What does it take to write one of the biggest movies in Netflix history — from scratch?

This week, we sit down with screenwriter T.J. Fixman, the man behind Carry-On — the Christmas action thriller that broke Netflix records, racked up over 172 million views, and sparked a genuine cultural debate: is this the new Die Hard?

Before he was writing Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman into one of the most-watched original films on the planet, Fixman was crafting narratives for video games — most notably the beloved Ratchet & Clank franchise. So how does a game writer crack Hollywood's most coveted genre: the contained, high-concept, race-against-the-clock thriller?

We also talk about the Die Hard question, building a villain you never quite see, writing Christmas into the DNA of an action film without making it a gimmick — and what's coming next with his new project The Seventh Man.

If you've ever stared at a blank page wondering how a single high-concept idea becomes a global phenomenon, this one's for you.

Useful Links:

Carry-On on Netflix

Most Popular Movies on Netflix - Carry-On at #3

Seventh Man sells to United Artists - Variety

In this bonus episode, host Chris Hill sits down with David Boxerbaum, partner at Verve Talent & Literary Agency and one of the most respected literary agents working in the spec script market today. Named to The Hollywood Reporter's "Next Generation 35 Under 35" at just 26 years old, Boxerbaum has built his reputation on landing six-and seven-figure spec sales for his clients — and he's not done yet.

Useful Links:

'Don't Go In The Water' sells to Universal - Deadline

Chris Pine to star in Netflix survival thriller 'Yeti'

Python Thriller Spec 'Crush' sells to 20th - Deadline

Skydance buys short story 'Drift' for $2M+

'Cola Wars' Pitch sells to Sony - Deadline

Apatow and Spielberg attached to 'Cola Wars' - Deadline

Veteran lit agent joins Verve - Variety

In 2022, the script that rose to the very top of the Black List was Pure, a psychological horror-thriller about a woman whose obsession with food purity unravels into madness at her sister's destination wedding. The writer was Catherine Schetina, best known for her work on the acclaimed Hulu drama The Bear.

The manager behind her? Jon Hersh.

Jon founded Night Drive Management in 2017 with one clear mission: find bold voices with incendiary material.

Since then, he's built a roster of writers and writer-directors whose work has landed at Universal, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount Players, AMC, and beyond — and whose scripts have become a regular fixture on the Black List year after year.

In this episode, Jon pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to compete at the highest level of the spec market.

Jon also reflects on his path from story analyst at CAA to development executive at Broad Green Pictures before ultimately founding his own company, and what each stop taught him about the business of discovering and developing great writers.

Useful links:

"Pure" tops the Black List in 2022.

Night Drive Management Website.

Yoko Ono Biopic, "Oh Yoko!", lands on Black List 2025.

Short Story "Carrier" Sells to New Regency.

Before Allan was helping run production at one of Hollywood's most storied companies (Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment), he was a kid in the mailroom at Endeavor — sorting packages, learning the rhythm of the industry from the ground up. This week, he traces the full arc: from assistant at Fox 2000, to VP at Hugh Jackman's SEED Productions, to nearly a decade building a slate at Star Thrower Entertainment that quietly became one of the most enviable track records in the business.

We dig into the story of how Allan discovered Nora Garrett's spec After the Hunt — and what it took to recognize the material before anyone else did. Because that call paid off: the script sold to Amazon-MGM with Julia Roberts attached and Luca Guadagnino (Challengers) set to direct. Allan breaks down the anatomy of that discovery — what he saw on the page, how the package came together, and what a sale like that actually feels like from the inside.

We also get into the credits that shaped how he works: producing King Richard (Oscar winner, Warner Bros.), shepherding The Post alongside Steven Spielberg, landing Fair Play at Sundance and watching Netflix acquire it out of the festival, and the quiet cult success of No One Will Save You for Hulu and 20th Century. Plus: Ingrid Goes West, which took home Best First Feature at the Spirit Awards, and 8-Bit Christmas, for which he earned a PGA nomination.

Useful Links:

Imagine Entertainment

Star Thrower Entertainment

Nora Garrett Interview - IndieWire

After The Hunt - Deadline Article

Fair Play Sells to Netflix - Variety

Fair Play Sale - THR

The Post Director/Cast Announcement - Deadline

Amy Pascal Buys Spec Script, The Post - Deadline

Manager Zack Zucker of Bellevue Productions — whose client Matisse Haddad landed the #1 Black List script of 2025 — breaks down the mistake that kills most screenwriting careers before they start: falling in love with the wrong kind of idea.

Inspired by Franklin Leonard's viral essay "The Moral Case for Selling Out," we dig into why professional writers rarely make this error (their reps won't let them) and what the rest of us can do to vet our concepts before we've written ourselves into a corner.

Useful links:

Bellevue Productions Website⁠

News of Zack's client's new film, "I Play Rocky"

Zack's client tops Black List 2025

Zack's indie darling, The Novice, which he produced.

Interview with Lee Jessup on YouTube

To celebrate the #BlackList2025 release, we're dropping a loaded bonus episode with Black List founder Franklin Leonard.

Twenty-one years after its inception, the Black List has become Hollywood's most influential survey of unproduced screenplays - launching careers, reshaping industry gatekeeping, and proving that meritocracy can be an engine for diversity. As the 2025 list drops, we sit down with founder Franklin Leonard for an unflinching conversation about what's changed, what hasn't, and what comes next.

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Franklin Leonard⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠BlueSky⁠ and ⁠⁠X⁠⁠

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠I⁠nstagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠TikTok ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Useful Links:

⁠Franklin on Substack⁠

⁠The Black List on Substack⁠

⁠The Annual Black List Archives⁠

Episode Sponsor:

Hit the link ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ for 10% off Story and Plot's pro digital screenwriting courses, MASTERING STRUCTURE and IDEA TO OUTLINE.

Trevor White of Star Thrower Productions talks about how he and his brother Tim have built their producing careers by working hands-on with screenwriters to develop their scripts, then using the Black List as a spotlight tool to get the industry buzzing and help package projects with the right talent - a strategy that's led to some serious hits including King Richard (2021), where Zach Baylin's script about Venus and Serena Williams' father landed Will Smith his Oscar, The Post (2017), teaming Liz Hannah's Pentagon Papers script with Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks, and their latest Black List project, the rom-dramedy Eternity (2025), which just premiered at TIFF.

White breaks down their writer-first approach, explaining how Star Thrower digs into the development trenches with screenwriters before strategically using the Black List to create buzz and attract directors and actors, turning promising scripts into actual movies that get made, while offering practical advice to aspiring writers about nailing character work, finding fresh takes on stories, and understanding how the right relationships and platforms can get your script from your laptop to the big screen.

Useful links:

Star Thrower Entertainment Website

Trailer for rom-dramedy Eternity

THR Interview with Tim and Trevor

Deadline Article about 'With the 8th Pick'

Film Courage Video Interview with Trevor

Get your copy of John's exceptional book here.

What if every story you've ever loved - from ancient myths to Marvel blockbusters, from Shakespeare to The Sopranos - follows the exact same blueprint?

Today we dive deep into John Yorke's revolutionary book "Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them," the UK's bestselling screenwriting text that's required reading for story enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Find this and other interviews on our new YouTube Channel.

Yorke, the mastermind behind British TV hits like Shameless, Life on Mars, and EastEnders, argues that storytelling isn't just an art - it's hardwired into human perception itself.

We explore his groundbreaking five-act structure, the neurological basis of narrative, and why understanding story structure can transform your writing from good to great.

Whether you're a seasoned screenwriter or just starting your storytelling journey, this episode will change how you see every story around you.

Guest Bio:

John Yorke is one of the most influential figures in British television drama.  Former MD of Company Pictures where he Exec Produced Wolf Hall, he’s worked as both Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production, where he was responsible for commissioning and producing some of the most beloved shows in British TV history, including Hustle, Spooks, Casualty, Holby City, Bodies, and Sex Traffic.

His career began story-lining EastEnders during its first BAFTA-winning year, leading to a 14-year association that produced some of the biggest audiences in British television history.

As a commissioning editor and executive producer, he championed defining works like Life On Mars, The Street, Shameless, and Waterloo Road.

In 2005, he created the BBC Writers Academy, a year-long intensive training program that has produced a generation of successful television writers.

John Yorke is now Managing Director of both Angel Station and John Yorke Story,  where he works as a drama producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of storytelling. 

He consults on narrative advertising across all broadcasting platforms including podcasting, presents his own weekly radio show Opening Lines about classic books on BBC Radio 4, and is also Visiting Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 

He lives in London but works as a story consultant worldwide.

Useful links:

BBC Writersroom Interview - John Yorke

Hit the link here for 10% off Story and Plot's pro digital screenwriting courses, MASTERING STRUCTURE and IDEA TO OUTLINE.

• There you can sign up for Tom's weekly newsletter - it's a free screenwriting lesson in your inbox every Tuesday morning.

• It's also where you can find his FREE email course, SCREENWRITING FOR BEGINNERS, for those at the beginning of their journey.

Discover why 90% of screenplay sales hinge on two crucial elements - and it's not what most writers think. Professional screenwriter Tom Vaughan exposes the industry's best-kept structural secrets, including the game-changing 8-sequence method that outperforms traditional 3-act structure. Learn why the story-vs-plot distinction separates amateur scripts from professional ones, and discover how proper structure actually unleashes creativity instead of constraining it.

Tom Vaughan has written screenplays professionally for 28 years and taught the subject for 22.

He has written for, among others, Phoenix Pictures, TNT, MTV Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, ABC, NBC, CBS, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, Disney, and others. He has also developed screenplays for Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, Barry Sonnenfeld, Chow-Yun Fat, Ruben Fleischer, David Gordon Green, and many more.

WINCHESTER, the film he co-wrote starring Helen Mirren and Sarah Snook, about the infamous Winchester Mystery House, opened nationwide in 2018 and his eighth film, THE HAUNTING OF THE QUEEN MARY was released in 2023.

One of his big life goals was to teach screenwriting at my beloved alma mater, The University of Houston.

Which he now does.

Check out the video of this interview on our new YouTube Channel.

Useful links:

Michael Arndt's incredible screenwriting videos

Trailer to Tom's recent film, WINCHESTER

Interview with playwright Edward Albee - Tom's teacher

In our season two finale, we speak to screenwriter Justin Kremer, who made history as the first writer to be signed via The Black List website just six weeks after its launch. Six weeks later, he landed on the annual Black List for his historical political biopic McCarthy, which chronicles the rise and fall of 1950s Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. The script explores McCarthy's tenure as the most visible face of Cold War-era fears about communist subversion in America, culminating in the televised Army-McCarthy hearings of spring 1954, where the senator's claims of communist infiltration in the U.S. Army ultimately led to his downfall.

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin Kremer on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, Letterbox⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠d and X

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.

Useful links:

Wall Street Journal Article

Interview w/The Bitter Script Reader

Black List Blog - Go Into The Story Interview

Deadline Article on First Website Discovery