Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss

We talk to the magnificent Michael Costigan, producer of such hits as Brokeback Mountain, Robin Hood and Hit Man, among many others joins the show.
He talks about his new TV series Based on a True Story, his transition from movies to the small screen and how hard it is to get anything made.
Michael explains his journey from terrible assistant, to producing seminal movies and  compares adversity in film and television.
An honest and candid romp through Hollywood, with tales of the biggest directors and a genuine passion for every project he touches.

What an episode!
We talk to TV legend Frank Cardea about his decades in the business.
He tells us about his move from accountancy to producing, the extraordinary longevity of his writing partnership and working on more than 400 episodes of NCIS.
We hear some great examples of failure, some great examples of success and also some great examples of leadership.
A fascinating deepdive into one of Hollywood longest and most prodigious careers.

We talk to Michael Rauch. He starts with an extraordinary film school firing, then a late-night 'show being un-picked up' call and how he recovered from those early career setbacks.
He tells us about his casting frustrations, managing multiple projects, and what he learned from great showrunners.
An excellent episode full of brilliant anecdotes.

We talk to the fascinating Mark Goffman.
He tells us about swapping real Government speech writing at the State Department for writing on the West Wing, some extraordinary career luck and ventriloqism documentaries.
Mark talks about the importance of giving people a voice in a room, the importance of working with good people repeatedly and the importance of reflecting something of yourself in every show.
He talks about regret, where he derives his satisfaction in the writing process and he answers the question 'are your shows better in your head or on the screen'.
A fascinating interview with a brilliant creator.

We weren’t finished with John Wirth, so he comes back for more.
This time we talk leadership style, drinking too much soda and the use of the red pen.
John talks about being blunt, some more failure stories and even more advice.

We speak to the legendary John Wirth.
He talks about a Hollywood career so long that he can't even remember all of the shows he has run, the shows he has been fired from and arguing with actors who hadn't won Emmys.
He talks about managing upwards, 'run money' and an extraordinary argument with talent about trust.
A remarkable episode with a remarkable storyteller.

We talk to the extraordinary SJ Hodges.
She talks about changing her name to a gender neutral one to get read, jumping from staff writer straight to show runner and what she learned from managing a literal car crash on The Player.
Then SJ shares her personal journey of losing her husband to a brain tumour, what she did next and how she ended up building a community around her memoir Uneven Ground.
A poignant and honest episode.

The podcast is back for the second half of season three and we have a cracker.
Gary Whitta, writer of Book of Eli and Rogue One gives an extraordinary interview about his transition from video game editor to writer, working on Star Wars and his frustrations with Hollywood. 
He gves us an extraordinary pig analogy, talks about the excitement and pressure of being asked to work on the world's largest franchise and why he now won't watch any new Star Wars shows.
One of the most honest and candid interviews we've had, Gary holds back nothing as he talks about his rollercoaster journey to the pinnacle of Hollywood.
A must listen for writers, Star Wars fans and anyone interested in perseverance, creativity and how to play the Hollywood game.

After a long mid-season break, we are back up with the second half of Season Three of Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss.
Noah and Dan talk about what they have been up to the last few weeks - Noah's show got cancelled! - and we thank our long-term partner Scriptation and then introduce tomorrow's episode with Rogue One writer Gary Whitta.
This taster episode will just remind you of the quality of our banter, get you reacquainted with our voices and sets the table for a great upcoming season.

Our first Oscar winner!
For the last episode before our mid-season break we have Ed Swick on the show.
He talks about his new book - Hits, Flops and Other Illusions.
And we talk winning Oscars, writing truthful books about Hollywood and his extraordinary career.
He tells us how the industry has changed, that films like the ones he made aren’t made anymore and a bit more about winning Oscars.
Ed tells us about his motivation for making movies, his favourite industry moments and how writing his book helped him relive his Hollywood story.
A fascinating episode with one of the entertainment industry’s biggest hitters.