Writers Group Therapy

This session, we talk with writer/director Matthew Gentile about “American Murderer,” his new true crime thriller about FBI fugitive Jason Derek Brown. "American Murderer" is based on the true story of Jason Derek Brown - a charismatic con man turned party king who bankrolls his luxurious lifestyle through a series of scams. When his funds run low and his past catches up with him, he plots his mos...

We get the scoop on Get It Made X , a script-to-screen program for writers to not only improve their writing, but also learn about marketing and production through group activities, meetings with industry professionals, and peer review opportunities. Co-founders Matt Boda and Sylvie Dang Boda talk about why they created the program and how it helps writers get their work made. SPECIAL PROMO CODE f...

Nicholas Bruckman has produced and directed award-winning features, commercials and web-content for groups such as Greenpeace, Black Lives Matter and TED. His films have screened at Tribeca, Sundance, and SXSW where it won the Audience Award. His latest film “Not Going Quietly” is now streaming on Hulu. We talk storytelling in documentary formats, journalistic objectivity and more. SHOW NOTES: Nic...

As writers, we struggle to get our work written, sold, and produced our whole careers. What we don’t hardly ever think about is, what happens after we’re gone? Our writing doesn’t stop being valuable, but who is going to take over managing it and, hopefully, continue to reap the benefits of our creativity for the length of our copyright? We discuss this with Best-selling novelists Matt Buchman, wr...

The doctors (not real doctors) are in, again. We’re back from our Summer break and kicking off our 6th year with a look at all the recent stories in the news that impact Hollywood and writers including Roe v. Wade, inflation and supply chain woes, YouTube TV, CA Tax incentives, and more. SHOW NOTES: THR: One Big Reason Hollywood Hasn’t Begun Boycotting States Over Abortion Access THR: California R...

In this session, we talk with novelist and screenwriter/showrunner Dennis Lehane. His award-winning novels and the film adaptations spawned major feature films such as “Shutter Island,” “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone.” The show’s he’s written for, “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire,” are always at the top of everyone’s “best written show” lists. We discuss his journey and his latest project, the...

Maggie Cohn, one of the show runners and writers of The Staircase, the new HBOMax true crime series is our guest for this session. Maggie won a Golden Globe for writing and producing American Crime Story: Versace and previously co-executive produced Narcos. SHOW NOTES: Official Trailer "The Staircase" on HBOMax "The Staircase" on IMDB

Are the broadcast networks just going through the motions this pilot season? With each having its own streamer, are we seeing the last days of the traditional pilot season? What does this mean for writers? And Tom remembers the day so of Saturday morning cartoon pilot season.   SHOW NOTES: Tom was wrong, “The X-Files” was not a mid-season replacement show. The first season was a full 24 episodes r...

Getting in, staying in and consuming entertainment all take a certain amount of resources. We discuss how to prioritize where you put your time, money and heart into the entertainment industry, both as an artist and as a consumer.   SHOW NOTES: None this episode

Our own Rachanee Lumayno takes the hot seat to discuss the release of “Heir of Memory & Shadow” Book #2 of the Kingdom Legacy YA Fantasy series. We discuss was it like writing a second book in a series, self-publishing and marketing the books and what’s next in the Kingdom. SHOW NOTES: Heir of Memory and Shadow (Book #2): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1736181130 Heir of Amber and Fire (Book #1...

David Bergantino shares his 30 years of interactive storytelling with companies like Disney and Nickelodeon. David’s company, Cold Room Entertainment, recently released “Dying Light 2.” David is also a novelist with 11 novels, including the novelization of Wes Craven’s “New Nightmare.” SHOW NOTES Dying Light 2: https://dl2.dyinglightgame.com Cold Room Entertainment: coldroomentertainment.com Linke...

Amazon has closed its deal to by MGM that it announced in May 2021. How will the purchase of the 98 year old studio impact Amazon Prime, Hollywood, consumers and, of course, writers. SHOW NOTES: THR: MGM’s Amazon Era Begins With Big, Unanswered Questions MGM Television Programs MGM

In this session, Tom talks with Lauryn Kahn, the screenwriter of “Fresh,” the new indie thriller starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan that took Sundance by storm. The film, produced by Adam McKay (“The Other Guys,” “Step Brothers”) and Searchlight Pictures, was acquired by Hulu.   SHOW NOTES: "Fresh" is available to stream on Hulu Lauryn on IG: https://www.instagram.com/laurynkahn/ Lauryn...

Paul Kalburgi is a British screenwriter, playwright and TV producer, as well as author and podcast host of the book and podcast “The Writer’s Toolkit.” He discusses his journey as a writer, his process and the tools he uses in his craft. Guest host Sam Gasch.   SHOW NOTES: Paul’s website and “The Writers Toolkit”: https://www.paulkalburgi.com/thewriterstoolkitbook TW: https://twitter.com/PaulKalbu...

This session, we have the multitalented Ken Atchity, a best-selling author, producer, literary manger, professor and editor who aptly goes by the moniker The Story Merchant. He got his B.A. at Georgetown, his Ph. D. at Yale. He was a tenured professor of comparative literature at Occidental College and a distinguished instructor at UCLA Writers program. He’s worked in publishing and filmmaking and...

This session, we’re excited to have with us James Vanderbilt, a screenwriter and producer with over 20 years of major feature film experience including blockbusters such as White House Down, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, and, one of Tom’s favorites, The Rundown. He is also the Chief Content Officer of Project X Entertainment.   SHOW NOTES: James on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamesthevan Pro...

Streaming services have broken the mold on episode length. In this session, we discuss how they’ve changed the measuring stick on script length and where, when and if it still matters. SHOW NOTES: None this show

With shorter and shorter seasons, accelerated by streamers with big budget, high-quality event shows, has the era of 24 episode season containing the inevitable filler episode come to an end? And how would this change impact writers? SHOW NOTES:  NY Times: Streaming TV’s Boom Is a Mixed Blessing for Some Hollywood Writers Vulture.com: The Business of Too Much TV 9 Best Clip Show Episodes On TV, Ra...

In this session, we look back at the year behind us and at the year ahead and talk about how the industry has changed and where it’s going, our past goals, accomplishments, and future plans.   SHOW NOTES: “Heir of Amber and Fire” is the first book in Rachanee’s Kingdom Legacy series. Available online at these e-bookstores: https://books2read.com/rachanee On Amazon -  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736...

Seasons Greetings! We hope all your holidays are happy and healthy. In this session, we chat about the holidays and what we, as writers, think would make great gifts for the writer in your life.   SHOW NOTES: Purple Seat Cushion/Lumbar Support: https://share.purple.com/by/WGTherapy Masterclass: https://www.masterclass.com Inktip: https://www.inktip.com ISAConnect: https://www.networkisa.org Filmfr...

This session, we chat with cousins Kaz and Ryan Firpo who teamed up as screenwriters and filmmakers and discuss their separate journeys and writing Marvel’s “Eternals” and their other upcoming projects. Show Notes: Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryan.firpo/ Kaz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kazfirpo/ Eternals: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9032400

The end of an era. Tom is leaving Los Angeles and heading back to Cleveland, Ohio. We discuss his nine years in Hollywood, what he accomplished, learned, and what he’s taking with him to continue screenwriting outside of Tinsel Town. SHOW NOTES: Literary Cleveland : https://www.litcleveland.org Cleveland Film Commission : https://www.clevelandfilm.com Cleveland Indie Club : https://www.facebook.co...

In this session, we talk with Zimran Jacob, writer and showrunner’s assistant on shows including “Narcos,” “The Punisher,” and “Hannibal.” He delves into his path to becoming a writer and what it takes to be an effective showrunner’s assistant.   SHOW NOTES: Roadmap Writers: https://www.roadmapwriters.com WAN Writers Workshop: https://writersassistants.com Zimran on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/z...

Rachanee and Tom are back from their pandemic Summer breaks with updates on what they and the industry have been up to and what’s coming next. SHOW NOTES: Listen to Rachanee on “Two Book Bitches” Listen to Tom talk James Cameron’s “The Abyss” with Sam Gasch on the Ideal Remake podcast “Heir of Amber and Fire” is the first book in Rachanee’s Kingdom Legacy series. Available online at these e-bookst...

Looking for some Summer reading or a new game to while away the hours? This session, we discuss our recent projects; Rachanee’s new YA fantasy novel “Heir of Amber and Fire” and Tom’s just launched head-to-head mobile word find game “Wordcursion.” Both are available at links below in the show notes. This session marks the end of our 4th year! We’ll be on Summer break for a the next couple months....