The Creative Connection, co-funded by the European Commission, is an innovative programme dedicated to exploring the potential of pre-development in TV drama writing. Launched by The Creatives, the initiative offers a series of innovative interdisciplinary pre-writing workshops for writers and producers, aiming to generate fresh, resonant stories.

In 2021, ten independent production companies across Europe came together to form The Creatives, a long-term partnership fostering collaboration on co-productions, strategic joint ventures and network sharing. In 2022, this collective announced the inception of The Creative Connection (see the news), marking the beginning of a new era of experimental and innovative workshops supported by the EU. The programme's first edition was successfully held in 2023, and it is set to kick off its second iteration in January 2025.

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The inaugural edition of The Creative Connection in 2023 was a resounding success, featuring a diverse array of talented writers (including Thomas Bidegain from France, Tawfik Abu Wael from Israel, Tunde Aladese from Nigeria/Germany and Sigal Avin from Israel, among others).

Participants included Jan Schomburg, who remarked, “Besides all of the things I gleaned from the lectures, I really learned about the possibilities of inviting chance and the collective into the development process of a project.” Jonas Dornbach from Komplizen Film expressed his experience poignantly: “It was a genuine connection where none of us had any ulterior motives. That is very rare. The relationships that were formed were based on mutual sympathy and a shared vision of series filmmaking.”

The programme’s structured workshops are designed to guide participants through various stages of the creative process:

• First workshop: ideas and perspectives. Writers come with themes that they are passionate about, engaging in discussions to identify the stories they wish to tell;
• Second workshop: character development. Writer-producer teams use new tools to flesh out characters, drives and quests.
• Third workshop: writers' residence. Pairs focus on the actual storytelling, determining the who, how and what of their narratives, from beginning to end.

The second edition of The Creative Connection is scheduled to commence in January and end in June 2025, thus continuing the mission to foster collaboration between writers and producers. Applications for the upcoming writers' call are now open and will close on 15 August.

Screenwriters interested in participating in this groundbreaking programme are encouraged to apply through this link.