NBCU LAUNCH Talks: Breaking into Episodic Television

Date: Friday, May 8
Time: 3 – 4 PM
Venue: Koho Creative Hub

Join NBCU LAUNCH for an intimate conversation with Hussain Pirani (Producer, Chicago Fire) and David Loong (Staff Writer, The Hunting Party) as they share their career journey into television, break down the elements of working on episodic productions, and offer practical tips on navigating today’s evolving entertainment landscape.

NBCU LAUNCH is the umbrella brand for inclusion efforts across NBCUniversal’s entertainment television portfolio, including talent development programs and opportunities to grow creatives’ careers in front of and behind the camera. 

About Hussain (Panelist):

Raised between Pakistan and Texas, Hussain began his career as an editor and commercial director, work that took him from the neon rush of Tokyo to the storied streets of Budapest and deep into the Peruvian Amazon. Those experiences continue to shape his writing, which often explores identity, family, and the resilience of people navigating worlds in flux. He is a graduate of UCLA’s Professional Program and an alumnus of NBCUniversal’s prestigious TV Writing fellowship (Writers on the Verge),and was named one of 25 Screenwriters to watch by the Austin Film Festival. Hussain staffed across all four seasons of CBS’s globe-trotting procedural FBI: INTERNATIONAL, producing his episodes on location throughout Europe. He currently writes for and serves as a producer on NBC’s CHICAGO FIRE.

About David (Panelist):

David Loong writes high-octane, character-driven thrillers with a focus on multicultural, code-switching outsiders. He was born and raised in Hong Kong before attending high school in Oxfordshire, England. After earning a B.A. in Intellectual History from Yale University, he received his MFA in Screenwriting from USC. He was subsequently selected for The Thousand Miles Project, UCP’s highly regarded talent incubator, and later signed a development deal with UCP for his original pilot The Englishman, a boarding school thriller centered around a mysterious and cutthroat academic competition, with Pachinko showrunner Soo Hugh. An alumnus of the NBC TV Writers Program, he most recently staffed on the first two seasons of NBC’s The Hunting Party, a serial killer procedural. Loong is repped by Anonymous Content and IAG.

About Michael (Moderator):

Michael Pogarian is an award-winning producer and the Senior Manager of Talent Engagement & Inclusion at NBCUniversal, where he supports talent development programs for emerging TV writers, directors, and below-the-line trainees. A member of the NBCU LAUNCH team, which manages the comprehensive inclusion efforts across NBCUniversal’s entertainment television portfolio, Pogarian also leads activations with external industry partners that align with and support the company’s commitment to inclusive storytelling across its programming slate.

Prior to joining NBCU, Pogarian served as an Associate Creative Producer at Fullscreen, where he co-created and led the AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program. The initiative connected emerging filmmakers with industry luminaries such as Common, Lena Waithe, Cary Fukunaga, and Taika Waititi to create their signature work.

During the program’s first two years, Pogarian produced and distributed ten short films that premiered on DirecTV Now and screened at prestigious festivals, including SXSW, Outfest, Calgary Film Festival, and Maoriland Film Festival. He also developed award-winning interactive digital content and social media series for the lab, creating platforms of immersive, original entertainment created by, with, and for Millennial and Gen Z audiences.