Ireland Screenwriting Course
Danú Media, in association with Greasán na Meán Skillnet and National Talent Academy TV and Film are delighted to partner with Philip Shelley and bring Greenlight Screenwriting Lab back in 2025 for it’s third year running!
In 2023, Galway based production company Danú Media launched a new Script Writing Development Programme – Greenlight Screenwriting Lab. Course Director, Philip Shelley, has run the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course for 15 years and through that has worked with much of the best new talent in UK screenwriting.
Greenlight Screenwriting provides support and up-skilling opportunities to a new generation of emerging script writers and script editors through hands on industry-led training and mentoring, and will contribute to and enhance the Irish screen Industry. The course was launched in 2023, when six talented writers and three shadow script editors were mentored over the course of six months. The course ran again in 2024, with a whole new diverse roster of writers and shadow editors. During their six-month development period, writers had industry-led talks and workshops with people such as Peter McKenna (Kin, Hidden Assets), Des Doyle (The Art of Running a TV Show), Sam Atwell (Producer, Northern Lights), Heather Larmour (BBC Commissioning Executive), Ray Lawlor (Obituary) and Ursula Rani Sarma (Smother, Red Rock). The course ended with an industry networking event, where writers had the opportunity to meet producers and discuss their developed projects.
Here are what some of our 2024 participants had to say!
I participated in the Greenlight Screenwriting Scheme as a shadow script editor with the hope of learning more about writing for television and came away with so much more. The mentors and Philip really helped shape my process for giving notes and how I communicate with screenwriters. The course really instilled in me a confidence that I have the tools to step up in my role and created a supportive environment to freely discuss the work. Being afforded the opportunity to meet emerging writers and make connections throughout the course has been invaluable to me and helped me build a broader community within the industry.
Norma Howard, Shadow Script Editor
Greenlight Screenwriting Lab immersed me in the process of television script development. The brilliant Philip Shelley challenged me to rework my story in many different ways and every version lead to new discoveries. I grew as a writer. I hope that Danú Media continue this fantastic initiative for many years to come. The Greenlight Screenwriting Lab weekends were wonderful. All the industry professionals who took part were so generous with their time and constructive with their feedback. Reading other writers’ scripts and seeing their ideas brought to life was illuminating. It was such a diverse and talented group of writers. I was delighted to be one of them.
Fiana Toibin, Screenwriter
The Greenlight Lab was an invaluable opportunity to get real script editing experience under the guidance of an excellent Script Editor, giving notes to talented writers. The 6 month programme was incredibly collaborative and practical, watching writers realise stories from concept to script, and gave me real insight into working as part of a professional TV development outfit.
Aidan White, Shadow Script Editor
With the support of the Screen Ireland National Talent Academy TV and Film and Greasán na Meán Skillnet, Greenlight Screenwriting Lab will return in 2025 and offer an opportunity for six new script writers to be mentored by Philip and other industry professionals to develop a new TV drama series.
In addition to this, the programme will also offer shadow opportunities for three people interested in script editing. Nadine Flynn who works with Danú Media as Development Executive will be heavily involved in the course, with experience as a script editor herself. “We’re delighted to be bringing Greenlight Screenwriting Lab back for another year. The last two years have been transformative for our participants, and it’s been incredibly special to be part of that journey, and see how they’ve continued to develop after the course. It’s important to us that we continue to support our industry, and we’re confident that Greenlight Screenwriting Lab will do just that.” Nadine Flynn
While Greenlight Screenwriting Lab focuses on an initial six month period, we have seen many participants continue to grow and flourish within an industry setting. Lee-Loi, a 2023 writer is continuing development of his script, after gaining loads of insight from the weekend table read. He has since written the Erotic Thriller “Never Kill a Femboy on the First Date” directed by Oonagh Kearney (RTÉ/Hulu Obituary) for Virgin Media Television and Screen Ireland. It premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival to a sold out crowd, and was highlighted by The Irish Times as one of the best things to watch on TV the week of broadcast. He’s also worked in a Writers’ Room to adapt a novel by Susan Ryan “The King of Lavender Square” into an 8×60 TV Drama that’s currently in early development with Screen Ireland.
Also, Matthew McDevitt, another writer from 2023 has gone on to write an episode of Casualty, (due for broadcast 1st march 2025) and developed his script Preservation with Gaze/Anton. He also has further projects in development with Conker, Hat Trick, Wild Atlantic and a second project with Gaze.
Greenlight Screenwriting Lab will be open to any writers resident on the Island of Ireland and also any Irish writers who may be resident overseas. Criteria around Diversity, Equality and Inclusion will also be taken into account when short-listing writers for interview.
The working language of the training will be English; however, we particularly welcome writers who are fluent in Irish and wish to write material in Irish.
The script submission window for applications will open on February 14th until March 3rd.
The National Talent Academy Film & TV is an initiative of Screen Ireland and is managed by Ardán.
For any other queries, please contact Nadine Flynn, Development Executive at Danú Media – nadine@danumedia.com
NB: Please refer to the FAQ section below before applying.
Course Content
General
The purpose of the course is to identify and then work with six new Irish writers over a six month period to each create, develop and write a TV drama pilot episode (for series or serial). The course will offer these writers new to television drama an insight into how the industry works and to provide a “dry-run” of what it can be like to write under a television drama commission, specifically for one hour or 30 minute series and serial drama, and to work with them as they write an original drama script.
Writers will be expected to write an original one-hour or half-hour drama series or serial pilot episode, and 2-3 page outline / pitch for the series / serial as a whole. NB The script you write on the course will be a new project – ie different to the entry script that you submit.
Each writer will be assigned a script editor, who is currently working in the industry, to guide them through this process. Writers will meet at least twice with their script editor and should complete a 2nd draft script before the 2nd weekend of the course. Completed, 2nd draft scripts will be sent to the script editor and one other writer on the course, for workshop discussions at the second weekend.
Dates
10th & 11th May 2025 and 18th & 19th October 2025.
Writers must ensure before entering that they are available to attend both these weekends in person (the first weekend in Galway, the second weekend in Dublin) and are free to write at least two drafts of an original one-hour television drama between 12th May and 8th October 2025.
First Weekend
Writers, directors, producers and script editors in the industry will speak to the participants on a variety of subjects relating to writing for television, especially writing for series and serial drama. There will also be time set aside for writers to discuss their ideas for one hour scripts with their assigned script editor.
Second Weekend
This will be split between a reading of a section of each script by actors on the first day, and discussion and analysis of each of the six finished scripts in small groups on the second day, finishing with a workshop / conclusion to the course and discussion of next steps for the writers and shadow script editors.
It is essential to the success of the second weekend that writers submit their scripts on time and make time to read at least one other script.
Industry Drinks Evening
There will be a drinks evening in Dublin (venue TBC) on an evening in November 2025 for the course writers to meet industry producers, script editors, literary agents etc.
Eligibility
Only writers who do not have a broadcast credit as a television writer or theatrical release as a feature film writer may apply (although produced short films – 20 minutes or less – and episodes of soaps / continuing drama series – are exempt).
Opening Date
Friday 14th February 2025 at 9.00 am.
Closing Date
Monday 3rd March 2025 at 5.00 pm.
Fee
Writers will be paid a fee for participating in the course and for completing two drafts of a one hour/30 minute script. All writers will be required to grant Danú Media a first option to acquire all rights in their script and will be told within six months of delivery whether Danú Media wishes to exercise this option.
How to Apply
Please complete the form below. The script submission window for applications is open from 9.00 am on February 14th until 5.00 pm on March 3rd.
Entry Form
Course FAQ's
- Entry is free of charge.
- Applicants must be 18 or over on May 1st 2025.
- Applicants must be resident in Ireland or of Irish nationality.
- Whilst the competition is open to all Irish writers, Danú Media are committed to promoting equal opportunities and diversity in the media industry in Ireland. We therefore strongly encourage applications from those from diverse and under-represented groups.
- If you submit an Irish language script, we ask you also to submit an English translation of the script.
- For the purposes of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, diversity in terms of underrepresentation within the screen industry generally covers the following grounds:
– Gender
– Marital status
– Family status
– Parenting and Caring Responsibilities
– Age
– Disability
– Geographic Location
– Regional (outside Dublin and Wicklow)
– Language
– Sexual orientation
– Ethnicity
– Religion
– Membership of the Traveller community
– Socioeconomic disadvantage - As well as individual writers, writing partnerships of two (max) may enter. Scripts submitted must be written by the partnership. Any writer submitting a script as part of a partnership cannot also submit a script as an individual. ie You cannot submit scripts as an individual AND in a writing partnership.
- Only one script per applicant can be submitted. Anyone submitting more than one script will not be considered.
- No feedback can be given on the scripts.
- No correspondence (email or otherwise) can be entered into with applicants.
- We will be holding interviews for short-listed writers in Dublin or on zoom in the week of April 21st 2025.
- We will inform the successful 6 writers by May 1st 2025.
- We will email every writer by mid-May 2025 to let you know whether your application has been successful.
- Scripts entered must be 20 – 130 pages in length. They can be screenplays, TV scripts, stage plays or audio plays. Scripts shorter than 20 pages or longer than 130 pages will not be considered.
- Your submission must be your own original work, and may not be based wholly or in part, on the work of any other person, whether known, published, produced, or not (ie no adaptations except of your own original source material). You may submit a script based on your own work which has been published or written in another form.
- Script Logline: this should be a clear description of the narrative premise and dramatic proposition of the project you are submitting in one or two sentences (max 50 words).
- Your submission is final. Under no circumstances will rewrites, corrections, replacement pages, or additional drafts of a submission be accepted.
- Submitted scripts must be formatted clearly and legibly and emailed as PDF attachments.
- We only accept email entries. All entries must be submitted through the online submission process.
- Writers should include a CV – formatted as a PDF – with their scripts. (Writing work and other work / life experience can be included on the CV).
- It is essential that applicants have an interest in and enthusiasm for television drama. Scripts will be assessed on the strength of the writing and the writer’s suitability to broadcast TV drama. Scripts entered can be either comedy or drama and we are open to all story genres.
- You will be automatically notified by email immediately after submitting your script that your entry has been received.
- The interviews for short-listed writers (April 2025), the 2nd weekend in October and industry networking evening (November 2025) will be held in Dublin. The 1st weekend (May 2025) will be held in Galway.
- If successful, the idea you work on during the course will be a new idea, i.e. different to the script that you submit with your entry.
