Screenwriters' Rant Room

BONUS EP! In its inaugural year, Anthology IO Short Film Festival is not holding back any punches. With its premiere event in Los Angeles on March 28th, 2026.  THE TV WRITERS’ HUSTLE: ROOMS, PITCHES & STAFFING Breaking into television isn’t just about writing a great script — it’s about understanding the hustle behind the scenes. In this candid panel, working TV/Film writers ( Hilliard Guess,...

🔥In this finale episode of the season🔥 Hilliard and guest co-host writer-director Gregg Simon sat down with Showrunner-creator-director-author QUINTON PEEPLES in a super informative, 2-hour, nothing but game episode for any writer who wants to write and produce network TV.  HIGHLIGHTS:  Getting that first job and keeping it, writing TV movies and thriving through quality, why your interests help...

🔥In this episode🔥Hilliard sat down with actor, writer, producer, director ALONA TAL - star on the hit series CROSS on Amazon Prime. We talked about all sides of her skills, directing, shadowing, using your instincts, her amazing work on other network TV shows like Fire Country , drawing creativity from your tribe, how she landed the role of Det. Kayla Craig on CROSS , grueling screen tests, the...

In this BONUS ep - Hilliard sat down with FIA PERERA writer-director-producer of the new coming-of-age feature film he produced with Ryan Lacen, Janice Bergere and Tyler Musikanth on Cape Cod called MERMAID ! We talked all about producing the film from script-to-screen: development, rewrites, shooting the POC short film first, financing the feature film outside the box, crewing up a diverse crew,...

In this episode, writer-producer Hilliard Guess and guest co-host actor-writer-prod-dir Dalila Ali Rajah sit down for an educational conversation (we do talk a bit of politics in this one - FYI), with actor/writer/coach and 2026 NAACP Image Award nominee ADAM DAVENPORT , recognized in the Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism  category for his essay examining Audra McDonald’s 2025 Tony Awards per...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host TV/Film writer Saeed Crumpler sit down with actor/writer/director/producer JOHNNY RAY GILL who is currently starring as Bobby Trey on Amazon's hit series CROSS ! We talk about his role on Cross and his incredible relationship with showrunner Ben Watkins , working with the cast and crew, making choices as an actor, writing and directing award-winning...

In the spirit of GORDON PARK and PAUL ROBESON, J. David Shanks prides himself on being the contemporary renaissance man. He’s a writer, producer, and actor with aspirations of adding to his hyphenated list of industry skill sets, Director for feature films and television series. David is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. He received his MFA in Producin...

In this episode Hilliard sits down in a super informative conversation with writer, producer, author, publisher, manager James “Uncle James” Moorer and TV/Film writer, playwright, actor Lekethia Dalcoe to talk about writing our favorite genres and why, writing hybrid Horror, Sci-fi, Supernatural and Action, why genre is important to us, rules of the world and how they work, themes in genre films a...

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-hosts (award-winning playwright, tv writer, actress) Lekethia Dalcoe and (tv/film writer, actor) Rich Scott sit down for a hilarious conversation talking about “some” of our favorite Oscar picks and why we love them, as well as how we use “theme” in our writing, getting in where we fit in, and so much more! 💥SUBSCRIBE💥 if you’re se...

In this episode, Hilliard talks to five awesome, diverse, talented TV writers from the popular MENTORSHIP MATTERS WRITERS PROGRAM: Rich Scott, Renee Cunningham, Stephen Nolly, Mahalia Latortue-Pridgett and Joshua B. Kazemi! Tune in and listen to these amazing writers journeys. HIGHLIGHTS: The current climate in Hollywood and how to maneuver it, writing genre and comedy, how to pitch yourself, the...

In this episode , Hilliard and guest co-host episodic dir/producer Lisa France sat down with Brendan Foley series creator, writer, executive producer of the hit series SHERLOCK AND DAUGHTER on CW/HBO! Some highlights: We talked about this journey as a journalist and writer, the differences between working in the UK/Europe as a series creator and working in America, working on smaller budgets and h...

In this 2026 premiere episode -- Hilliard sits down with some of his favorite Fans and Mentees of the podcast — writer’s -- Dijorn & Trinea Moss, Rich Scott, Rich Redlo, Minquell Ramone, Jade Hunter Alexandriia, Brooke Baltimore, Anich D’Jae, Jacques Buckingham and Aaron Beauchamp. We had a laugh out loud, impactful discussion, rotating guests, talking about the difficult year of 2025, everyon...

In this season finale, end of the year episode, Hilliard's joined by close friends award-winning director/producer Carl Seaton , TV/Film writer Saeed Crumpler and Executive Producer Tracy Grant to talk about their plans and goals in the New Year and ways writers and filmmakers can think outside the box to grow their careers, businesses and health by making the best kinds of lifestyle changes f...

In this ep, Hilliard interviews director/producer TREY HALEY the President/Partner at Tri Destined Studios where he is responsible for the implementation of all productions within the company. Toward the end of the ep, Kareem Grimes actor/star on the hit series ALL AMERICAN dropped in to hang with us to give Trey his flowers. Trey, a passionate filmmaker with a diverse breadth and sensibility, has...

In this episode, Hilliard and actor/writer/activist Dalila Ali Rajah sit down for a fun conversation with writer/activists Katie Mathewson & Y. Shireen Razack to talk about their amazing journey up the rung as TV writers and their activism on (TTIE) and diversity committees at the WGAW! KATIE MATHEWSON Katie Mathewson is an Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning screenwriter/producer who has...

In this episode Hilliard and guest co-host writer/director Gregg Simon sat down for almost two hours with DANIEL PEARLE Executive Producer of Netflix's number one thriller called THE BEAST IN ME starring Claire Daines and Matthew Rhys. Daniel Pearle is an American playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been produced and developed at Lincoln Center Theater, London’s Old Vic, The Vineyard,...

PLEASE EXCUSE THE SOUND Step inside the Micheaux Film Festival and the real writers’ room panel! In this unfiltered, pull-no-punches live podcast taping, veteran writer/producer Hilliard Guess (Deadly Class, CROSS: After Hours) and award-winning actor/director Denzel Whitaker ( Black Panther, Great Debaters) , and his acclaimed short film Brand New (ALLBLK / AMC) team up to expose the truth behind...

In this episode - Hilliard, TV/Film writer SAEED CRUMPLER, and comedy/drama writer RICH SCOTT talk about how the global economic downturn could affect the entertainment industry, and what writers can do to protect themselves financially and creatively.  What You’ll Learn: How and why artists fight back by starting their own labels and production companies Survival is Key "Make Money Sexy Again" Wh...

In this prerecorded episode, Hilliard and writer/artist Minquell Ramone sat down for an in-depth (Bonus episode) covering how screenwriters can better utilize the screenwritersrantroom.com website (resources, archives, merch and more) and also where to subscribe to our new YouTube page/channel and how you can get some game while supporting the show at the same time. Another dope episode y'all. Thi...

In this episode, Hilliard sat down for a nothing but game episode with big sis, FELICIA D. HENDERSON — an accomplished, award-winning showrunner, writer, director, producer, educator, and activist, with over twenty-five years of film, television, theater, and comic book content credits! Felicia created Showtime’s Emmy Award-nominated, three-time NAACP Image Award-winning series, SOUL FOOD, televis...

In this episode, Hilliard and co-host writer/prod/author James Moorer sit down with incomparable TV/Film writer/producer AKELA COOPER! There's almost two hours worth of game dropped and the last 30 mins of this super fun conversation was opened up to a group of writers sitting in the audience so that they could “Ask Us Anything!” Akela Cooper wrote M3GAN, produced by Universal, Blumhouse and James...

In this Season Finale episode, Hilliard sits down with actor/writer/prod/director NOEL BRAHAM - co-founder of the hit MICHEAUX FILM FESTIVAL now in its 7th year and killing the game on the circuit! HIGHLIGHTS: The Power of “YET," lessons from his family growing up, becoming an actor, climbing many mountains, becoming a filmmaker and producing a Webseries and daytime Emmy-nominated short films...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host TV comedy writer Myles Warden sat down in a super fun conversation with icon comedy/drama writer SARA FINNEY JOHNSON (co-creator on the ICONIC television series’ Moesha and The Parkers) and who has worked on many one hour dramas (Queen Sugar, Games People Play, etc) that make her invaluable in the room, on set, and in production! HIGHLIGHTS: Growing up i...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host Tristan J. Shuler sat down for a 2-hour, in-depth, hilarious conversation with R. K. RUSSELL, Out NFL Player, activist, poet and author of the amazing new book THE YARDS BETWEEN US! HIGHLIGHTS: Growing up in Buffalo, Dallas racism and culture, Football at Purdue, the emotional NFL Draft and signing with the Dallas Cowboys, his traumatic experience in NY,...

In this episode, Hilliard sits down for an in-depth, over 2-hour conversation with SELWYN SEYFU HINDS Showrunner/Creator of WASHINGTON BLACK the new hit series on HULU! HIGHLIGHTS: The Source Magazine in the late 90s and the climate of Hip-Hop, going from Guyana to Brooklyn in the height of Classic Rap, the night Biggy Smalls died, his college years at Princeton, becoming an author, moving to LA t...