Sam Laybourne

Instructor Bio:

M.A., Emmy award-nominated, writer/showrunner, and WGA member, who ran the third season of Acapulco for Apple TV+. Mr. Laybourne was a consultant on That 90s Show, an executive producer on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and co-creator/co-showrunner on The Michael J. Fox Show. He has written on Black-ish, Arrested Development, Real O’Neals, Cougar Town and Aliens in America, among many others. In addition, he has written features for Columbia, 20th Century Fox and Sony Screen Gems and developed both half-hour and drama TV concepts for CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, AppleTV+ and Freeform.

Instructor Statement:

My overall philosophy about TV writing is that it is the perfect medium for the exploration of each and every individual’s lived experience. Real, meaningful diversity reflected at every level of the storytelling process simply makes the work better. As a teacher, I look forward to not only promoting an inclusive environment, but learning from newer writers about ways to challenge my own ways of thinking. That being said, writing is hard work. Writing is about learning structure so you know when to deviate from it in meaningful ways. It's about putting in the time to revise. It’s about truly knowing -- and loving -- your characters beyond how they service the plot. It's about finding a theme and servicing that theme in the most compelling, honest and thrilling way possible. As a showrunner, I've always tried to empower my writers -- so here I will ask everyone to not only do their best work but also work hard at providing valuable, supportive feedback to your peers. Believe me when I say this a core skill if you want to work in a professional writers room! Most of all, I want to help you get better at finding your voice and honing it so that the maximum amount of people will appreciate it.