Screenwriters' Rant Room

In this episode Hilliard and guest co-host filmmaker/cinematographer (nephew) William M. Barclay sit down with Icon, Emmy-winning director/producer PARIS BARCLAY. HIGHLIGHTS: Paris’ Revival of his musical LETTERS FROM NAM, indie film and its importance today, using resources around you, Paris’ start directing music videos, pivoting to directing episodic TV, interview questions for directors, worki...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host actor/filmmaker Denzel Whitaker (Black Panther, The Great Debaters) sit down for an in-depth, hilarious conversation with episodic director/producer KEN WHITTINGHAM, the man behind directing over 350 episodes of comedy television! Highlights: Ken’s rise from PA to Stage Manager in multi-cam comedies, Marla Gibbs giving him his first Story By credit on th...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host, tv/film writer Saeed Crumpler recorded a "LIVE" Screenwriters' Rant Room podcast at the Bravemaker film festival in Redwood City, California! HILLIARD GUESS  With credits on Deadly Class (SYFY), showrunner on the award-winning digital series TICKER, Exec Producer on Amazon’s CROSS: AFTER HOURS, and the upcoming coming-of-age film MERMAID!,...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host, writer/producer Dwain Worrell sit down for a super fun conversation with Co-Executive Producer CHRIS RAFFERTY (THE FLASH, COBRA KAI & LUCIFER)! Chris has been a lifelong artist in many different fields. He grew up an illustrator with dreams of drawing comic books. Made short films while earning a film degree at UC Santa Barbara. Spent time on stage...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host writer/dir/prod Fia Perera sit down for a 2 hour, in-depth conversation with writer/director/executive producer ERIC DEAN SEATON! Highlights: Working his way up as an AD, getting his first episodic directors gig, sustaining a long career, directors get hired for what you've already done, creating a graphic novel an producing the award-winning short,...

In this episode, Hilliard and Queer guest co-hosts writer/producer Deonte Staats, actor/filmmaker Dalila Ali Rajah and writer/content creator Skylar Ezell sit down in a super fun, engaging, 2-hour episode chopped full of game. Some topics: Highlighting people in our culture, anti-fem insults, "it’s just a phase," acceptance of being Out, a Platinum Gay, Shout Out to Patrick-Ian Polk and...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host writer/producer Deonte Staats sit down for a two hour, nothing but game conversation with Showrunner/Co-Creator of the new MAX hit series DUSTER! Highlights: LaToya’s time in the Warner Bros Writers Workshop, the Overall Deal and how it works, the John Wells system, creating the show Duster, casting, staffing the room, the importance of what’s on the pag...

In this Season Finale episode, Hilliard and guest co-host, comedy writer Myles Warden sat down for a super fun, 2-hour episode with CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STACEY EVANS MORGAN! We talk about Stacey’s amazing journey from assistant to co-ep, challenges as a writer, investing in yourself, opening doors for yourself, saying yes to opportunities, producing outside of scripted TV, speaking gigs, being th...

In this episode, Hilliard & guest co-host Saeed Crumpler sat down with one of our favorite repeating guests AARON RAHSAAN THOMAS, acclaimed TV, Film writer/producer/ creator/co-showrunner of S.W.A.T., who began his career on Soul Food, Saturday Night Lights, Numbers, CSI NY, Southland, Sleepy Hollow and The Get-Down to list a few! We talk about how Arron developed and pitched S.W.A.T., how wri...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host TV/Film writer Saeed Crumpler sat down with big bro Showrunner GLEN MAZZARA (Crash, Damien, The Walking Dead, Hawthorne, Extraction to list a few)! HIGHLIGHTS: The WGA's new TV Writers Leadership Training Program, what Glen's been up to since our last episode #93 back in 2016, how to handle Development, Pitching & Notes, protecting yourself w...

In this episode, Hilliard and comedy writer Myles Warden sat down for a super fun conversation with Co-Executive Producer VINCENT BROWN. Vincent recently wrapped up as co-executive producer for the FOX animated series HOUSEBROKEN, starring Lisa Kudrow. Prior to that, he served as a Co-Executive Producer on Apple TV’s series LIFE BY ELLA, winner of the Humanitas Award, a WGA Award and the Emmy Awar...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-hosts (actor/filmmaker) Shawn Carter Peterson and (actor/filmmaker) Iona Morris Jackson sat down with STACIE GREENWELL who plays the role of Detective Shawna D Lackner, one of the stars on the Amazon Prime hit series CROSS! Stacie’s journey from the courtroom to the camera is a testament to following one's true passion. After several years practicing law...

In this episode, Hilliard and Writer on the Verge, Rich Scott, sit down for an impromptu conversation about writer, showrunner and executive meetings -- over talking, mentorship, perception, nurturing relationships, being ready for an opportunity, working with producers and friends, having a Rep that works for you, not against you and so much more! Our Motto: Keep it GAME all day!" For inform...

In this episode, Hilliard does his very first Bottle Episode by himself covering TV STAFFING MEETINGS! He talks about how it all works, the General, the Staffing Breakdowns, mandates, themes, mimicking your script to the pilot, the zoom interview, showing personality, welcome to the show, curiosity, talking about yourself, tell them why you love their script, how writing partners can shine in a me...

"CREATING CROSS" Hilliard and guest co-hosts actor/filmmaker Johnny Ray Gill and actor/filmmaker Denzel Whitaker chop it up in a dope, 2-part episode with showrunner BEN WATKINS, writer-creator of the NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series for Amazon’s new hit series CROSS. Ben talks about how he created and wrote the series CROSS...

On an all new episode, Hilliard and guest co-hosts actor/filmmaker Johnny Ray Gill and actor/filmmaker Denzel Whitaker chop it up in a dope, 2-part episode with showrunner BEN WATKINS, writer-creator of the NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series and Outstanding Drama Series for Amazon’s new hit series CROSS. We break down many of Ben's writing tips for screenwriters...

In this episode, Hilliard and lil sis, actor/writer Dalila Ali Rajah sit down for a fun conversation about the do's and don'ts of submitting films to YOLONDA BRINKLEY creator of the long-running, and very popular DIVERSITY IN CANNES SHORT FILM SHOWCASE! Yolonda, the self-proclaimed global disruptor, is a full-service marketing communications practitioner specializing in event production an...

In this super fun episode, Hilliard & guest co-host actor/writer/dir Denzel Whitaker sit down for an in-depth conversation with award-winning writer-dir-producer LISA FRANCE. If you ever had questions about how to become an Episodic Director, this might be the podcast for you! Lisa France is an entertainment vet with over 25+ years in the business as a writer, director and producer. She began...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host (writers assnt CROSS on Prime) J.R. Zamora-Thal, sat down for an in-depth conversation with writer/producer JOSHUA GILBERT. He's a mid-level TV writer (Flash) -- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4214168 -- and prior to staffing, did all the Writers' Office Assistant jobs: Writers' PA, Showrunner's Asst, Writers' Asst, and Script Coordinato...

In this episode, Hilliard & guest-host writer/actor Dalila Ali Rajah sat down in a super fun, laugh-out-loud conversation with FRANCHESCA RAMSEY, actor, writer, producer and the creator/star of the award-winning series MTV Decoded! A former writer/correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, her first book, "Well That Escalated Quickly" was nominated for an NAACP awa...

In this episode, Hilliard & guest co-host Tracy Grant (Exec Producer on LACE on ALLBLK), sat down for an informative conversation about the ins-and-outs of finding opportunities for your screenwriting career with special guest JAMES MOORER (writer/producer/author/publisher behind the new company One Moorer Media and Management, that is dedicated to writers who specialize in turning their scree...

In this episode, Hilliard and writer Saeed Crumpler (Flatbush Misdemeanors, 1st Look at Sony), sat down for an in-depth conversation on how to look at your writing career as a Plan vs a Goal in order to succeed and finish the thing you so desperately want to write. We also spend time talking about a slew of other writer topics, like screenwriting vocabulary, flipping from TV to film writing and th...

In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host comedy writer Myles Warden sat down with Co-Executive Producer EVAN WAITE in a super dope conversation. Evan is not only a writer/producer on long-running hit series The Family Guy, but he’s written for show like (Inside Job, Fairfax Sunnyside, unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), several shows as well as The New Yorker and The Onion, so you know he’s not only fu...

In this episode Hilliard and guest co-hosts Scott Foster & Brian Austin (Script Hop/The Gauntlet), sat down with OG screenwriters - SHANE BLACK (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3, A Long Kiss Goodnight) and JIM HERZFELD (Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story, etc) in a super dope conversation covering ELEMENTS OF CRAFT for screenwriters. So much wisdom dropped, so many la...

The Screenwriters' Rant Room is off this week for the holidays - we'll be back next week!