When Isabel Met Aviva

Welcome back to another episode of the pod! We are so excited to share this interview we did with Sofia Alvarez!! Sofia joins us to share her journey from playwright to screenwriter, discussing her work on adaptations like 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' and 'Along for the Ride.' We chat about the intricacies of character development, the importance of the editing process,...

A special episode of the pod is releasing on 10.18.25, which happens to be Zac Efron's birthday!! Isabel & Aviva are joined by 6 actors for a table read of Isabel's romcom fan fiction script (you know, the one that led to our Twitter meet cute?) titled, "Dating Zac Efron!" Logline: Actor Zac efron tries to use tinder but gets no swipes because people think his account is a ca...

This week on the pod, we chat with Instagram screenwriting influencer, writer, and actor, Julia Yorks! We loved this lil chat with Julia getting to hear about her journey from being a child actor to becoming a successful screenwriter. We chat about the importance of social media in storytelling, the challenges of navigating the industry, and the need for more representation in rom-coms, especially...

Christmas came early for us on the pod because in this episode, we chat with Rebecca Ewing, who co-wrote our favorite holiday romcom on Netflix, "Love Hard!" Rebecca shares her journey from being a literary agent to a successful screenwriter...Love Hard was the first script she ever wrote so, she's legit!! This is our longest chat ever because we just had so much fun talking to Rebec...

We're back...and we're FREAKING OUT because in this episode, we interview Heather Hach Hearne, the screenwriter of Freaky Friday!!! Heather shares her experiences in Hollywood writing Freaky Friday, What to Expect When You're Expecting, and gives her thoughts on the sequel, Freakier Friday, now in theaters! So yeah...we're still freaking out about it!! Heather Hach Hearne is a scre...

Aviva and Isabel kick off the second episode of season five by discussing their recent LA trip during which they finally met IRL!!! We talk about our WB studio tour, our podcast meetup, visiting some romcom filming locations...and we went to a comedy show!! We had a blast! We also spent a solid ten minutes discussing the romdram 'My Oxford Year.' We loved this chat because we talk about how our li...

It's a new season already!! In this episode of the pod, we discuss our first ever IRL meeting in LA! We then chat with Music Editor Lesley Langs and discuss the importance of music in film, the creative process, and the value of networking within the industry. Bring back the movie soundtrack, especially for romcomz!! Lesley's IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0486676/ Lesley's work: https://tapest...

Wow! We didn't realize this was the last episode of the pod for season 4, yet here we are! In this episode, we reflect on our journey through the podcast and welcome Kari O'Hara, a creative executive at Lean Machine, to the pod! We got to discuss Kari's path into the production industry, the roles of producers and showrunners, and our favorite topic...the current state of rom-coms! Follow Kari on...

This week on the pod, we are joined by writer Shaina Steinberg, who wrote BRIDE HARD, now in theaters! We spoke with Shaina a few days after her MOVIE PREMIERE and got to hear all about her experience seeing her first movie being made! In this episode, we also discuss the challenges of the film industry, the importance of persistence, networking, and the impact of the WGA strike on job availabilit...

We're back with a chatty episode, just the two of us! Like old times! This episode is a good one filled with...tea! We share some updates on our personal writing journeys, our #romcom real-life moments, and discuss how our emotional states are influenced by planetary shifts - casual chit chat, you know?! We also discuss the importance of community and the pitfalls of scammers targeting writers!! F...

Writer Kim Horsnby joins us for this episode of the pod to explore the intricacies of screenwriting, the importance of community support, and the journey from novel writing to screenwriting. We chat about the challenges of breaking into the rom-com market, the power of manifestation, and the differences between writing novels and screenplays! Kim has always been super active on social media and st...

In this episode, we get real deep and talk about heartbreak and how our perspectives on the romcom have evolved recently. Then, we interview the inspiring and fabulous Diane Drake, who wrote romcom hits, such as ONLY YOU and WHAT WOMEN WANT. Diane sold ONLY YOU for one million dollars in the 90s, no big deal, and WHAT WOMEN WANT is one of the highest-grossing romcoms of all time. **faints** She sh...

Welcome back to another episode of the pod! Filmmakers Heather Pilder Olson and Debra Pralle join us to discuss their pilot project, "A Broad Abroad," which they filmed in Italy! We loved hearing their insights on the challenges of international filmmaking, the importance of community in the creative process, their experiences with festival screenings, and their future plans for their pilot. Follo...

In this episode of the pod, we're joined by Anisa Ashabi! Anisa shares her journey as a screenwriter and filmmaker, discussing her latest project, 'Finding Chaz.' Anisa shares her creative process, the challenges of casting and fundraising, and the dynamics of working with a director to make her script into a TV pilot! She's so inspiring and we're proud of her for making it happen! Anisa' Instagra...

In this episode, we chat with Aviva's friend she met during an internship: Alex Cottle! Alex shares her journey through the film and television industry, discussing her experiences in LA and New York, her passion for rom-coms, and the importance of queer representation in media. She offers valuable advice for aspiring filmmakers, emphasizing the need for motivation and the willingness to reach out...

In this episode, Isabel & Aviva chat with Australia-based Christine Luby, a seasoned film and TV director! Christine shares her journey into the world of directing the romcom and discusses the challenges of balancing personal and professional life, the importance of script development, and the nuances of filmmaking, including budgeting and collaboration! If you've ever wanted to direct your fi...

We're back! It's our 4th season of the pod, and we're ready to be #consistent with our episode releases and our screenwriting! In this episode, Isabel shares advice from her producers and mentions that she got on the dating app Raya. Aviva talks about a general meeting she had, and Isabel gives a pep talk to Aviva and all our listeners to keep calm...and write that romcom!! Feel free to email us:...

It's our last episode of season 3! We interview Catherine Slaughter-King, a  Development Executive  &  Producer  in the United Kingdom! We had such a fun chat discussing the difference between British and American romcoms - can you guess which ones are our favorites?! About Catherine Catherine Slaughter-King is a  Development Executive  &  Producer  across all genres of feature films and t...

Hi, everyone! Welcome back. Today Isabel and Aviva chat about what they hope to manifest in 2025, what they accomplished this past year writing-wise and on the pod, their 2024 favorite films and shows, how they have some major beef with many romcoms made today, and more. As we approach the end of season three, we wanna give a huge shoutout to all the guests and supporters of the pod. We’ve had suc...

Happy New Year! Our first episode of 2025 features some reflection on our writing careers and an inspiring interview with Rosa Camero, a Film Producer and Film Distribution & Marketing Consultant. Rosa tells us the story about how a moment of courage at the Twilight movie premiere in Mexico led to her working in the film industry. Also in the episode, Aviva hard launches her own production com...

Today’s episode may be our longest one to date because we couldn’t stop chatting with our guest. Meet Isabel Dréan, screenwriter, producer, director, teacher, and master networker. Beginning in 2021, she sold five scripts in 18 months, such as CHRISTMAS BENEATH THE STARS and SECRET SANTA. In this chat, we discuss how to write a Christmas movie, what mistakes beginner writers make when trying to br...

Today’s episode features Foster Garvey entertainment attorney Hillary Hughes! As screenwriters breaking into the biz, we thought a legal chat was long overdue. Hillary not only specializes in entertainment law, but she also works in food and beverage, beauty and wellness, consumer packaged goods, sports, fashion and apparel, and AI. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. I...

Today’s episode features an interview with the one and only, Delia Ephron (YOU’VE GOT MAIL, THIS IS MY LIFE, THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, BEWITCHED, the list goes on)! In this inspiring chat, she tells us about her Broadway debut, Left on Tenth, how her writing career began, what makes a romcom timeless, and how her iconic films came to be. It was truly an honor to chat with Delia — we s...

In this episode, we chat with Screenwriting Adjunct Assistant Professor, Lindsay Stidham! Lindsay reviews all the basics about screenplay formatting and answers our burning questions, like, "Is there a right way to format a montage?" Aviva took Lindsay's Sundance Collabortion screenwriting class! Lindsay holds an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute. She has overseen two scripts f...

We are honored to share that we had the opportunity to chat with screenwriter Jessica Bendinger! Jessica wrote a few of our fav movies - Stick It, Bring It On, and Aquamarine, to name a few! In this episode, we discuss the state of Hollywood with Jessica (forewarning, there are quite a few explicit words in this episode, because, like, Hollywood freaking sucks right now!!) and we also learn about...