The Writers Panel

In a craft-centered episode, Marc Bernardin (Treadstone ; Star Trek: Picard) discusses world building. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: be...

X-Men , X2 , and Watchmen screenwriter David Hayter discusses thinking in pictures, how he came to write X-Men , structure, writing fight scenes, and screenwriting's toll on your brain. PLUS: WGA strike captain Gabriel Garza ( The Flash ; The Winchesters ) with tales from the picket line! THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Bl...

Author Mallory O'Meara ( The Lady From The Black Lagoon ) returns to talk about her new book, Girls Make Movies , why she wrote a guide for young people interested in film, its many, many iterations, being an "author" and being a "writer," and why the draft is not the book. PLUS: Tze Chun (EP/showrunner of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and EP/co-showrunner with Boots Riley of I'm a Virgo ) on wh...

A special episode today, as Ben Blacker chats with the creators of Cheers: Glen Charles, Les Charles, and James Burrows. They discuss the TV comedy landscape in 1982 and now, who at NBC didn't get the show, Taxi, Phyllis , discovering the cast's special talents, the pressure following Shelley Long's departure, and lots more. Before that interview, though, an excerpt from Ted Danson and His Friends...

The WGA is on strike. In today's episode, WGA Board Member and showrunner/creator John Rogers ( Leverage; The Librarians ) talks about why, what's at stake, how negotiations broke down, and how long this might last. Plus: new WGA member and former Teamster Danielle Nicki has some heartfelt words of encouragement. THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the...

Andor creator Tony Gilroy ( Rogue One ; the Bourne movies; Armageddon ) discusses on getting hot on a project, writing vivid scenes, the incremental building of a series, his early resume including The Cutting Edge and Dolores Claiborne , and his disparate influences. But first: the WGA is on strike. In the first of many conversations with working writers on strike, Ben Blacker chats with M3gan wr...

Mrs. Davis co-creator and showrunner Tara Hernandez ( Big Bang Theory; Young Sheldon ) discusses learning as an assistant, backing into sci-fi, how she and Damon Lindelof pitched the show, and how many Popes is too many Popes. THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, where you'll also get weekly advice fro...

Perry Mason co-showrunner Michael Begler ( co-creator of The Knick ) discusses switching gears in his career, working with Team Downey, the fun of noir, working with a room, and what makes Perry Mason Perry Mason. THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousan...

Hello Tomorrow! creators Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen discuss selling original ideas, taking big swings and throwing things away, and what they learned working for David Milch. THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over t...

Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson, whose new show is Up Here on Hulu, discusses the building blocks of musicals, finding an angle on existing material, his previous work on Masters of Sex and Fosse/Verdon , collaboration, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, where you'll also get weekly...

Chang Can Dunk writer/director Jingyi Shao discusses getting the Disney+ film off the ground, turning a "feel-good sports movie" into a personal story, taking on a studio feature as his first directing gig, the psychology of storytelling, and lots more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION. Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, where you'll...

Scott Neustadter (creator, Daisy Jones & the Six ), Liz Tigelaar (creator, Tiny Beautiful Things ), and John Enbom (co-creator, Party Down) discuss things you can't control, pushing at the edges of your work, trusting your story choices, and whether or not streamers even needs to make TV anymore. The new season of Party Down is on Starz now! Daisy Jones & the Six is on Amazon now! Tiny Bea...

Jay Faerber (Supergirl; Zoo) and Ali Vingiano (The Morning Show) go deep on how we present ourselves in our work, outlining, group writing, how-to books, and why they like writing. Be sure to check out Ali's terrific Substack newsletter Little Things at aliv.substack.com and pick up Jay's new comic Area 510 from Oni Press! CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITER'S PANEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA  https...

Anna Fricke (creator, Walker, Walker: Independence, Being Human ) and Leah Fong (creator, The Midnight Club; The Haunting of Bly Manor) discuss new interests and habits as writers, Zoom showrunning practices, lifting up lower level writers, and vampire trash. CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITER'S PANEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA  https://twitter.com/BENBLACKER  https://www.facebook.com/TVWriter...

Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez (creators, Koala Man, Ultra-Violet and Black Scorpion ), Steve Loter (Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur; Kim Possible), and Felicia Pride (Grey's Anatomy; Queen Sugar) discuss juggling multiple projects, conveying passion for material, training people how to treat you, and knowing your worth. CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITER'S PANEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA benblack...

Sterlin Harjo (creator, Reservation Dogs ) talks about getting the show made, his struggles in indie film, breaking story with the writers room, and Free Fallin' . CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITER'S PANEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA benblacker.substack.com  https://twitter.com/BENBLACKER  https://www.facebook.com/TVWritersPanel  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

Looking back and looking ahead. 2022 in review, 2023 in preview. With some returning favorites: Angela Kang (creator/showrunner, Silk ; showrunner, The Walking Dead ); Mickey Fisher (creator, Extant and Reverie ); Carlos Foglia ( Wolf Pack; Aeon Flux; The Lost Symbol ); J. Holtham ( The Handmaid's Tale; Supergirl ); Gina Ippolito ( Regular Show; The Unicorn ) CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITE...

Marion Dayre (Better Call Saul; Shantaram; Marvel's Echo); Rebecca Addelman (creator, Guilty Party; New Girl); Ami Boghani (The Name Game; The Reluctant Fundamentalist); Abdi Nazemian (Ordinary Joe; Almost Family) discuss breaking in, finding reps, managing your agents, and more. CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITER'S PANEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA benblacker.substack.com  https://twitter.com/BENBL...

Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz ( Gordita Chronicles; One Day at a Time; Love Life; Diary of a Future President; Brooklyn 99 ) answers questions from DePaul University writing students as part of a class on TV showrunning. This Q&A is specifically about showrunners as writer/producers. CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITER'S PANEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA benblacker.substack.com  https://twitter.com/BE...

Erica Saleh (creator/showrunner, One of Us Is Lying ) and Yulin Kuang (creator, I Ship It ; upcoming: People We Meet On Vacation ) battle technical difficulties and interruptions to bring some great advice about pitching and what general meetings are good for. PLUS: the C. Robert Cargill (The Black Phone; Dr Strange) was the first guest in the paid-subscriber-exclusive Q&A on Ben Blacker's sub...

First, actor/writer John Ross Bowie (Big Bang Theory; Speechless) on his new memoir, No Job For a Man. Then, author Chuck Wendig ( Wanderers; The Book of Accidents; Star Wars: Aftermath ) on his new novel Wayward . CONNECT W/ BEN BLACKER & THE WRITER'S PANEL ON SOCIAL MEDIA benblacker.substack.com  https://twitter.com/BENBLACKER  https://www.facebook.com/TVWritersPanel  Hosted o...

Julie Plec (creator/showrunner, Vampire Academy, Vampire Diaries, Legacies), Steve Lightfoot (creator/showrunner, Shantaram, The Punisher), Laura Kittrell (co-showrunner, High School; Insecure), and Dana Ledoux Miller (showrunner, Thai Cave Rescue ) discuss their personal connections to their current projects, how it never gets easier, how it's always a joy. PLUS: Julia Yorks (1UP; Strawberry Shor...

Do Revenge director/co-writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson ( Thor: Love and Thunder ) and co-writer Celeste Ballard ( Space Jam: A New Legacy; Wrecked ) discuss striking a specific tone, being the Alpha and Beta in friendship and working relationships, how the movie was written three times, how working on Thor: Love and Thunder changed Jenn's approach to directing, and more. PLUS a chat with writer/di...

Will Graham (co-creator, A League of Their Own ; showrunner, Daisy Jones and the Six), Melissa London Hilfers (creator, Monarch) and Conner Shin ( Harley Quinn; Fairfax ) discuss writing for actors, building a machine that works, and why Will wants you to bring photos of your loved ones to the writers' room. PLUS a chat with The Ebo Twins (writer/director and producer of Honk for Jesus. Save Your...

Bruce Miller (creator/showrunner, The Handmaid's Tale ), Veronica West (creator/showrunner, Surface ; co-creator, High Fidelity ), Natalie Chaidez ( The Flight Attendant; Queen of the South ), and Eric Haywood ( Law & Order: Organized Crime; Manifest ) discuss what keeps them going, specific shows they've worked on, what makes a room functional, and the best part of writing. PLUS: a chat with...