The Author as Producer

Name: The Author as Producer
Rating: 5.0 (7 reviews)

The business of Storytelling for creative professionals

Created byRafael Leal

Last updated 5/2025

English

What you'll learn

Understand the business side of storytelling
Improve networking skills in the creative industries
Understand how projects are created, developed and purchased by the media industries
Understand how films and series are funded and how they generate revenue
Identify and access different sources for project funding
Understand what are author rights and how they apply to your stories
Understand the panorama of the stakeholders in the film business: producers, distributors, sales agents, funding boards.

Course content

8 sections • 25 lectures • 2h 31m total length

Welcome!5:12
This lesson offers the first important idea of the course and a roadmap for what will be discussed.
Story as a business6:00
This lesson delves into the centrality of storytelling as a cultural product throughout the development of the media industry in the last 130 years.
The word of Benjamin6:50
This lesson relates the work of Walter Benjamin with the current state of the creative industries, where creators should position themselves as producers. After this lesson, the student should be interested in learning what does a producer do, in order to become one and succeed in the industry as a creator.
Map your stories

What does it take to produce a film?5:59
In this lecture, we discuss what are the main components of a film production and the concept of screen idea. You will be able to understand the complexity of a film production with a real example.
How does a film profit?4:19
In this lecture, we analyse how does a film make money and how it is important in the process of creating our projects.
Arthouse vs Mainstream: creation, distribution and funding6:07
What is the difference between arthouse and mainstream media regarding to creation, development, distribution and funding.
Stakeholders: streamings, producers, festivals - How to read credits5:39
In this lecture, you will learn how to read, in the credits of a film, the story of how it was produced.
Target and audience design6:14
Who is your film or series targeting? Who are your desired spectators, and what are the means to reach them? This lecture brings an important reflection on target.
Reading credits

What does a producer do?6:46
This lecture delves into the main aspects of the work of a producer, a pivotal figure in the film industry.
The different types of producers: creative, development, executive, associate6:49
This lecture analyses the different terminology for producers and their function in the production.
Thinking your projects as a producer6:10
This lecture teaches to use the knowledge discussed in the rest of the unit in favour of our own projects.

Career goals and the means to reach them7:14
In this class, we examine different possible career goals for creators and strategies to reach them.
Agents, Lawyers, Managers7:04
In this lecture, we discuss the role of agents, managers, lawyers in the creative industries.
Packaging and Project Strategy5:54
In this lecture, we discuss the concept of packaging and how it can help you in your projects.
Map your career goals

How stories become projects, projects become scripts and scripts become films6:35
In this lecture, we discuss the concept of pipeline, the constant flux of project development as an essencial strategy to make a sustainable and profitable career.
Finding and refining your creative voice6:35
How to find and develop your creative voice, the main element that distinguishes you as an artist.
Developing strong projects7:11
Strategies and resources to make your projects stronger and more competitive.
Laboratories, residencies, development grants5:41
This classes identifies important players in the film industry, such as script labs, residencies and development grants, to which you can send your project and get money, guidance or relevant contacts.
Map your projects

I have a project now what? Where to Network6:09
This lecture discusses the official ways to network and how the market is organized to receive new projects, with the best places to meet key players in the industry.
Organizing industry contacts/How to approach players5:35
How to map, organize and keep track of your industry contacts.
Networking Materials - business cards, pitch deck, website4:23
In this lecture, I show how I prepare myself to network, with the materials I need to inform key players about my activities, projects and experience.
How to create and deliver a strong pitch5:48
This lecture explores possibilities and strategies to prepare and deliver good pitchings of your projects.
Map your industry contacts

Requirements

There are no prerequisites. This course is designed to anyone that likes to tell stories and would like to see their stories transformed into films, series, videogames, virtual realities, theatre plays... or any form of storytelling still to be invented.

Description

Unlock the secrets of storytelling business and media production! This course bridges the gap between creativity and industry, teaching you how to develop, pitch, and sell your ideas in a professional context. Understand the business landscape of the media industry, learn the fundamentals of production, networking, and project development, and gain the skills to transform story ideas into viable media projects.

Learn to think like a producer and get your ideas made!

Great stories deserve to be told—but how do you turn your creative vision into a successful media project?

This course is designed for writers, filmmakers, and creative professionals who want to bridge the gap between storytelling and production. Inspired by Walter Benjamin’s seminal text The Author as Producer, this course provides the business, financial, and strategic knowledge necessary to develop, pitch, and produce your own projects.

Led by Rafael Leal, an experienced writer-producer behind international projects for Netflix, Disney+, and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, this course goes beyond the creative process to teach you how the media industry works, how to secure funding, and how to make your ideas production-ready.

This course is your guide to thriving in the global storytelling market.

What You’ll Learn:

Think Like a Producer – Understand the role of producers and how they turn ideas into reality.
Pitch & Sell Your Project – Master the art of presenting your work to investors, studios, and decision-makers.
Navigate the Media Industry – Learn how the industry operates and how to position yourself within it.
Career Development – Build your network, organize your creative career, and explore opportunities worldwide.

This course combines real-world case studies, industry insights, and practical exercises to ensure you gain actionable skills that help you succeed in the media business. Whether you’re a writer looking to sell your first script or a creative professional seeking to produce your own projects, this course will give you the tools to make it happen.

Your story is your business—learn how to produce it!

Who this course is for:

Screenwriters for film, series, games or XR
Dramatists, novelists and other writers interested in explore film & series
Storytellers trying to break in the film & series industry
Directors interested in developing their personal projects
Film and Media students
Creative professionals interested in navigating the international film & media industry
People from different backgrounds curious about how the film & series industry work at an international level
Actors, acting students and people from the arts

The Author as Producer

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction3 lectures • 18min

Film as a business5 lectures • 28min

Producers: what do they eat and how they reproduce?3 lectures • 20min

Intellectual Property2 lectures • 14min

Career Strategies3 lectures • 20min

Story development and Creative Process4 lectures • 26min

Networking & Pitching4 lectures • 22min

Career Development1 lecture • 3min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: