The Screenwriters Network Podcast: A Screenwriting Podcast for Emerging Writers!

In this episode, Smish interviews Ezra W. Nachman (aka @whinefields), staff writer on NBC’s MANIFEST. They talk about Ezra’s journey to becoming a writer, from his parent’s aspirations for him to be a lawyer, to not being allowed to watch movies or TV as a child. Ezra discusses how his time at USC Film School led to his first job as a writer’s PA and ultimately placing in contests & fellowships. Smish & Ezra discuss the trajectory of his career, becoming a staff writer, and the effects the pandemic has had on a writer’s room.

Ezra breaks down the positions on a show, and best of all, shares his invaluable advice for successful networking!

Highlights:

(1:04) How Ezra began his journey in screenwriting

(6:45) THE SOPRANOS sparked a love for TV & film that he couldn’t ignore

(18:47) How to break into TV and the roles on a show

(31:55) Job of a Writer’s Assistant on LETHAL WEAPON

(48:48) Ezra’s tip to networking

(52:21) Becoming a staff writer on MANIFEST

(1:08:49) How has the writer’s room & production been affected by the pandemic?

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You can find Ezra on the Discord server: @whinefields.

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In this brand new episode, Smish welcomes back Scott Barkan (aka @Barky), a Philadelphia based screenwriter who has written two produced screenplays with writing partner, Greg Zehentner. Together they wrote I’M JUST FUCKING WITH YOU, produced by Blumhouse & Hulu, and BLEED. Scott walks us through his career as a writer, from meeting his writing partner, starting a production company, to developing their newest script, THE SUN ALWAYS SETS IN THE WEST with Lionsgate & Danny’s McBride’s company, Rough House Pictures.  They discuss how Scott & Greg found success from pivoting from comedy to horror, finding a mentor, and using the Plus One method of writing.

Scott gives the invaluable advice --- “Make bold choices” and “Don’t take no for an answer” --- with his story about showing up uninvited on the set of their movie. They also discuss the probability of getting discovered through screenwriting contests!

Highlights:

(1:20) How Scott & Greg began their career

(15:17) Finding a mentor

(18:34) On the set of I’M JUST FUCKING WITH YOU

(30:48) Writing with a partner

(36:00) The Plus One method & starting a production company

(57:51) What’s next for them?

(1:01:15) Can a writer be discovered in a contest?

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You can find Scott on the Discord server: @Barky.

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VIP members get a bonus segment with Scott. We learn about the one that got away and how that lead to his relationship with Will Smith’s production company. Scott also reveals the one thing he hopes to accomplish in his career before he dies!

More about Scott

IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1701134/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_5

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It’s a double feature! This time our host Smish has two guests, Nastasha Baron and Corr Pearce. But you know them as @TellOneStory and @TheGuyWhoIsAlwaysAtCrafty on the Screenwriters Network discord. This screenwriting duo also doubles as producers for 3branes Entertainment and have partnered in producing films such as Blackburn and the television movie Washed Away.

Nastasha and Corr discuss the pros and cons of working with a co-writer, writing for Hallmark and Lifetime, and how to elevate your projects while checking the right boxes. They give invaluable advice on how working in production affects them as writers, and they even get Smish to tell us the backstory behind the Screenwriters Network!

Highlights:

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VIP members get a bonus segment with Nastasha and Corr. In this VIP exclusive we get the story behind the name TheGuyWhoIsAlwaysAtCrafty (which involves a lot of food), and the name TellOneStory (which involves some great advice). We find out what brought Nastasha and Corr to Vancouver and their biggest goals as screenwriters and producers.

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It’s a super special Bonus Episode! The Screenwriters Network hosts its first ever Professional Roundtable and we are bringing you the entire thing for an exclusive podcast episode. The roundtable focuses on concept selection & exploration! Our very own Moderator and Hit List Screenwriter Mark Mazur (@nqm) hosts a powerhouse of professional writers who share priceless information with our server members and now you our podcast listeners!

The Lineup (Real name followed by Discord username):

Alex D. Reid (@Alex (Drenched Goat)) - A screenwriter from Northern Ireland, he won the 2019 Austin Film Festival horror category for his screenplay Delirium and was a previous guest on the Screenwriters Network Podcast.

Susan E. Connolly (@Dr. Dr. Subeco MVB PhD) - A screenwriter from Ireland, she has five pilots under option. She is currently working on two adaptations of young adult novels. At one point she was the highest ranked competitive debater in Ireland.

Greg Björkman (@stupidlittlekids) - A screenwriter and director in Los Angeles. He co-wrote “Press Play” with writing partner James Bachelor, which was produced by CJ Entertainment (Parasite’s Producer).

Scott Barkan (@Barky) - A screenwriter based in Philadelphia, who has written two produced features with his writing partner, Gregg Zehentner. The pair has sold and optioned a number of original screenplays, including “I’m Just F*cking With You”, which was produced by Blumhouse and Hulu.

This amazing group of writers discusses concept generation and exploration from initial idea to hashing out the characters and world that best fit around a concept. They go in depth to their own ideas, popular movies, and answer questions from our members with the emerging writers tag!

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In this episode, Smish interviews screenwriter and director Nabil Chowdhary, who walks us through the process of what it’s like to get on the Black List and have the #1 script on the Hit List. Nabil’s feature Pod was not only included on these coveted lists, but it also was the overall winner of the Screencraft Sci-fi contest, and that is what really set things in motion.

Nabil tells all, from coming up with the initial concept for Pod to gaining representation because of it! He talks about how he used IMDb to research managers, the three key people he shares scripts with for feedback, plus gives us the EXCLUSIVE scoop on the Oscar-nominated screenwriter/producer who optioned Pod!

Smish and Nabil discuss:

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More about Nabil:

Nabil is an active member of our server. You know him as @Nabil AC !

Twitter: @nabilchowdhary  Website: https://www.nabilchowdhary.com/

Did you enjoy the podcast? Let us know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/screenwriters-network-podcast-screenwriting-podcast/id1488865880

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In this episode, smish meets with Andy Erikson  -- @Gigawatt -- a real jack of all trades. Andy is known for her recurring role as Marguerite Honeywell on Scream Queens, as well as placing third on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Andy is also a prolific screenwriter who recently placed as finalist in the Walt Disney television writing program. Her screenplays have made it to the second round at the Austin Film Festival and the Sundance episodic lab.

Get Hype! Andy gives the inside scoop about how she got started writing and how she approaches starting a new idea. Andy reveals all about the Walt Disney writing program and how she made it as a finalist. Then she talks about getting heckled as a screenwriter (it’s possible after all) and her own writing projects!

We also get a very special treat, an original song about screenwriting: Cold Openings (26:15).

Smish and Andy discuss:

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Gold Level VIP Members get a bonus 20 minutes of Andy and the origin story of her username, Gigawatt. We find out who would win in a fight between screenwriters and comedians, and then we get Andy’s take on the fight that really matters: unicorns versus squirrels!

And finally, Andy answers questions from our members! And of course unicorns get brought up again! Check out her site where she literally rates pictures of unicorns:

https://unicornratings.tumblr.com/

More about Andy:

Andy is a moderator on our Discord Server. You know her as @Gigawatt !

Twitter: @andyerikson  Websites: http://www.andyeriksonwriter.com and http://www.andyerikson.com/

WATCH Andy's comedy special UNICORN STYLE: https://www.vidangel.com/movie/andy-erikson-unicorn-style

Also check out The Stand Up Comedy Journal here: https://thestandupcomedyjournal.com/product/the-stand-up-comedy-journal/

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A brand spanking new special episode has arrived! In this episode Smish discusses the selection process for the first annual Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition with Fred Pelzer (aka @National2080), a moderator of the Screenwriters Network discord server and a reader for the contest.

They go into great detail about the judgment process for selecting the 100 Quarter-Finalists and let a lot of great screenwriting advice slip along the way. If you want to know what separates a great horror short screenplay from a good one, this episode is for you!

Smish and Fred discuss:

Many thanks to our sponsors, Shudder, Final Draft, WeScreenplay, Script Butcher, Virtual Pitchfest, Screencraft, Oregon Scream Week, Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest, Coverfly and FilmFreeway.

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This month our host Smish meets Screenwriter Logan Martin -- @KingDefault -- the writer of the polarizing script MEAT. Logan talks about getting the coveted impressive rating on review blog site Scriptshadow and how it led to him getting signed by Good Fear and having his script optioned by Assemble Media. He has been featured on the Black List, The Blood List, and his first feature finished in the top 20% of the Nicholl fellowship.

Logan gives great insight on how to block out the haters and to be fearless when sharing your writing! MEAT was a polarizing script, and Logan goes deep into the story and the opportunities it created for him. Then we get his views on breaking the rules of screenwriting and utilizing structure!

Smish and Logan discuss:

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VIP members get a bonus 15 minutes of premium content where Smish and Logan get into the good stuff. Logan answers questions from our VIP members and even lets us know his favorite kind of meat! Best of all, Smish finds a typo on page 39.

To become a VIP on Patreon and get ad-free episodes 2 weeks before everyone else plus exclusive bonus audio content: http://www.patreon.com/screenwritersnetwork

More about Logan:

Logan doesn’t have a website or twitter, but his username is @KingDefault in the Discord server. We have him all to ourselves!

Did you enjoy the podcast? Let us know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/screenwriters-network-podcast-screenwriting-podcast/id1488865880

This month Smish meets screenwriter Chris Hicks - - @WriteChrisWrite -- who coined the phrase “you can’t polish a turd until you shit it out”. Words to live by! Chris talks about everything from optioning over a dozen short scripts to going viral on the nosleep subreddit. He is an Austin Film Festival semi-finalist and is featured on the 2018 SMISH LIST.

Smish and Chris discuss:

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VIP members get a bonus 20 minutes of premium content where Smish and Chris discuss cute puppies, Chris’s favorite movies, dad jokes, and Chris even lets on his secret to making a million dollars screenwriting in just three easy steps (just kidding?) This extra stuff really slaps! You heard? It slaps!

To become a VIP on Patreon and get ad-free episodes 2 weeks before everyone else plus exclusive bonus audio content: http://www.patreon.com/screenwritersnetwork

Want Titlepalooza? Check out Smish’s very own book here .

More about Chris:

Website: http://writechriswrite.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteChrisWrite

Ask Smish!

Smish answers your questions! Ask her about anything-- screenwriting advice, life advice, the server, the podcast, even questions about smish! Just go to https://anchor.fm/screenwritersnetwork and hit “Send Voice Message”. Make it short (30 seconds or less) and be sure to say your Discord username! You might just get featured on an upcoming episode of the show!

Did you enjoy the podcast? Let us know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/screenwriters-network-podcast-screenwriting-podcast/id1488865880

Smish and Alex discuss:

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VIP members get a bonus 15 minutes of questions where Smish and Alex discuss video games, his deep connection to Phillip the Goat, Wikipedia, and more. Alex even brings Smish to tears. Don’t miss it!

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More about Alex

Website http://www.alexdreid.com Twitter http://www.twitter.com/alexdreid

Did you enjoy the podcast? Let us know by leaving a review on iTunes! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/screenwriters-network-podcast-screenwriting-podcast/id1488865880