Act Two Podcast

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman kick off their new World-Building Series by discussing how to build your world within scenes. Whether writing high fantasy or just building tension, how you introduce or describe a scene and how your characters approach that scene can have a trickle down effect from engaging studio readers to steering production. Let's talk about that! TWIW: Josh visits a studio fi...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Act Two of Steven Spielberg & David Koepp's Jurassic Park. What can a perfect Act Two teach us about tension, transitions, creating setups and building to better payoffs, and how to craft turning points that propel your movie forward in seamless and engaging ways.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss their favorite tips on how to build more unique action sequences that feel essential, tell story and character, and make your screenplay standout. Whether you write in the action genre or not, these storytelling do's apply to all Screenwriters who sometimes find themselves stuck in a cliche.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREA...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss two real-life notes given to a TV writer: "After reading your pilot, I don't know what your series is about" and "You should start your story later". What do those notes actually mean and how do you address them?   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down and go in-depth on screenwriter Tom Vaughan's viral post about the 10 random things he learned about having a Screenwriting career after 29 years of writing movies.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo & Josh Hallman talk about their hot takes on this Summer's blockbusters and how this massive Summer for theatrical releases is actually a lesson in writing originals.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk with Kevin Shabel, Tasha's Showrunner's Assistant on Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Netflix) and the Writer's Assistant for The Mighty Nein (Amazon). He talks about how he got the job, how he excelled, the challenges of the job, and how he leveraged it into co-writing an episode in Season Two.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by t...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the top screenplay hacks according to NoFilmSchool.com , with examples of how and when they use those hacks in their own professional writing, and also when to leave a hack on the cutting room floor.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down Structure for a feature-length story to its basics. What are each of the turning points, when should they fall in your movie, why are they important, and what effect should they have on your story.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman share five concrete tips for nailing your TV writers' room interview - how to read the room's energy, why having an opinion on the material matters, and the resume detail that helped Tasha land her first staffing job.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Portal A producer, Jacob Motz, to talk about the business of quality filmmaker-driven short form content, and how it's an exciting outlet for all Screenwriters and aspiring Writer-Directors, regardless of level or representation.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

There are many ways to stay proactive in your writing life. If you're sitting on a script you're passionate about, there are (creative) ways to get it into the world. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about the different outlets screenwriters have and ways to be an advocate for yourself.    Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg. Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman field Listener questions.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Screenwriters Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman share their wild stories about how they got their first Manager and Agent, and talk through the many ways you can get representation. Everyone tells you to get repped, but why do you even need a rep, and what the heck do they do anyway?   This is the Act Two Podcast, where hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman demystify what it means to be an everyday working Sc...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the many different ways screenwriters revise a script - from tackling major problems after a first draft to handling vague notes, character issues, comedy passes, production rewrites, and someone else’s pages. They break down their personal revision processes, why certain notes require going back to the cards, and how knowing what kind of rewrite a script n...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the 2026 Summer Blockbuster line-up, what's worth seeing, what are some surprises, and ask the age-old post-pandemic question are "movies back?!"   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with writer-directors Ryan Polly and Matt Black to talk about their wild story of theft and impersonation that led to them making their first Hollywood feature film, and about what it's like to find Hollywood success while living and working in Texas.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman answer listener questions about what to do when you see a trailer for an upcoming movie... that looks a lot like the script you've just worked so hard writing. How dead is your idea really? Also, what do Studios and Producers expect when it comes to formatting your scripts when you submit them? TWIW: Tasha saw The Sheep Detectives and Remarkably Bright Creatures /...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with producer & development consultant, Emmeline Yang Hankins, to discuss what she's learned over the years about perfecting a pitch, and how she teaches pitching as a powerful tool at any stage of development. Her signature class for scripted TV, Kickstart My Pitch, has new dates coming up in June!  Act Two listeners can get an exclusive discount to E...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman check in on their current specs, break down their process for starting a new idea, and talk about why uninterrupted writing time is nearly impossible to protect. Also, TWIW!   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Host Tasha Huo brings on her Gersh agent, Mark Hartogsohn, for the first in a series designed to help Screenwriters navigate what it means to get an Agent and maximize your working relationship once you have an Agent. In this introductory installment, Tasha and Josh discuss how Mark became a Hollywood agent, what it means to be a Lit Agent for Screen and TV Writers, and how he goes about finding n...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down the mindset shift between rewriting for yourself and rewriting for a job, and what it really means to rewrite like a professional writer. Also, in TWIW... Josh drives Jason Blum's golf cart, and Tasha takes a retreat!   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman mourn the shuttering of JJ Abrams' Bad Robot by talking about one of their most valuable lessons from JJ... "Cheer Moments". They discuss examples in Film & TV and how to craft an iconic cheer moment in your own script.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Just being a great writer doesn't mean you can make it as a professional Screenwriter. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss what other qualities professional Screenwriters possess that help make them undeniable hires with career longevity.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman field a listener question about Rewrites. Do you really need to rewrite your drafts before sending them to managers and agents? Will that slow momentum? How many scripts should you revise before you can start querying reps? Do you need a portfolio of scripts, or just one solid script?   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundqui...