Writers Group Therapy

Our own Rachanee Lumayno takes the hot seat to discuss the release of “Heir of Memory & Shadow” Book #2 of the Kingdom Legacy YA Fantasy series. We discuss was it like writing a second book in a series, self-publishing and marketing the books and what’s next in the Kingdom.

SHOW NOTES:

• Heir of Memory and Shadow (Book #2): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1736181130

Amazon has closed its deal to by MGM that it announced in May 2021. How will the purchase of the 98 year old studio impact Amazon Prime, Hollywood, consumers and, of course, writers.

SHOW NOTES:

• THR: MGM’s Amazon Era Begins With Big, Unanswered Questions

In this session, Tom talks with Lauryn Kahn, the screenwriter of “Fresh,” the new indie thriller starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan that took Sundance by storm. The film, produced by Adam McKay (“The Other Guys,” “Step Brothers”) and Searchlight Pictures, was acquired by Hulu.

SHOW NOTES:

Lauryn on IG: https://www.instagram.com/laurynkahn/

Lauryn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/youdonknowme

Fresh premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2022, and is scheduled to be released on March 4, 2022, on Hulu by Searchlight Pictures. 

Paul Kalburgi is a British screenwriter, playwright and TV producer, as well as author and podcast host of the book and podcast “The Writer’s Toolkit.” He discusses his journey as a writer, his process and the tools he uses in his craft. Guest host Sam Gasch.

SHOW NOTES:

Paul’s website and “The Writers Toolkit”: https://www.paulkalburgi.com/thewriterstoolkitbook

Guest host Sam Gasch’s Ideal Remake podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ideal-remake/id1298864585

Sam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamGasch

This session, we have the multitalented Ken Atchity, a best-selling author, producer, literary manger, professor and editor who aptly goes by the moniker The Story Merchant. He got his B.A. at Georgetown, his Ph.D. at Yale. He was a tenured professor of comparative literature at Occidental College and a distinguished instructor at UCLA Writers program. He’s worked in publishing and filmmaking and is a member of the TV Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the Producer’s Guild.

SHOW NOTES:

Blog: www.kenatchityblog.com

"Writing Treatments that Sell": https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Treatments-That-Sell-Industry/dp/0805072780

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StoryMerchant/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/storymerchant

This session, we’re excited to have with us James Vanderbilt, a screenwriter and producer with over 20 years of major feature film experience including blockbusters such as White House Down, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, and, one of Tom’s favorites, The Rundown. He is also the Chief Content Officer of Project X Entertainment.

SHOW NOTES:

James on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamesthevan

Project X Entertainment: https://www.projectxentertainment.com

Scream movie website: https://www.screammovie.com

Streaming services have broken the mold on episode length. In this session, we discuss how they’ve changed the measuring stick on script length and where, when and if it still matters.

SHOW NOTES: None this show

With shorter and shorter seasons, accelerated by streamers with big budget, high-quality event shows, has the era of 24 episode season containing the inevitable filler episode come to an end? And how would this change impact writers?

SHOW NOTES: 

• NY Times: Streaming TV’s Boom Is a Mixed Blessing for Some Hollywood Writers

In this session, we look back at the year behind us and at the year ahead and talk about how the industry has changed and where it’s going, our past goals, accomplishments, and future plans.

SHOW NOTES:

• “Heir of Amber and Fire” is the first book in Rachanee’s Kingdom Legacy series.