OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East

Host T Cooper is joined by Ron Nyswaner to discuss having the confidence to push Hollywood's boundaries, staying flexible during the unpredictable reality of being on a TV set, telling authentic LGBTQ+ stories without always centering suffering, and more. Ron Nyswaner is the 2024 recipient of the WGA East's Walter Bernstein Award, and creator of the Showtime series Fellow Travelers . He is known f...

Host Greg Iwinski is joined by CBS New York writer-producer Kathy McGee and CBS Chicago writer-producer Beth Godvik for a conversation about their work in the Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News sector. They discuss the winding paths that make a career, trusting your instincts in a fast-paced news environment, and keeping up with a constantly evolving media landscape. Kathy McGee is a news writer-produ...

Host Geri Cole sits down with documentarian John Wilson to discuss How To choose episode titles that will make for good stories, How To make your writers room feel like a therapy session, How To find serendipitous interview subjects, and more. John Wilson is a New York City-based documentary filmmaker known for creating and hosting the acclaimed comedy-docuseries, How To with John Wilson . How To...

To kick off a brand new season, host Taffy Brodesser-Akner sits down with Succession creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong to discuss how he staffed and ran his writers' room, the importance of maintaining distance and perspective in your artistic endeavors, what's next for Jesse now that Succession is over, and much more. Jesse Armstrong is a screenwriter, showrunner, and producer known for his...

Host Alison Herman talks to writer-director Sarah Polley about finding a balance between reality and allegory in a film adapted from a fictional novel based on true events, how her process has changed since becoming a parent and recovering from a head injury, what writing (and rewriting) this film taught her about rigor, and much more. Sarah Polley a writer, director, and actor. She wrote and dire...

Alison Herman hands it over to guest moderator Judd Apatow for a live conversation with Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner about their latest collaboration, THE FABELMANS. Steven Spielberg a screenwriter, director, producer, and studio executive. In a career spanning over four decades, Spielberg has directed nearly three dozen feature films and written or cowritten the screenplays for four. His dir...

Host Greg Iwinski talks to Tony Gilroy about ANDOR, how his music career influenced his work as a screenwriter, why empathy is the key to imagination, the similarities between being a showrunner and a dairy farmer, and more. Tony Gilroy is a writer, director, and showrunner known for his numerous screenplays, including THE CUTTING EDGE, the JASON BOURNE franchise, and his 2007 acclaimed directoria...

Host Alison Herman talks to David Magee about writing three films that were released in the same year, adaptation as a form of translation, exploring the deeper cause of pain and bitterness in both Chatterley and Otto, and much more. David Magee is the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of FINDING NEVERLAND, THE LIFE OF PI, MARY POPPINS RETURNS and many more. His credits in 2022 include an impre...

Host Alison Herman talks to Sharon Horgan about how she kept her stories straight when writing across two timelines, her tips for pitching a project, the universal ideas at the heart of a story about four sisters failing spectacularly at attempting murder, and more. Sharon Horgan is an acclaimed writer, actress, producer, and director, best known for her multiple award-winning sitcom CATASTROPHE, ...

Host  Greg Iwinski  talks to  Ryan Coogler  and  Joe Robert Cole  about their collaboration process for BLACK PANTHER and BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER, rewriting a screenplay while – and as part of – grieving, space-saving ways to write a half-dozen languages into your script, and more. Ryan Coogler is a writer-director whose credits include the 2013 biopic FRUITVALE STATION and the CREED franch...

Host Greg Iwinski talks to Rian Johnson about his latest project, the rich tradition of destination vacation murder mysteries, the joys of the theatrical experience, and the value of a good notebook. Rian Johnson is a writer and director who made his feature film debut with the 2005 neo-noir mystery BRICK. He went on to write and direct several critically acclaimed films, including the caper drame...

Host Alison Herman talks to writer and director Noah Baumbach about the adaptation process, how his frequent collaborators influence and inform his work, and much more. Noah Baumbach is the writer/co-writer and director of more than a dozen feature films, starting with KICKING AND SCREAMING in 1995. His 2005 film THE SQUID AND THE WHALE and his 2020 film MARRIAGE STORY were both nominated for the...

Host Katie Rich talks to TOONING OUT THE NEWS co-creator and showrunner RJ Fried about how animation can help us address uncomfortable subjects, the challenges of covering topical issues on a streaming platform, and his transition from professional hockey player to professional writer. RJ Fried is a writer and performer. He co-created OUR CARTOON PRESIDENT, was the head writer on PROBLEMATIC WITH...

Host Alison Herman is joined by Lena Dunham to talk about the challenges of adaptation, the impact of success at an early age, discovering a love for outlining, and how it all comes back to the writing. Lena Dunham is the writer and director of several feature films, including TINY FURNITURE and SHARP STICK, as well as the creator and star of the acclaimed HBO series GIRLS. Most recently, she is t...

Host Alison Herman talks to THE MENU co-writers Will Tracy and Seth Reiss about the transition from satirical newspaper to late-night to feature writing, finding humor in sadness, the shared qualities between restaurant kitchens and writing rooms, and much more. Will Tracy and Seth Reiss are veterans of late-night shows like LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER and LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS, and b...

Host Marina Fang is joined by SHE SAID screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz to discuss the process of collaborating with Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, how screenwriting compares to the world of theater, creating a realistic depiction of journalism on screen, the importance of giving a voice to survivors, and more. Rebecca Lenkiewicz is a screenwriter and playwright. Her plays have been performed in Lon...

Host Alison Herman talks to writer and director James Gray about his upbringing as a secular Jew in Queens, attempting to empathize with Maryanne Trump, the purpose of art in encouraging empathy across class and racial lines, and more. James Gray is the writer and director of eight feature films, beginning with his 1999 debut LITTLE ODESSA, as well as films like the 2007 crime thriller WE OWN THE...

Host Alison Herman talks to writer and director David O. Russell about themes like love and loyalty in AMSTERDAM, his long collaboration with actors like Christian Bale, his real life work with organizations like Ghetto Film School to increase representation in Hollywood, and more. David O. Russell is a writer and director known for films like THE FIGHTER, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, AMERICAN HUSTLE,...

Host Marina Fang talks to Jessica Knoll about the extensive process of adapting her own book, how her personal experiences shaped the film, why Gillian Flynn is her guiding light, and so much more. Jessica Knoll is a screenwriter and novelist known for her thrillers Luckiest Girl Alive , and The Favorite Sister . In 2021, she was named a screenwriter to watch by Variety, and in 2019 her original s...

Host Greg Iwinski talks to Greg Mottola about leaning into the absurdity of the everyday, bringing a 70s-era whodunnit into the 21st century, our rediscovered love of murder mysteries, and much more. Writer and director Greg Mottola began his career with his 1996 indie dramedy film THE DAYTRIPPERS, for which he received a Golden Camera nomination at the Cannes Film Festival for best first feature...

Host Alison Herman talks to OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH showrunner David Jenkins about the creative freedoms that come with a virtual writer's room, why the true story of pirates Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard makes the most sense as a romance, the labor implications of ratings transparency in the streaming age, and much more. David Jenkins is a television writer, showrunner, producer, and playwright. He's...

Host Marina Fang talks to Phoebe Robinson —the creator, writer, and star of EVERYTHING'S TRASH—about the experience of writing "TV Phoebe," balancing studio notes with your creative vision, the importance of portraying realistic New York City living, and much more. Phoebe Robinson is a writer, comedian, and actress known for her work as the co-creator and co-star of the hit podcast-turned-HBO seri...

Host Greg Iwinski is joined by Late Night's Seth Meyers to talk about the spirit of 12:30 and how a diverse writing staff is essential to success – and to take a closer look at A Closer Look. Seth Meyers is a writer, comedian, and author known for his work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and as the host/writer of NBC's LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS. He was named one of the 2014 TIME 100, Time magazine's 100...

Host Greg Iwinski talks to Ziwe , creator, host, and writer of the comedy-variety sketch series ZIWE, about coming up in the Chicago comedy scene, the importance of Stephen Colbert's White House Correspondents dinner speech, and how she puts together the show, the writers' room, and its voice. Ziwe'a current project is the comedy-variety sketch series ZIWE, now in its second season on Showtime. Th...

Host Marina Fang talks to Joel Kim Booster , writer and co-star of FIRE ISLAND, about the film's Austenian origins, the boundaries between real-life and fiction throughout the writing process, and navigating issues of racial and sexual representation and the intersections of privilege. This episode is presented by the WGAE's Asian-American and LGBTQ+ Salons, in partnership with The Lower East Side...