Act Two Podcast

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman bring the Act Two Script Club to the podcast for the first time, breaking down what we can learn from Kevin Sullivan's writing in his action rom-com, ENDING THINGS. Join us for a discussion about writing mechanics, what works in original specs and why.    Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Host Josh Hallman finally gets to put his own manager, John Zaozirny, on the hot seat and gets to ask him all the pressing questions about why managers reject their writer's ideas, what makes for a bad manager and what to do about it, what does a manager do in their daily life anyway, top questions from Screenwriting Twitter, and more!   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

When we get our first opportunities and jobs as Screenwriters, we are so grateful to finally be doing this for a living that many of us naturally slip into a "people-pleasing" role. We want to please our reps and our producers, and this can often shift the power dynamic in our business relationships in a way that starts to work against us as creators and career-builders. It is easy, as a Screenwriter, to feel like a child in a room of adults in suits. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss why setting the tone in your meetings is important to your long-term career goals, and how to start setting the tone in your own meetings. Their big reminder: This is not about ego, it's simply about setting yourself up for a successful career as a powerful creative voice.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

So, you finished a draft of your script. Congratufreakinglations! First, go celebrate! Then, come back and listen to this episode before you start revising, as hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman are here to take you through different ways to approach your revisions. From outlines to "Game Plans", they talk about all the ways you can dive into revisions and what's worked best for them over the years.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman each choose one favorite movie hero and one villain then discuss how they are setup and developed across the movie, and why they are effective. There is much to learn from the genius of others.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Pitching is terrible. Pitching for a rewrite job is particularly tricky and terrible. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the Do's and Don'ts of pitching rewrites, and also the red flags to be aware of before you spend your precious time engaging on a rewrite opportunity.   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss all things MacGuffins! One of Josh's absolute favorite things, but they're sometimes looked at as a cheat in Screenplays -- What are they? When should you use them? Are they cheating? When don't they work? Did we mention that Josh loves MacGuffins?   Questions / Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk with Screenwriter Mickey Fisher - creator of TV series EXTANT (CBS), REVERIE (NBC). He also worked on MARS (NatGeo), THE STRAIN (FX), and JACK RYAN (Amazon). We discuss how Mickey broke in, process, and creativity. He's a great person, and it's a great conversation...     Subscribe to Mickey's newsletter: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/mickeyfisher73   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the Great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Season 3 is here! Welcome to 2022. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about setting writing goals and how to manage them. The beginning of the year is a great time to map out how you want things to go, it's easy (and good) to get overly ambitious with your goals. We talk about the practical ways you can approach everything.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

It's the final episode of 2021! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman wonder if writers should take a break from writing over the holidays. Should we recharge or power through? Sit back, relax, and enjoy the end of season 2...   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by the great Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg