Humanitas Industry 101 Podcast

Today’s Industry 101 Podcast episode comes from a writing workshop with Fay Kanin recorded on January 19, 1995.  Fay Kanin was a screenwriter and playwright who began working in Hollywood in the early 1940s, often in collaboration with her husband, Michael Kanin. Across her six decades as a writer, actor, producer, and activist, Fay built a reputation as an excellent writer and a steadfast advocat...

Today’s episode comes from a writing workshop with Eric Roth recorded on March 21, 2000—the same year he won a Humanitas Prize for his work on The Insider. Eric discusses how he chooses what to write, his process, and a little bit about his Oscar-win for Forrest Gump.  Eric Roth is a six-time Oscar nominee and won in 1995 for his work on Forrest Gump. In 2012, he received the WGA Laurel Award for...

Today’s Industry 101 Podcast episode comes from a writing workshop with John Wells recorded on April 17, 1993.  John discusses why he became a writer, humanistic writing, and gives his advice on writing characters, and the role of the writer’s thematic point of view when working on a script. He is a producer, writer, and director who has produced over twelve thousand hours of television across his...

Our first episode comes from a discussion between legendary writers, directors, and producers, Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, recorded December 11, 1993.  While the business of screenwriting has changed dramatically over the last 32 years, their advice about structure and character remains evergreen.  With five Emmys, an Oscar, and multiple Humanitas Prizes between them, Marshall and Ed have a...