Fri, Apr 13, 2018
In our season 8 premiere episode, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig talks about her theatrical beginnings, what she learned working with filmmakers Noah Baumbach, Mike Mills, and others in such films as Frances Ha and 20th Century Women, and taking the leap to write and direct her own film, the critically acclaimed Lady Bird.
Fri, Apr 20, 2018
Entertainment trailblazer writer/director/producer Keenen Ivory Wayans achieved national prominence when he created the culturally groundbreaking, Emmy award-winning, black-oriented comedy satire In Living Color. Wayans talks about his circular path to Hollywood and how In Living Color paved the way for so many artists and subsequent projects.
Fri, Apr 27, 2018
Academy Award-winning writer-director Kenneth Lonergan compares screenwriting with playwriting, protecting his personal relationship with his work, and being open to mistakes. With over 90 nominations for his work, a resume that includes Manchester by the Sea, Gangs of New York, and You Can Count on Me, this conversation with a master storyteller is not to be missed.
Fri, May 4, 2018
Once considered "unfilmable," the movie Arrival scored big at the box office. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer talks about his long road selling Hollywood on his adaptation of the short story by Ted Chiang, working with director Denis Villeneuve, and the challenges of writing a cerebral sci-fi story about love and loss.
Fri, Jun 1, 2018
Show creator Misha Green isn't afraid to push boundaries; the critically-acclaimed Underground, a historical period drama about the Underground Railroad that she co-created with Joe Pokaski, combined terror, modern music, romance, and thrills, breaking ground for the genre. In this episode, Misha talks about her experience as a first-time showrunner, having to say goodbye to a story before it's finished, and what she's working on next. Hint: it involves Get Out writer-director Jordan Peele.
Fri, Jun 8, 2018
Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost talks about the impact of the original cult favorite show, collaborating with David Lynch, updating the series for a less innocent era, and exploring the human condition as a narrative story on screen. Frost is a novelist - with more than 10 books to his name - director, film producer, and screenwriter whose credits include the seminal police drama Hill Street Blues.
Fri, Jun 15, 2018
It was the verdict heard around the world, one that has continued to haunt and divide our country's collective conscience. In this episode, Scott Alexander, a master of dramatizing true life events, discusses developing and writing the award-winning series The People v. O.J. Simpson, one of the most notorious American crime stories for the screen.
Fri, Jun 22, 2018
Writer, director, producer, actor, and comedian Robert Townsend has over 30 years of experience working in film and television. With credits such as Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats, In the Hive and Playin' For Love, Townsend discusses his multi-faceted and successful career in front of and behind the camera.
Fri, Jul 13, 2018
In this episode, creator, showrunner, and producer Courtney A. Kemp discusses the power dynamics in the television industry, the writers room, and a well-crafted story. With credits that includes The Good Wife, The Bernie Mac Show, Justice, and creating the critically acclaimed gritty New York drama Power, Kemp knows her way around a successful TV show.
Fri, Jul 20, 2018
With a huge list of characters, ambitious flashbacks, centuries' worth of mythology, and constant epic battles between gods-all within the confines of a television series, adapting Neil Gaiman's seminal novel American Gods was no small feat. In this episode, Season 1 writer, co-showrunner, and executive producer Michael Green will walk through the series' script, discussing topics like staying true to and expanding the world that Gaiman created.
Fri, Jul 27, 2018
In this episode, the screenwriters behind Arrival, Kubo and the Two Strings, and I Love Dick discuss book-to-film adaptations and translating themes and literary devices to the screen. The art of writing them is as advantageous as it is demanding. Characters in novels have an elaborately developed inner life, and visually depicting subtext and nuance in a compelling narrative can be a challenge, especially within the constraints of a 90-minute film.
Fri, Aug 17, 2018
Join Snowpiercer co-writer Kelly Masterson as he dissects the story's journey from graphic novel to script-to-screen. Masterson will reference specific scenes from the film-with clips projected throughout-and discuss writing for a multinational audience, the writer/director relationship with Joon-ho Bong, writing through language barriers, and the layered messages throughout the film.