Happier in Hollywood

Liz and Sarah pay tribute to Suzanne Patmore Gibbs, the head of TriStar television, and share the many lessons they learned from her vibrant life. Then Liz and Sarah discuss their self-care getaway weekends after pilot production... and how they were sort of successful, sort of not. This week we have two Hollywood Hacks to up your selfie game: have the tallest person in the group take the selfie a...

Liz and Sarah are in post production! They discuss the crazy schedule, how they're sitting around A LOT, and the excruciating focus group testing process. In Name That Hollywood Job, ABC Studios VP of Drama Development Juan Alfonso discusses the development process. His advice to writers working with a network or studio: Don't come in with an "us vs. them" attitude. Finally, this week's Hollywood...

Liz and Sarah are on location at Hollywood Forever Cemetery! They answer a listener question about how best to support a partner going through pilot production. Then they sit down with Marcia Clark to discuss the art of collaboration -- including how it can go oh so wrong. In Name That Hollywood Job, location manager Veronique Vowell shares the creative and logistical challenges of finding just th...

Liz and Sarah discuss the things they AREN'T doing while making their pilot: showering, flossing, exercising, and dropping their kids off at school. Then in a new segment called "Name That Hollywood Job," Liz and Sarah interview Warner Brothers story analyst Sherry Carnes. What does Sherry look for in a script or book? Finally, this week's Hollywood Hack is all over the set of The Fix: the Lucky C...

Liz and Sarah report on the status of their New Year's Resolutions. So far, so good -- Sarah is living sugar-freely and Liz is weighing daily! Then they dive deep into the pilot production glossary: Swing sets, story conference, and design meeting. what are the key terms to know while doing a pilot? Finally, this week's Hollywood Hack helps you look fabulous for less: Rent the Runway!  To learn mo...

Liz and Sarah examine the pros and cons of doing a pilot in LA vs. out of town. Shooting in LA means they can sleep in their own beds and drop their kids off at school, but there's no hotel bar. Then Liz and Sarah talk to Certified Nutrition Consultant and New York Times best-selling author Diane Sanfilippo about how to avoid hidden sugar, eat whole foods while socializing, and prepare meals ahead...

As Sarah and Liz prepare to shoot their pilot, Sarah reveals everything that’s in her set bag: snacks, keys, glasses, and even rain pants! Then Liz and Sarah check in with their assistant and pilot virgin Mary to hear what she’s learned so far during the pilot process — be meticulous about everything you write, revise the script to fit within the budget, and be aware of clearances. This week’s mea...

It's pilot production time! As Liz and Sarah prepare to shoot their pilot for ABC, The Fix, they share their hiring philosophy: "Volunteers, Not Recruits!" Only hire people who WANT to be there -- not people who have to be convinced. Then they discuss how -- from the mundane to the cosmic -- timing is everything. Finally, Liz and Sarah reveal this week's old fashioned Hollywood Hack: get a library...

Liz and Sarah’s pilot got picked up by ABC! As they dive into production, they share the lessons they’ve learned on past pilots: if something is inevitable don't resist it, never test more than three roles at once, and always write in a horse because at some point you're going to be glad you have a cowboy. Then Liz and Sarah answer a listener question about why networks are all about reboots right...

Liz gets real about her fear of public speaking with speech coach extraordinaire Barbara Seymour Giordano. Barbara shares her tips on how to overcome fear and take control. She also talks about the importance of finding the love in your story. This week’s Hollywood Hack is chemical free and restores your natural hair color: Hairprint. Finally, in Hits and Bombs, Liz confesses her “hysterical femal...

Sparked by a listener email, Liz and Sarah revisit the topic of freezing your eggs. Then they discuss Hollywood producing legend Robert Evans’ advice on making it: “You learn from success, kid, not failure.” Then Sarah shares how the three tiny diamonds on a ring helped her through challenging times— professionally and personally. This week's Hollywood Hack reduces motion sickness without medicati...

Liz and Sarah discuss the rollercoaster that is pilot pick up season -- including the nail-biting anticipation that keeps them up for nights on end. In what other industry does so much ride on one phone call? Then they talk to Hollywood doctor and board certified physician nutrition specialist Melina Jampolis about her new book Spice Up, Slim Down. Who knew that adding a few spices to your diet co...

Liz and Sarah discuss the common phenomenon of over-apologizing. When SHOULD you say you're sorry? Then they debate the pros and cons of overbuying versus underbuying -- and share what compelled Sarah to buy a puppy stroller. This week's Hollywood Hack makes investing simple and easy -- the Robinhood app! Finally, Liz shares her Game of Thrones celebrity sighting: Peter Dinklage!  To learn more ab...

Liz and Sarah choose their "team word" for 2018: Expand! Liz's 6th sense tells her that this will be their best year yet. Sarah vents about the unexpected sugar bombs in her food as she embarks on her year of no sugar. She also talks about how Diane Sanfilippo's "21 Day Sugar Detox" program is helping her stay on track. This week's Hollywood Hack is good for the environment -- aluminum straws! Fin...

This episode is all about you! Liz and Sarah answer all of your pressing questions. How does Liz live with two first and last names? Where do sets go when no one's using them? How does Sarah manage her healthy lifestyle without obsessing? And more! Plus, their Assistant Mary offers advice on how to make friends in Los Angeles. (Insider Tip: start with finding an acquaintance.) Then this week's Hol...

Podcast Power! Liz and Sarah go behind the podcast curtain and talk to Panoply's Director of Nonfiction Programming and By the Book co-host Kristen Meinzer about what it takes to grow a successful podcast. Pro Tip: treat it like a college thesis. They also introduce their new assistant, Mary Mehrkens! What makes her Happier in Hollywood? Supporting her peers instead of stabbing them in the back. T...

Assistant extravaganza! We talk to our former assistant, Elysse Applebaum, about her super intense Writer's Group— there’s an admissions process. We also sit down with our very first assistant, Tony Dodds (now a successful sitcom writer) to talk about what it takes to be not just a good assistant, but a GREAT one. Tony also provides this week's Hollywood Hack: using the PDF Reader to prepare a pit...

No assholes! Liz and Sarah talk to ABC's Agents of Shield Executive Producer, Maurissa Tancharoen, about her "no asshole policy" -- and about being a high-powered, ass-kicking writer/producer, boss, and mom all while living with Lupus. One way she copes — embracing the Spoon Theory. Then Liz has a Hit this week — reading books to Jack’s class at school — and Sarah has an exercise-related Bomb. Fin...

This episode is all about change! Liz and Sarah discuss big changes in their professional lives and how they’re managing to stay (more or less) calm despite the chaos. They also reveal the changes they plan to make in 2018. Yes, it’s New Year’s Resolution time! Then, this week’s Hollywood Hack will up your selfie game: the Lumee. Finally, Sarah dishes on her bowling alley celebrity sighting. To le...

Sarah and Liz talk to former L.A. gang members Richard Cabral and Jose Arellano about their new podcast "Without Your Permission." Richard (who's now an Emmy-nominated actor) and Jose share how they survived traumatic childhoods, gang life, and years in prison, and then came out the other side through faith, hard work, and the help of the organization Homeboy Industries. Also, Liz responds to a li...

They say "writing is rewriting," and this week Liz and Sarah talk about The Bad Draft. They've finally managed to finish a draft of their pilot script, but will it ever be... good? How do they move forward and dig in to make it not just good but great? Then they talk to Young Adult author extraordinaire Melissa De La Cruz (The Descendants series, Alex & Eliza, Pride And Prejudice And Mistletoe)abo...

It's officially the holidays! Liz and Sarah discuss how they cope with working over the holidays when they'd rather be drinking cocoa and making cookies.  Pro tip -- compartmentalizing, setting boundaries, and reframing help them NOT turn into Grinches. Then Sarah and Liz debate the merits of giving business gifts.  Will they get their lawyer wine this year?  They also explain the very Hollywood c...

We’re thrilled to present Panoply’s Fall 2017 lineup of shows. They include the satirical self-improvement show “Dexter Guff is Smarter Than You (And You Can Be Too),” the creepy paranormal series “Haunted,” “Family Ghosts,” in which people play detectives in their own family mysteries, “You Must Remember Manson,” which dives into the links between Charles Manson and Hollywood, the immersive ficti...

Emmy nominated actress Jenna Fischer (The Office, Blades of Glory) talks to Liz and Sarah about her new book The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide. From headshots gone wrong, to a breakdown Pottery Barn, to finally understanding that it takes fifty no's to get one yes, Jenna's experience will help anyone trying to make it in Hollywood and beyond. Then Liz and Sarah share an update on their Facebook g...

Inspired by their Shondaland co-workers, Liz and Sarah reject the only-have-one-box approach to office space and embrace decorating. Then Sarah re-frames having to get up at 5 a.m. to write as a “Season of Sacrifice,” an approach she learned from a member of the Happier in Hollywood Facebook Group.  Liz shares how her fantasy self and real self merged into one when she went to The Promised Land! T...