Jillian Davis is a literary agent living in Los Angeles. Graduating from Syracuse University as a double major in Television/Radio/Film and English & Textual Studies, she thought she would never use either major, and ended up using both. She worked at Frolic Media for several years where she immersed herself in the online romancelandia community and worked tirelessly to turn romance novels into television and film. She is now the founder of the book department at the Kaplan Stahler Agency, where she works tirelessly to bring women’s stories to publishers and producers alike. Jillian volunteers as a mentor with WriteGirl, enjoys scuba diving, is a yellow belt in krav maga, and spends too much money at LA’s local bookstores.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Hollywood movie producer, Stephen Nemeth, we talk Hunter S. Thomson, Richard Nixon, The Elephant Man, and why nobody in Hollywood knows what they’re talking about.

Adaptation: With Producer, Stephen Nemeth - Part 1

Part 1 of our conversation with Hollywood Producer, Stephen Nemeth is packed with anecdotes, advice, adaptations gone awry, and the unique challenges of producing classic novels.

Stephen Nemeth formed and heads up Rhino Films, the independent film company that originated as a division of iconoclastic record label Rhino Records. He has produced and executive produced dozens of films including THE SESSIONS, C.O.G., FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, WHY DO FOOLS FOOLS FALL IN LOVE and FEAR AND LOATHING IN ASPEN. He is in pre-production on a Johnny Cash film and adaptations of the New York Times bestselling book CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN and Hunter S. Thompson’s THE CURSE OF LONO. Nemeth’s documentary credits include DOGTOWN AND Z BOYS, WARDANCE, FUEL, FLOW, CLIMATE REFUGEES, ROBERT WILLIAMS MR. BITCHIN’, GOOD FORTUNE, HIGHER LOVE, KISS THE GROUND, 137 SHOTS and MEDIHA. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and on the board of numerous non-profit organizations including Friends of the Earth, the Wildlife Ecostation, the Woodstock Film Festival and is on the advisory board of the Full Frame Documentary Festival. Nemeth has served on the boards of the International Documentary Association, Wheels for Humanity, Children Uniting Nations, Shine On Sierra Leone and OneVoice and as an advisor to the Dean’s Board of UC Santa Cruz’s School for the Arts.

Nightbitch is the debut novel Rachel didn't think anyone would read. Then it's selected as a best book of the year. Then Covid hits. Then Hollywood comes calling...

In the second half of our convo with Rachel she reveals the inspiration for her adaptation and talks about the wildly surreal day she spent watching Amy Adams portray Nightbitch, on set.

Rachel Yoder is the author of Nightbitch, her debut novel became a feature film written and directed by Marielle Heller and starring Amy Adams. She is an Assistant Professor of Screenwriting at the University of Iowa.

Nightbitch is the debut novel Rachel didn't think anyone would read. Then it's selected as a best book of the year. Then Covid hits. Then Hollywood comes calling...

Rachel Yoder is the author of Nightbitch, her debut novel became a feature film written and directed by Marielle Heller and starring Amy Adams. She is an Assistant Professor of Screenwriting at the University of Iowa.

What happens when your debut novel gets optioned for TV by Jenna Bush Hager, then a writer's strike hits Hollywood.

Diane Marie Brown is a professor at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California and a public health professional for the Long Beach Health Department. She has a BA and MPH from UCLA and a degree in fiction from USC’s Master of Professional Writing Program. Her work has appeared in Bomb Magazine, Hear Our Voices, Scary Mommy, Women Writers, the Audible Blog, and the Daily Bruin. Her debut novel, Black Candle Women, is a Read With Jenna book club selection.

What happens when your debut novel gets optioned for TV by Jenna Bush Hager, then a writer's strike hits Hollywood.

Diane Marie Brown is a professor at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California and a public health professional for the Long Beach Health Department. She has a BA and MPH from UCLA and a degree in fiction from USC’s Master of Professional Writing Program. Her work has appeared in Bomb Magazine, Hear Our Voices, Scary Mommy, Women Writers, the Audible Blog, and the Daily Bruin. Her debut novel, Black Candle Women, is a Read With Jenna book club selection.

We're thrilled to share the launch of Adaptation by Silver Lake Reading Club!

Each episode explores the journey of books as they make their way onto the screen, diving into the art and challenges of transforming stories from page to film and television.

Adaptation is a podcast exploring the journey from page to screen. We sit down with authors, screenwriters, producers, agents, and directors to hear, firsthand, what it takes to bring books to life in film and television. Hosted by award-winning journalist, lyricist, author and animator, Deborah Stoll, and produced by Silver Lake Reading Club, Adaptation bridges the literary and Hollywood worlds, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how stories transform, and the people who make it all happen.

Sharing these conversations has been such a joy for us, we hope listening feels like being in the room with us.

xoxo, Helen & Deborah