This week's guest is the extraordinary writer, creator and double Emmy winner Javier Grillo-Marxuach. He works out how many of his 23 shows have been cancelled (a few), how many he has quit (some) and which were the ones he …
We talk to the extraordinary writer and producer Akela Cooper. She talks about combatting the loneliness of writing, particularly during a pandemic, the sage advice of her mother and the discipline of constantly working on h…
We talk to legendary writer, show creator and exec producer Glen Mazzara. He talks about crisis training in the entertainment industry, how he still suffers from imposter syndrome and the time a knife fight broke out on the …
We talk to the extraordinary Ryan Knighton, a blind writer of books and TV. He explains how blindness helps him with the art of describing scenes, using the time he doesn't spend on driving and video games to perfect his cra…
We talk to Kira Snyder, computer game designer-turned-writer and now showrunner. She talks about the 'new' Hollywood and its concern for mental health and wellbeing, how working in corporate America has helped her prepare to…
We talk to writer and graphic novelist Bryan Hill. He tells us about an extraordinarily cruel early rejection, how he channeled that, and other setbacks, into success and why he feels without failure he wouldn’t have done wh…
We talk to showrunner Joe Henderson about his Hollywood journey. He talks about his formative years as an assistant and how he is grateful for the extended period he spent at this position - but then also about his triple pr…
We hear the fascinating take of Jeffrey Lieber, the creator of the first version of the Lost pilot. We talk about how he dealt with his relationship with the show as it went in a different direction, the years it took him to…
We talk to veteran writer Jose Molina. He talks through the balance between finding a long-running show, finding a show you like and making bold and reckless decision early in your career. He explains why young writers shoul…
We talk to Marc Bernardin about his different careers and the different types of failure he suffered. He talks about journalism, being fired while on vacation and knowing when to break the rules and reach out to interview su…
We talk to David Goodman, veteran writer and WGA West President. He talks about the pain of a comedy writer pitching jokes that don’t land, the thin line to tread between comedy and causing offense and knowing you’ll get fir…
We talk to show creator Mickey Fisher. He tells us about how his 'overnight success' wasn't actually overnight, being fired in hotel rooms and having his gate pass for the studio revoked as the first sign his show was gettin…
We talk to the amazing John Rogers. The veteran writer and showrunner gives his views from 30 years in the industry. He tells the amazing story of the awful Catwoman, how he owned his role in the movie, what went wrong and b…
We talk to the extraordinary Shawn Simmons about his cult hit Wayne. He tells us about the rare occurrence of having his network cancelled under his show, the joy of a show being reborn on Amazon and the 'heat' of having a h…
We talk to horror writer Jeff Howard. He tells us about being rejected - with various levels of misfortune - by Nicolas Cage, John Stamos and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He talks about the kiss of death 'well told', the desir…
Prodigious writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe joins the podcast. He talks honestly about missing out on his dream Lord of the Rings project, the amount of time spent continuously looking for his next role and his ratio of 8 failures…
We talk to actor and writer Geoffrey Thorne. The actor turned writer tells his extraordinary story of riches to rags and back to riches again. He talks about why he walked away from a successful acting career in In the Heat …
We talk to writer-turned-manager John Zaozirny, President of Bellevue Productions. He talks about his move from writing to management, stories of firing and being fired and why he loves the industry. John talks about being f…
We talk to the amazing Ann Cusack. She speaks honestly about the process of dealing with rejection, what she learned from the roles she didn’t get and the obsession with social media and the illusion of success. She talks ab…
We talk to writer and showrunner Matthew Federman. He talks about how he runs a writing room and pro-actively solves problems, the mistakes he made pitching and what he's learned from brilliant bosses. He explains the slight…
We talk to Maze Runner writer Grant Pierce Myers. He tells us about getting a movie green lit and being fired in a single phone call, the challenge of backing up a hit with a second success and the importance of courtesy amo…
We talk to the extraordinary Sheryl J. Anderson, veteran writer and showrunner. She tells us how 'famous, toxic' writers' rooms taught her how to lead her own show the right way, her regrets about not speaking up to protect …
We talk to screenwriter Dan Hernandez. He tells us about how he handled the pressure of writing fan favorite Detective Pikachu, the big opportunities that got away in his career and going to high school with Josh Gad. He exp…
Actor Erik Palladino talks us through his rollercoaster career after 30 years in Hollywood. He tells us how his pilots never get picked up, the time he was told he had a job by his agent on a Friday and on the Monday they ad…