Act Two Podcast

Taika Waititi is considered one of the busiest filmmakers in Hollywood right now, working on some of the biggest franchises in history while also finding time to write, produce, direct, and act in other passion projects. So hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss Taika Waititi's 10 Pieces of Screenwriting Wisdom from Taika Waititi to see what can be learned and applied to everyday Screenwriting careers.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

The first day in a Writers Room for both a Writer and Showrunner are full of anxiety and uncertainty. In this episode, Josh Hallman talks with his co-host, Showrunner Tasha Huo, on what the first day of a room usually looks like to help allay fears and best prepare.   TWIW: How Screenwriters Get Paid in Percentages (that force us to get other jobs to survive), How to Get & Give Targeted Notes in late-stage writing, THE BEAR is Awesome, and Writing on Vacation.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

The tone in which you give notes matters. Your note can be technically correct, but you may deliver it in a way that offends the writer or makes them combative, which can ruin your relationship with the writer and make their revision experience feel painful rather than inspiring. To illustrate how to give notes in a respectful tone, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman share the Opening Setup of scripts they've never shared with each other before, and give each other notes in a live Mock Notes Session.    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

From how Tasha reads samples as a Showrunner and how this has influenced her writing - to - Writer's Block, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss their This Week in Writing.    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

On this 100th Episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman chat with Steven DeKnight -- Showrunner-Writer-Producer-Director of such shows as DAREDEVIL, SPARTACUS, and BUFFY -- about his experiences transitioning from Writer to Showrunner, and then Writer to Director. They get into what the real difference is between simply being a Writer and being a Showrunner, and how to acquire the skills necessary to be a Showrunner or Director if your background has always been writing   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman start their new series -- "What's the Theme?" -- with TOP GUN: MAVERICK. They break down what worked and didn't about the Theme in this epic thrill ride breaking box office records. Beware: lots of SPOILERS!   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk with Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton about being writing partners: their process, schedule, how they met, their first sale, and a ton more... Also, Ben and Jake discuss their (incredible) upcoming movie, THE PRINCESS.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

You have a great idea, now what? The distance between an idea and a finished script can feel vast and wrought with disappointment. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how they go from having an Idea to molding a Script out of that idea.    TWIW: Are TV specs as samples back in vogue? How learning to be a producer is key to a writing career. Tom Cruise is awesome. How Mark Duplass advocates for sharing and workshopping your ideas with your writing community.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Screenwriters Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss Screencraft's 5 Must-Haves for Writing Action Sequences and how to apply these must-haves to your own writing in a practical way, as well as how to avoid common missteps in action writing.   TWIW: Tasha's life gets turned upside down in the best way by their previous Work/Life Balance episode, and a real-life action sequence issue that came up for Tasha in TOMB RAIDER.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk with screenwriter Alex Convery about being on the Blacklist multiple times, the influence that has had on his career, and about the story of how his most recent Blacklist script, AIR JORDAN, got Ben Affleck attached to direct and co-star with Matt Damon.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg