No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories

By Rebecca Doyle

No Set Path is a biweekly podcast exploring how to succeed in film & TV by talking to people who have actually done it.... more

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FAQs about No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories:

How many episodes does No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories have?

The podcast currently has 74 episodes available.

No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories episodes:

June 05, 2024 33 - Adapting Books to Movies for Screenwriters with Monisha Dadlani (Netflix, Sony Pictures, Apple TV+)
Monisha Dadlani is a multi-hyphenate actress, writer, and director. As a writer, she's developed projects with Sony Pictures Television, Netflix Features Animation, Amazon Studios, and MRC. She was also a freelance writer for an animated show on Apple TV+ and voices a series regular on a Nickelodeon International animated series. =She's a member of the WGA and The Animation Guild, an alumni of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's content acceleration program, Imagine Impact, and had one of her scripts featured on the 2020 Black List.
Today we dive into developing original material versus adapting IP, pitching on open writing assignments, and finding your voice as a storyteller.

3:06 - Original scripts vs. open writing assignments (OWAs)
5:20 - IP is king (or queen!)
10:35 - Studio being on board vs. not yet
14:50 - One producer vs. two producers - navigating conflicting notes
17:00 - faithfulness to IP with strong fandoms
21:45 - Monisha’s first OWA for MRC + the process
27:05- When to turn down an OWA
28:22 - Being part of the Netflix Braintrust
30:28 - Blind script deal at Sony + “if-come” deals
33:10 - Pitching a PG-13 vs. R-rated version of an idea depending on the distributor
35:50 - How Monisha started pitching on OWAs + Imagine Impact
43:11 - How the first script Monisha ever wrote was “not great” but landed her in the fellowship that launched her writing career
48:46 - Meeting with managers + choosing one of the 10+ that was interested (David Baggelaar at Goodyear)
52:27 - Why your agent might be hiding in the mailroom
54:20 - What you should have in your writing sample to attract reps + jobs
59:10 - Monisha’s Black List script “The Boy Who Died” + a pitch to Daniel Radcliffe
1:04:25 - What the Black List can do for a career
1:08:15 - How to make one sample work for both YA, sci-fi, romance AND four-quadrant projects
1:09:39 - Joining the Writers Guild of America
1:10:00 - Growing up in NYC, attending the “Fame” high school, choosing USC School of Dramatic Arts
1:17:00 - Shooting a feature film with $5,000
1:18:55 - Storytelling side hustles + shooting a passion project web series
1:20:43 - TIME CAPSULE

...more
1h 32min
May 23, 2024 32 - Signing with a Manager w/ Andrew Nallathambi (Range Media Partners)
Andrew Nallathambi is a manager in Film & TV at Range Media Partners. Andrew began his career in the early days of Range as one of their first Associate Trainees in November 2020, fresh out of USC. He went on to work as an Associate for two years on the literary side, and then held the Coordinator of Film & TV position before being promoted to Manager in the Film & TV group in March of this year.
Today Andrew and gets into how to navigate an uncertain time in the industry and advance into a career you love, what managers currently look for when signing new talent, and how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.
EPISODE BREAKDOWN:
2:09 - Andrew’s journey to being a manager at Range
4:11 - Landing a first job in the mailroom at CAA, losing it to the pandemic
7:20 - Being accepted into Teach for America as an English teacher when covid shut the entertainment industry down before pivoting back to an entry-level job in management
8:50 - Landing a job through lateral connections and being intentional with your time
12:28 - Balancing planning ahead with being adaptable: being comfortable with the uncomfortable!
15:30 - The joy of letting go of control: no one is 100% self-made
18:18 - Pursuing a career as an agent vs. manager
19:20 - Why not liking something is a good thing
22:55 - Pursuing things that are true to you, not things that everyone else says you should do
24:50 - Can you be a rep if you’re not extroverted?
29:10 - What if you don’t see people like yourself in the position you want?**
31:00 - How to make rejection useful
34:28 - What managers look for in clients to sign
41:10 - What sample should a writer have? Are we entering an era of a tonal shift?
47:20 - What is Andrew’s Range connect up to now?!
48:38 - Questions in a Hollywood assistant interview
52:37 - Being true to yourself will put you in the right place
53:10 - Andrew’s journey from childhood: drums, immigrant parents, inclinations toward art over academics, Blockbuster Video —> studying Cinema-Media Studies USC School of Cinematic Arts
59:28 - Advice for aspiring managers and aspiring clients
1:02:30 - How to do outreach effectively!
1:04:06 - How people got jobs through sending Andrew a cold email
1:05:00 - How to keep going when things get discouraging
1:09:45 - TIME CAPSULE
KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:
All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow
bio.site/nosetpath
www.NoSetPathShow.com
...more
1h 35min
May 09, 2024 31 - Screenwriter Paths w/ Sam Boyer (Nicholl Fellow, Black List x2, Academy Gold, Michener Fellow, CAPE New Writers Fellow)
Sam Boyer is an Indonesian-American writer who won the Nicholl Fellowship in 2022, was featured on the 2023 Black List, was a 2020 CAPE New Writers Fellow, and has twice been featured on the Black List's CAPE List. He earned his MFA from UT Austin’s Michener Center for Writers and his BA from USC's film school.
In this episode, Sam dives into his process in landing a spot in each of these programs, how to face and overcome rejection, tips for making time and space to write, and why his hypothetical presidential platform would include free chips & salsa at every restaurant.
BREAKDOWN:
3:35 - Getting on the Black List
7:24 - Black List 2023 script - “Foragers”
14:00 - Getting the NIcholl Fellowship
25:25 - CAPE Writers Program
31:17 - Getting into Michener at UT Austin
36:09 - Becoming an Academy Gold member
40:05 - Balancing work when you start out with a day job, making time to write, getting past writers’ block
50:57 - Tips for general meetings
55:43 - Getting initially rejected from SCA
1:00:26 - Rejection is normal
1:09:55 - Personal connection to stories
1:12:33 - Navigating management / reps
1:19:25 - Advice for people starting out / pivoting
1:26:39 - How he persevered through hard times
1:32:27 - The myth of the Overnight Success
1:34:19 - TIME CAPSULE
CONNECT WITH SAM:
IG @samboyer
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All platforms @NoSetPathShow
bio.site/nosetpath
www.nosetpathshow.com

...more
1h 56min
April 24, 2024 30 - Reading Your Hollywood Assistant Horror Stories w/ Michael Ritter
Rebecca Doyle and special guest Michael Ritter read and react to some anonymously submitted horror stories from Hollywood Assistants - complete with ranking the circle of hell each story's villain belongs to.

CONNECT WITH SPECIAL GUEST CO-HOST MICHAEL RITTER:
Instagram: @mkritter / @29goingonbreakdown
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ritter-filmmaker
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5778236/
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
...more
49min
April 10, 2024 29 - Becoming a TV Procedural Writer with Ryan Lee (CSI: Vegas)
Ryan is a story editor on CSI: Vegas (check out his next episode coming out 4/21/24!) In 2018, he participated in the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, and in 2021 he part of the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program.
Today we’re getting into how Ryan turned his day job into the final thing that made the showrunner of CSI Vegas want to hire him, Ryan’s final application strategy on the time he was accepted into the Paramount Writers Program, how to be prepared for an interview with a showrunner for a TV writer position, how to deal with burnout, and so much more.
BREAKDOWN:
1:41 How Ryan got a job on CSI: Vegas
7:21 What makes a good director for a writer to work with
8:41 How to communicate with other departments as a staff writer
10:11 Are Zoom (Writers) Rooms the future of TV?
11:41 Getting hired on a show you’ve never watched
12:53 Should you work on procedurals?
15:31 Writing features vs. TV
18:40 Rejected from the Paramount Writers Program seven times before getting accepted
20:54 Cape New Writers Fellowship
25:20 Interview questions for a TV writer (CSI: Vegas)
27:10 How day jobs in writing contributed to landing a job in TV writing
30:20 Working through burnout
34:00 Write a procedural, not a Succession spec
37:10 - Don’t get precious, you need many scripts
40:20 Day jobs for writers
52:53 - Getting your first rep while still in college
55:15 - Decision to not have a manager
59:40 - Ryan’s “A story”! Example of how to pitch yourself in a TV writer interview
1:02:40 - Deciding: USC vs. NYU
1:05:20 - Advice
1:09:57 TIME CAPSULE
...more
1h 29min
March 28, 2024 28 - 5 First-Year Podcasting Mistakes to Avoid (Recap!)
BREAKDOWN:
3:29 - Overview Recap: Ideating, buying gear, launch, frequency/release cadence, top 5 episodes
6:05 - Finding guests - do guests’ audiences matter?
8:56 - Analytics: Gender split!
9:10 - How to get on the charts worldwide as a small podcast
11:30 - Spotify Labs
12:29 - Getting monetized through Spotify for Podcasters’ Ad Ambassador program
14:13 - Going viral on TikTok with a podcast clip
16:35 - Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid in First Year of Podcasting - #1: Not having clear goals
18:10 - #2 Not seeing out advice from people actually executing at your level
25:54 - #3 Not finding the balance of researching/preparing and starting/executing
28:17 - Avoiding tech issues + what gear I use
30:50 - Picking a hosting platform
31:35 - Total gear cost
35:19 - #4 Having unrealistic expectations about growing listenership
38:00 - how to optimize other platforms to get listens on your podcast
39:20 - hot take: maybe don’t start a podcast
42:47 - #5 Not having realistic expectations for podcasting as a networking tool
45:50 - Episode recap
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
...more
48min
February 28, 2024 27 - From 1st AD to Director with David Gutel (Forty-Seven Days with Jesus, Ginger Root)
David Gutel’s theatrical directorial debut “Forty-Seven Days with Jesus” hits over 900 theaters this March! In this episode, we get into how David set his feature up for success through casting from similar popular series “The Chosen”, distribution resources and tips for independent films, how he used real estate tech to pre-viz musical numbers, why he decided to do a faith-based film after initially being hesitant and how he transitioned to directing after 8 years as a 1st Assistant Director.
BREAKDOWN:
6:00 - Pre-viz for a musical: Lidar mapping (real estate tools?!)
13:34 - Challenges: strikes, Texas heat, mechanical failures of picture vehicles (sinking boat!)
18:08 - Getting theatrical distribution partly through casting actors from “The Chosen”
24:10 - Distribution resources - Fathom Events & Pinnacle Peak as a resource for independent films, getting distribution abroad through hitting minimums at home
26:30 - Getting distribution tips recap + David’s initial connection to distributors
29:10 - Market festivals vs. competition film festivals
30:25 - From 1st AD to director
41:03 - First job as second unit director
45:19 - Challenging shoots: When to rise to a challenge vs. abandon impending disaster
55:30 - Recap of David’s path in the industry
58:30 - Is film school worth it? David’s experience paying $24k for CSULB
1:04:00 - TIME CAPSULE
CONNECT WITH DAVID: Instagram @davidmgutel / @fortysevendaysfilm
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DeadMediaStore
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW
All platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com / bio.site/nosetpath

...more
1h 17min
February 14, 2024 26 - Directing Your First Feature After Shorts with Michael Lukk Litwak (Molli & Max in the Future, SXSW 2023)
MICHAEL LUKK LITWAK is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and cartoonist that was born and raised in Los Angeles. His first feature was ‘MOLLI AND MAX IN THE FUTURE’ a sci-fi Romantic-Comedy starring Zosia Mamet and Aristotle Athari and is often described as ‘When Harry Met Sally’ meets ‘Futurama.’ ‘MOLLI AND MAX’ had its world premiere at SXSW 2023, played at BFI London, Sitges, and Fantasia before its theatrical distribution in February 2024 and is currently sitting at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
2:21 - Molli & Max in the Future
4:31 - Admission to SXSW - getting in as a director on the 12th try
6:51 - The strategic side of top festival admissions
12:41 - What film festivals are worth it?
14:21 - Getting theatrical distribution for a first feature
15:21 - Additional benefits of theatrical release: NYT review, Late Night exposure
16:11 - Shooting with new tech - virtual production, volume stages, LED stages & green screen
18:01 - Creative solves to making sci-fi on a budget
26:59 - The Life and Death of Tommy Chaos & Stacey Danger - how Michael’s short that got rejected from every major film festival went viral and landed him representation
29:51 - Landing a $2.5 million Warner Bros show - only to have it scrapped with the shutdown of Go90
38:21 - navigating agents & managers as a director
44:21 - Impact of the strikes
47:07 - Cartoons
49:41 - Being featured on Humans of New York
51:21 - Support & understanding when married to another creative in film
53:25 - Things are not stepping stones and people won’t rescue you
56:16 - Getting inspired again after low points
58:21 - TIME CAPSULE
CONNECT WITH MICHAEL:
IG: @michaellitwak / @molliandmax
https://www.michaellitwak.com/
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com

...more
1h 20min
February 01, 2024 25 - Sundance on the Street (Handling the Undead, Welcome to the Enclave, Abbott Elementary)
This special episode takes you to Park City, Utah to talk to filmmakers, staff, and attendees of the 2024 Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals.
BREAKDOWN:
2:08 Guri Neby - Producer, Handling the Undead (Sundance 2024)
5:00 Ken Wittingham, Director & Sundance Comedy Panelist (Abbott Elementary, Parks & Recreation, Black-ish)
7:33 Sarah Lasley [Director & Writer] & Brenna Palughi [Actress/Co-Writer], Welcome to the Enclave (Slamdance 2024)
17:09 Lindsay Compton, Sundance Staff
20:45 Chris Jai Alex, Director / Festival Attendee
25:16 Justin Knoepfel, Filmmaker / Festival Attendee
29:56 Desiree Breise, Film Lover / Festival Attendee

CONNECT WITH THE GUESTS:
Guri Neby - Einar Film IG @einarfilm
Ken Wittingham - www.imdb.com/name/nm0926526/
Brenna Palughi - IG @brenna__pal
Sarah Lasley - IG @sarah_lasley / sarahlasley.com
Lindsay Compton - IG @lindsayycompton / Letterboxd @lcomp
Chris Jai Alex IG - @chrisjaialex https://tubitv.com/movies/100012918/get-the-girl
Justin Knoepfel IG - @justinknoepfel

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All platforms @NoSetPathShow
...more
33min
January 17, 2024 24 - Attracting an Executive Producer w/ Emily Ruhl (We Strangers SXSW 2024, Playland Tribeca 2023)
Emily Ruhl is a model, actress, producer, writer, and director. She has been the face of brands like Smashbox, KKW and MAC; acted in films like Newness (Sundance 2017), and Executive Produced We Strangers (SXSW 2024) and Playland (Tribeca 2023). Her directorial writing, directing, and producing debut, short Blue Moon, played at 100+ festivals and landed her 4 awards for Best Director. Emily is a Lister on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List 2024.
BREAKDOWN:
2:57 - EPing We Strangers (SXSW 2024)
3:52 - What an EP does
4:54 - Blue Moon - lessons in making your first film
9:08 - EPing Playland (Tribeca 2023)
10:43 - What attracted Emily to projects as an EP
13:30 - Working with Jim Cummings
16:28 - Upcoming projects
25:10 - How to learn about how to develop & pitch TV
28:04 - Addiction & recovery shows - the good, the bad, and the ugly
31:48 - Founding Public School Pictures
33:50 - Making Forbes 30 Under 30 & tips for next year’s list
40:00 - Finding financing for your own projects
43:50 - Building a production company staff
47:50 - Modeling in Tokyo & NYC
51:54 - Purpose & motivation fueled by passion & rejection
55:25 - Lessons in management
56:50 - "Rejection" vs. “adapting to a ‘no’"
57:40 - TIME CAPSULE
CONNECT WITH EMILY:
@emilyruhl
www.publicschoolpictures.com
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW:
All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow
www.NoSetPathShow.com
...more
1h 9min

FAQs about No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories:

How many episodes does No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories have?

The podcast currently has 74 episodes available.