David Joseph Craig & Brian Crano (writers/directors of I Don't Understand You ) discuss the personal story behind the movie, writing the truth vs writing honestly, scenes you need, who your competition is, why knowing actors is a good thing, poking the turkey, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed...
Jun 10, 2025•49 min
Leon Chills ( Shadow Force ) discusses writing his way out of a low point, working things out in the first draft, his approach to action scenes, when to ask someone to read your script, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and mo...
May 20, 2025•42 min
Mike Drucker ( The Tonight Show; Full Frontal with Samantha Bee ) discusses his new memoir, Good Game, No Rematch , writing his life through the lens of video games, how prose is different from stand up comedy, how his family responded to stories about them, discovering his emotional vulnerabilities, and more. Check out a live DEAD PILOTS SOCIETY this Sunday in LA, or stream on demand from anywhere! TICKETS HERE The cast includes but is not limited to Peri Gilpin ( Frasier ), Isabella Gomez ( On...
May 13, 2025•40 min
Sascha Penn (creator/showrunner, Power Book III ) discusses the value of non-industry experience to showrunning, the truth about reps, the storytelling muscle, advice for entering the business at this moment, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&a...
Apr 29, 2025•38 min
Jonathan Tropper (creator, Your Friends and Neighbors, Banshee, Warrior ) discusses writing a TV show closer in sensibility to his novels, the role of luck in a writing career, writing a non-action show, one key piece of advice about craft, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well...
Apr 08, 2025•28 min
Veronica West (creator of Surface , High Fidelity ; Dexter: New Blood ; Chicago Fire ) discusses why she wrote Surface on spec, the elaborate pitch, working with actors, learning on the job, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, a...
Mar 25, 2025•32 min
Abdullah Saeed (creator, Deli Boys ) discusses diligence versus talent, his favorite part of the television-making process, the most important part of your sample script, embracing chaos, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and ...
Mar 11, 2025•36 min
Drew Hancock (writer/director, Companion ) discusses being put in a box, tricks for directing on the page, writing from the perspective of a robot, why second drafts always suck, and lots more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more...
Feb 18, 2025•58 min
Katie O'Brien (creator, The Z Suite ; co-creator, Teachers ; The Santa Clauses ) discusses improv and showrunning, her post- Teachers struggle, optimism in the face of rejection, the bananas sample script she had to write, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to excl...
Feb 11, 2025•39 min
Adam Rudman ( Carl the Collector ; Nature Cat ; Sesame Street ) discusses pitching and selling pre-school series, the throughline in his shows, carrying on the traditions of Buster Keaton and Spongebob, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As,...
Feb 04, 2025•34 min
Michelle Nader (showrunner of Shifting Gears and Deli Boys ) discusses relationships with actors, including her "avatar" Kat Dennings, writing yourself out of your low points, how growing up in the mob prepared her for a career in television, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as we...
Jan 21, 2025•38 min
In our last episode of the year, journalists Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales , the authors of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios , discuss making a living as a "pop culture pundit," mapping the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the missing "DC vs Marvel" chapter, lessons the MCU might take from recent successes like Deadpool & Wolverine and Agatha All Along , what other franchises might learn from the MCU, what Kevin Feige really does, and what the MCU can teach writers. THE WRITERS PA...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr
Heath Corson ( Animal Kingdom ; Batman: Assault on Arkham ) discussing his new 4-issue comic, The Brood . Set in the “Minor Threats” universe, The Brood is a story about family, the patriarch of which happens to be a criminal mastermind. Heath Corson talks about writing from a personal place, how good and evil don't apply to family dynamics, human moments in a comic book world, and more. And after that, a recording from the Minor Threats universe panel from San Diego Comic Con in July 2024 featu...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Dana Ledoux Miller (co-writer/co-director of Moana 2; creator/showrunner of Thai Cave Rescue; Kevin Can F*** Himself; Narcos ) discusses turning the Moana sequel from a TV series to movie, learning the rules of musicals, wrong turns, trusting herself, creating a work worthy of 101 years of Disney features, and lots more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advic...
Dec 02, 2024•42 min
In this craft-centered episode, Roma Roth (creator, Sullivan's Crossing ; Virgin River ) discusses finding and adapting IP. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com SOCIALS: Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacke...
Nov 19, 2024•28 min
In this craft-centered episode, Dean Lorey (showrunner of Kite Man: Hell Yeah! , Poppa's House , Creature Commandos , and Harley Quinn ) discusses running multiple shows, writing drama so that the comedy shines, defining Harley Quinn as a solo act, shepherding James Gunn's vision for Creature Commandos , relying on his collaborators, when to stop fiddling, and more. Come see Dead Pilots Society live on Sunday, November 17, 2-4pm at the Elysian Theater in LA! Also available to watch on demand. In...
Nov 12, 2024•43 min
In this craft-centered episode, The Lincoln Lawyer showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez ( Queen of the South ; The Night Shift ) discusses writing procedurals. Dailyn has worked in that genre frequently, including The Glades, Lie To Me, In Plain Sight , and others. Come see Dead Pilots Society live on Sunday, November 17, 2-4pm at the Elysian Theater in LA! Also available to watch on demand. In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the ...
Oct 29, 2024•32 min
Gremlins: The Wild Batch 's Tze Chun and Brendan Hay discuss the smooth sailing of their show, writing animation scripts, bringing little monsters to the Wild West, keeping a stress-free environment during lockdown, and lots more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclus...
Oct 15, 2024•30 min
Soo Hugh (showrunner, Pachinko; The Terror) discusses international filmmaking, the translation process, rewriting, her first second season, mild, medium, and spicy takes, and more. Come see The Thrilling Adventure Hour at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater on October 13, 6pm and 8pm, or stream it live or on demand! "An Evening Beyond Belief" stars Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster as married mediums. It's kind of like The Thin Man with ghosts. You don't want to miss it. Two different shows, two d...
Oct 08, 2024•36 min
Colin from Accounts creators and stars Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer discuss falling into making this show, writing for themselves, creating flawed and funny characters, who's allowed access to the shared document, and more. Come see The Thrilling Adventure Hour at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater on October 13, 6pm and 8pm, or stream it live or on demand! "An Evening Beyond Belief" stars Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster as married mediums. It's kind of like The Thin Man with ghosts. You do...
Oct 01, 2024•53 min
Charlie Covell (creator of Kaos and The End of the F***ing World ) discusses their influences in retelling classical myths, creating a "contemporary kinked" world, threading the tonal needle, why they love first drafts, their playlists, and more. Want to check out one of the playlists Charlie made as they were creating the characters? Visit benblacker.substack.com Come see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS , on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs , we dig...
Sep 24, 2024•43 min
Sherman Payne (creator, Emperor of Ocean Park ; Shameless ) discusses how to tell a great story, the different kinds of writers in TV, adaptation, what it takes to thrive as a TV writer, "prestidurals," and more. Come see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS , on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs , we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love from TV, ...
Sep 17, 2024•44 min
Producer Ashley Jay Sandberg ( Twisters ; The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart ) discusses what a producer does, the art of giving and receiving notes, putting together the team, the future of movies, and lots more. Come see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS , on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs , we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and lo...
Sep 10, 2024•33 min
Will Smith (creator, Slow Horses ) discusses comedy in drama, building off of author Mick Herron's plots, his work on Veep and The Thick of It with Armando Iannucci, and the reason why this show works as well as it does. Come see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS , on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs , we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love f...
Sep 03, 2024•41 min
Christy Hall ( Daddio ; It Ends with Us ) discusses what working in theater taught her, being curious by the gray areas, what matters most in getting a project off the ground, co-creating I Am Not Okay with This , mowing down cornfields, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as...
Aug 20, 2024•40 min
Writer/actor Sierra Katow ( Funt ; Golden Axe ; The Sex Lives of College Girls ) discusses performing stand-up from a young age, putting together her first hourlong special, the fun of narrative writing, the comedy landscape, writing jokes for clubs, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the year...
Aug 13, 2024•42 min
Kathleen Jordan (creator, The Decameron and Teenage Bounty Hunters ) discusses finding inspiration in a 14th century text, creating comic characters, balancing tone, theme, and plot, and lots more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and ...
Jul 30, 2024•41 min
Robert Rodat ( Those About to Die ; Saving Private Ryan ) discusses the parallels of his ancient Roman series to today's politics, his grueling rewriting process, the "heart and soul" of Saving Private Ryan , the three levels of conflict, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well a...
Jul 23, 2024•47 min
Anna Fishko (creator/showrunner, Orphan Black: Echoes; Fear the Walking Dead ) discusses showrunning as a three-person job, hiring people she can trust, her writing superpower, the evolution of the series, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&...
Jul 16, 2024•39 min
Jordan Morris ( Jordan Jesse Go!) talks about his new graphic novel, Youth Group , out this week. It's a funny and charming horror-comedy about teenage exorcists in the 1990s. Order your copy now: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250789235/youth-group THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as w...
Jul 09, 2024•34 min
