The Writers Hangout

Happy New Year!  In today's episode, we will rewind the story of Doug Kenney, the screenwriter and co-founder of National Lampoon, who was behind popular movies like Animal House and Caddyshack. Despite being remembered as a 'genius' by his friends and colleagues, Kenney tragically passed away at the age of 33 after falling off a cliff in Hawaii. If you enjoyed the show, please leav...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Sandy and Terry! Writers, we've compiled a clip show of our past two years hanging out with you!! Kick back next to a cozy fire and start the show, or be like me and turn on a fake fireplace because you live in Southern California, and it is 62 degrees outside. We love you and are excited to see what the future holds for us in 2024! The PAGE Internation...

During today's show, Sandy and Terry will discuss Billy Wilder's 10 tips for excellent screenplay writing. Few screenwriters are as pedigreed as Billy Wilder, renowned as one of the most creative filmmakers of American cinema's Golden Age. Billy was nominated 21 times at the Academy Awards, 13 for his screenwriting and 8 for his direction. He won the Best Director award for his 1945...

 Sandy and Terry reflect on the life of writer and producer Norman Lear, who transformed American comedy with his daring and immensely popular early-'70s sitcoms such as "All in the Family" and "Sanford and Son," who passed away on Tuesday at 101. Norman Lear created some of the most iconic shows of the 1970s, such as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time,...

The Writers' Hangout Podcast has a special treat for you today.  Our guest is 2016 PAGE Awards winner Diane Hanks, who has joined us to discuss her stunning novel WOMAN WITH A PURPLE HEART.    The story of Lieutenant Annie Fox, the first woman to earn a Purple Heart, is told in "The Woman with the Purple Heart." Annie was the chief nurse at Hickam Hospital, located at Hickam Air Fie...

Hang out with Sandy and Terry as they discuss the variety of movies released at the end of 2023. We will see a bit of everything: boys to men wrestling, Beyoncé touring, and Timothée Chalamet singing. This season's movie lineup is sure to captivate audiences of all tastes. So come and tune in to Sandy and Terry's conversation as they share their thoughts on the latest and greatest films...

In this episode, Sandy and Terry discuss seven tips on creating memorable character names for your stories.   Have you ever wondered how important character names are in a story? Well, let's ask Google: "The right name can help the reader easily identify each character. However, getting too creative with your name choices can be distracting or even confusing for the reader. The wrong nam...

Hang out with Sandy and Terry as they go through Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest TV Theme Songs of All Time! From Seventies sitcoms with expository jams to modern prestige classics with experimental scores, from 'Sanford and Son' to 'Succession,' from 'Match Game' to 'Game of Thrones.'  Will your favorite make the list? Enjoy, and get to humming. The PAGE...

In honor of the late writer, director, and actor Adrienne Shelly, we are reposting The Writers' Hangout Episode dedicated to her story in the month she passed. This is an opportunity to get to know this talented and amazing woman whose life was cut short by a tragic event. The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT. Executive Producer Kristin Overn Creator/...

On today's show, Kevin Bacher, the winner of the 2018 Page Awards Grand Prize, is here. Kevin was a guest on The Writers Hangout last Spring, Episode 69, where we discussed his movie, THE INHABITANT, starring Dermot Mulroney and Leslie Bibb. THE INHABITANT was released last year in theaters and can be found on Amazon Prime and Hulu.   Besides being a screenwriter, Kevin is an EMMY-winning WGA...

Happy Halloween!! Hang out with Sandy, Terry, and special guest screenwriter Mark Steen as they recap "Ghost and Mr. Chicken," starring Don Knotts from "The Andy Griffith Show" fame.  Directed by Alan Rafkin and written by James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" is about a timid typesetter who hasn't a ghost of a chance of becoming a rep...

Thanks for hanging out with us! In this episode, Sandy and Terry discuss a Twitter thread that provides valuable insights into how signed writers found their representation—special thanks to Tyler Clair Smith, the writer on X who inspired this episode. Follow Tyler Clair Smith @tclairsmith - we certainly did! In this episode, we discuss helpful internet programs for screenwriters. The Writers’ Han...

We discuss Terry’s love of The Marx Brothers and his appreciation of improvisation.  The Marx Brothers were a famous comedy act that succeeded in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures between 1905 and 1949. The American Film Institute selected five of the Marx Brothers' fourteen feature films as among the top 100 comedy films. Critics, scholars, and fans widely regard the Marx Br...

Hang out with Sandy and Terry in their discussion about the 20th anniversary of School of Rock and the process of generating creative ideas when a screenwriter begins to write a movie. We find the process intriguing - from when an idea strikes the writer, often while in the shower, to how they shape it based on their life experiences. Research for this episode included: One Great Rock Movie Can Ch...

Hang out with Sandy and Terry as they discuss what is going on with the writer's strike, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and writing in winter in Vilnius.  Research for this episode relied heavily on the NIH National Institute of Mental Health. nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder  Other resources:  thealaskafrontier.com/do-you-get-paid-to-live-in-alaska/#:~:text=Si...

 Hang out with Sandy and Terry as they discuss the "big idea" - a high-concept premise that can persuade studio executives to read your script and turn it into a movie. Terry shares his opinion on the best pizza in the San Fernando Valley, while Sandy gets serious about New York bagels.  The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT. Executive Producer Kr...

Sandy and Terry hang out and discuss Sandy being sexually harassed and bullied but still pitching a Humanitas Prize-nominated idea to Disney/ABC/ RECESS with her former writing partner. 👍 If you enjoy the show, please remember to follow us and leave a review where you listen to podcasts.  📸 Check out our IG for photos @thewritershangoutpodcast💙 If you have an idea for the podcast or would like...

Hang out with our guests, John Wirth and Gail Matthius, a Hollywood couple who met in high school, fell in love and moved to Hollywood to pursue their dreams.  Gail was a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1981 and is known for her voice acting work in animated shows, including Bobby's World, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and The Tick.  John Wirth is a television showrunner, producer,...

Hang out with our guests, John Wirth and Gail Matthius, a Hollywood couple who met in high school. Gail was a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1981 and is known for her voice acting work in animated shows, including Bobby's World, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and The Tick.  John Wirth is a television showrunner, producer, and writer.  His credits included HELL ON WHEELS, WU ASSASSIN...

Hang out with Sandy and Terry as they talk procrastination with a capital P! Everyone deals with it, but how do you stop procrastination? Then, once you do, what do you write your screenplay about? You have three great ideas, but which one do you write? We address this in the latest episode and have a few laughs.   Research for this episode includes articles from the following publications. “Leona...

Hang out with Sandy and Terry as they discuss THE BLIND SIDE controversy over Michael Oher, the NFL veteran whose life inspired the movie and who is suing his conservators, Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy, for  $15 million. The former Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers Tackle says in his filing that he gave the rights to his life story away to 20th Century Fox in 2007 without any payment whatsoever a...

Rewind: How do they do it? How do successful writers become successful? They must all lead charmed lives. One imagines a successful writer who works hard, gets up at 4 a.m., goes to the gym, then slides behind the laptop for four hours. Afternoons, they take their doodle around the block of their tony neighborhood, then put in another two solid hours of editing. Have a healthy dinner with friends,...

Time to play – The Writers’ Game Show!!!!  Sandy will give a brief synopsis of a movie that involves music, one sentence at a time, and we’ll see how many sentences Terry and you take to come up with the movie's name.  We are going for a low score here.  If you get it on the first sentence, you give yourself a one, the second sentence a two, etc.  All synopsizes are courtesy of Google.  The P...

Today, we have a great guest on the show, best-sell author and screenwriter Claire McGown.  Claire was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in a village where she said, “The most exciting thing that ever happened was a herd of cows getting loose in the road.” Clair now lives in London, and her latest mystery thriller book, LET ME IN, was just released. The Irish Times said, “A knotty, twisty tale…...

Friend of the pod and production coordinator extraordinaire Kathy joins us to look at the WGA and SAG strike through the lens of the people behind the scene.  What happened to everyone else working as a production assistant, gaffer, or script coordinator just a few months ago?  When will the strike end?  What are the writers and actors looking for?  Tune in, and all will be explained.  The PAGE In...