Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss

After a season break and, not withstanding the strike, the podcast returns.
In this pre-season show, we talk about the strike, what people can expect this season and how much Noah surfs.
We talk writers, execs and who you can expect to hear from.

We temporarily return from our mid-season break to hear from Burn It Down author Mo Ryan.
She talks about writing her book, what she tried to achieve and her hopes for the industry.
On her second podcast appearance she describes the toll writing a book like this takes, the chapters she didn't write and what she thinks about the future of Hollywood.
A powerful interview with a passionate author about an important book.

Our 100th guest is the amazing Erica Huggins, President of Fuzzy Door Productions.
She talks about her early days as a film editor, being fired and told she will never work in this town again and her subsequent successful career.
She talks balancing the comedy of Ted with the pressures of the modern world, working with Seth MacFarlane and the transition from film to television.
We talk resilience, leadership and running a real business in Hollywood.
Erica talks working in partnerships, inspiring interns and the film shoot that was shut down by the threat of cartel violence.
Extraordinary interview with an amazing and inspiring leader.

We talk to the extraordinary Chef Andre Rush in a slightly different episode of the podcast.
The former solider and White House Chef talks about his transition into television, the 'sharks' he found there and why he chose to make the leap.
Chef Rush tells us about the stresses of White House cooking, his role in spreading awareness about mental health and being in the gym at the Pentagon on September 11.
We talk spilt wine, working with Gordon Ramsay and his desire to stay in television after the success of his first show.
An extraordinary interview with an extraordinary man.

We talk to the excellent Brannon Braga. He talks about the pressure of working on the Star Trek franchise, understanding when he was, and wasn't, 'in peril', and we walk through his failures.
Brannon tells us about which shows were hits, which were cancelled and what type of leader he is.
We discuss how  he receives fan feedback, working on his soul's work and taking notes from the studio.
A thorough and candid look at Hollywood life from a man who has been at the top for a long time.

We talk to Steve Vitolo, aspiring writer and now a tech leader. He tells us his story of writing in rooms, getting his show cancelled and developing his app on the side.
He talks not taking advantage of his new found access, feature writing and telling his TV colleagues about his app.
Steve tells us about leadership, winning an Emmy and when to quit writing.
A fun interview about breaking in and getting out of Hollywood.

We talk to the amazing Diane Ruggiero-Wright. She talks passionately about early success, a big cancellation and nearly returning to waitressing.
She tells us why she regrets not completing her education, the huge fall-out she had at the end of our her first show and why she isn't very good at taking notes.
We talk writing ability, over-noting and leadership style as well as hearing about imposter syndrome, the overconfidence of youth and writing characters based on you.
An extraordinarily honest and fascinating discussion about the ups and downs of Hollwyood.

We talk to the amazing Diane Ademu-John. She talks about her first writing room, being afraid to speak and then getting fired from Crossing Jordan.
She talks about leadership, co-showrunning and learning and growing even from bad projects.
Diane talks about her love of genre, her new production company and working on  a large ‘estate’ like Dune.
An inspiring interview about confidence, storytelling and the inevitably of being fired.

We talk to Australian showrunner Luke Tunnecliffe.
He tells us about trying to run a sports documentary during a global pandemic, bringing an LA production to Australia only to get locked down and moving from sports documentaries to scripted dramas.
He explains the difficulty of pitching Australia in Hollywood, the Australian obsession with sport and what he learned about showrunning managing productions during Covid.
We talk the shows that got away, the importance of trust and relationships with streamers and editing 7,500 hours into 7 episodes of television.

We speak to the extraordinary Gina Yashere about her journey from British comedian to American sitcom actress and showrunner.
She talks about her dream to play a best friend in a sitcom, the lack of pressure because she never really wanted to be a showrunner and moving to America.
Gina talks about her powerful comedy, talking about her childhood suicide attempt and breaking down barriers.
She tells us how she doesn't yet feel successful, how she wants to help others like a 'rich white man' helped her and the importance of telling Nigerian stories.
We talk the changing landscape of Hollywood, working for network television and her love of stand up.
A funny, powerful and inspirational interview with one of Britain's finest comics.