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Comments from some of the brave souls who survived previous Sitcom Rooms...

“The Sitcom Room was the ultimate summer camp for aspiring writers and/or TV geeks. It wasn’t cheap, but then, it wasn’t your typical seminar. There weren’t any stuffy meetings, awkward networking, or boring lectures. This was a hands-on event. The entire two-day event was like playtime, at least for me. And yet, I worked harder during those two days than I have worked in a very long time.”


“Ken delivers on all of his promises. You’ll be treated to practical advice backed up by hilarious stories. But that’s not what you’re paying for. Talk is cheap; opportunities are priceless. (Do you have what it takes to lock yourself in a room with complete strangers and produce something of any merit? To really collaborate? Where else are you going to find out?) This isn’t something you can capture in a book or DVD. You have to be there. You have to put in the hours. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll wish you were dead.”


“A very fun, invigorating weekend. I found out I can write with people and actually enjoyed it. I might even prefer it, if I could write with the type of people I was writing with this weekend. But most of all, I have a better appreciation of what sitcom writers go through on a weekly basis to make the shows I love. It was well worth the money. I had a great time and I learned a lot about writing comedy and other people. I got exactly what I hoped I would, plus more! Anyone who was on the fence about signing up this time around, scrape up the money and go next time Ken holds the seminar. The networking contacts alone were worth the price of admission, not to mention hanging out with Ken Levine for a weekend, which was priceless.”


“A fantastic weekend, and worth every penny I spent. And immense fun. My team completely rocked. Funny, smart, clever writers all, we were locked in a room for just under 15 hours and could have stayed 20. Thank you Ken, for a great and memorable weekend.”

“There’s no better way to learn about comedy writing than to experience what it’s really like, first hand. The Sitcom Room delivered. The Sitcom Room puts you inside a real writer’s room - with real people, real scripts, and real deadlines. Well worth the time and money. No amount of theory or book-reading can prepare you better than the real-world experience of writing comedy on a deadline. Hands down the best writing seminar I’ve ever attended.”


“Thanks a million for creating such a great learning experience. I got tons out of it, and after a brief recovery period I’ve returned to my spec script with renewed vigor. Ever since that weekend it’s been so much easier to see the structure of an episode - I don’t know how you did that.”


“The Sitcom Room is a fun title, but to me it is much more than that. This workshop is essential for all creative facets of the industry. For actors, it will spotlight the fact that the writer elves didn’t just magically produce your script. If you’re a writer, it will diffuse the itch to judge one show from another as good or bad, as it takes the same amount of sweat to create something workable within that particular world. If you want to work in TV comedy, this is your seminar.”

“I readily recommend The Sitcom Room to anyone who prefers industry-relevant interaction over rote symposiums/books/DVDs or the like. Ken refuses to wind-bag his way through the weekend, and instead concentrates on making your time and money (read: tax deduction) well spent.”


“The Sitcom Room was an incredible experience! It taught me a lot about the craft, but as all really good workshops do, it taught me even more about myself and how to get in touch with my inner comedic muse.”


“The Sitcom Room was a blast. There’s nothing like being trapped in a boardroom with four strangers, trying to hammer out a ten page scene, everyone talking over each other trying to get their jokes in the script, to make you really appreciate the solitude of writing a play or novel.”


“As a novelist, I'm accustomed to writing alone. I'd been nervous how it would work — would I speak up/be heard/be funny/be annoying/be banned from the room, etc? And, the big one — could I give up control of the final output?

"The biggest thing I learned was that it can be fun to write in a group — we pushed each other farther than any of us might have gone. At well after midnight, when we turned our scene in, we thought it was funny. But the true test would come when the actors performed our version the next day. The performance of our scene was nothing short of magical. Seeing jokes we'd written, lines we'd whittled away at, and some of the physical gags we'd put on the page…Most interesting were the times the actors made our lines sound even better than we thought they were.

"The attendees included several writers, a lawyer, a stand-up comic, a documentary writer and producer, a programmer, someone from Denmark and someone from Germany who is already writing and filming fabulous German short comedy. In other words, the only common denominators were talent and interest. I know my novel writing will benefit from this weekend, no matter what."

"The Sitcom Room was a fantastic experience! I was blown away by the knowledge imparted from Ken and his guests, and the lengths that Ken goes to make sure your experience is as real and valuable as possible. My 'writers room' was full of smart, funny, creative cohorts. I learned something from everyone.”


"$1500 is a lot of money. To afford the Sitcom Room I had to give up a lot of things: A certain parking permit that would have made my life a lot easier. Meat. Shoes. Tampons. It was worth it!

"I went to The Sitcom Room to experience what it's like to be a sitcom writer, and I got exactly what I wanted. We struggled together over every line. We pitched jokes to each other that fell flat. We wrote jokes together. We got punchy and vulgar. When we were done writing, we had no idea if what we had written was good or bad.

"I won't lie: There were times when I was nervous, despondent, insecure, and terrified. Only a real writing experience puts you through that many negative feelings. On the plus side, there was also megalomania, the thrill of a worthy challenge, some justifiable pride, and the euphoria that comes on the heels of inspiration.

"All the participants were funny and literate. Getting to know like-minded strangers in this weekend hotel crucible was really special, as they say. Ken was fantastic. He clearly had worked hard beforehand and worked hard all weekend to give us a valuable learning experience."

"Having spent good money on a number of workshops, classes and seminars over the years, I left some of them feeling they were a complete waste, or feeling that maybe I missed something that others seemed to get, or not feeling that I knew any more about developing my own skills and whatever talent I may have had than when I walked in.

"This is the first workshop I ever took part in where you not only had the opportunity to do an actual tangible rewrite of a script (and could see the results of your efforts performed in front of you by professional actors) — but had to discover how to (and if you could) do it in concert with a group of strangers under deadline.

"The various elements we all had to deal with and the creative tools we learned to employ would work well with a wide variety of different writing genres, whether it's a script, stage play or prose. More than anything else, the weekend was fun; fun meeting and working with the other 19 people in the group, fun giving my own creative abilities a needed workout, and fun being in L.A. when it was 27 degrees back in Rochester, NY."

"The Sitcom room was a fantastic experience. I began Saturday a bit skeptical and left beyond thrilled Sunday afternoon. What made this different? Doing vs. listening, for one thing. You can hear stories and experiences, but when you actually have to hammer out story beats and funny lines — you "get it" in your bones. I loved having the actors perform the before & after scenes and seeing each group's different takes. I had a blast even though we were seriously focused 90% of the time. I learned a lot which will help me with some current projects and, candidly, I would do it again. Worth every penny of the $1,500 and 3,000 miles for me personally. Great experience, great folks. I'd love to go again."


"While I enjoy the theory behind things, I'm very big into application. As they say, you don't learn swimming by staying out of the pool. Practical application and experience are key to any sustained learning, and that's what we received at the Sitcom Room. The only competition I felt while attending was competition from myself. I didn't want to let my team down. Being under the tutelage of an Emmy winner, someone with years of practical experience in the field, is invaluable.

"I also enjoyed working with people who were not in complete synch with my particular comedy stylings. Overall, it was a great learning experience. For anyone who wants to write television, short films, features, and even Internet sketches, this workshop can provide valuable knowledge and experience."

"The Sitcom Room is a whirlwind — an exhilarating, blurry whirlwind. It went by way too fast. When I got there, I was scared the other 19 attendees would be extremely talented — but it turns out they were only extraordinarily talented. Imagine my relief! I'll probably never see the four other people in my writing group again but by the time we were done writing together, I felt connected to them."


"My scripts have been features, I've done them all on my own, and I've not attempted to write comedies. So this was a chance for me to have a taste of what it's like to write for TV, collaborate with other writers, and see if I was at all funny. Ken has created a weekend that is informative, fun, and a great opportunity to connect with other writers. If you've attended screenwriting classes before, this is unlike those. Just last month, I went to the one of the 'big' screenwriting classes taught by a 'guru' in NYC (3 days in a room for 12 hours with 200 other people, with 15 minutes to take a bathroom break). The two 'classes' are so different it's not fair to compare but I will say that between the prices of both and travel/hotel, they actually ended up being almost the same cost. With the NYC class, I really only got the chance to 'connect' briefly with a few people who sat next to me — there was no time to network or even to have lunch together. Whereas Ken's Sitcom Room gave lots of opportunity to really connect with the other attendees (since there were only 20 attendees on purpose).

"The other big difference, Ken takes just a few hours in the beginning to talk at you — the rest of the time is you with your team actually writing (and boy, is that the FUN part) and then watching your scenes come alive with real actors. It was a great experience that I'm 100% glad I took the chance. My overall experience could be colored by the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed my team and thought we were hilarious and worked together extremely well. Oh, and what did I find out? I always knew that I loved TV and now I know that I'd love to write for it and I really enjoyed collaborating. The jury is still out on the funny part."

"Certainly if you want to write TV sitcoms (and not just in the U.S), this is well worth doing. It's hands-on, scary, and exhilarating, and if that's not the sort of thing you want to spend your money on, I probably don't want to know you ;-)."


"We were divided into teams and when Ken visited each team, he answered our questions and responded to the vibe put out by our team. I have to believe each team develops its own vibe and requires a slightly different way to handle. Each group I spoke with said Ken was there for them.

"It was interesting to see actors read our words. The spin they put on them brought them to life and their line readings were often better that I imagined. Ken talked about how actors influence writers' voices and I saw that in action. Fascinating to see in real time.

"Considering what we got — a main lecture room, four side conference rooms, decent Chinese food hand delivered by Ken and Dan, plus lots of pop and chips, with actual lectures by real sitcom writers and our work performed by real actors, yeah, the money 'was all on the screen,' as they say."

"Don't hesitate to attend the Sitcom Room, The experience of collaborating with seasoned showbiz folks and fellow writers will fuel your creative soul long after the workshop.

"Ken and Dan were very approachable as well as generous with valuable advice and insight. They never made me feel like an 'inkie newbie'. Ken and Dan are top-notch experienced professionals, passionate about the craft of writing but also interested in the attendees' experience.

"Simply put, the Sitcom Room goes beyond the 'rules' of television writing. You get hands-on experience working in a writers room with all the ups (yay, late night snacks!) and downs (wait, there's no payoff in this scene!) that come with cranking out your best material under a tight deadline.

"To top off your writerly weekend, you get to watch professional Hollywood actors bring your words to life. That moment sealed my fate. I realized that in spite of the heartaches and hurdles involved in writing, the journey is worth it.

"Uncertain about becoming a TV writer? Attending the Sitcom Room will confirm if the crazy but incredibly fulfilling ride is for you."

"Being a comedy writer from Austria, I was looking forward to the sitcom writing seminar but was a bit worried about the language barrier. Sure, I was confident that my English skills would be good enough to read all the name tags, even good enough to understand what Ken had to say about different forms of humor, but would my English skills be good enough to work within a writer's group, to argue about structure, to keep up with the tempo at which the punchlines would be thrown around in the writer's room?

"Fortunately there was another attendee from Europe, and I thought, 'If that Irish guy can keep up with that foreign language, then I should also do fine.' The hours spent in the writers room were exhausting, demanding and stressful. In short: It was the best two-day-seminar of my life. Ken Levine's Sitcom Room was absolutely worth the trip. And absolutely worth the price."

"I didn't know what to expect when I signed up. Despite being awake for nearly 24 hours writing with my team, I had the most fantastic time writing with people I hadn't ever met before. I appreciated the actors and writers who came in to talk and answer questions at the end of the seminar. Not only was it worth the price, but learning as much as I did from Ken to improve my sitcom scripts has been a learning experience I won't forget."

"I had taken a sitcom writing course in college, but it was nothing like this! The two-day workshop gave us all the opportunity to really experience what the writers' room is like... even down to the Chinese food, red vines and the late-night rewrite! Watching actors perform the lines we created allowed us to see what worked - and what didn't.

"Ken had a lot of great information from his years of writing and answered all of our questions. I still refer to the notes I took down that weekend. More than anything, this workshop was extremely motivating - I created the outline for my Modern Family spec script on the plane ride home from the workshop! I also started planning my move to Los Angeles, where I currently reside."

"The weekend was terrific and well worth the time and money I spent traveling half way round the world to attend."

"$1500? Plus air fare, hotel and food! Unless you're living off interest, it feels like a lot. And with all the crooks in L.A. eager to take money from creatives, you're smart to be skeptical.

"Just do it. If you enter The Sitcom Room with an ear to listen and an appreciation for being guided by Emmy-award-winning talent, you have found a bargain. Even if I stop writing tomorrow, I will always be happy I took the chance to be a member of The Sitcom Room while it was available.

"In the months leading up to the weekend, I didn't feel nervous (in part because Ken & Dan send weekly emails as preparation) until I noticed my body was telling a different story altogether. Immediately after entering the room, I broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, it had no effect on my hearing and I learned so much about the television industry as it works today from professionals who are working today.

"For me, the weekend kept getting better and by the end, in addition to working in a writers room, it felt as though I'd been invited to a dinner party. The inside stories Ken shared were great!

"One of the things I wondered about was the other attendees. Would they be a bunch of crazy people with $1500+ on hand with no experience in writing and all the faith they should be famous writers? Unfounded concern. I worked with a bunch of great people with various degrees of experience (not that you need any) and hope to stay in touch with many from the weekend.

"Ken and Dan were warm and accessible and funny and smart (and a little bit sneaky).

"Be a part of The Sitcom Room."

 

"I loved the Sitcom Room! It was wonderful to work on our scene as part of a team all night and then be rewarded with laughs when the actors performed it the next morning. Reading about 16 hour days makes television writing seem terrifying, but getting the chance to live it makes you realize it's got to be the best job ever."

"The Sitcom Room seminar by Ken Levine was by far — by FAR — the best time and money I've ever spent in the industry. Not a single wasted moment; from the lectures, to the introduction of the exercise, to the exercise itself, the entire seminar flowed with a well designed purpose.

"Although by Sunday evening I was propping my eyes open with scotch tape and toothpicks, I was crushed that it was ending — I wanted to go back into the room for another rewrite! Thanks to Ken, Dan O'Day, and the surprise guest speakers for an amazing weekend."

 

"The Sitcom Room worked for me because it is designed for people who really want to jump right in. Not a minute was wasted and everything we did had obvious value.

"Being surrounded by motivated writers, who are also funny, created the perfect group energy. I felt inspired and totally comfortable working with this group of strangers. Additionally, Ken and Dan honestly created a friendly and welcoming environment. I never felt like I didn't belong at the workshop despite my lack of professional or television writing experience. Rather than feeling discouraged by cold and exclusive industry people, I felt like I was with people who wanted to share and help.

"Ken connected with us as a creative-human, writer to writers. Throughout the weekend, I felt that the 'lectures' were seamless with our hands-on writing room work. On top of that, Ken's experience makes any conversation with him a great, personalized learning opportunity.

"I left this weekend feeling
1) sad, like I did when I left horse camp as a kid and
2) even more motivated to continue writing with a new pool of writer friends to call upon for feedback.

I learned that I don't have to be in a cave with the perfect cup of coffee (or Swiss Miss) to try to get a story right. I also learned that writing with a group of strangers for 10-12 hours is a satisfying way to spend a workday. Instant story feedback and ridiculous conversations – that works well for me.

"I was nervous before the workshop started but once I started talking to people, it just felt like I was talking to people who are like me. I also threw out a few thoughts in the writing room that got a laugh. I didn't expect much of that but of course it was an enjoyable surprise.

"I am so grateful that I was finally able to experience how the actor run-through contributes to and shapes the writing process. It was immensely helpful to see and hear what we had on our pages. Knowing that the read-through is a part of the process also allowed me to not obsess over having things perfect in the first draft.

"The panel discussion added to the sense of warmth that Ken and Dan established. Maybe it was because we were a room full of writers/storytellers that I felt so 'normal' and things made sense, but the (famous) surprise guests were completely accessible. They shared their experiences as creative professionals, rather than as people-on-the-inside talking to us-on-the-outside. That was a huge difference from other panels I've heard speak. They were amazingly generous and funny and created a great end to the workshop. I didn't want to leave.

"The total price I paid and my time invested in this weekend was definitely worth it. There wasn't a moment that I was concerned about how much the workshop cost – I was distracted by the experience, in a great way. I think the only question that came up (in my head and in conversations) was whether or not there would be bagels in the morning. But I got my own bagel. So, no worries there."

"Is $1500 a lot of money for a life-changing experience? I guess it depends on how much you value your life. This was not a sit-in-the- classroom-and-listen-to-war-stories rehash of Ken's career, but a real chance to launch your own.

"Ken was easy to talk to and down to earth. As far as the other attendees, I'll admit that I went in afraid we'd all be trying to impress each other all weekend, but everyone entered in a spirit of collaboration.

"Seeing our scenes performed by actors was a blast and a real eye-opener (even on 2 hours' sleep), and it was instructive and fun to see what the other teams had done. Now I feel that when an opportunity comes my way I won't be a total virgin. I was so inspired I came up with an outline for a new spec on the way home and have already written a better scene than I could have before the weekend. All this plus junk food in our writers room. What's not to love?"

 

"The Sitcom Room is the best education an aspiring sitcom writer can get — immersive, experiential, intense and led by one of the foremost successes in sitcom writing — Ken Levine. Throughout the weekend, I experienced every possible emotion. I left exhausted and exhilarated, and I'd do it all again if I could.

"The class of 20 was separated into 4 writing rooms. My writing group was named 'Group C' — which also happens to be the name of an infectious disease. Like the disease, my group inflicted a lot of pain on each other. We stepped on each other's toes, stomped on each other's pride and fought all night long — just to write a single scene. The next morning, we finally bonded as a team — in fear — as we watched professional actors perform our scene. It was thrilling to watch the scene reveal the mistakes and successes we had made throughout the night.

"I cannot imagine a better way to learn how to write sitcoms than this 'trial by fire' experience under the funny, accomplished and inspirational auspices of Ken Levine."

 

"When I heard Ken Levine was teaching his Sitcom Room, I leaped over chairs at the chance to learn from someone I consider one of Hollywood's greatest comedy writers.

"Ken's class offered me a rare glimpse into his creative process, as well as invaluable guidance on how to tackle a scene. Most important, he made us create. On the spot. Under pressure. With a team of strangers. Just like the pros do it.

"He threw us into a room with an assignment then dropped in with notes and other challenges that meant writing, rewriting, and more rewriting. It was fun, frustrating, exhilarating, and infuriating — just like a real TV job. In the end, we saw our work performed by a group of talented actors, and got to find out whether our material landed or not — the ultimate test."