Act Two Podcast

Fellowships have become a formidable way to jumpstart (or restart) your Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with bRock Newell, winner of the 2018 Screencraft Fellowship to chat about what exactly the Fellowship entails, why he refused a free hotel stay in LA, and the incredible effects the Fellowship has had on his career.  Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Sure, New Year's Resolutions suck and never work. But, what if your writing resolutions DID work? What if by Dec. 31st of next year, your career looked vastly different? It can happen. You (and only you) have the power to progress your career over the next year. In this special End of Year episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk in detail about how they make writing goals, their tricks on how to keep them, and how to wield those goals into real actionable, career-changing steps. Next year, take control of your career. Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

There is a legend among Screenwriters that Shane Black wrote LETHAL WEAPON right out of college, sold it immediately, and that his first draft was what went into production. Tearing down that myth are hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman, with Special Guest David Levinson, who go behind the scenes of how this holiday action movie really came to be. The truth is nowhere close to mythic, and much closer to the hard reality of what it takes to get a movie made. Hint: Shane Black wasn't the only writer! It is an Act Two belief that the best writers never stop learning -- so the Breakdown Series will take an in-depth look at the writing of some of the most influential stories of our time, including the behind-the-scenes of how these scripts came together. Sit back, grab a drink, and let's see what we all can learn! Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg  

BACK TO THE FUTURE, crafted by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, has one of the most satisfying endings in film. It accomplishes this through building continuous Obstacles and Paying Off all the Setups from Act One. In this last installment of The Breakdown: BTTF Edition, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down just how a perfect, satisfying ending is pulled off at the writing level. The Breakdown Series is a special, ongoing series where hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman tear into the Screenwriting of masterful films and television episodes, breaking down how the sausage is made. It is an Act Two belief that the best writers never stop learning -- so this series will take an in-depth look at the writing of some of the most influential stories of our time, including the behind-the-scenes of how these scripts came together. Sit back, grab a drink, and let's see what we all can learn! Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

BACK TO THE FUTURE, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, is a masterclass in how to craft the perfect Act Two. It has a powerful story engine, unexpected twists and turns, emotional ups and downs, and it forces the audience to be an active participant in the adventure. In this second installment of The Breakdown: BTTF Edition, Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman break down just how Zemeckis and Gale pulled all this off to create one of the most perfect films in history -- Hint: Cause & Effect.   The Breakdown Series is a special, ongoing series where hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman tear into the Screenwriting of masterful films and television episodes, breaking down how the sausage is made. It is an Act Two belief that the best writers never stop learning -- so this series will take an in-depth look at the writing of some of the most influential stories of our time, including the behind-the-scenes of how these scripts came together. Sit back, grab a drink, and let's see what we all can learn!   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

You've written your first script and you're ready to show it to the world. Where do you share it? Who do you trust with feedback, and what do you do with it? When is your ego getting in the way, and how can you tell? Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about their first scripts and the hard lessons they learned when they were confident film school grads just starting out.   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

BACK TO THE FUTURE, written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, wasn't always the perfect movie you think it was. The original draft was far from the genius that made it to screen. In this special holiday episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman take a close look at how Zemeckis and Gale handle Act One problems like setups, character intros, theme, dialogue, and suspense in the masterpiece that is BACK TO THE FUTURE, and they compare the rocky, more adult first draft to the finished tour de force that made it into our hearts and minds. Thus begins our Breakdown Series where Tasha and Josh tear into the Screenwriting of masterful films and television episodes, breaking down how the sausage is made. It is an Act Two belief that the best writers never stop learning -- so this series will take an in-depth look at the writing of some of the most influential stories of our time, including the behind-the-scenes of how these scripts came together. Let's see what we all can learn!   Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

Competitions are a very effective way to jumpstart your Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with Nicole Ramberg, 2020 Winner of the Screencraft Action-Adventure Feature Competition, to discuss how she found Screencraft, the application process, and how winning has affected her writing career. Hint: she now has a manager.    Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

There are a million ways to a Screenwriting career. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with screenwriter Corey Deshon to discuss his epic Twitter thread on the many starts and stops of his writing career, and how "the slog" is part of the job description. Corey started as a Production Assistant and found immediate success in Hollywood as an indie film writer, but never quite saw his career take off despite sales and produced credits. Now a working staff writer in TV and in post on his directorial debut Daughter due out in 2021, Corey reflects on the stutter-stops along the way, and goes in detail on all those arduous steps of his path to finding a career as a Screenwriter. Hint: it involved lots of credit cards. (This episode is part of the "Million Ways to a Screenwriting Career" series, where Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman go in-depth with Screenwriters of all walks of life to discuss the unique way they became a working Screenwriter.)   Find Corey Deshon: @CoreyDeshon  Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg

One of the most important and fraught relationships a Screenwriter will ever have is the one they have with their reps. In this episode, hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman field questions from Screenwriters struggling with their Manager / Agent relationships and talk about how to maximize those relationships and how to transform a difficult or stagnant representation team into one that is working for you.     Questions/Comments: ActTwoWriters@gmail.com  Edited by Paul Lundquist Music by 414beg