Act Two Podcast

So, you finished a draft of your script. Congratufreakinglations! First, go celebrate! Then, come back and listen to this episode before you start revising, as hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman are here to take you through different ways to approach your revisions. From outlines to "Game Plans", they talk about all the ways you can dive into revisions and what's worked best for them over the years....

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman each choose one favorite movie hero and one villain then discuss how they are setup and developed across the movie, and why they are effective. There is much to learn from the genius of others.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Pitching is terrible. Pitching for a rewrite job is particularly tricky and terrible. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Do's and Don'ts of pitching rewrites, and also the red flags to be aware of before you spend your precious time engaging on a rewrite opportunity.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss all things MacGuffins! One of Josh's absolute favorite things, but they're sometimes looked at as a cheat in Screenplays -- What are they? When should you use them? Are they cheating? When don't they work? Did we mention that Josh loves MacGuffins?   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk with Screenwriter Mickey Fisher - creator of TV series EXTANT (CBS), REVERIE (NBC). He also worked on MARS (NatGeo), THE STRAIN (FX), and JACK RYAN (Amazon). We discuss how Mickey broke in, process, and creativity. He's a great person, and it's a great conversation...     Subscribe to Mickey's newsletter: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/mickeyfisher73   Questi...

Season 3 is here! Welcome to 2022. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about setting writing goals and how to manage them. The beginning of the year is a great time to map out how you want things to go, it's easy (and good) to get overly ambitious with your goals. We talk about the practical ways you can approach everything.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the great Paul...

It's the final episode of 2021! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman wonder if writers should take a break from writing over the holidays. Should we recharge or power through? Sit back, relax, and enjoy the end of season 2...   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Home Alone has a perfect setup, and Home Sweet Home Alone is probably a lot better than you think. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dive into the beginnings of both movies to discuss character, plot, and how small moments turn to big things.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Which DIE HARD movie is your favorite? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman will go to their graves believing DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE is the best in the series, but here they go up against Special Guest David Levinson who goes to the mat for The OG DIE HARD. Who’s right, who’s wrong? Watch the movie then follow along as they break down the three acts of DIE HARD 3 to find out what its secrets are, h...

One of the most difficult things for a Screenwriter is figuring out how to work with your Execs. They pay you, so are they your boss? They can veto your choices (because they're paying you), so should you just do what they say? What should the dynamic between a Writer and a Producer look like? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman speak with a Producer about real-life Writer/Producer scenarios that hav...

This Week in Writing wherein host Josh Hallman has a breakthrough in how to break story, reveals part of his process that makes him look like a crazy man, and takes notes from a lawyer about the “art of persuasion”; and wherein host Tasha Huo has to pitch someone who doesn’t react and handles it by over-compensating, and learns about a very hidden “note behind the note” in her latest studio notes...

Holidays are here, and it’s time to panic about what to get your reps. Freak out no more! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman give some great gift ideas, and share some insider info from reps themselves on what gifts they are actually looking for this year.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Action is its own unique writing skill and different masters craft their action differently. That's why, in this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dive into the specific writing techniques used by some of the best action writers in the business, including Derek Kolstad, James Cameron and Shane Black.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

If you are a working Screenwriter, you will receive Submissions from Producers as a regular part of your job. Screenwriters Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how to handle those submissions, what producers are expecting of you when they submit to you, and how to succeed in the submission game.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman chime in on some of the most hotly-debated topics on Screenwriting Twitter going on right now.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman surprise each other with popular Film prompts that they have to, on the spot, pitch as a TV show. It's an exercise in how to think about adaptation, about the difference between TV and Film, and how to jumpstart the idea process when thinking about your own original TV ideas. How would YOU adapt your favorite movie as a TV show?   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss where they get their ideas and inspiration from, what tricks they use in Act Two, and how to start asking more questions about your world to get the brain juices flowing.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

To write for free or not to write for free, that is the oft-asked Screenwriter’s question. So, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss situations in their own careers when they’ve been asked to do free work, what that looked like and why they did it. They also discuss the various ways free work can come up for Screenwriters, and debate whether writers should or should not engage.   Questions/Comm...

Austin Film Festival 2021 runs from October 21 - 28, so host Tasha Huo chats with co-host Josh Hallman who has been to AFF twice. First in 2014, when he won the Fade to Black Award for his action-comedy I F****d James Bond and also met his Agent, and again in 2019 with his festival favorite short, Robu (now available on YouTube starring Emmy winner, Jharrel Jerome). Act Two’s resident expert on AF...

Host Josh Hallman makes co-host Tasha Huo tell the story of how she became a Showrunner on TOMB RAIDER: THE ANIMATED SERIES, what the job entails, what surprises there were, and steps writers can take to prepare for the job.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Sit down with hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman as they chat about a new slew of real-life problems and complications that have come up for Screenwriters working in the industry right now, and how the Screenwriter overcame them.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Knowing how to break your ideas and scripts into Notecards can be an extremely valuable tool in your writer’s tool chest, and is key to understanding a career in TV development. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman get into the nitty gritty of what developing with Notecards looks like, lessons they’ve learned about the process, and how to make them useful in your own Screenwriting car...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss a topic every screenwriter loves... your reps! Specifically, how to maintain a good relationship with your reps and what a working relationship looks like. This episode is a companion piece to a previous episode, which you can find here: How to have a good relationship with your reps.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist...

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman dish on their week in Screenwriting, including writing advice from an Emmy-award winning casting director, how writing a fan letter to an author could lead to a job, what happens when you get a note you don't want to address, and more!   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman hang out with September Act Two Mentor, Mr. Monty Bennett, to discuss the daily life of a staff writer in a TV room. They share stories on everything from when you're expected to file in for the day, what's the snack situation, room politics, and how to pitch a good idea.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com   Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg