The Paper | Breaking Down Character Secrets, Improv Rules, and Newsroom Vibe | ATX TV Festival Panel

Watch The Paper Streaming on Peacock: https://pck.tv/45hBP6q

Co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, alongside stars Sabrina Impacciatore, Oscar Nuñez, and Melvin Gregg pull back the curtain on all things The Paper at the ATX TV Festival.

Recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 15 (May 28-31, 2026) in Austin, TX.

The Paper Synopsis: The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch in the Emmy Award-winning series “The Office” find a new subject when they discover a historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it.

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The Paper | Breaking Down Character Secrets, Improv Rules, and Newsroom Vibe | ATX TV Festival Panel

The ATX TV Festival brought a palpable energy to the Austin scene as writers, performers, and creators gathered to dissect the luminous interplay between character development, improvisational craft, and the pulse of newsroom storytelling. The panel, centered on a hypothetical project titled The Paper, offered a structured yet dynamic exploration of how a single publication can serve as a living organism—revealing secrets, shaping arcs, and guiding the tempo of a narrative.

Character Secrets: Depth Forged in Subtext At the heart of any compelling story lies character, and The Paper panel underscored how secrets function as the gears of a character’s evolution. Rather than sensational revelation, the discussion emphasized subtext—the quiet hesitations, the unspoken loyalties, the compromises made in the margins of a deadline-driven environment. Panelists described strategies for layering secrets: first, establish a baseline behavior that readers can recognize; second, introduce a tension that disrupts that baseline; third, reveal the secret in a way that reframes past actions without erasing them. The result is characters who feel inevitable yet surprising, anchored by the newsroom’s daily cadence.

Improv Rules: Precision, Presence, and Responsive Craft Improv, when applied to scripted storytelling, offers a vocabulary for responsiveness, trust, and adaptability. The moderators highlighted three core rules drawn from improv that translate beautifully to a newsroom-centered narrative. First, yes, and: acknowledge what has been presented on the page or stage, then add something true to the character or situation. This rule encourages forward momentum without erasure of other characters’ stakes. Second, listen actively: the best scenes emerge when the audience can sense that performers are truly hearing each other. In the context of The Paper, this translates to meticulous scene blocking and dialogue that respects each character’s objectives. Third, embrace scene work: be willing to cut and rewire a moment if it serves the larger arc. The panelists noted that improv not only informs dialogue but also shapes pacing, tension, and the rhythm of newsroom scenes, where deadlines compress time and demand clarity.

Newsroom Vibe: Cadence, Ethics, and the Gravity of Information A newsroom is a crucible where ethics, speed, and responsibility collide. The discussion painted a vivid picture of the newsroom vibe: late nights illuminated by the glow of multiple monitors, the friction between breaking news urgency and considered reporting, and the quiet rituals that bind teams together. Panelists spoke to how practical details—copy desks, wire slides, tip sheets, and editor’s notes—can anchor a story in realism while still serving dramatic aims. They emphasized that the most effective newsroom storytelling treats information as a living thing that evolves, where back-channel conversations, editorial pushes, and the pressure of time all contribute to a more authentic, character-rich narrative.

Bringing It All Together: Crafting the Draft that Feels Real The exchange culminated in a blueprint for drafting a story about a newspaper and its people. Begin with a character-driven premise: what personal stakes are driving the reporter, editor, or intern? Then layer in improv-informed dynamics: a problem surfaces, allies form, and a miscommunication threatens the next edition. Allow the newsroom’s cadence to guide scene structure—moments of quiet focus, sudden urgency, and the relief of a resolved lead. Finally, embed secrets within the newsroom ecosystem: a confidential source, a pending audit, or a moral compromise that reframes prior decisions. The convergence of character depth, improv discipline, and newsroom realism yields a narrative that feels both intimate and expansive, capable of sustaining multiple episodes or a long-form feature.

Takeaways for Writers and Creators – Build character from a core ethical compass and let secrets arise from the tension between that compass and external pressures. – Use improv principles to maintain momentum, ensure authentic dialogue, and create scenes that reveal character through action. – Ground stories in concrete newsroom habits, but allow the information to evolve, keeping readers engaged with ongoing consequences.

The ATX panel left attendees with a clear sense that great storytelling about journalism hinges on three core elements: character that resists easy categorization, craft-driven scenes that capitalize on immediacy and listening, and a newsroom energy that makes the stakes feel urgent, real, and worth pursuing over the long haul.

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