Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast

Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, Minari is the story of a Korean family who start a farm in Arkansas in the 1980s. For Writer-Director Lee Isaac Chung, the film is deeply personal. “It’s really a family story… a journey that this family takes to understand each other a little better,” Lee tells Write On host Phil Galasso. “The story originated with an exercise that I was doing writing down as many memories as I could, from the age of about 5 years old up to 8 years old.”   Lee discusses a writing method he uses that he learned from Steven Soderbergh, how he decided in his last year of college as a science major that he really wanted to be a filmmaker, and how he had no idea what would happen with the script for Minari after he wrote it. “I thought, maybe I’m just going to write this because it means so much to me, and I don’t know if it’ll get made, but at least maybe my daughter will read it one day.”   Minari is now available on VOD and in theaters where it is safe.   Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!  

Supernova is the moving story of Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci), who after Tusker’s dementia diagnosis travel across England in an RV to visit family, friends and places from their past.    For Writer-Director Harry Macqueen, an enormous amount of research went into ensuring he did justice to the subject of dementia. “I think the key thing for writing this script really was several years of spending time with people who were living with this kind of dementia… Not only did I learn a huge amount about the medical side of dementia and the biology of it… but also, very, very importantly, the human element of it.”   Harry discusses his writing process, how to develop complex characters while maintaining simplicity of narrative, and how important it is to have a close group of friends you can share your work in progress with. “I really think that filmmaking and scriptwriting is not about ego at all… it's about taking responsibility for the project, [and] for the script.”   Supernova is now available on VOD.   Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!  

Jesse Chatham talks to guest host Sade' Sellers about how his screenplay about a bereaved woman seeking out a new life off the grid went from placing in the Nicholl Fellowship to becoming a feature directed by and starring Robin Wright (House of Cards). “I placed in the top 50… and one of the readers, Lora Kennedy, was the VP of casting at Warner Bros. She read it, and she fell in love with the script, and she was able to lasso in a producer named Allyn Stewart, who was just on Sully.”   Jesse discusses how his journey to writing Land began in 2013 when he had just turned 40. “I was unhappy with where I was… and I was always writing something, but it was never really screenplays. I kind of had this moment of mortality, and I was like, ‘You know what? I should think about what I want to look back on when I'm 65, 70. Do I want to look back at a life that didn't take any risks?’ I finally decided, I just want to go for it.”   Land is now in theaters where it is safe and will be available on VOD on March 5. CONTENT WARNING: This podcast contains discussions of gun violence that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.   Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!

G.O. Parsons has written one of the wildest rides of the year with Wally’s Wonderland, a B-movie homage that pits Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage against a horde of demonic animatronics. “I went into writing Willy's Wonderland with the intention, the sole intention, of just shooting it myself in a friend's garage with absolutely no money,” he tells Write On host Phil Galasso. “If you can set your script in one location, and you can keep the budget low, and you have just stellar writing, stellar characters, and a fun story, you can get your movie made.”   G.O. Parsons discusses his roots in playwriting, his daily writing process, and what it takes to keep going when the odds are against you. "No's do not change your life. Somebody tells you no, your life stays exactly the same. But one yes can change your life… and I got a million no's until Nicolas Cage said yes."   Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!

Oscar-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen talks to host Phil Galasso about his transition into writing and directing with Falling, a stirring drama he also acts in alongside Lance Henriksen. The film is about a man who along with his male partner and adopted daughter is visited by his aging father who possesses a very different world view and is also facing the onset of dementia.    “Among other things, [Falling] is a story that explores communication - whether there are limits to it, whether there are people that you can't communicate with… (and) are there people who don't deserve to be communicated with?” Viggo discusses his writing process, how he makes progress every day and what he has learned from it: “You have to make mistakes in order to learn. That's just part of the process, and making a movie or writing a screenplay is about solving a series of problems, overcoming a series of obstacles. That's what life is, too.”    Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!

Will Berson had been haunted by the story of the murder of Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton by police since his hippy parents told it to him as a child. As Will watched events like the Ferguson riots unfold he realized Fred Hampton's story had to be told. After writing the script as a spec he discovered writer/director Shaka King had been working on the same story, and together they joined forces to make the powerful Judas and the Black Messiah.

  On this episode of Write On, Will Berson and guest host Sade' Sellers discuss Berson’s roots in comedy writing and his particular approach to historical drama: “Essential truths are more important to me than historical facts.” He talks about writing strong female characters, what it is like to write with multiple collaborators, and how to manage a career in Hollywood. “My advice would be to play the game a little more. Just realize how ridiculous this town is and embrace it. Act like you're in an improv scene and just go with the flow.”   Judas and the Black Messiah releases in theaters and on HBO Max on February 12.    Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!

Showrunner, writer, and mentor Jeffrey Lieber and our host Phil Galasso discuss what Jeffrey looks for when putting together a writer's room, his transition from acting on the stage to writing for the screen, his work helping new writers gain meaningful access with #StartWith8Hollywood, and more!

Jeffrey Lieber is the co-creator of Lost and has worked on shows such as NCIS: New Orleans, The Originals, and most recently, the reboot of Charmed. 

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Promising Young Woman writer-director Emerald Fennell and our host Phil Galasso discuss the tonal tightrope of the film, its use of music, her unconventional writing process, and more.

Carey Mulligan stars in this darkly comedic thriller as Cassie, a young woman traumatized by an event in her past, seeking revenge on the "nice guys" that cross her path.

CONTENT WARNING: This interview contains discussions of sexual assault that listeners may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

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Literary Manager and producer Peter Katz discusses his company Story Driven, Being a Judge in Final Draft's Big Break Contest, what writers can do to stay focused in 2021, and more. 

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One Night in Miami screenwriter Kemp Powers discusses adapting his own play into a film, how his previous work as a journalist informs his screenwriting, the real history behind the film's events, and more.  Inspired by real events, the movie is a fictional account chronicling a memorable night when Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cook, and Jim Brown gather in a Miami hotel room discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Write On Podcast on iTunes!