Webinar: Becoming a TV Writer: The Non-Writing Skills You Need to Succeed (Part 1) by NAA Career Webinar Series

About This Webinar

How do you get into a TV writers' room as a Staff Writer? It starts by realizing that excellent writing samples alone can't guarantee you entry and by embracing the mantra "If you want to succeed in TV, writing is only half the battle." This event is catered toward those just beginning their journeys into becoming TV writers, and it’s led by Nikhil S. Jayaram ’04, currently a television writer in Los Angeles who’s written on shows for nearly a decade, and author of The TV Writer’s Hidden Path, the first-of-its-kind book teaching the non-writing factors that are critical for aspiring scribes’ success. Sampling from his book, sharing candidly and humorously from his experiences, mistakes, and successes, and those of others, Jayaram will provide an overview of these necessary, yet often unspoken, non-writing skills you need to become a working TV writer, and the journey ahead.

Nikhil Jayaram '04

Author of The TV Writer’s Hidden Path

Nikhil S. Jayaram is a television writer/producer and speaker who has written for Netflix, NBC, and Paramount+. Some of his credits include STAR TREK: PRODIGY, SHADES OF BLUE, and THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, and he's sold television pilots as well as consulted internationally. He also wrote the first-ever South Asian-themed romantic comedy for Hallmark, MAKE ME A MATCH, which premiered in 2023, and is developing a TV series with Amazon. And his book, The TV Writer’s Hidden Path, an essential guide for aspiring TV writers to break in, is now available on Amazon. Nikhil is an alum of the NBC, CBS, and CAPE fellowships, was selected for the Disney-ABC Fellowship, and worked every support staff job in TV writers’ rooms before being hired as a writer. He also founded the South Asian Writers Committee (WGA members). Nikhil is a Maryland native and Northwestern alum. He continues the joyous grind of writing for television and film to this day while he aids other writers making their ascent, and he occasionally performs standup comedy.

Lucie Sandel

Lucie manages the Northwestern Alumni Association Career Webinars and the Northwestern Connects program, our global networking event that has the goal of reaching 100 locations worldwide on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.