The Script Lab Podcast

Guests: JAKE KASDAN (Director, Co-Writer, Producer) made his feature film debut as writer and director of Zero Effect. The following year, he directed the pilot episode for the short-lived, highly acclaimed television series “Freaks and Geeks,” on which he also served as a producer. Since then, Kasdan has continued to straddle both mediums, working as a director, writer and producer. Kasdan’s feature film credits include Orange County, The TV Set, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Bad Teacher and Sex Tape.

JEFF PINKNER (Co-Writer, Executive Producer), is originally from Baltimore and attended Northwestern University and Harvard Law School. He has co-written screenplays for movies including The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The 5th Wave, The Dark Tower, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Venom.

SCOTT ROSENBERG (Co-Writer, Executive Producer) is originally from Boston and has written movies including Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, Beautiful Girls, Con Air, Disturbing Behavior, and Gone in 60 Seconds. He co-wrote High Fideltiy, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Venom.

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guest: Krysty Wilson-Cairns was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, then trained at the National Film and Television School in London. Her script Aether landed on the Black List, got her an agent and the attention of director Darren Aronofsky, who hired her to adapt the novel The Good Nurse. It was this script that got the attention of another director, Sam Mendes, and Krysty was hired as a staff writer on the TV show Penny Dreadful (Mendes is Exec. Producer on the show).  Mendes then asked her to co-write 1917 with him. 1917 opened in limited release on Dec. 25, and will open wide Jan. 10 and in IMAX Jan. 24.

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guest: Charles Randoph, screenwriter of Bombshell and Oscar-winner for the 2015 film THE BIG SHORT. Bombshell tells the sensational true story about Fox News CEO Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), and the female news anchors, Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) and Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), who brought Ailes down. This is a story of power, hubris and a toxic culture where abuse was routinely ignored. It’s also a story of hope, that a woman can find her voice and courage and that both women and men can find a healthy balance in the work place.

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guest: Sophia Takal is an American actress, writer and director best known for her work in indie films such as All the Light in the Sky, Supporting Characters and Gabi on the Roof in July. Filmmaker magazine named Takal one of the "25 New Faces of Film" in 2011. Her latest film is Black Christmas, which she directed and co-wrote with April Wolfe. The film releases Friday, Dec. 13.

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guest: Director Tom Harper is a BAFTA-nominated film and television director. His credits include the fantastic 2016 miniseries WAR AND PEACE, PEAKY BLINDERS, and WILD ROSE. His current film THE AERONAUTS is stunning visually and thematically. 

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guest: Minhal Baig is the writer/director of Hala, a deeply personal film about a teen girl struggling to please her Muslim family while navigating her sexuality. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Award at Sundance earlier this year. Actress Geraldine Viswanathan is from Australia and currently stars as the lead character Hala. She can also be seen in the movie Blockers (2018) and the TV show Miracle Workers, also starring Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi. 

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guest: Christopher Pratt is the author of Remember the Future: How Steve Jobs Used Time Travel to Think Different (Chaite Press, 2013). He wrote UNTITLED FAIRYTALE TEAMUP and adapted the graphic novel DEAD DAYS.

In 2010, he Executive Produced the LIONSGATE film KILLERS, starring Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Tom Selleck, Rob Riggle and Catherine O'Hara. He produced THE AIR I BREATHE, starring Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser, Emile Hirsch, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kevin Bacon and Andy Garcia. He is set to produce the feature film GONE at Universal Studios and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Paramount.

For ten years, he produced George Wallace LIVE – the #1 comedy show in Las Vegas. In addition to the show, Pratt helped develop a line of merchandise and alternate revenue streams. He became a brand consultant for CRI, which was responsible for over $300 million in annual real estate sales until 2009 when they sold to the Goldman Sachs Whitehall Fund.

As a talent manager, he spent years developing screenplays with clients, sometimes making seven figure sales. “The intimacy of film still moves me,” says Pratt, “Some writers may be talented artists but they don’t understand the business. I hope to become excellent at marrying commerce and storytelling on the path to finding truthful, emotional connections for my audience.”

Pratt is married to pro tennis player Jessica Roland, the couple has two daughters.

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guest: Dan Ewen is an L.A.-based writer, producer and longtime improv performer hailing from Athens, Georgia. His new film PLAYING WITH FIRE is currently playing in theaters. He is also both writing and producing the reboot of the ERNEST franchise. He has several feature and television projects in development at various studios, including 20th Century Fox and Universal.

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.

Guests: John Green, author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, Maureen Johnson, author of TRULY DEVIOUS: A MYSTERY, and Lauren Myracle, author of UPSIDE DOWN MAGIC. The three authors came together to write the book LET IT SNOW: THREE HOLIDAY ROMANCES that has just been turned into a Netflix film of the same name. 

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

Guest: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is an Emmy-nominated director known for American Horror Story (2014), and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015). His stunning new film The Current War: Director's Cut tells the story of how three men, Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch), George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) and Nicola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult), fought to bring electricity to the American marketplace in the late 1800s. 

Host: Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera’s Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

The Script Lab: For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.