We talked to Australian showrunner and writer Tony Ayres. He talks about his Netflix show The Survivors, comparing himself to others and the balance between commerce and art. We explore his Chinese-Australian roots, the benefits and disbenefits of being niche and how Australia sees Hollywood and Hollywood sees Australian. We also cover the changing language of Hollywood, how he has changed to adapt to the industry and the blessing and the curse of being attached to The Slap....
Jun 19, 2025•44 min•Season 3Ep. 44
We bring on the fascinating Daniel Casey. He tells us his Hollywood origin story, giving up directing to get a script moving, his route to F9 and the excitement of working on a serious franchise. Daniel talks about the exciting of being on the set of a $250m movie, how nice Fast and Furious fans were and how close he came to running out of money and giving up. He talked about some huge projects - including a Batman film - that got away, directing short films and being told to kill himself on soc...
May 15, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 43
We are delighted to have the legendary Eriq La Salle on the show. The talented actor, writer, producer, director and novelist joins us to talk about his illustrious career, the power of storytelling and his love of acting but not necessarily some of the business of acting. We talk about a writing rejection leading to acting, an acting rejection leading to directing and frustrations about pay disparity and inequality shaping his work as a producer. Eriq talks about his role as producing director ...
May 08, 2025•48 min•Season 3Ep. 42
We talk to The Irrational Showrunner Arika Lisanne Mittman. She talks about her ten years as an assistant, finally getting her break and what she learned along the way. We discuss the rise and fall of network television, what the industry learned from the strike and whether she's any good at firing people (she's not!). Arika talks about her strengths and weaknesses as a showrunner, gives advice to those wanting to join the industry and the times she nearly got fired as a script co-ordinator. A d...
Mar 27, 2025•48 min•Season 3Ep. 41
We talk to Equalizer showrunner Joe Wilson. In one of our most candid episodes so far, he talks about his journey from East Cleveland to Hollywood, the tough days at the start and even sleeping in his car. He explains how he got his break, how he is treated when he goes home and what sort of showrunner he aspires to be. We talk cool Hollywood moments, his strengths and weaknesses and the show about bands he aspires to make. A gritty episode that explores all the areas Hollywood doesn’t normally ...
Mar 20, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 40
It's always fun we have two guests on, particularly when they are talking about Wolf Productions first go at a streaming platform. We talk to showrunner Tim Walsh and co-creator Elliot Wolf about their new show On Call, making the most of the freedom of a streamer, whether the police in Long Beach still like them and how hard the industry is right now. Elliot talks about the Wolf legacy, trying new approaches to the industry and his pride in the new show. Tim is brutally honest about his time as...
Mar 13, 2025•53 min•Season 3Ep. 39
We talk to Sally Bradford Mckenna, co-showrunner of the new Peacock show Laid. She explains how she first got her break, reluctantly, on Will & Grace, how her father's career helped shaped hers and why every show needs two showrunners. She talks about the evolution of comedy writing, difficult rooms early in her career and being brought in to solve problems on shows, and how that didn't always go down well. Sally talks about the excitement of co-showrunning, why she wants to try it solo and ...
Mar 06, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 38
We talk to showrunner JJ Bailey. He talks about his new show The Hunting Party, finding a new angle for a procedural and the excitement of getting a new network show on air. We hear about the complexity of the showrunner role, learning a way round a writers room and whether you should write about your hobbies. Great insight from a man who seems too nice to be successful in Hollywood.
Feb 27, 2025•43 min•Season 3Ep. 37
We're back after our New Year and fire break and have a great oe, Coco and Cleaner writer Matthew Aldrich. He talks about the power of spec scripts, why he never celebrates his wins and the pressure and intensity of working with Pixar. He tells about sourcing ideas from news articles, how prior success has meant nothing for future success and the state of Hollywood today. We also cover not living in LA, alternative pastry chef careers and why he feels so fortunate. A great first episode of the y...
Feb 20, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 36
We talk to former HBO President and now producer Sue Naegle. A fascinating insight from the top of Hollywood about how Game of Thrones nearly didn’t get made, working with Eddie Redmayne and the art of saying no. Sue talks about producing multiple shows at the same time, the projects that got away and the fear of where the next deal is coming from. We also talk about Hollywood coming out of its dark times, the Day of the Jackal and what she learned being an agent. Extraordinary insight from a va...
Dec 19, 2024•45 min•Season 3Ep. 35
We talk to comedy writing legend Kevin Abbott. He talks about the drinking, drugs and smoking of his first comedy rooms, how he got his break in the business and working through the night. Pitching while an exec was peeing, why writers are all miserable and the behaviours that are no longer acceptable. Kevin explains that Hollywood is in its worst possible spot, why creatives are not valued and how the industry has changed to be so much more business than show. A fascinating and hilarious discus...
Dec 06, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 34
We talk to the magnificent Michael Costigan, producer of such hits as Brokeback Mountain, Robin Hood and Hit Man, among many others joins the show. He talks about his new TV series Based on a True Story, his transition from movies to the small screen and how hard it is to get anything made. Michael explains his journey from terrible assistant, to producing seminal movies and compares adversity in film and television. An honest and candid romp through Hollywood, with tales of the biggest director...
Nov 21, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 33
What an episode! We talk to TV legend Frank Cardea about his decades in the business. He tells us about his move from accountancy to producing, the extraordinary longevity of his writing partnership and working on more than 400 episodes of NCIS. We hear some great examples of failure, some great examples of success and also some great examples of leadership. A fascinating deepdive into one of Hollywood longest and most prodigious careers.
Oct 24, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 32
We talk to Michael Rauch. He starts with an extraordinary film school firing, then a late-night 'show being un-picked up' call and how he recovered from those early career setbacks. He tells us about his casting frustrations, managing multiple projects, and what he learned from great showrunners. An excellent episode full of brilliant anecdotes.
Oct 10, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 31
We talk to the fascinating Mark Goffman. He tells us about swapping real Government speech writing at the State Department for writing on the West Wing, some extraordinary career luck and ventriloqism documentaries. Mark talks about the importance of giving people a voice in a room, the importance of working with good people repeatedly and the importance of reflecting something of yourself in every show. He talks about regret, where he derives his satisfaction in the writing process and he answe...
Oct 03, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 30
We weren’t finished with John Wirth, so he comes back for more. This time we talk leadership style, drinking too much soda and the use of the red pen. John talks about being blunt, some more failure stories and even more advice.
Sep 26, 2024•55 min•Season 3Ep. 29
We speak to the legendary John Wirth. He talks about a Hollywood career so long that he can't even remember all of the shows he has run, the shows he has been fired from and arguing with actors who hadn't won Emmys. He talks about managing upwards, 'run money' and an extraordinary argument with talent about trust. A remarkable episode with a remarkable storyteller.
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 28
We talk to the extraordinary SJ Hodges. She talks about changing her name to a gender neutral one to get read, jumping from staff writer straight to show runner and what she learned from managing a literal car crash on The Player. Then SJ shares her personal journey of losing her husband to a brain tumour, what she did next and how she ended up building a community around her memoir Uneven Ground. A poignant and honest episode.
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 51 min•Season 3Ep. 27
The podcast is back for the second half of season three and we have a cracker. Gary Whitta, writer of Book of Eli and Rogue One gives an extraordinary interview about his transition from video game editor to writer, working on Star Wars and his frustrations with Hollywood. He gves us an extraordinary pig analogy, talks about the excitement and pressure of being asked to work on the world's largest franchise and why he now won't watch any new Star Wars shows. One of the most honest and candid int...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 26
After a long mid-season break, we are back up with the second half of Season Three of Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss. Noah and Dan talk about what they have been up to the last few weeks - Noah's show got cancelled! - and we thank our long-term partner Scriptation and then introduce tomorrow's episode with Rogue One writer Gary Whitta. This taster episode will just remind you of the quality of our banter, get you reacquainted with our voices and sets the table for a great upcoming season....
Sep 05, 2024•54 min•Season 3Ep. 25
Our first Oscar winner! For the last episode before our mid-season break we have Ed Swick on the show. He talks about his new book - Hits, Flops and Other Illusions. And we talk winning Oscars, writing truthful books about Hollywood and his extraordinary career. He tells us how the industry has changed, that films like the ones he made aren’t made anymore and a bit more about winning Oscars. Ed tells us about his motivation for making movies, his favourite industry moments and how writing his bo...
May 30, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 25
We talk to the fascinating Jim Mickle. He tells us about this start in independent movies, taking a break during the strike and the upcoming final season of Sweet Tooth. He explains how he got in to tv, becoming a showrunner and suffering from imposter syndrome and working in New Zealand during a pandemic. Jim talks about how hard and tiring being a showrunner was, nearly working with Stallone and why he is pleased to have made slow progress at the beginning of his career. A really interesting d...
May 23, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 24
We talk to the fascinating Emily Fox who tells us about getting fired, trying to stuff a large chair into a car in the rain while in tears and the importance of connection in a writing room during a pandemic. She tells us about her shows getting cancelled due to a change of exec, being nice to people firing her and building bonds among colleagues. We talk the importance of support outside the industry, her cancellation radar and her ability to forget about failed projects. A fun and interesting ...
May 02, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 23
We talk to Emmy-nominated writer and producer Wendy West. She talks about researching murder, her love of morgues and being the only woman in the room early in her career. Wendy talks about mentoring young female writers, supporting veterans and what it's like to work in the Dick Wolf world. She explains her path to success, her love of crossovers and finding out her show is being cancelled by fax. A fascinating insight into procedural TV by one of the best to have done it....
Apr 25, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 22
We talk to Oscar and Emmy award nominee Eddie Schmidt. He talks about being comedy adjacent, his time in an improv troupe and how he moved into the showrunning part of Hollywood. We discuss leadership style, the fun of working in comedy and the demeaning comments of mean bosses. We talk about how to appreciate comedy, the complexities of navigating Hollywood and being able to speak truth to talent. A fun and insightful discussion about working and succeeding in the comedy part of Hollywood....
Apr 18, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 21
In a slightly different style of episode we talk to comedian Ray Ellin. We discuss how social media has changed comedy, hear some magnificent failure anecdotes from comedy clubs and bars and talk through the process of creating comedy. Ray talks us through his love of live standup, working in tv and why he made a podcast about Little House on the Prairie. We also cover cancel culture, Aruba and The Magic Castle. A fun and fascinating romp through entertainment through a different lens....
Apr 11, 2024•56 min•Season 3Ep. 20
We talk to Oscar-nominated writing partners Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, They talk about their fight to get the Fighter written, battling both the mob and Hollywood, the joy of an Oscar nomination and the slog of the promotional campaign. They talk about how they savour every moment of red carpets and parties, the importance of never giving up and the frustrations of the arbitration system. They joke about their fear of TV writing and reveal the secret to Hollywood success - playing football wi...
Apr 04, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 19
We talk to screenwriter Tom Vaughan who opens up about his Hollywood journey. He talks about his early career, the arrogance and refusal to take notes even from Disney and the mistakes he made. He talks candidly about being 'a drunk', how despite success he deservedly couldn't get people to work with him a second time and moving into teaching and taking a break from Hollywood saved him. We talked about his Razzie nomination, how he reinvented himself and why he's not proud of any of the movies t...
Mar 07, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 18
We talk to the fascinating Matthew Carnahan. He tells us about his early work with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, why he didn't want to work in TV and how he broke in to that world. He talks passionately about choosing meaningful projects over money, the joys of a successful project and the anger at the death of that same project. Matt talks about his early-career rage, losing projects to strikes, executive firings and bad luck and the things that bring him career satisfaction. The most honest ...
Feb 29, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 17
The One with 4-time Emmy winner Ted Cohen. We speak to Ted about his time on Friends, what’s it like to win an Emmy and how we coped after coming off Friends and spending ten years in the development wilderness. We talk about the switch from comedy to drama, writing for himself and getting on Veep. Then we hear about Succession, working on a game- changing project, his desire to create his own show and when you know you’re working on something special. A fascinating discussion with an award winn...
Feb 22, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 16
