This workshop takes students from initial comedy concept to a market-ready pitch in four weeks. Drawing on Sanjay Shah’s real-world experiences pitching and selling series to Netflix, ABC, FOX, NBC, Paramount+, Hulu, and Comedy Central, students learn to develop compelling series concepts and present them with professional polish.
Each student leaves the workshop with a pitch package to prepare them to write a sample script. With the pitch package and a sample script, students are ready for screenwriting contests, fellowships, representation meetings, studio sales, and series staffing opportunities!
Having successfully pitched and sold series across every major platform, Sanjay shares the strategies, templates, and industry insights that led to actual deals. Students receive honest feedback about their concept’s market potential, and specific guidance on how to position themselves competitively in today’s entertainment landscape. This isn’t just an academic exercise — it’s professional development that mirrors the real process of selling comedy series in Hollywood.
This workshop meets in the Geballe Room of Townsend Center for the Humanities (220 Stephens Hall) from 3:30pm to 5:30pm on February 27, March 6, and March 13, 2026. The last session, on March 20, meets in Social Sciences Building room 180.
Students must commit to participating in the entire workshop, including attending all sessions and completing the assignments. More details on the schedule and assignments can be found linked here.
Sanjay Shah (Rhetoric ’99) is a television writer and producer with 20 years of experience. He is currently the showrunner/executive producer of “Everybody Still Hates Chris,” which he co-created with Chris Rock. He is under an overall at CBS Studios. Prior to that, he was the co-showrunner/executive producer of Apple’s animated musical “Central Park.” His other credits include Pixar’s Dream Productions, “Fresh Off The Boat,” “King of the Hill,” and “South Park.” He’s sold pilots to Netflix, Paramount+, Hulu, ABC, FOX, and NBC. In features, he has written for Pixar, Sony, and Universal. He’s a longtime writing mentor at the Sundance Institute’s annual Episodic Lab. He was a panelist at San Diego Comic Con, Austin Film Festival, and the Austin Television Festival. He’s a member of the Writers Guild (WGA), Producers Guild (PGA), and Screen Actors Guild of America (SAG/AFTRA). He is also a graduate of UC Berkeley, where he studied Rhetoric and was a member of the boxing team.
Application deadline: February 15, 2026 at midnight
Workshop application is linked here.
Workshop schedule is linked here.