OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East

Kaitlin chats with Liz Tigelaar – showrunner and head writer for the Hulu miniseries LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE – about the start of Liz's creative journey as a Dawson's Creek writer's assistant, how story arcs around mothers and daughters have evolved, why an intersectional writers' room is essential for all storytelling, and much more. Liz Tigelaar's long career in TV drama includes shows like BROTHERS AND SISTERS, ONCE UPON A TIME, and NASHVILLE, among others. She also created the CW series LIFE UNEXPECTED and ran the Golden Globe-nominated Hulu series CASUAL. Her latest project, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, stars Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon and is based on the novel by Celeste Ng. The series is a meditation on motherhood, race, and the tensions between them in a suburban Ohio town in the '90s. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin is joined via phone by Taika Waititi -- the writer, director, and star of the film JOJO RABBIT, and the producer of the show WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS - both of which have earned him nominations at this year's Writers Guild Awards. Taika chats about writing a Nazi satire, using fear as a creative motivator, writing comedy when you aren't attracted to comedy writing, how he engages with the Indigenous filmmaking community worldwide, and more. Taika Waititi's filmmaking career started in the early 2000s and gained international attention when he received an Oscar for his 2004 short film TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT. Since then, he has written and directed films like EAGLE VS. SHARK, BOY, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, and THOR: RAGNAROK, which have all been met with widespread critical acclaim. His latest project, JOJO RABBIT, is a dark comedy based on Christine Leunens's book Caging Skies. Set in Nazi Germany, the film follows Johannes "Jojo" Betzler, a Hitler Youth member who finds out that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Jojo must then question his beliefs, while dealing with the intervention of his imaginary friend -- a fanciful version of Adolf Hitler (played by Taika himself). It has received nominations at this year's Writers Guild Awards, as well as six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin sits down with writer, director, and actor Greta Gerwig – the writer and director of the 2019 film LITTLE WOMEN – to talk about why the world needs a new version of the classic story; how Greta cuts down her 400-page first drafts; the intersection between women, money, and writing; and much more. Greta Gerwig started her film career with a small acting role in the 2006 film LOL. She went on to act in, co-write, and co-direct several mumblecore films over the subsequent years, and has been a frequent collaborator of writer and director Noah Baumbach since 2010. She made her solo screenwriting and directorial début with the 2017 film LADY BIRD, for which she was nominated for both a Writers Guild and an Oscar. LITTLE WOMEN is an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical 1868/1869 novel by Louisa May Alcott. The film follows the four March sisters – Amy, Jo, Beth and Meg – as they come of age during the aftermath of the Civil War. The film will be released in theaters on December 25, 2019. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin is joined by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, co-writers of A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, to talk about the eternal battle between cynicism and kindness, the gravitational pull of Tom Hanks, and how keeping bankers' hours keeps them sane. Before their most recent project, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster were writers and producers on the recently concluded Amazon series TRANSPARENT, for which they won a Peabody Award and were nominated for Emmy, Writers Guild, Golden Globe, and GLAAD Awards. The duo are also co-writers of MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL, the 2019 sequel to the 2014 film MALEFICENT. Inspired by the Esquire Magazine article “Can You Say… ‘Hero’?,” A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD is based on the true story of a friendship between renowned children’s television host and educator Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

In the season 5 premiere, Kaitlin sits down with Writers Guild Award- and Oscar-nominated writer and director Noah Baumbach to talk about his latest film, MARRIAGE STORY. They discuss how a film about divorce is really a film about love, what New York and LA mean on screen, when you know you're ready to open that final draft file and really write, and much more. Noah Baumbach made his feature film debut with his critically acclaimed 1995 film KICKING AND SCREAMING, and has gone on to write and direct such films as FRANCES HA, THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES, and THE SQUID AND THE WHALE – the script for which was nominated for both a Writers Guild Award and an Oscar. MARRIAGE STORY follows actor Nicole Barber and her stage director husband Charlie as they struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them both to their personal and creative extremes. The film now streaming on Netflix. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Over the past five years, podcasts have exploded in popularity. You listen to them, and with over 700,000 active podcasts out there, chances are you or someone you know has a show of their own. A 2019 report by Edison Research found that 70% of the U.S. population has heard of podcasts and over 50% have listened to one.   Fictional or scripted podcasts represent a small but steadily growing subset of the podcast industry. The Guild – and our members – have a lot of questions about this new frontier of scripted podcasting. Is it a lower-cost way to get a story known to the public… and to TV producers? Is it a viable, fulfilling way to create stories in its own right? What are some ways writers can protect ourselves as we explore this new form of work?   To answer these questions, we spoke to writers and producers who have made a name for themselves in the scripted podcast industry – some who are just starting out, and some whose podcasts have gone on to become TV shows.   In Part One, LIMETOWN co-creator Zack Akers, HOMECOMING producer Alicia Van Couvering, and WGA East executive director Lowell Peterson talk to us about the industry's business side: what the market looks like, how to break in, and how to protect yourself once you're there. In Part Two, we'll take a deep dive into the creative side of the industry, from recruiting talent to necessary skillsets to creative satisfactions and beyond.   Learn more about the Guild’s work in the scripted podcast industry: wgaeast.org/podcasting.   -- The OnWriting Guide to Scripted Podcasting, Part One was written & produced by Molly Beer; hosted by Kaitlin Fontana; sound design, mixing, and tech production by Stock Boy Creative; with special thanks to River Donaghey, Danielle Trussoni, Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie, Alicia Van Couvering, Lowell Peterson, Jason Gordon, and Marsha Seeman. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

When you're a screenwriter moving to TV or a novelist moving to screenwriting or even a comedy writer moving to drama, you'll have questions about how this new territory differs from what you're used to. Questions like... how does breaking a script work? Or... how do I write character development over the course of a two hour film rather than over a full TV season?   Questions are normal. But typically, there are at least some factors that are givens – things that have been established over the course of decades. Problem is, since podcasts are new territory for pretty much everyone, those sorts of rules and standards about the most basic issues don't exist yet. There's no consensus about how to format a podcast script, let alone any popular beliefs about things like whether you need a writer's room.   To find answers for some of these questions, we spoke to writers and producers who have made a name for themselves in the scripted podcast industry – some who are just starting out, and some whose podcasts have gone on to become TV shows.   In Part One, we heard from LIMETOWN co-creator Zack Akers, HOMECOMING producer Alicia Van Couvering, and WGA East executive director Lowell Peterson about the industry's business side: what the market looks like, how to break in, and how to protect yourself once you're there.   Now, in Part Two, we'll take a deep dive – with the help of Zack and Alicia, as well as Danielle Trussoni (CRYPTO-Z), and River Donaghey (AMERICAN AFTERLIFE) – into the creative side of the industry – from recruiting talent, to necessary skillsets, to creative satisfactions and beyond.   Learn more about the Guild’s work in the scripted podcast industry: wgaeast.org/podcasting. -- The OnWriting Guide to Scripted Podcasting, Part Two was written & produced by Molly Beer; hosted by Kaitlin Fontana; sound design, mixing, and tech production by Stock Boy Creative; with special thanks to River Donaghey, Danielle Trussoni, Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie, Alicia Van Couvering, Lowell Peterson, Jason Gordon, and Marsha Seeman.   -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin chats with writer, director, producer, and actor Edward Norton about his many screenwriting jobs, how he gets past writer's block, his 20-year journey taking his latest film - MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN - to the big screen, and much more. Edward Norton had his film debut in the 1996 film PRIMAL FEAR, and within three years had risen to prominence for his starring roles in AMERICAN HISTORY X and FIGHT CLUB. Since then, he has received critical and cult acclaim – as well as numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations – for his roles in films like RED DRAGON, THE ILLUSIONIST, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, MOONRISE KINGDOM, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, BIRDMAN (just to name a few). He has also directed or produced films like KEEPING THE FAITH and THE PAINTED VEIL. MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN is an adaptation of Jonathan Letham's 1999 novel of the same name. The film follows Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective living with Tourette Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna. The film was released in theaters on November 1. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin is joined by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, co-creators of the Netflix series Patriot Act, to talk about how they joined forces to create their headline-making series, the importance of a unique take on the news, and why you can never have enough late night shows. Hasan Minhaj is a comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Before starting his time as host of PATRIOT ACT WITH HASAN MINHAJ, you may have recognized him from - among other things - his four-year stint as a correspondent on THE DAILY SHOW, or as the host of the 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner. Since the premiere of PATRIOT ACT, Hasan has won a Peabody Award and two Webby Awards, and was listed of one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2019. Prashanth Venkataramanujam is a writer, actor, comedian, and producer who is currently the head writer and executive producer for PATRIOT ACT. In 2016, Prashanth wrote Minhaj's host speech for the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner which was televised on C-SPAN – the recording of which subsequently went viral and now has over 1.3 million views on YouTube. In 2017, he became a writer for Netflix's BILL NYE SAVES THE WORLD, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and wrote Hasan's speech for that year's WHCA Dinner. PATRIOT ACT WITH HASAN MINHAJ explores the modern cultural and political landscape with depth and sincerity. In each weekly episode, he uses his unique comedic voice and storytelling skill to investigate the larger trends shaping the fragmented world. Episodes are released weekly on Netflix, and the fifth season will premiere on November 10, 2019. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin sits down with novelist, screenwriter, and showrunner Tom Perrotta to discuss his creative process, writing about sexual awakening, porn, adapting his latest novel into his latest TV show, and much more. Tom Perrotta is the bestselling author of nine works of fiction, including Election and Little Children, both of which were made into Oscar-nominated films, and The Leftovers, which he and Damon Lindelof adapted into a Peabody Award-winning HBO series. MRS. FLETCHER, Perrotta's new HBO series, is based on his latest novel, and tells the story of a single mom who attempts to start a new life after her son heads off to college. It premieres on October 27th. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast