From MTV to True Crime: Warren Skeels
Oct 2, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min · 11 segments
On this episode of Timecode: Dead Air, we talk with Warren Skeels. Warren’s claim to fame is the MTV reality […]
- Speakers
Warren SkeelsGuest
Jon WoodHost
Oct 2, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min · 11 segments
On this episode of Timecode: Dead Air, we talk with Warren Skeels. Warren’s claim to fame is the MTV reality […]
Warren SkeelsGuestJon WoodHost
In the development process in general, I love it because I love just to be able to research a story, really dive into all the different aspects of it, talk to people.
And if it's a true story, talk to the people involved, the people who are there.
And it really helps us sort of flesh out the reality of the world and trying to build that before jumping into writing.
I really enjoy the development process because it's the only time that you're really just alone with the work and starting from scratch without a lot of exterior pressure just to experience what this, just to, you know, to kind of fumble around it until you like really concretely find your vision for it as a writer.
And then you're, you know, it's a beeline to the finish in terms of you know, putting, you know, pen to paper, you know, from there.
There's far less pressure, but then, you know, then you move into production or pre-production and financing and the active development stages of it where you're pitching.
I'm going through that right now and took a project out and had probably nine, 12 meetings, somewhere in that range with companies.
And it's a fun process because that's where every meeting you have is an opportunity to improve your pitch, right? So, you know, you take it out and you start talking about the idea and the formation of it.
And then and it's usually has some kind of form of, you know, here's a little bit about me.
And, you know, why I find this fascinating, why I think audiences will find this fascinating.
And that's where all the questions I get, I can usually decipher between, ooh, I need to make sure that's included in this because it's not coming across in the pitch, right? Versus a question that is, that's the exact question I want them to ask, that then becomes leading and they're investing in the story and investing in the idea and leaning in on the pitch, right? so i know like okay i don't want to address that in the pitch because i want that to be a question that's a follow-up um and so you get to you know and and you sort of start finding and getting better and better at it by you know by your you know gosh by the fifth meeting or so you know i feel like you're just on a roll and you know you got there's a lot of confidence that can come with it especially if you feel like you're getting a good response from the idea um so yeah so i'm i'm in a you know process right now of finalizing a partner on that and then um you know then we'll then we'll take it out to uh to
In the development process in general, I love it because I love just to be able to research a story, really dive into all the different aspects of it, talk to people.
And if it's a true story, talk to the people involved, the people who are there.
And it really helps us sort of flesh out the reality of the world and trying to build that before jumping into writing.
I really enjoy the development process because it's the only time that you're really just alone with the work and starting from scratch without a lot of exterior pressure just to experience what this, just to, you know, to kind of fumble around it until you like really concretely find your vision for it as a writer.
And then you're, you know, it's a beeline to the finish in terms of you know, putting, you know, pen to paper, you know, from there.
There's far less pressure, but then, you know, then you move into production or pre-production and financing and the active development stages of it where you're pitching.
I'm going through that right now and took a project out and had probably nine, 12 meetings, somewhere in that range with companies.
And it's a fun process because that's where every meeting you have is an opportunity to improve your pitch, right? So, you know, you take it out and you start talking about the idea and the formation of it.
And then and it's usually has some kind of form of, you know, here's a little bit about me.
And, you know, why I find this fascinating, why I think audiences will find this fascinating.
And that's where all the questions I get, I can usually decipher between, ooh, I need to make sure that's included in this because it's not coming across in the pitch, right? Versus a question that is, that's the exact question I want them to ask, that then becomes leading and they're investing in the story and investing in the idea and leaning in on the pitch, right? so i know like okay i don't want to address that in the pitch because i want that to be a question that's a follow-up um and so you get to you know and and you sort of start finding and getting better and better at it by you know by your you know gosh by the fifth meeting or so you know i feel like you're just on a roll and you know you got there's a lot of confidence that can come with it especially if you feel like you're getting a good response from the idea um so yeah so i'm i'm in a you know process right now of finalizing a partner on that and then um you know then we'll then we'll take it out to uh to
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