PITCH TO SCRIPT PREP:
Intro to writing for under 8's
AVAILABLE FOR ON DEMAND VIEWING
Start your journey here.
Join us for Pitch to Script Prep — a free 3-day kickstart into the joyful, structured world of writing for under-8s TV. Whether you’re completely new or transitioning from other writing forms, these sessions are designed to build your foundation and fire you up.
Over 3 days, we’ll explore:
🧒 The Kid Space
What makes under-8s TV tick? We’ll break down tone, themes, visual storytelling, repetition, and structure for preschool and early primary audiences. This is your warm welcome into the world of children’s animation.
📺 Break It Down
We’ll look at an episode — like a writer. How does a show like Bluey fit so much heart and humour into just 7 minutes? Learn how structure, pacing, arcs and emotional payoff are expertly crafted… and how to spot story engines that fuel more ideas.
🌱 From Idea to Script
Finally, we walk you through the Pitch to Script method — our tried-and-true process that takes your idea through premise, outline, scenes, and into a full episode draft. This is how we work. And this is how you grow.
Three days. Lots of PREP for getting started in WRITING FOR ANIMATED SERIES.
Come hang out, learn a ton, and take that first real step into writing for animation — with guidance, giggles, and a whole lot of heart.
Your Host:
Natasje van Niekerk
Natasje van Niekerk is a screenwriter and story editor with nearly 20 years of experience across animation, live action, film, and television. Her screen credits span genres and formats and she is proud to have won a few awards too. She has claim to an international award for her use of comedy in animated shorts and she earned local acclaim in her home country, South Africa, for her work in live-action sitcom.
On top of a list of screen credits, she has also head written four animated series, consulted for FOX Kids, and served on multiple evaluation panels — most notably for the International Emmy Awards.
She spent seven years at a national film commission, where she mentored emerging screenwriters and evaluated film and TV projects across development stages.
She currently lives in Ireland, where she does development writing for Irish Animation Studios and works on two feature film projects.
Over the past 13 years, Natasje has developed and refined her own teaching programmes to equip writers to meet the real-world needs of writers' rooms while giving them creative confidence to help their writing voices thrive.
"Every writer deserves the tools to write." - Natasje.
