The European Showrunner Programme (ESP) is designed for brilliant series writers with a strong creative vision, who know their craft and enjoy creative collaboration as well as leading teams.

Building on this foundation, the ESP aims to provide the participants with key insights and skills related to the production and creative leadership aspects of the showrunner’s position, such as

• understanding budgets
• understanding schedules
• understanding business partners and all members of the creative team

• understanding how to hire the right people

• understanding how to position creative partners for success

• understanding the social impact of storytellers and team leaders

The following subject areas and topics are covered:

Creative Leadership

The European Showrunner Programme centres on Creative Leadership. Leadership models and skills relevant for the role of the showrunner as well as individual showrunners' leadership styles build the core of the ESP. These topics are addressed continuously throughout the programme, both in class and in one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Hard Skills

Participants learn how to structure and intertwine the dense writing and production processes required when creating and producing drama series today. They deepen their knowledge in series producing and gain insights into the collaboration with all partners and departments.

Social Impact

The powerful role stories play in society, reaching and affecting the minds, viewpoints, and beliefs of local and global audiences alike, is a well-studied phenomenon. By featuring characters that audiences grow closely attached to – sometimes for a lifetime – series constitute a form of storytelling that has a particularly strong influence. A showrunner must take this into account as well as the fact that the work culture they foster, the diversity of their cast and crew, and the wasteful or sustainable way in which the show is produced also reflects this responsibility.

Analysis, Discussion, and Definition

At the end of each module, there is a reflection on the topics and challenges addressed and a discussion on how to implement these findings into a future model of showrunning in Europe

Mentoring

Another important feature of the programme is one-on-one meetings with personal mentors. In three online meetings of 60-90 minutes each, mentors support each participant individually in exploring what kind of showrunner they aim to be.

1. The ESP is no training in screenwriting. Applicants need to bring extensive screenwriting experience.
2. The ESP is no training in writers‘ room techniques. This knowledge, too, is a prerequisite for all applicants.
3. The ESP is no training for non-writing professionals. While future editions might include applicants with different backgrounds, the current edition is writer-centred.
4. The ESP is no project incubator. The focus of this training is on skills and insights. There will be no series projects developed in the course. However, since this is a part-time course, all aspects learned may be immediately applied to the projects the participants are currently working on.

FORMAT

The ESP is designed as a blended learning programme featuring both on-site and online sessions. The European Showrunner Training consists of lectures, seminars, interactive workshops, case studies, masterclasses, and mentoring in the form of one-on-one online consultations.

• Sessions in Cologne: full days, 10 am – 6 pm CET
• Online Sessions: Fridays, 2 pm – 6:30 pm CET. Saturdays, 9 am – 1:30 pm CET

29 - 31 May Workshop I
12 - 13 June Online Session I, Online Session II 
26 - 27 June Online Session III, Online Session IV
10 - 11 July Online Session V, Online Session VI
24 - 25 July Online Session VII, Online Session VIII

Summer Break

2 - 4 September  Workshop II
18 - 19 September Online Session IX, Online Session X
2 - 3 October Online Session XI, Online Session XII
16 - 17 October Online Session XIII, Online Session XIV 
30 - 31 October Online Session XV, Online Session XVI
13 - 14 November Workshop III

subject to change