The Writers Panel

Russell T. Davies ( Tip Toe ; Doctor Who ; Queer As Folk ) discusses building a story out of anger, his relationship with actors, his response to stupid notes, discovering writing, his unique process, empty staircases, and more. The Thrilling Adventure Hour is live this weekend! Saturday 10/10 At the Dynasty Typewriter Theater in LA and streaming everywhere. Two shows, 7pm PT and 9:30pm PT, two ne...

Anthony King ( Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat ; Rooster ; The Afterparty ) discusses worldbuilding in the real world, what's too funny for reality, lessons learned from Jury Duty that are applicable to traditional script writing, how the game was nearly blown up, and more. SUNDAY AUGUST 30, 8pm PT at the Lodge Room in LA and streaming live/on demand everywhere: WGF RetroReads presents: Star T...

Teacher and script consultant Pilar Alessandra is ending her inspiring and instructive podcast, On the Page , after 19 years and 1000 episodes. Ben Blacker administers Pilar's exit interview, discussing why she started the podcast, invaluable advice gleaned from the writers she's interviewed, the "drunk and naked" early episodes, how to write great dialogue, tips on pitching from her children, pod...

Cassie Pappas (showrunner, Lucky ; Silo ; Griselda ) discusses shooting in Vegas, movies that inspired the tone of Lucky , the emotional guts of the show, getting weird with the writers, showrunning as a "creative team sport," whether or not you need to live in LA to work in TV, and more. No Notes is Sunday July 19, 7pm , at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater in LA! This is a new staged show in which...

Ana Nogueira ( Supergirl ) discusses pitching open writing assignments, setting a reasonable goal, the Westerns that inspired Supergirl , the core of Kara Zor-El, her favorite brainwash, and lots more. Dead Pilots Society returns live and on demand Sunday July 12, 3-5pm , at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society , scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produ...

Christine Boylan ( Avatar: The Last Airbender ; Poker Face ) discusses running seasons 2 and 3, the Stoppard quote that taught her structure, the real world seeping into a fantasy series, her nerd credentials, season 2 as the Empire Strikes Back season, and more. Dead Pilots Society returns live and on demand Sunday July 12, 3-5pm , at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society , scripts th...

Owen Dennis (creator of Among Us and Infinity Train ) discusses conveying tone, discovering theme, deconstructing tropes, dueling arcs, the line from Star Wars that unlocked everything, and more. Dead Pilots Society returns live and on demand Sunday July 12, 3-5pm , at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society , scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced ar...

Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson (creators, It's Not Like That; Parenthood; Off Campus ) discuss telling emotionally driven stories, resurrecting a decade-old pilot as their new show, how the writers' strike benefited the show, how they run their room, and more. Check out SPECTACULAR, a staged reading of a new pilot by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker & Liz Hara about the making of the disastrous...

Comic book writer Matthew Rosenberg ( If Destruction Be Our Lot... ; 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank ; Spawn ) discusses co-writing with his brother, comics as a "dirtbag medium," the upcoming 4 Kids ... film adaptation, story problems presented by an animatronic Abraham Lincoln, and lots more. Check out SPECTACULAR, a staged reading of a new pilot by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker & Liz Hara about the m...

Writer/director Chandler Levack ( Mile End Kicks ; Roommates ; I Like Movies ) discusses how her first script became her second movie, revisiting Mile End Kicks after shooting I Like Movies , loving stage directions, music in movies, and lots more. Check out SPECTACULAR, a staged reading of a new pilot by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker & Liz Hara about the making of the disastrous Spider-man musi...

Writers/directors Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher ( Pizza Movie ; Over Your Dead Body ) discuss their comedy sketch roots as "BritaNick" and what that represents, writing scripts that wouldn't be made, editing themselves, how to interact with the people paying you to write, why Pizza Movie is the perfect BritaNick movie debut, and more. Some fun events coming up! On Sunday, April 19, 2-4pm , is a...

Writer/director BenDavid Grabinski ( Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice ; Scott Pilgrim Takes Off ; Happily ) discusses getting caught in the current of his career, runs of bad luck, runs of good luck, perseverance, tips for writing an easy-to-read script, making hamburgers, and more. Some fun events coming up! If you're in New Orleans this week, Ben is at the Overlook Film Festival on a panel calle...

Colby Day ( In the Blink of an Eye; Spaceman ) discusses assurance in writing and business, learning by making, writing impossible-to-execute ideas, receiving notes, and more. A couple of fun shows coming up that you can attend in LA or stream from anywhere! On Saturday March 28, 8:30pm , and Sunday April 19, 5pm , Ben Blacker is directing a very fun one-person show by actress Katherine Bourne Tay...

Producer Lauren Neustadter , President of Film and Television at Hello Sunshine, discusses building a brand from the ground up, meeting a tumultuous marketplace with optimism, the best way to present your material to buyers, her love of reading and writers, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re...

Rachel Shukert ( The Burbs ; creator, The Baby-Sitters Club ; The Handmaid's Tale ) returns to discuss relearning to write to act breaks, why mysteries are so hard to crack, finding the heart of The Burbs, dreams of the Golden Girls house, 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 y...

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman (creator, Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ; Mission Impossible III ) and Noga Landau (creator, Nancy Drew and Tom Swift ; The Magicians ) discuss meeting for the first time, what each looks for in a collaborator, story from the inside out, learning storytelling through Trek , the special sauce of Starfleet Academy , how...

Writer/director Alex Russell ( Lurker ; The Bear ; Beef ) discusses why he directed his own script, writing the unspoken, an apt metaphor for discovering story, his Frankenstein approach to outlining, 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 t...

Ponies creators Susanna Fogel and David Iserson ( The Spy Who Dumped Me ) discuss how they collaborate, the long road to Ponies , comedy with stakes, American culture through a funhouse mirror, genre as a way of writing about relationships and politics, why pitching is a scam, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blac...

Writer/director Gordon Smith ( Pluribus ; Better Call Saul ) discusses what gives Pluribus legs, story as algorithm, a non-mystery mystery, some great directing advice that's really storytelling advice, parsing notes, getting sand in your eyes, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , wh...

Writer/director Craig Brewer ( Song Sung Blue ; Hustle and Flow ; Dolemite Is My Name ) discusses making a narrative out of the Song Sung Blue documentary, how it's autobiographical, finding career inspiration in Amadeus, his writing process, "The Shelf," non-musical musicals, the beauty of "Save As," the Faustian bargain of making art, and lots more. Don't skip this one. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A CO...

Benito Skinner (creator/star of Overcompensating ) discusses creating an honest coming-out story, translating his stand up show to a TV pilot, learning from Shonda Rhimes, writing about gray areas, inhabiting characters, the state of TV comedy, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing , wh...

The Running Man writer/director Edgar Wright ( Last Night in Soho ; Baby Driver ) and co-writer Michael Bacall ( Scott Pilgrim vs the World ; 21 Jump Street ) discuss adapting Stephen King's novel and what the author's approval meant to them, writing readable scripts, learning from past experiences, world-building, deploying Glen Powell as a secret weapon, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETE...

Writer/director Leslye Headland (creator, The Acolyte ; co-creator, Russian Doll ; Dying for Sex ) returns to discuss individuality and authenticity, loving Star Wars , creding her team, how Russian Doll began, auteurism, 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 ge...

Rebecca Cutter (creator, The Hunting Wives and Hightown ) returns to discuss why she thinks people have responded so positively to The Hunting Wives , hiring the writers' room, regulating tone by instinct, quality without "prestige," and more. The Thrilling Adventure Hour celebrates its 20th anniversary with shows in London! Come see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina,...

DMV showrunners Dana Klein ( 9JKL ; Fresh Off the Boat ; Friends ) and Matt Kuhn ( Doogie Kameāloha, MD ; Fresh Off the Boat ) discuss pitching and selling the show, keeping a positive and open writers' room together, what they look for in samples when staffing, how comedy has changed since Friends and How I Met Your Mother (where each began), keeping inspired, and more. The Thrilling Adventure Ho...