The Writers Panel

Writer/director BenDavid Grabinski (Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice; Scott Pilgrim Takes Off; Happily) discusses getting caught in the current of his career, runs of bad luck, runs of good luck, perseverance, tips for writing an easy-to-read script, making hamburgers, and more.

Some fun events coming up!

If you're in New Orleans this week, Ben is at the Overlook Film Festival on a panel called "Fear Factors: Alt-Horror Experiences" in which he'll discuss writing and producing The Thrilling Adventure Hour, his horror comic Hex Wives, and more! It's on Friday. April 10 at 2:30pm.

On Sunday, April 19, 2-4pm, is a live Dead Pilots Society featuring scripts by Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island; The Other Two) and an adaptation of the Valley Heat podcast by its creator Christian Duguay (Mad TV). Cast includes Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth), Poppy Liu (Hacks), and stand-ups Beth Stelling, Matt Braunger, Chris Garcia, Demorge Brown, Kevin Camea, Emily Maya Mills, Mike O’Connell, and more!

Also on Sunday April 19, at 5pm, Ben Blacker is directing a very fun one-person show by actress Katherine Bourne Taylor. Bellingham Bay is for fans of classic WB and CW shows, warm Canadian TV romances, and people who live in their heads.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colby Day (In the Blink of an Eye; Spaceman) discusses assurance in writing and business, learning by making, writing impossible-to-execute ideas, receiving notes, and more.

A couple of fun shows coming up that you can attend in LA or stream from anywhere!

On Saturday March 28, 8:30pm, and Sunday April 19, 5pm, Ben Blacker is directing a very fun one-person show by actress Katherine Bourne Taylor. Bellingham Bay is for fans of classic WB and CW shows, warm Canadian TV romances, and people who live in their heads.

Also on Sunday, April 19, 2-4pm, is a live Dead Pilots Society featuring scripts by Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island; The Other Two) and an adaptation of the Valley Heat podcast by its creator Christian Duguay (Mad TV).

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Producer Lauren Neustadter, President of Film and Television at Hello Sunshine, discusses building a brand from the ground up, meeting a tumultuous marketplace with optimism, the best way to present your material to buyers, her love of reading and writers, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Shukert (The Burbs; creator, The Baby-Sitters Club; The Handmaid's Tale) returns to discuss relearning to write to act breaks, why mysteries are so hard to crack, finding the heart of The Burbs, dreams of the Golden Girls house, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman (creator, Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Mission Impossible III) and Noga Landau (creator, Nancy Drew and Tom Swift; The Magicians) discuss meeting for the first time, what each looks for in a collaborator, story from the inside out, learning storytelling through Trek, the special sauce of Starfleet Academy, how the strike helped season 1, mastering craft through watching, reading, and listening, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/director Alex Russell (Lurker; The Bear; Beef) discusses why he directed his own script, writing the unspoken, an apt metaphor for discovering story, his Frankenstein approach to outlining, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ponies creators Susanna Fogel and David Iserson (The Spy Who Dumped Me) discuss how they collaborate, the long road to Ponies, comedy with stakes, American culture through a funhouse mirror, genre as a way of writing about relationships and politics, why pitching is a scam, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/director Gordon Smith (Pluribus; Better Call Saul) discusses what gives Pluribus legs, story as algorithm, a non-mystery mystery, some great directing advice that's really storytelling advice, parsing notes, getting sand in your eyes, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/director Craig Brewer (Song Sung Blue; Hustle and Flow; Dolemite Is My Name) discusses making a narrative out of the Song Sung Blue documentary, how it's autobiographical, finding career inspiration in Amadeus, his writing process, "The Shelf," non-musical musicals, the beauty of "Save As," the Faustian bargain of making art, and lots more. Don't skip this one.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Benito Skinner (creator/star of Overcompensating) discusses creating an honest coming-out story, translating his stand up show to a TV pilot, learning from Shonda Rhimes, writing about gray areas, inhabiting characters, the state of TV comedy, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.