Act Two Podcast

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss Tasha's dialogue hack to quickly improve your dialogue and trim pages.    TWIW: What does it mean when a manager or agent "hip-pockets" you? / Tasha had a MIGHTY NEIN screening at SCAD and now she wants to go to there / The difference in approach between being a fan of an IP and just taking an IP job. / Storytelling lessons learned from our September Patreo...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Francisco Angones, the creator of DUCK TALES (2017) and Co-EP on THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA (S4, S5) to discuss what a Screenwriting career in animation can look like, share stories on its challenges and how to manage them, and share his day-to-day as an animation writer/creator.    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about all the different types of careers for a Screenwriter and which may be right for you, depending on your personality.    TWIW: How to navigate the Austin Film Festival successfully, even if you're shy / Tasha's newest "big page" / Josh finds writing in the dark is a new hack / the Anaconda trailer is whack / Tasha & Josh's spec is moving on to the nex...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the movies coming to your eyeballs in September, and about the things on their mind this week in the world of Screenwriting.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Derek Kolstad, writer and creator of the JOHN WICK and NOBODY franchises, to discuss everything from crafting character-driven action movies to the reality of the grind behind being a successful working Screenwriter.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Josh's agent, David Boxerbaum, a partner at Verve, to discuss how successful writers work with their agents, the recent boom in short story sales and what that means for Screenwriters, and why some specs sale and others don't.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Life gets crazy and overwhelming. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down how screenwriters multitask - balancing multiple projects, writing more than one script at a time, and staying productive along the way. Plus... TWIW!   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Screenwriter and Tennis Pro, Michael Basha, to discuss how the psychology of professional athletes can be a useful road map for professional screenwriters, and other ways pro sports mirrors the screenwriting industry.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Host Tasha Huo talks candidly about her writing journey on her first produced film, RED SONJA, from her first pitch to getting rewritten to final credits determination. RED SONJA releases in theaters on August 13th, and streaming on August 29th.   TWIW: Josh's old script idea is now a Brendan Fraser movie, but not how Josh expected / Tasha used a placeholder for a scene when she got stuck, but how...

Host Tasha Huo went to San Diego Comic-Con this year and has thoughts on why it's a great con for Screenwriters. Plus, Are You Excited about what's coming out in theaters in August?    TWIW: How to get unstuck in your writing / Jurassic World: Rebirth / Happy Gilmore 2 made Tasha cry   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about which July Summer movies they're excited about, and give some interesting behind-the-scenes Screenwriting tidbits about how some of these movies got made. TWIW: Tasha is having an IP crisis / Do you need a feature sample to meet at feature companies? / Josh's run-in with a Hollywood icon   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT...

This week, we chat with screenwriters Nic Curcio and Kristin Tepper about branding, social media, and what it means to create content as a writer in today’s industry. We dive into how writers can approach their digital footprint, whether you need to be on social media, how to build an authentic brand, the blacklist, and a ton more...   Nic Curcio: @Nicolascurcio Kristen Tepper: @KristenTepper The...

Inspired by a post from Screenwriter Zack Stentz , hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss whether it's a smarter career move to work on IP or to put your head down and write your own spec. They discuss the realities of what it means to work on IP vs. Specs, their own experiences working in both markets, and the consequences (both good & bad) of working on both.    TWIW: What Tasha's manager ...

It’s a mailbag episode! Tasha and Josh tackle listener questions - from writer’s groups to pitching and more. Plus, This Week in Writing… Tasha is not a boring writer.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist   

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the live action adaptation of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, breaking down, from a writer's perspective, what made it successful and, in these podcasters opinions, unsuccessful as an adaptation.   TWIW: Voice in screenwriting is about pacing, and here's why.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the live action adaptation of LILO & STITCH, breaking down writer and director choices that helped launch it into massive numbers at the box office and that, in these podcasters opinions, makes it the most successful live action Disney adaptation yet!    TWIW: Josh thinks he can be a detective after writing one, and Tasha gets notes that she's a boring...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman have just been side-lined by sicknesses and Tasha is recently back from a month on the road. It's time to talk about how to keep writing during unexpected obstacles. Inertia in the right direction is important, but Life can get in the way. Let's talk practical, real ways to keep going during tough times.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the...

Hosts Tasha Huo & Josh Hallman discuss a blog post by Final Draft about 5 Ways to stretch your Screenwriting muscles every day so you never lose writing momentum, even on days you don't feel like writing.   Questions / Comments:  ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

Summer movies are out! And it's time to see if you're excited about what Hollywood has to offer in June! Some surprises, and some long-awaited blockbusters. What will you be seeing this June?   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discover a list of top tips for aspiring Screenwriters, according to the New York Film Academy . They disagree fundamentally with some tips, and expound on the practicality of others in the real world. There is advice for up & coming Screenwriters everywhere. Tasha and Josh help translate that advice into real-life scenarios and uses.   TWIW: Outlining as a sur...

Host Tasha Huo rants about her oversized sketchpad and the different ways she's used it to help break multiple script ideas. She answers listener questions on using the sketchpad, and, really, just won't shut up about the sketchpad.   TWIW: What would Tasha's greatest betrayal of Josh be? / Don't sleep on The Accountant and The Accountant 2   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by...

Not everything you see on screen was in the script. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down 8 famous improvised movie moments - what made them work, how they changed the scene, and what screenwriters can learn from embracing spontaneity. Questions or comments? Hit us up at ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist.

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dig into the importance of: Knowing Your Story. As screenwriters, we all get notes that make us question everything - is the story different now? Is it better? Or just... different? Tasha and Josh break down knowing your characters and ways to stay grounded when the note floodgates open. Plus: Are You Excited?! Questions or comments? Hit us up at ActTwoWriters@gmai...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about self-talk, the kind that holds us back, and the kind that pushes us forward. How do we recognize and manage those self-destructive thoughts, and how do we start talking kinder to ourselves as writers.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss a hotly debated topic -- writing for an audience (it's not what you think it is). What does it mean to think about the audience when you write a scene and how do you do without compromising your vision as a writer.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist