrunners were examined, two
in Canada and one in the United States. In Canada, the 2008 acquisition of Alliance Atlantis by
CanWest resulted in a CRTC-approved benefits package that included the start-up of the first
Canadian program for Showrunners, attached to the Banff Television Festival. CanWest describes
the program as part of an overall multi-faceted strategy to improve and grow dramatic series
production in Canada.
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Deborah Carver and Benoit Dubois, January 2009