Act Two Podcast

Development Hell is part of every Screenwriter’s career, great and small. In this first in an ongoing series about real-life development stories, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman kick things off with a break down of just how a writer gets caught in Development Hell, what exactly that means, and even tell a few epic stories of how some hellish development stories have produced movies we all know an...

Chances are, the Screenwriters of your favorite movies have hired a Ghostwriter to do everything from joke punch-ups to full on writing of your favorite scenes and set-pieces. Ghostwriting is one of the best kept secrets in Hollywood Screenwriting. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman go full investigative journalist and bring to light real stories from real working Ghostwriters in Ho...

The Walt Disney Television Writing Program is one of the most sought-after programs for up-and-coming writers because of its extremely high success rate in transitioning its program participants into working staff writers on Disney/ABC TV shows. In this interview with 2020 alums Adrian Viña and Allyson Philobos, we break down how the program works and why it's so successful. We discuss everything...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk with spec master Daniel Kunka to discuss his latest script: LIFT. Kunka’s spec created a frenzy that resulted in him teaming up with Netflix, Simon Kinberg, and Matt Reeves. The Act Two Podcast loves (LOVES) specs, and it was great to have Kunka offer inspiration while sharing his insight.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com -- Edited by Paul Lundqu...

Fireside Chats are where hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman pose real situations from real-life working Screenwriters, and ask "What would you do?" In this chat, they discuss everything from What would you do if an exec fell asleep in your pitch to How would you gracefully fire your manager?   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com -- Edited by Paul Lundquist -- Music by 414beg 

"That writer has a great voice," is a comment often uttered by producers and reps when talking about writers they love. And it's what buyers and producers look for in hiring the best writer for the job. Using examples from masters of voice in the industry (JJ Abrams, Shane Black, Mike Flanagan, and others), hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down what the hell "voice" even means, why your voic...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman watch the 4-hour Snyder Cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE and both rant and rave about it, while also bringing it back to writing -- How do you write good mythology, and what are some of the pitfalls to avoid if you are creating your own mythology in a script?   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com -- Edited by Paul Lundquist -- Music by 414beg 

Screenwriting is an isolating career by its very nature, but in Act Two, we believe that it doesn't have to be. If we support one another, we are all supported. For that reason, Act Two has partnered with Coverfly to connect up-and-coming writers with professional Screenwriters in the Act Two community for a 6-month career & industry mentorship program where new Mentees will be chosen every month...

TED LASSO deserves all the awards (all the things!), so say hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman. In this Breakdown episode, they break down how writers Jason Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence introduced the now iconic characters in the Pilot of their hit show on Apple TV, how they created "villains" in a feel-good dramedy, and how they flip expectations to keep you leaning in. *SPOILERS AHEAD* (but also, yo...

Being a professional Screenwriter doesn't mean you're just good at writing scripts. You must become a master/mistress of a slew of other document types, from Format Documents to Scriptments and Bibles, all of which have different definitions depending on who you ask. In this practical-use episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman wade through the minefield and break down the definitive WGA definit...

It's a big month in the news for co-host Tasha Huo, who has been hired to create and executive produce the animated series TOMB RAIDER for Netflix, and to adapt the comic RED SONJA for Millennium. So in this episode, Josh Hallman forces Tasha to finally talk about herself and discuss the process behind getting both those jobs, and what comes next.   Questions/comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com - th...

In this Fireside Chat, join hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman in discussing three real-life stories from Screenwriters this week -- A new writer who has sent loglines to a studio executive and hasn't heard back, a mid-level writer who is struggling with endless free rewrites, and an advanced writer who failed to deliver a solid draft and left his producer in a bind.    Questions/comments: ActTwoWri...

A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin examine the first act that started it all: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE! Harry Potter is one of the greatest and most influential film franchises of all time. It effortlessly brought us into a magical world that felt grounded and introduced an unsung hero. If you're world-building, write fantasy, or have that unassuming hero... grab your butterbeer and get rea...

You have to learn the rules before you can break them. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss why Three Act Structure is important and they break down some of the most popular structure guidelines out there, including Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" model. They also discuss how to avoid becoming a slave to structure guidelines, and how to instead use them as a valuable tool in you...

"Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night." - General Laia, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Hope is what every Screenwriter's dreams are built on, and it is also the hardest thing to sustain during the dark nights of your career. In this unique episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman illustrate the importance of hope in the Screenwriting jour...

Becoming a member of the Writer's Guild of America is an important milestone for every Screenwriter, and a significant hurdle in accessing a consistent and successful career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Screenwriter and WGA Captain Ben Shiffrin to discuss the basics of WGA membership, the pitfalls of a non-WGA deal and how to combat them, and the myriad of helpf...

Pixar storytellers are some of the best in the history of our business. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman walk through a viral Twitter feed where former Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coates posted Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling, and they talk about how those rules can be applied to your screenwriting in very real and practical ways.   You can find the original post here -- https:/...

Pitching is terrible. But one of the biggest ways to set yourself up for success is by adding visuals to your pitch presentation. So whether you're pitching over Zoom, or you're back in a room with real humans, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss all the different ways to use visuals to great effect in your pitch.   In addition, Act Two has a fantastic and talented in-house layout designer to...

Fellowships have become a formidable way to jumpstart (or restart) your Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with bRock Newell, winner of the 2018 Screencraft Fellowship to chat about what exactly the Fellowship entails, why he refused a free hotel stay in LA, and the incredible effects the Fellowship has had on his career.  Questions/Comments: ActTwoWri...

Sure, New Year's Resolutions suck and never work. But, what if your writing resolutions DID work? What if by Dec. 31st of next year, your career looked vastly different? It can happen. You (and only you) have the power to progress your career over the next year. In this special End of Year episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk in detail about how they make writing goals, their tricks on h...

There is a legend among Screenwriters that Shane Black wrote LETHAL WEAPON right out of college, sold it immediately, and that his first draft was what went into production. Tearing down that myth are hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman, with Special Guest David Levinson, who go behind the scenes of how this holiday action movie really came to be. The truth is nowhere close to mythic, and much closer...

BACK TO THE FUTURE, crafted by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, has one of the most satisfying endings in film. It accomplishes this through building continuous Obstacles and Paying Off all the Setups from Act One. In this last installment of The Breakdown: BTTF Edition, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down just how a perfect, satisfying ending is pulled off at the writing level. The Breakdown...

BACK TO THE FUTURE, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, is a masterclass in how to craft the perfect Act Two. It has a powerful story engine, unexpected twists and turns, emotional ups and downs, and it forces the audience to be an active participant in the adventure. In this second installment of The Breakdown: BTTF Edition, Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down just how Zemeckis and Gale pu...

You've written your first script and you're ready to show it to the world. Where do you share it? Who do you trust with feedback, and what do you do with it? When is your ego getting in the way, and how can you tell? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about their first scripts and the hard lessons they learned when they were confident film school grads just starting out.   Questions/Comments: A...

BACK TO THE FUTURE, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, wasn't always the perfect movie you think it was. The original draft was far from the genius that made it to screen. In this special holiday episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman take a close look at how Zemeckis and Gale handle Act One problems like setups, character intros, theme, dialogue, and suspense in the masterpiece that is B...