OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East

In part 2 of our series on protecting free speech, veteran late night television writers Josh Gondelman, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski and Sasha Stewart join us to discuss the eventful past few months in the world of late night, the current state of the genre, and how they think late night comedy might shift throughout the ongoing fight to protect free speech. Josh Gondelman is a former late night writer for shows like Desus & Mero and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, a stand-up comedian and former WGAE Council Member. Liz Hynes is a writer on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, a former writers' assistant on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and a member of the WGAE Council. Greg Iwinski is a writer known for his work on late night comedy shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Game Theory with Bomani Jones. He previously served on the WGAE Council. Sasha Stewart is a writer whose credits include the late night comedy show The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, the comedy series Dying for Sex, and the documentary series Amend. She currently serves as the WGAE's Secretary-Treasurer. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

In the first of a multi-part series on protecting free speech in media, public television writers Rupeshi Shah Bhat, June Thiele, Peter Miller and Jill Cozza-Turner discuss the state of public broadcasting in the face of ongoing threats like the loss of federal funding, and why it's so critical to fight back to protect both public broadcasting specifically and free speech overall. Rupeshi Shah Bhat is a preschool TV writer who has written for PBS KIDS programs like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and is a member of the WGAE Animation Caucus. Peter Miller is a Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker who has been working in the public television documentary industry for over 30 years, including for programs like American Experience. June Thiele is a writer and actor known for their Emmy-nominated writing on the PBS KIDS program Molly of Denali. Jill Cozza-Turner is a children's television writer who has spent over 20 years working in children's media. She is currently the head writer of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and has also written for Donkey Hodie. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

This roundtable features Larry J. Cohen, a television writer and co-chair of the WGAE AI Task Force, and Sarah Montana, a Hallmark screenwriter and fellow co-chair. They delve into AI's history, development, and the risks it poses to writers. Discussion highlights include the dangers of generative AI, privacy concerns, and copyright implications. They emphasize the importance of member activism and outline victories won during the 2023 strike. Together, they advocate for ethical AI practices that protect the unique voices of writers.

Join Nia DaCosta, the visionary writer-director of Hedda, Benny Safdie, the creative mind behind The Smashing Machine, and Will Tracy, known for Bugonia, as they dive into the art of adaptation. Nia shares her daring reinterpretation of Ibsen's classic, while Benny discusses the challenges of turning a real-life MMA fighter's story into film. Will reveals insights into his unique draft process and collaboration with renowned directors. Their candid exchanges reveal the nuances of transforming both classic literature and living narratives into captivating cinema.

WGAE member organizers Rez Nemorin, Jessica Schulberg and Leah Gotcsik sit down to discuss what the organizing, bargaining and enforcement process looks like at each of their workplaces, how being in a union builds a stronger and more supportive community, the importance and responsibility of being an active union member – especially right now – and much more. Rez Nemorin is a producer in the world of nonfiction television, where she is currently involved in bargaining the first contract at Lucky8. Jessica Schulberg is a senior reporter at HuffPost who helped bargain their second and third contracts, and is gearing up to start bargaining their fourth. She has been on HuffPost's Enforcement Committee since 2017, and is a WGAE Council member representing the Guild's Online Media sector. Leah Gotcsik is a children's television writer primarily working in animation. She was just involved in the WGA's successful contract negotiation with PBS, WGBH, WNET and PBS SoCal, which won first-ever union protections for animation writers in public television. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

Co-showrunners Tracey Wigfield and Lang Fisher discuss running their latest writers' room, how the pitching process has changed for them throughout their careers, why figuring out the story is like being good at math, and much more. Tracey Wigfield is a TV writer and showrunner. She created the NBC series Great News and the Saved by the Bell revival on Peacock. Before that, she was a writer on 30 Rock as well as The Mindy Project. Lang Fisher is a TV writer, showrunner and director. She co-created the Netflix series Never Have I Ever and was a writer on 30 Rock, The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Together, Tracey and Lang are the co-showrunners of The Four Seasons, which they co-created alongside Tina Fey. The miniseries is an adaptation of the 1981 film of the same name, written and directed by Alan Alda. It follows three married couples whose decades-long friendship is tested when one of the couples divorces, complicating their tradition of quarterly weekend getaways. The Four Seasons premiered on Netflix in May 2025 and was renewed for a second season the same month. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

Saturday Night Live head writers Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell and Kent Sublette join Greg Iwinski to talk about the process of writing for a different host every week, how giving notes to writers differs from giving notes to the cast, what writing for SNL teaches you about rejection, and much more. Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell and Kent Sublette are the current head writers of Saturday Night Live. Kent has been a head writer for the show since 2016, and Alison and Streeter have been head writers since 2022. Greg Iwinski is an Emmy-winning comedy writer whose credits include Last Week Tonight, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Game Theory with Bomani Jones. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

Three intrepid WGAE member Captains – Sarah Montana, Devin Delliquanti and Suzanne Weber – kick off the summer season OnWriting with a roundtable discussion of our Film and Television Captains Network: what a Captain is, how Captains further the Guild's ability to provide effective union representation for each and every member, the all-important WGA Captain hat and more. The WGAE Captains Network is a group of dedicated and engaged WGAE members in the Guild's Film/TV/Streaming sector who connect other members in their workplace and networks to the union. They work to build community for members and to facilitate communication between their teams and union leadership and staff. Sarah Montana is a screenwriter who primarily writes romcoms, often involving a Santa or Christmas theme, for networks like Hallmark Channel, and is also a member of the WGAE Council. Devin Delliquanti is a writer who currently works at The Daily Show, and has written recently on the Grammy Awards and multiple Jordan Klepper specials. Suzanne Weber is a television writer and developer who was previously on the writing staff for Disney's Andi Mack and for the ill-fated Lizzie McGuire reboot, and is also a member of the WGAE Council. --- Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives. Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Three Daytime Drama writers whose shows were contenders the 2025 Writers Guild Awards join us to discuss their work, how they became daytime drama writers, how the daytime format helps you avoid procrastinating, some favorite plotlines, and much more. Kate Hall is a daytime drama writer whose credits include Days of Our Lives, All My Children, General Hospital, and Young and the Restless. She was nominated for the 2025 Daytime Drama Writers Guild Award for General Hospital. Ron Carlivati is a daytime drama writer who has served as head writer for One Life to Live, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, and as a staff writer on the new show Beyond the Gates. He was nominated for the 2025 Daytime Drama Writers Guild Award for Days of Our Lives. Charlotte Gibson-Bauer is a daytime drama writer who has worked as a scriptwriter on All My Children and General Hospital, and as a breakdown writer on As the World Turns, Guiding Light and Days of Our Lives. She was nominated for the 2025 Daytime Drama Writers Guild Award for General Hospital. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Lynn Nottage is joined by Soo Hugh for a conversation about approaches to adaptation for the screen, improving work-life balance by recentering collaboration, building the writers room for a show that spans several languages, countries, and times, and much more. Soo Hugh is a writer, showrunner and producer who cut her screenwriting teeth as a staff writer on shows like the AMC crime drama The Killing, the CBS sci-fi series Under the Dome. She then went on to serve as creator and showrunner for ABC's 2015 sci-fi series The Whispers and as the co-showrunner for the first season of the AMC supernatural anthology The Terror. She is currently the showrunner, writer, executive producer, and visionary behind the drama series Pachinko, based on the international bestselling novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee. Told in three languages – Korean, Japanese, and English – Pachinko follows the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive. Season 1 received the Peabody Entertainment Award, a Critics Choice Television Award for best foreign language series, an Independent Spirit Award for best ensemble cast in a scripted series, a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series, and was notably elected as one of AFI's TV programs of the year. The series debuted on Apple TV+ in March 2022, and the highly anticipated season two premiered globally last summer. This episode is moderated by Lynn Nottage. Lynn is a screenwriter, playwright and installation artist. She is the first, and remains the only, woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice – for her plays Sweat and Ruined. As a screenwriter she was a writer and producer on the Netflix series She's Gotta Have It and a consulting producer on the third season of the Apple TV+ series Dickinson. --- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast