The ISA Podcast

Conor spent most of his youth in Ireland gigging in rock bands, working in a video store and reading too many Stephen King novels. Eventually, he knew he had to course correct and follow his dreams. Conor is a writer, filmmaker and award winning podcaster from Dublin with a masters in film production from Staffordshire University. Conor writes about misfits, monsters and broken hearts, and his wri...

Join us for a captivating evening with D.J. MacHale, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pendragon series and creator of the cult-favorite TV show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" From bestselling books to iconic screen moments, D.J. has spent his career crafting stories that resonate across generations. In this exclusive event, he'll share how he bridges the worlds of publishing and tele...

Yazmin Monet Watkins is a poet, comedian, screenwriter, actress, organizer, avid roller skater and adventurer. She can be seen on season two of Grand Crew on NBC, Comedy Central and has co-developed and written pilots for Netflix & Comedy Central.

How Writers Really Get Repped (The 90/10 Rule You Need to Know), Take 10 with ISA Founder Craig James

The most recent Table Read My Screenplay contest brought the grand prize winner to the South of France during the Cannes Film Festival. Hear from screenwriter Allegra Oxborough & director Paul Lindsay.

Jen Butler is a comedian and storyteller who specializes in writing feature-length, multi-layered dark comedy screenplays focusing on the complex nature of humans as they navigate spiritual and emotional awakenings. When not writing screenplays, Jen tells comedic real-talk stories to her 275,000 online followers (@jenbutlersays IG, TikTok, & Threads), performs improv and stand-up comedy, practices...

A. J. BERMUDEZ is an award-winning author and filmmaker based in Los Angeles and New York. Her first book, Stories No One Hopes Are About Them, won the 2022 Iowa Short Fiction Award and was a 2023 Lambda Award Finalist. Her most recent feature film project, My Dead Friend Zoe (co-written with director Kyle-Hausmann Stokes, starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman),...

Stephanie Bast was abandoned in Korea, adopted by Italians and raised in a town so small and white, someone asked: "How are you gonna understand her when she starts speaking?" Fiercely loved and protected, she was taught to fear "the other" while knowing "the other" was herself. She started to write comedy to heal a wound. Now she writes to heal others, creating characters who think they're not en...

Suicide at Noon Logline: A newly organized but suicidal woman must withstand the various objections of her friends and family and convince them to support her or be forced to cancel her perfectly scheduled upcoming suicide.

There's a lot to unpack here as Linda Seger is full of interesting stories and lessons learned along the way. As a pioneering female entrepreneur, she was on the cutting edge of a new type of business - being a screenplay consultant. Her passion, drive, and wiliness to dive into every opportunity took her from small town Wisconsin to lecturing around the world and collaborating with massive Hollyw...

A native New Yorker, Adam received a BFA from Ithaca College and completed one year of his MFA at UCLA before deciding to quit because those hard wooden classroom chairs were really chafing his ass. Writing began for him when his first play was produced at the West Coast Ensemble Theater in Hollywood. A creative executive who happened to be in the audience one night called Adam the next day and as...

"Offbeat," pilot episode, 2020 Table Read My Screenplay Grand Prize Winner, written by Marshall "gripp" Gillson.

Please enjoy a performance of the Table Read My Screenplay Award-Winning short script, "The Icebox" by Brian P. Glass. Cast: Elijah Terrell Haney, Hye Bin Lee, Carson Grant, Damon Evans & narrated by Felicity Wren.

Green and Gold: A struggling family farmer wagers everything on a high-stakes Championship bet, while his granddaughter's musical ambitions could be their ticket to a new beginning. Starring Brandon Sklenar, Craig T. Nelson, M. Emmet Walsh

Solid pitches sell screenplays. Join us to watch pitches delivered to Creative Executives at prominent companies and hear live feedback. Learn the DOs and DON'Ts of great pitching, so you'll be prepared when you're in the room! Caroline Dillingham is the Chief Executive Officer of Morning View Entertainment LLC, where she leads the company in its mission to discover and develop compelling stories...

One of our co-hosts, Scott, was recently featured on the Tube documentary, Famously Haunted Hollywood. We go over the stories featured in the documentary: The Black Dahlia, The Manson Murders, Comedy Store, Peg Entwhistle, The Cecil Hotel.

Kristy Strouse of Film Inquiry interviews screenwriter Andrea Berting, who has been an ISA Fast Track Fellow and is now on their Development Slate.

Sandy King is a film producer & businesswoman who is known for In the Mouth of Madness, Village of the Damned, Vampires & Ghosts of Mars, all of which were directed by her husband John Carpenter. She co-created the comic book series Asylum.

Zoë Hodge is an award winning writer & director born in the Boogie-Down-Bronx. Her work often explores yearning & the deep solitude that comes from denying yourself. As a writer, Zoë grew up on Everybody Hates Chris and Jane Austen adaptations.

This is the replay of a live event Max & Scott did along with the International Screenwriters' Association. They welcomed screenwriting aficionado Jen Grisanti, who has a long history of working with screenwriters as an executive and consultant.

Screenwriter Thuc Doan Nguyen went from Vietnamese refugee to writing for The Lost City with Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum & Brad Pitt. Hear her story here.

Adam Karlson signed a shopping agreement with CS Productions and is now managed by Gravity Squared Entertainment due to introductions made by the ISA.

Each year the ISA lists 25 talented writers. Our first interview is with multi-talented screenwriter & novel writer Kim Hornsby. I spoke with Kim about her journey, projects, and recommendations for other screenwriters! Check out more at FilmInquiry.com

Scott (and his wife Wendy) fill Max in on their adventure across the Emerald Isle, discussing the haunted hot spots and legendary tales they discovered along the way... also the adventures of driving on the other side of the road.

Chaseedaw Giles moved to LA as everything shut down for the pandemic. However, she used that time to work on her craft. She's taken an approach of being proactive and using darker story topics to find positivity.