Jurassic Park, Spider-man, Mission: Impossible, Carlito's Way, Indiana Jones, Bad Influence, Kimi, Snake Eyes, Panic Room, Presence, Black Bag, and even more. We're lucky to have David Koepp on today's episode. Want to participate in a writing workshop this summer with Ben Blacker and some terrific writers? Go from idea to first draft or get a rewrite into fighting shape? Email NerdistWriters@gmail.com Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dea...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Under the Bridge creator Quinn Shephard (writer/director, Not Okay ) and showrunner Samir Mehta ( Narcos ; Fear the Walking Dead ) discuss couching emotional story in mystery plot, finding the universal in the specific, the Sopranos as children and as comedy, writing from the heart, reading to hire a room, and lots more. Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never...
Jun 11, 2024•41 min
The Big Cigar 's Janine Sherman Barois ( Claws ; Criminal Minds ) and Jim Hecht ( Winning Time ; Ice Age ) discuss the responsibility of telling true stories, how The Big Cigar isn't just a biopic, working on multiple projects, the state of the industry, and more. Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve. The June...
Jun 04, 2024•37 min
The First Omen writer/director Arkasha Stevenson and co-writer Tim Smith discuss bringing their perspective to a beloved franchise, body horror, David Lynch, their writing process, that image, 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,...
May 21, 2024•43 min
Writer/director Ned Benson ( The Greatest Hits ; The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby ) discusses writing an earnest love story, writing through the lens of a director, the delusions of belief, when to let go, 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&am...
May 14, 2024•42 min
Aron Eli Coleite (creator/showrunner, The Spiderwick Chronicles ; Atlas ) discusses dialogue and action, helpful Aron-isms, our goldfish attention spans, key differences between TV and movie writing, why development takes so long now, and lots more. Come see Retrospecs on Sunday, May 19, 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 T...
Apr 30, 2024•49 min
Writer/director/actor Don McKellar (co-creator, The Sympathizer ' 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould; Childstar ) discusses throwing yourself into the deep end, the terrors of expectation, tradlation, and representation, collaborating with Park Chan-wook, how to know when to fight, his role on Slings and Arrows , and more. Come see Retrospecs on Sunday, May 19, 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...
Apr 23, 2024•40 min
Michael Jamin ( Tacoma FD ; Maron ) discusses his new collection of personal essays, A Paper Orchestra , sharing versus oversharing, what he learned about art from David Bowie and Pharrel, and more. Buy A Paper Orchestra and see Jamin on his live reading tour! Info here: https://michaeljamin.com/product/a-paper-orchestra/ Come see Retrospecs on Sunday, April 21, 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 t...
Apr 16, 2024•38 min
Evan Waite ( Family Guy ; The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ) discusses the kinds of comedy he enjoys, breaking in by taking chances, his new book Life Wants You Dead: A Calm, Rational and Totally Legit Guide to Scaring Yourself Safe , and more. Come see Retrospecs on Sunday, April 21, 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, fil...
Apr 09, 2024•33 min
Melanie Marnich (creator, Apples Never Fall ; The OA ; Big Love ) discusses pursuing projects that explore personal questions, casting her room for their strengths, pitching her perspective on Lianne Moriarty's novel, the Apples cast's secret text chain, 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 ...
Mar 26, 2024•45 min
Abe Sylvia (creator, Palm Royale , George and Tammy ; Dead to Me ; Nurse Jackie ) discusses making discoveries on set, healthy debate vs story breaking, working with frequent collaborators, how not outlining "reintroduces writerly delight," and more. Come see Retrospecs on Sunday, April 21, 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 fro...
Mar 19, 2024•42 min
John Orloff (creator, Masters of the Air ) discusses scripts as selling tools vs scripts as production tools, integrating research into scenes, writing a nine-hour movie, Band of Brothers , and more. Come see Retrospecs this Sunday, March 17, 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, film, comedy, and the stage. From Girls to ...
Mar 12, 2024•45 min
J Blakeson (showrunner/director, Culprits ; writer/director I Care a Lot ) discusses creating his inadvertent signature film with The Disappearance of Alice Creed , why a law abiding citizen writes crime stories, finding the "what if" in a pitch, why he dislikes Final Draft, 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 ...
Feb 27, 2024•40 min
Zoe Lister Jones (creator, Slip ; writer/director, How It Ends , The Craft: Legacy ) discusses writing, directing, and acting, putting herself into every project, when to be precious, remaining true to her voice, 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...
Feb 20, 2024•41 min
Ed Solomon ( Full Circle ; Bill & Ted ; Men in Black ) discusses objective and subjective storytelling, choosing a career path and switching gears from comedy to crime, rewriting, listening to the voice of your inner GPS, 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 e...
Feb 12, 2024•45 min
Somebody Somewhere creators Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen ( High Maintenance ) and writer/star Bridget Everett ( Inside Amy Schumer ) discuss the creation of the show, telling big stories in small moments, what they learned in the first season, the midwest, 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 o...
Jan 30, 2024•47 min
Neil Druckmann (co-creator, The Last of Us; Uncharted ) discusses previous stabs at adapting his games, balancing action and character, serving different mediums, Uncharted , and how The Last of Us changed his life. 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&...
Jan 23, 2024•39 min
David Jenkins (creator, Our Flag Means Death and People of Earth ) discusses his background in theater, how he thinks of comedy, stakes, staffing his shows, people touching his face, and more. Come to a live recording of DEAD PILOTS SOCIETY , Ben Blacker's other podcast. In Dead Pilots Society , scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve. On Sunday, January 21, 3-5pm , at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles we're recording re...
Jan 16, 2024•53 min
Samy Burch ( May December ) discusses breaking through with her first produced screenplay after a decade of writing, receiving notes from producers at Gloria Sanchez, Natalie Portman, and director Todd Haynes, "the endurance of failure," writing the shelved (for now?) Coyote vs Acme for Warner Brothers, and why her vision for her writing future is the motto for LA restaurant The Apple Pan. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben...
Jan 09, 2024•45 min
Two episodes for the price of one today! (The price is zero dollars). First up, Ben Nedivi & Matt Wolpert (creators/ahowrunners, For All Mankind ) discuss season 4 of their alternate history space-race series, trusting their decisions, addressing and adjusting tone, killing off characters, and more. Then, Brian Helgeland (writer/director Finestkind ; writer, LA Confidential , Mystic River , lots more) discusses his new movie--written 25 years ago--as well as some of his greatest hits, includ...
Dec 19, 2023•1 hr 32 min
Hannah Rosner ( Legacies ) and feature writer Erica Schreiber of the Untitled Female Driven Podcast discuss mistakes they made early in their careers, from learning what to say in meetings to when to turn down a project. Listen to the first half of this conversation in which Hannah and Erica interview The Writers Panel 's Ben Blacker on this week's episode of the Untitled Female Driven Podcast , available wherever you get your podcasts. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. F...
Dec 12, 2023•50 min
Marvel Comics editor Tom Brevoort discusses working on The Avengers and moving to the X-Men office, mistakes he's made, getting the best out of creatives, why he's optimistic about the industry's future, and lots more. Brevoort's substack, Man with a Hat , is the most informative and inside baseball newsletter about the comics industry out there. Subscribe here: https://tombrevoort.substack.com THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing t...
Nov 28, 2023•54 min
Writer/actor/producer Felicia Day ( The Guild; MST3K; Supernatural ) discusses her new audio series Third Eye , getting comfortable with outlining, her approach to world building, maintaining mental health in a difficult industry, and lots more. Third Eye is available now via Audible. 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 ...
Nov 14, 2023•39 min
Marissa Jo Cerar (creator/showrunner, Black Cake and Women of the Movement ) discusses hiring a writers' room, what she reads, what she expects in interviews, and more. Black Cake is streaming now on Hulu! 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-u...
Nov 07, 2023•47 min
Author Paul Tremblay ( The Beast You Are ; The Cabin at the End of the World ) discusses writing horror short stories, turning the personal into the terrifying, 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 more: benblacker.substack.c...
Oct 31, 2023•42 min
In this craft-focused episode, Krystal Ziv ( Wolf Pack; The Purge ) discusses various types of collaboration. 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/benblacker.bsky.social ...
Oct 24, 2023•29 min
In this craft-centered conversation, author Lily Sparks ( Teen Killers Club ) discusses writing YA, showing the world as it should be versus how it is, sex in young adult fiction, and more. The final book in Lily's "Teen Killers" trilogy, Teen Killers at Large , is available now! 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 inter...
Oct 17, 2023•40 min
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines writer/director Lindsey Anderson Beer discusses the Stephen King prequel, the intense draft process once she came on board, her background in neuroscience and robotics, the magic script that got her in the door, and lots more. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is streaming now on Paramount+. 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 tho...
Oct 10, 2023•31 min
Superheroes and Not-so-Supervillains - Patton Oswalt ( Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Visions ), Jordan Blum ( Minor Threats, Marvel's M.O.D.O.K .), Scott Hepburn ( Minor Threats ), James Tynion IV ( The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos, Something is Killing the Children ), Tate Brombal ( The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos, Barbalien: Red Planet ), and Jeff Lemire ( Black Hammer, Mazebook; Sweet Tooth ) discuss creating their own heroes, villains, and worlds in their creator-...
Oct 03, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Writer of all media Gerry Duggan ( Deadpool; Uncanny Avengers; Attack of the Show! ) joined to talk about thinking visually but wound up having a wide-ranging conversation about process, comics, art, movies, and more. Gerry is an accomplished photographer whose work can be seen at https://gerryduggan.substack.com 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 t...
Sep 26, 2023•1 hr
