We talk to writing duo Liz Craft and Sarah Fain.
They talk about the dynamics of a writing duo, when and how they have disagreements and how they deal with both rejection and success.
The practicalities of splitting pay checks, the book adaptation that got away and how they felt about it and the parallel success of Fantasy Island.
They describe the lost project as like 'an ex-boyfriend who you don't want to see in the street' and explained why they won't ever watch it and why it hurt so much.
We also talk about diversity, how being in a duo shielded them in some ways and how they run their rooms.
A fun and honest discussion about Hollywood and their journey through it together.

We speak to the fantastic Hart Hanson. He talks about being courteous but cranky, his unwanted reputation for being nice and why he would never bully his team.
He explains the bizarre genesis of Bones, the balance between art and creativity and the practicality of raising a family in Hollywood.
Hart talks about his Canadian politeness, how Bones became a subversive show and his frustrations of later shows not achieving Bones' longevity.
He talks about the novels he writes, the one he really wants to sell and the fun of working with Steve Coogan.
A fantastic and insightful trip around Hollywood with one of its nicest success stories.

We talk to veteran journalist Mo Ryan. We explore the complex world of Hollywood, reporting on abuse and toxicity in the industry and the personal toll it has taken on her.
She tells how she approaches these type of stories, her support and compassion for the victims and the lengths lawyers and large organizations go to create obstacles.
Mo talks honestly about her own experience of abuse, the panic attack that hit her and her unrelenting desire to get the truth out.
She explains the complex world of entertainment journalism and the balance between exposing abuse and reviewing tv shows and how she swaps between the two.
A powerful, sometimes dark, revealing and memorable interview about the dark corners of Hollywood from someone who works hard to shine a light on them.

We talk to film producer Andy Horwitz. He talks about about how to let writers go from projects, trying to treat people fairly but also the principle of 'protect the movie at all costs'.
Adam explains the process of movie making, the difference between TV and film rejection and why he was so desperate to become a movie producer.
He tells rejection stories, his own battles to get Triple Frontier made and what's most important to him - blockbuster money, awards or working with good people.
Andy talks about the original Suicide Squad conundrum of it being a commercial success but a critical failure, how he feels about being attached to projects like that and what he learned from it.
A fascinating discussion with a nice guy in a difficult job.

Having written or produced more than 120 hours of television, Joseph Mallozzi has had a stellar career. We talk to him about the relative comfort of working on one show for more than ten years, his impatience when he isn't on a show and the importance of working with great people.
He talks about the frustration of working on a difficult show, with impossible deadlines and budgets and managing the absurdity of the situation. And what he learned from that for when he next ran a room.
Joseph explains the relative strength of a writer's position in tv and features and why he has been so happy working in the TV business. He talks about enjoying working away from LA in Toronto and shares some of the highlights, and lowlights, of his career.
An illuminating and in-depth discussion with an industry veteran.

We talk to insightful and wisdom-filled manager Zadoc Angell.
This long-time literary agent, manager and TV producer, as well as current Co-President of Echo Lake Entertainment, talks about moving from agent to manager, managing  client expectations and why emailing rejection is often the best way.
He talks openly about his career, the different ways executives articulate passing on a project and the importance of honesty and accuracy when sharing bad news.
An insightful and amusing journey through the long and successful career of a talent manager who also happens to be one of the nicest guys in the business.

We talk to the remarkably funny and articulate Marc Guggenheim.
The industry veteran talks about moving from procedurals to genre, working for an abusive showrunner and his regrets over taking a gig ‘just for the money’.
He talks openly about the different shortcomings of showrunner, what he learned from good and bad bosses and the importance of fostering creativity.
He explains how he takes rejection, why he’s comfortable taking about it and how much of his success he owes to 20 years of therapy.
A fun and insightful romp through the long and eventful Hollywood career of a brilliant writer and even nicer man.

We talk to doctor-turned-writer and showrunner Neal Baer.
He talks us though his journey on ER, the public service he performs and the lives he has  saved through television.
We cover the anti-science movement, the joy of working with execs who give you freedom to be creative and the challenge of transitioning to non-medical shows.
Neal tells us how he deals with rejection, making television during Covid and gives inspiring advice to the next generation of writers.

On a special episode, we push Noah Evslin into the guest hot seat and the creator of the world's most successful scripted podcast Paul Bae joins as co-host.
Noah talks about his experience of rejection, failure and adversity. He talks about the risks of leaving the relatively safe world of producing in Shondaland to push forward with writing elsewhere, the continual fear that you never know if you'll work again and his  enjoyment of the process of creating.
He explains what he has learned about the industry and rejection from this podcast, Paul tells us some classic stories of Hollywood meanness and even Dan shares a story of rejection about being made redundant.
A different approach to the classic themes of rejection, failure and adversity in a one-off special.

We talk to Canadian-British actor and producer Jonathan Lloyd Walker. He talks about his career, moving between disciplines and the different types of rejection he has met in each one.
He explains how he had a fast start in writing,  thinking it was easy and then quickly finding out it wasn’t.
Jonathan talks about his worst rejections, being flown across the country only to be replaced by a mysterious extra person in the room and whether he would rather win an award as an actor or a writer.
He advises young writers to diversify, talks about the safety net of dual skills and why he never moved to Los Angeles from Canada.