An Argentine writer named Jorge Luis Borges once declared that there are only four stories that are told and re-told. Or maybe there are seven — it depends who you ask. Regardless, Rob Long explains in this week’s episode why writers would be better off ignoring those rules. And why everyone else should ignore people who insist that the summer is over on July 5th.

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Follow us (and like us!) at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and on Twitter. Also please subscribe at TheAnkler.com for more podcasts and stories about the entertainment industry.

Technology has enabled us to have meetings from any where at any time. This week, Rob Long gives a discourse on how to conduct a notes call from locations that can be classified as exotic, prosaic and, shall we say, aromatic. But he also points out why the business functioned better when everyone wasn’t so connected and available 24/7.

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In Hollywood, even the most prosaic activities often involves a complex dance of priorities, rank, and egos. This week, Rob explains the complex politics and power moves behind setting a meeting time that works for everyone’s schedule.

Follow us (and like us!) at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and on Twitter. Also please subscribe at TheAnkler.com for more podcasts and stories about the entertainment industry.

In Hollywood, even the most prosaic activities often involve a complex dance of priorities, rank and egos. This week, Rob Long explains the complex politics and power moves behind setting a meeting time that works for everyone’s schedule. Yet that exercise pales in comparison to figuring out who is in what position on which project, which often requires an advanced degree in calculus to understand. But according to Rob, it’s also why you can get by just as well with a good grasp of the concept of dithering.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe

As a public service, Rob gives his expert guide to pitch meeting success, starting with what beverage one should order (it matters!).

In this week’s episode, Rob Long tackles the idea that entertainment is a risky business that takes a lot of intuition and nerve.

Screamers, show consulting, Stanford, seniority, status, and Stalin’s chair. These concepts are all linked, in this parable on power in the entertainment business. Listen and hear how.

This week, Rob give his notes on network notes.

Rob — who has run a few shows in his time— has some words of encouragement and yes, advice for those people who find themselves in precarious employment situations. And in the process, talks himself out of a job.

As the entertainment business slowly becomes a form of television and everyone slowly realizing that the television business depends on the management skills and personal discipline of…writers, some show runners are finding themselves replaced at alarming rates. Rob — who has run a few shows in his time— has some words of encouragement and yes, […]