39 Minute Conversations

In the season 1 finale, we come full circle! Dennis Curlett , the very first guest of the pod, comes back to guest host and interview screenwriter, actor, comedian, and your usual host Brian T. Arnold ( 39 Minute Conversations! Brian P. Arnold in Paradox Lost , a film by Dennis Curlett! ) Listen to us talk about where this podcast came from and why Brian is taking a break from it, the joys and fru...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with filmmaker, editor, and assistant editor Jessica Perlman Jessica Perlman (Breathing Underwater! Bojack Horseman! I Think You Should Leave!)* Listen to us talk about growing up a child of deaf adults and how the visual language of ASL translated to her filmmaking style, joining the editorial teams of some of her favorite shows, what...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer Geri Carillo (Walker! The CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase!)* Listen to us talk about the camaraderie of the picket lines, how she got her first writing job, her advice for up-and-coming writers, their shared time writing for the CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase, and much more! You can follow Geri on Instagram at @gericari! *For t...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer and art director Dana Braziel-Solovy (Adventures of a Comic Con Girl! Wandavision! CSI: Vegas!) Listen to us talk about her adventures on the picket line, designing and selling shirts to support the Entertainment Community Fund, the importance of television as an escape in difficult times, our shared love for the Teamsters'...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with award-winning writer, director, and podcaster Becca Roth (Margo & Perry! Lenses! They Thought I Was You!) Listen to us talk about how the pandemic blew up Becca's life and led to her move to Los Angeles, how improv made us better writers, making documentaries, what prompted her to host a podcast examining the film and Mary Kate...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer and WGA Strike Captain Jasmyne Peck (Kevin Can F*ck Himself! Love, Victor!) Listen to us rank the all-time best West Virginians, how they started in development at Monkeypaw before becoming a professional writer, their work for The Black Film Allegience and the importance of representation in writers rooms, how film and tv c...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer and WGA Strike Captain Jackie Penn (Turner & Hooch! 4400!) Listen to us talk about when she realized she wanted to be a writer, her journey from Youngstown, Ohio to working in television, rising from PA to Writers PA to Writers Assistant to Staff Writer and how important that pipeline is for up-and-coming writers, findin...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with Emmy-winning writer Mark Blutman (Boy Meets World! Girl Meets World! Ghostwriter!) Listen to us talk about why this strike is angrier than 2007's, how writers have been devalued in Hollywood, the problem with pitch decks, mentoring Pre-WGA writers, the magic of show business and how it's at risk of being destroyed, the legacy and i...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with two-time Emmy-winning late-night comedy writer Greg Iwinski (The Late Show! Last Week Tonight! Game Theory!) He's also on the council of the WGA East and the 2023 Negotiating Committee. Listen to us talk about what it's like being in the room for the contract negotiations, how Silicon Valley is trying to turn our industry into gig...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer and comedian Brittani Nichols (Abbott Elementary! A Black Lady Sketch Show! Suicide Kale!) Listen to us talk about how her Twitter thread about the issues facing TV writers, especially writers of color and from underrepresented backgrounds, went viral, having to repeat levels as a TV writer, what it's like coordinating strik...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer, producer, and showrunner David Slack (APB! MacGyver! Magnum PI! Person of Interest!) Listen to us talk about being on the picket lines of the WGA strike, the differences between this strike and the strike in 2007, being a former member of the WGA West board and the WGA Negotiating Committee, the importance of union solidari...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer/director Katie White (NCIS! Coat Room! Treading Water!) Listen to us talk about being on the picket lines of the WGA strike, the commodification of film and tv as an art form, how the creators of Better Call Saul helped restore her faith in the industry, what she's learned directing her own short films, and much more! You ca...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with host, actor, and comedian Hector Navarro (Heroes Reforged! Nerdist News!) Listen to us talk about our time studying at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Hector's etiquette for approaching celebrities, how he turned his passion into his career, dealing with hateful, racist internet comments, how white supremacy is at the root of...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer, actress, and comedian Madeleine Hernandez (The Owl House!) Listen to us talk about when she realized she wanted to be a writer/performer, going from a character performer at Disneyland to writing for a Disney Channel show, coming up as an apprentice writer, the connection The Owl House has with its fans, her unequivocal lov...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer, director, and comedian Kerry O'Neill (Jury Duty! Murderville! Bea At Rehab!) Listen to us talk about interning at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater together when we were LA babies, how she broke in as a TV writer, the importance of collaboration, directing her own shorts, how writing drama made her a better comedy writer...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with screenwriter Tripper Clancy (Stuber! Die Hart! Die Hart 2!) Listen to us talk about our similar screenwriting origin stories and how Script Pipeline helped launch both of our careers, the importance of writing your "fuck it" script, working with Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista on Stuber, Die Hart's interesting and perilous journe...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with actress Angela Lin (Law & Order: Organized Crime! Little America! Made For Love!). Listen to us talk about finding musical theater and acting after immigrating to America as a child, attending Carnegie Mellon and studying alongside Leslie Odom Jr, Josh Gad, and Josh Groban, acting on Broadway in Chinglish, how acting in Little...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with screenwriter and comedian Heidi Lux (Crushed! The Casagrandes!). Listen to us talk about the highs and lows of pursuing a career in screenwriting, how she found representation and sold her movie Crushed to Tubi, how quickly Crushed came together and was released, dealing with imposter syndrome, finding your voice as a writer, how s...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with screenwriter and author Scott Myers! Scott is the author of The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling , a #1 Best Seller on Amazon. He's also written over thirty movie and TV projects at almost every major Hollywood studio and broadcast network. His screenwriting credits include K...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with Emmy-winning writer, actress, and comedian Deirdre Devlin (Robot Chicken! Final Space! LEGO Monkie Kid!) Listen to us talk about how we reconnected during the pandemic, the importance of being a little bit delusional, standing by ideas you believe in, the night she won an Emmy for Robot Chicken, her advice for up-and-coming writers...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer, director, actor, and improviser Brian James O'Connell (Bloodsucking Bastards! The Anarchist Cookbook! Dr. God!) Listen to us talk about his origins growing up in the South and attending North Carolina School of the Arts with Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Anthony Mackie & more, how Matt Berry ended up in...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer/director Thom Harp (The Donor Party! Dark Air With Terry Carnation!) Listen to us talk about his origins as a freelance DP, directing advice he got from Lynn Shelton, the long process from script to screen, how he ended up directing two movies back to back in 2022, how his new movie The Donor Party came together, what it was...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with writer and comedian Jeff Topolski (Brooklyn Nine-Nine! The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater!) Listen to us talk about how he got into improv, writing, and comedy, the path from production assistant to staff writer that doesn't exist as much these days, writing the famous Backstreet Boys cold open of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the current...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with Rhett George (Wicked! That 90s Show! Call Me Kat!), a ridiculously talented actor, singer, dancer, and Broadway performer. Listen to us talk about how his mom, a Christian singer in the Caribbean, got him started in music at a very young age, how he accidentally found himself in musical theater, being part of the original Broadway...

In this episode, Brian T. Arnold has a 39-minute conversation with Matt Joseph Misetich , senior executive and partner at Pipeline Media Group, where he oversees all divisions, including Script, Book, and Film, as well as Pipeline Artists. Listen to us talk about screenwriting contests, how Pipeline develops scripts and works with up-and-coming writers, Pipeline's strategies for getting a screenpl...