Happier in Hollywood

Liz and Sarah answer more Listener Questions! Do they ever write just for fun? If they were Queens for a day, what small change would they implement to make the world a happier place? How do they handle gender bias in Hollywood? Has Liz set up her treadmill desk yet? And more! If you want to order a Happier In Hollywood rainbow Silipint travel cup with lid, email happierinhollywood@gmail.com for m...

Liz and Sarah dive into Listener Questions. What is “good writing?” Do they have any “painfully blunt” advice about breaking into TV over the next couple of years? How was Sarah’s road trip to Minnesota — did she use the portable toilet she bought? And so many more... If you want to order a Happier In Hollywood rainbow Silipint travel cup with lid, email happierinhollywood@gmail.com for more infor...

Liz and Sarah talk to director Dr. Rachel Raimist (Queen Sugar, Roswell New Mexico) about how she’s shooting safely during the time of Covid-19. What exactly are “color coded pod sets” anyway? In The Craft (And Fain), they reveal one of the key factors they use to determine their interest in a potential TV project. Does it pass the “Do We Want To Talk About It” test? This week’s Hollywood Hack is...

Liz and Sarah realize that they need to pay attention to whether their goals are in alignment with how they’re spending their time. It’s easy for all of us to get caught up in tasks and projects that don’t take us where we ultimately want to go. In Take A Hike, they discuss why “catastrophizing” is always a huge waste of time. Then they Amplify The Spinster Diaries, a new novel by TV writer Gina F...

Good news! Liz and Sarah are selling their Happier In Hollywood rainbow Silipint travel cups again. Just email happierinhollywood@gmail.com to order ($25 including shipping). In From The Treadmills Desks Of, they discuss why the timeliness of a project is more important than ever before. Then Liz and Sarah do a Take Two about pulling the ripcord. Turns out a lot of our listeners have done it — and...

Liz and Sarah try to envision work and the workplace post Covid-19. On the plus side, they expect less traffic and to save on dry cleaning. The downside? It may be harder to make friends at work. In Take A Hike, they remind themselves to “remember the Mah Jongg card.” At first it’s just a confusing jumble of symbols, but over time it all begins to make sense — like so many things in life. This wee...

Liz and Sarah discuss how we can all improve their our mental flexibility during this global pandemic. One tip? Tweak your routine. In their new Amplify segment, they talk to up-and-coming TV writers Jackie Decembly and Jerrica Long about their Hollywood Reporter piece, “How to Broach Race When You’re Not the Most Powerful Person in the Writers Room.” Jerrica’s advice: Don’t call people out. Call...

Liz and Sarah discuss challenging works situations. When do you stick it out, and when do you pull the ripcord and escape? In Take A Hike, they explore the beauty of an “unexpected interlude,” and Sarah reveals the unexpected interlude she has coming up in her own life. Hint: There’s a lake involved. They also answer a Mailroom question about how NOT to freeze up in a pitch. This week’s Hollywood...

Liz and Sarah discuss their decision to believe in a positive post-Covid future in their work — and how they’re also trying to apply that belief in real life. Then, in their new Amplify segment, Liz suggests everyone listen to an episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast in which former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay (the sole Black lead of the franchise in forty seasons) discusses racism both behin...

Liz and Sarah strategize about how they can make space to be creative in this pivotal historical moment. Then they introduce a new segment — Amplify — in which they amplify the voices and work of women and people of color. In the Mailroom Segment, Liz and Sarah answer a question about the real life houses used in television shows. Finally, this week’s Hollywood Hack will help you be a better liste...

Liz and Sarah talk to Jeanette Volturno of Catchlight Films and Julie Harris Walker of Catch A Break Podcast about how they’re working to make Hollywood more diverse. One promising tool: Crewvie — a worldwide application database for sharing and sourcing qualified crew and production support for film and TV. Jeanette and Julie also talk about their podcast, Catch A Break, which educates people on...

Note: This episode was recorded before the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer led to nation-wide protests. We stand with the African-American community and believe black lives matter. Liz and Sarah relearn a lesson they’ve learned before. It’s time to take control of their career! Spec pilot, here they come. In Take Two, listeners offer suggestions about how Sarah can “choose a...

Sarah gives a shout out to all the truck drivers who made her grueling RV drive to Kansas City and back better and safer. Then Liz and Sarah talk to iconic labor leader and activist, Dolores Huerta, about her decades long fight for social justice. At ninety years old, is she finally able to relax? The answer is absolutely not. This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from Everything Happens host, Kate Bow...

Liz and Sarah discuss the need to get their personal situations in order so that they can more effectively focus on work during this global pandemic. Sarah’s solution to her childcare issue? Renting an RV to go pick up her step-mother, Anna, in Kansas City! In Hits & Bombs, Liz and Sarah give a shared Hit to Satellite Sister, Lian Dolan, for her new book, The Sweeney Sisters. They also give a shar...

Liz and Sarah talk to their new manager, Dianne Fraser, about exactly what a manager does, how managers are different from agents, and how aspiring writers can get a manager of their own. Pro tip? Follow up a query email with a call to the office. In Take A Hike, Sarah reveals her desire to “choose the smaller life” during this global pandemic. This week’s Hollywood Hack will help fight Zoom fatig...

Liz and Sarah have their minds blown by Emmy-nominated Costume Designer, Allyson Fanger, who says dressing for Zoom meetings isn’t just about what you wear. It’s also about what else is in the frame. Pro tips? Production design your space, wear a shirt with a collar, and choose bold glasses. This week’s Take A Hike comes from Sarah’s daughter, Violet: take comfort in the notion of “eventually.” Fi...

Liz and Sarah are answering your questions — and they’re answering them fast! What’s their favorite part of writing for television? When an actor gets an Executive Producer credit... what does that mean exactly? Will the current situation make it easier or harder for unrepresented writers to get hired? Are spec scripts still a thing? What will happen during the pandemic once networks run out of sh...

Sarah shares her Covid-19 mantra: Does this matter? Liz’s is “closer, stronger, lighter.“ Then Liz and Sarah discuss how living through this extraordinary time is — surprisingly — making them want to take more professional risks. Is it finally time to “ride the dragon?” In The Craft (And Fain), they explore what makes a good idea good. The five elements: clarity, specificity, dynamics, legs, and r...

Liz and Sarah reveal big news — they have representation. But they decided not to get an agent. Instead, they signed with badass manager, Dianne Fraser of Industry Entertainment! Now they have an all-female team — woot! In Take A Hike, Liz and Sarah talk to internist and board certified physician nutrition specialist, Dr. Melina Jampolis, about how we can use the food in our refrigerators and the...

Violet visits Happier In Hollywood to talk about being “safer at home” from a kid’s point of view. Then Liz and Sarah talk to author and host of Side Hustle School, Chris Guillebeau, about his new book The Money Tree. Chris says there’s money in your own backyard, and he challenges all of us to find it. In Hits & Bombs, Sarah gives herself a survival hit and Liz gives herself a writing bomb. This...

Covid-19 has changed our lives in big ways — and small. Sarah and Liz share some small, unexpected changes in their routines since they’ve been “safer at home.” Sarah gave up coffee — accidentally! Then they talk to fellow TV writer, Sarah Watson, about what it was like to have her Fox pilot shut down due to Covid-19. She went from producing a pilot and promoting her first novel, MOST LIKELY, to.....

Note: This episode was recorded before life changed dramatically due to the Covid-19 virus. Following up on their discussion about whether to get an agent, Sarah and Liz share an email from a listener who has a definite opinion. Then they outline how they’ve maximized their work hikes by instituting best practices. Most important? Stop to take notes. In Take A Hike, they share big news about the H...

In the last two weeks, our world has turned upside down. Social distancing, remote learning, and WFH are now the new reality. Liz and Sarah talk to parenting expert Audrey Monke from the Sunshine Parenting podcast about how to stay positive and in the moment during an uncertain and frightening time. As owner of one of the top summer camps in the country for over thirty years, Audrey has spent her...

Note: This episode was recorded before life changed dramatically due to the Covid-19 virus.  Liz and Sarah follow up on their discussion about Schrodinger’s Cat (Episode 147). Some listener cats: IVF, college admissions, and moving. Then they talk about why we should all Seize The Day in work and life. In From The Treadmill Desks Of, they discuss why saying something RIGHT AWAY makes all the diffe...

With so many irons in the fire, Liz and Sarah decide to try time blocking. Will task batching and day theming keep them on track? (We shall see...) Then, in Hollywood Jobs, they talk to JuVee Productions Creative TV Executive Karen Frost about her career trajectory and why being an agent’s assistant helped her get where she is today. Karen also shares how she co-founded WOC Hikes, a regular networ...