Emerging: How to Eventually Make it in Film & TV

If like us, you need more John Jackson in your life, here's a whole extra half an hour with your new favourite working TV writer, as we cover everything from specific advice for emerging writers, to why sports movies are just THE BEST. And as before, if you want to keep up with John, he's @johnjackson5412 on Instagram, and EAST, the network we talk about which John co-founded to support British Ea...

This week we're going all-in on longevity as we sit down with the exceedingly successful John Jackson, a true journeyman TV writer with credits stretching back 25 years, on everything from Being Human, to Robin Hood, FX's Trust and Sky's Riviera. It's one thing to get those early credits, it's another to keep your head in the game for as long as John has, and this episode is FULL of exciting littl...

More great advice from our new favourite agent Jack Gilchrist, as we dive into the Last Call and get very specific about query emails, School of Rock and why more creatives should have grown up on Disney Channel original movies. If we didn't answer it in the main episode, we almost certainly cover it here - we well and truly rinsed Jack's brain. 📬 Get In Touch: Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail....

After talking about our preferences and the challenges of getting an agent last week (and for a good year prior), today we've actually managed to corner one to answer all of our questions directly - so please welcome the exceedingly lovely, exceedingly patient Jack Gilchrist, an agent at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates here in the UK! How do agents realise they want to be agents? How do agents *...

We've been talking about looking for agents for as long as we've been writing, but with the British industry where it is right now, we've started asking ourselves - do we actually need an agent to progress? The answer is obviously, pretty complicated, so here's a solid hour of back and forth about not just that, but what our ideal agent would look like, and how best to approach the good ones. This...

We all need more Louis in our life, so here's another bonus chunk of our elongated chat with the very exciting emerging filmmaker as we take him through the Last Call. From how long your short should probably be if you want to get a festival selection (from the guy who's been to LFF, Raindance and the others!) to why no one cares how much dust is on the table in your script, Louis spills A LOT of...

An episode a long time in the making - today we're (finally) joined by the ridiculously exciting writer, director, Martin collaborator and true Simpsons connoisseur Louis Chan, one of the most name-dropped creatives in Emerging history! Louis guides us through not only his wiggly career making (very very good and very very celebrated) shorts, but also how he found the energy and nerve it took to g...

Have you taken any time off recently? Well, this week we finally are. And rather than leaving you with a big ol' blank nothing where an episode should be, we're digging through the archives (60+ episodes, we have archives now) and finding something that fits the vibe just perfectly. So here's a throwback to last year when we covered this exact topic - do we need to write every day? Taking time off...

If an hour and a bit wasn't enough Janice for your ears, here's a whole bonus 20 minutes with the brilliant Janice Okoh, as we walk her through the Last Call. Even more laughs, even more candid home truths from one of the UK's most exciting writers! Naturally Tray's connection failed as we got to the final hurdle so we lose him in this bonus ep, but stay tuned for some killer answers and even more...

The absolute gold standard of writing guests in today's episode, as we welcome hugely celebrated playwright AND the BAFTA winning creator of BBC's Just Act Normal, Janice Okoh, for a very candid chat about breaking through in a bumpy industry. Janice has done it all, from early radio commissions at Radio 4 to staging her own plays, getting a book deal and even getting fired from her episode of Cas...

And so we reach the marathon of all screenwriting undertakings - the original, arguably the most fun, but certainly the most complex - the feature film. Why is it so hard? Why does it take forever to make it through Act Two? And how do you make it through the whole thing without tossing the entire script out of the digital window because it's just not very good (yet)? In the third and final part o...

TV Pilots are arguably the best bang for your buck as an emerging writer - shorter, lower stakes, highly unlikely to get made anyway, and every competition is positively frothing at the mouth for them. But how does writing an episode of TV differ from writing a feature film? And how does writing specifically a pilot script for your own show differ from writing other TV? In the next on our series a...

It's one of Martin's favourite bits of advice - go off and make a short. But how do you even begin to start? What makes writing a short film totally different (and arguably, far more flexible) than writing a TV pilot or a feature? Well, in the first of a lil trilogy of episodes about how we approach different mediums, we're digging deep into exactly that. You've got an idea for a short film, now w...

Look at this - a whole extra 25 minutes with the supremely talented Hong Kong-born writer-director Calif Chong! We take Calif through the Last Call, learn all about the history of Stephen Chow, the most useful takeaways from Blake Snyder's Save the Cat AND how those creative goalposts are always moving, even after you've made your first feature. As with her full episode, Calif's incredibly wise an...

I know we always say it whenever we have a guest on, but seriously, get ready for a true MASTERCLASS in today's episode from Calif Chong, a Hong Kong born writer-director who started in-house at HK's legendary TVB, before moving across the world to London (via Berlin), eventually making her first feature High Wire, which premiered at last year's BFI London Film Festival. Calif is incredibly genero...

Being original can feel like the most important thing in the world for a writer, but look around - most things aren't anymore. And while we're not saying rip off Hacks, or resign yourself to never having a truly novel idea ever again, it's important to not let the quest for originality get in the way of actually making stuff. It's your voice and your perspective that's important. So let's talk abo...

So many writers suffer from imposter syndrome, especially us Brits, it's hard to feel like you belong in an industry that doesn't feel like it's built for any of us. So we asked our resident American Mr Tray Epps to help break it down; where does he find his confidence, and how exactly does one "fake it til you make it"? Cue also a little bit of important tough love. This episode also features the...

Sometimes the best way to learn how to write is to read how other people have done it. And we don't just mean the pros. We spend a lot of time reading each others work, scripts from friends, and the absolute smorgasbord of unproduced screenplays floating around on the internet, on top of the regular funnel of 'For Your Consideration' writing released every awards season. But what's the best way to...

Spring is finally here, and it's been a very busy Q1 for a bunch of different reasons; Martin's on a new scheme, Tray's spreading his networking wings, and Ben's producing(!), we're a long way from where we were a few months ago. But what does that mean for our writing resolutions? Staying on track with your goals can be hard - we set each other some pretty hefty resolutions back at the start of 2...

The podcast is a whole year old! And even though Martin refuses to admit it, it's definitely had a big impact on the way we approach our writing and networking. So this week we're looking back - not in a clip show way, but in a reflective way - and chatting through what we've learned, how we've changed and how the show has managed to re-shape us as writers. As a bonus, we also reached out to our p...

As the Oscars and BAFTAs pass us all by once again, we're digging into awards season as a whole and the very concept of awards full stop. Do they matter? Is it actually the best films that win? How do you judge if something should win an award for writing? And will WE ever actually win one? Not only are we going through the Best Screenplay nominees and winners, we're also taking a look at our favo...

One final last 20 minute dive into the mind of fantastic filmmaker Yuan Hu, as we take him through the Last Call and he takes us through his best and worst creative advice, how to find motivation as a writer with inspiration from David Lynch, and why Paul Thomas Anderson is the GOAT. You can find Yuan on Instagram as @yuanwho, and watch his incredible work on his website yuan-hu[dot]com. Look out...

The second part of our long, wisdom-filled chat with filmmaker Yuan Hu leaves Spike Lee behind in favour of going deep into the development process. After nailing his first short and scoring an agent, Yuan soon found himself developing a feature film with Film4, so here he is explaining how it works. From that first meeting with the Film4 execs, to how long it took to build out the film's treatmen...

I know we always say it, but this week you really are in for a treat - celebrated director and reluctant writer Yuan Hu joins us for a fun deep dive into what's quickly become a very exciting career for him. First making commercial films for huge fashion brands and musicians like Little Simz, before a swift handbrake turn into narrative with short Sticks of Fury, which was immediately swiped up by...

In maybe our most meta episode to date, this week we start procrastinating while talking about every writer's worst enemy - procrastination. It happens to us all, and sometimes it is unavoidable. So let's talk ways to not only understand why it's happening, but how to embrace procrastination too. Distractions are everywhere, and controversially, sometimes you need them (except when a deadline is l...