Vikas Bandhu
​
TV Pilot Winner
"The Industrialist"

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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)? 
I go back and forth between LA and NY.
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
My script is based on the Bhopal disaster from 1984, where thousands were killed in Bhopal India because of a leakage from the Union Carbide pesticide plant. I was born and raised in the USA, so I heard about this disaster much later in life. I was dismayed that Warren Anderson, the head of Union Carbide, never went to jail despite his culpability in the disaster. He died in 2013, having never faced prosecution. My series is inspired by the original disaster. In my pilot India sends their top prosecutor to the USA to bring back the man responsible for a similar incident. I want to write for television, so everything I write is either a pilot or a spec of an existing series. Writing a book or short story never occurred to me.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
I start with writing out the characters and what happens in the show and the first episode. Then, I nail it down into an outline, then a treatment detailing each scene.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I want to get staffed as a writer for a drama series, preferably with one of the big three networks. Right now, that’s my only focus.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
This script was inspired by Chernobyl and Succession.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
Movie: Godfather, Psycho, Apocalypse Now. TV: Mad Men, Seinfeld, Twilight Zone.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
You have to research contests. Look to see how many years the competition is running, what happened to the winners and their scripts, what the prizes are, and who the judges are. Really drill down and do your homework. Santa Barbara has a stellar reputation. Even before the script was done I knew I wanted to submit my script to you.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
​I have a bunch of original pilots I’m working on.