From Idea to Pitch to Screen with Netflix Exec Chris Mack

Netflix Exec Chris Mack on Creating Your Story
Moderated by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

Got a great idea for a TV show or movie? Join the crowd. Anyone can have an idea, as evidenced by every Thanksgiving dinner in which a working screenwriter is cornered with a pitch from Uncle Pete. The trick is turning that idea into a story for the screen, and then taking the many, many steps to put it there.

Chris Mack, the director of Grow Creative at Netflix and previously the longtime head of the Warner Bros. Writers Workshop, has shepherded countless writers — especially diverse writers — down that path. Once a writer himself, Mack is in charge of training, educating and pipelining a new generation of storytellers and crew that mirror the inclusiveness and diversity of Netflix’s global audience.

Join us on January 20 at 12 noon ET for a WGAE Salons Present conversation between Mack and Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, followed by audience Q&A. Cullen is WGAE vice president for Film/TV/Streaming, co-chair of the Committee for Inclusion and Equity, and founder of the WGAE Salon network of affinity groups. 

Christopher Mack, Director, Grow Creative

Christopher Mack is Director, Grow Creative for Netflix International Originals 

He was previously Senior Vice President of Scripted Content for Stage 13, overseeing all of the brand’s original scripted series and development slates across multiple genres, including Emmy nominated Netflix series’ Special and It’s Bruno. Before Stage 13, Chris headed the Warner Bros. Workshop, the writing and directing program for professionals looking to start and/or further their careers in television. Over a period of 10 years in this role, Chris curated a roster of close to 100 writers and 50 directors representing the breakthrough emerging voices working on high-profile television shows today. In addition to these responsibilities, Chris has covered hit shows such as “Two and a Half Men” and “Smallville” for the Current Programs department. 

Prior to joining Warner Bros., Chris spent seven years writing on various one-hour dramas including “ER,” “The Practice” and “The New Twilight Zone.” After graduating from Loyola Law School, Chris got his start in television at NBC Studios as an associate and he quickly rose to become an executive. During his time at the newly created NBC Studios, he oversaw a varied list of shows including: “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “In The House,” among others.