The Writers Panel

Abe Sylvia discusses making discoveries on set, healthy debate vs story breaking, working with collaborators, the joy of not outlining, and Retrospecs live show featuring scripts from popular TV shows with a twist.

John Orloff (creator, Masters of the Air) discusses scripts as selling tools vs scripts as production tools, integrating research into scenes, writing a nine-hour movie, Band of Brothers, and more.Come see Retrospecs this Sunday, March 17, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs, we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love from TV, film, comedy, and the stage. From Girls to Gilmore Girls, from the Big Bang Theory to Buffy, get NEW EPISODES of your favorite shows, written by writers who never wrote for those shows! The March 17 show features a Mad About You from 1997 by Ben Blacker and a Girls written by Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz (Brooklyn 99).Live or streaming/VOD tickets here: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/retrospecsTHE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, 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: benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

J Blakeson (showrunner/director, Culprits; writer/director I Care a Lot) discusses creating his inadvertent signature film with The Disappearance of Alice Creed, why a law abiding citizen writes crime stories, finding the "what if" in a pitch, why he dislikes Final Draft, and more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, 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: benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/director Zoe Lister-Jones discusses writing, directing, and acting, staying true to her voice, challenges in Hollywood, personal integrity, and the importance of perseverance and authenticity in the entertainment industry.

Screenwriter and producer Ed Solomon discusses objective and subjective storytelling, career transitions, rewriting process, and the challenges of working in the crime genre.

Somebody Somewhere creators Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen (High Maintenance) and writer/star Bridget Everett (Inside Amy Schumer) discuss the creation of the show, telling big stories in small moments, what they learned in the first season, the midwest, and lots more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, 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: benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neil Druckmann, co-creator of The Last of Us and Uncharted, discusses adapting his games, balancing action and character, serving different mediums, and how The Last of Us changed his life.

David Jenkins (creator, Our Flag Means Death and People of Earth) discusses his background in theater, how he thinks of comedy, stakes, staffing his shows, people touching his face, and more.Come to a live recording of DEAD PILOTS SOCIETY, Ben Blacker's other podcast. In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.On Sunday, January 21, 3-5pm, at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles we're recording readings of great pilots by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers) and Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show). Starring Tawny Newsome (Star Trek: Lower Decks), Paul F. Tompkins (Bojack Horseman), Langston Kerman (Insecure), and lots more!GET TICKETS NOW!THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, 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: benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samy Burch (May December) discusses breaking through with her first produced screenplay after a decade of writing, receiving notes from producers at Gloria Sanchez, Natalie Portman, and director Todd Haynes, "the endurance of failure," writing the shelved (for now?) Coyote vs Acme for Warner Brothers, and why her vision for her writing future is the motto for LA restaurant The Apple Pan. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, 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: benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creators and showrunners of For All Mankind, Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert, discuss season 4, addressing tone, and killing off characters. Then, writer/director Brian Helgeland talks about his new movie, LA Confidential's creation, and his start in horror.