Podcast appearances and mentions of ben blacker

Leon Chills (Shadow Force) discusses writing his way out of a low point, working things out in the first draft, his approach to action scenes, when to ask someone to read your script, 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Drucker (The Tonight Show; Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) discusses his new memoir, Good Game, No Rematch, writing his life through the lens of video games, how prose is different from stand up comedy, how his family responded to stories about them, discovering his emotional vulnerabilities, and more.Check out a live DEAD PILOTS SOCIETY this Sunday in LA, or stream on demand from anywhere!TICKETS HEREThe cast includes but is not limited to Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time), Brandon Scott Jones (Ghosts), Jordan Rodrigues (Ladybird), Mary Beth Barone (Black Mirror; Overcompensating), Clancy Brown (Highlander; The Shawshank Redemption), Brendan Scannell (Loot), Caitlin Reilly (Dead Boy Detectives), Courtney Parchman (Sex Lives of College Girls; "Average Fashion Blogger"), and lots 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sascha Penn (creator/showrunner, Power Book III) discusses the value of non-industry experience to showrunning, the truth about reps, the storytelling muscle, advice for entering the business at this moment, 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Co-writer Ben Acker joins the podcast. Ben Acker and Ben Blacker were only on the show for one season, but had a great time there. For a brief period, most of the writers were named Ben. Rob and Rich are surprised Lily Dale and the Fox sisters are real. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this after-show episode of Dead Pilot Society, we're joined by writer Lauren Herstik, who brought us Camp Friends — a pilot that's had more lives (and deaths) than most scripts could dream of. This one has everything: clown camp trauma, projectile vomit over a salad bar, surrealist puberty freakouts, and a long, winding journey through the chaotic world of TV development.Lauren sits down with host Andrew Reich to talk about the evolution of her coming-of-age summer camp comedy, from its original, raunchy YA vision at HBO Max, to a beachy reinvention, to its current cryogenic stasis somewhere in the Disney orbit. Along the way, we hear how shifting mandates, network rebrands, and executive shakeups nearly killed the project multiple times — and how Lauren refused to let it go quietly.

Jonathan Tropper (creator, Your Friends and Neighbors, Banshee, Warrior) discusses writing a TV show closer in sensibility to his novels, the role of luck in a writing career, writing a non-action show, one key piece of advice about craft, 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WorkJuice Players Mark Gagliardi and Hal Lublin have hosted We Got This for nine years. On the show Gags and Hal sit down to settle all the small debates that are a big deal to YOU — once and for all.We thought you Adventurekateers would enjoy this brand new episode with Thrilling Adventure Hour creators Ben Acker and Ben Blacker join Mark and Hal to finally determine the Best Thrilling Adventure Hour segment, once and for all!To listen to more episodes of We Got This, and to support the show during MaxFun Drive which is happening RIGHT NOW, go to https://maximumfun.org/join2025 is our 20th anniversary! And we're celebrating by taking the show on the road for the first time in a decade. Find out when, where, and how at our designated tour page ThrillingAdventure.liveLA, Chicago, NY, and London tickets on sale now!THE THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR IS 100% INDEPENDENT.Want every episode and more, including never-released audio, ad free? Want exclusive videos, including rehearsal videos?To support the show and the people who make it, and to gain access to our complete back catalogue including never-released episodes (from as far back as 2005!), early access to the podcast, early access to tickets to our live shows, and more, join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/thrillingadventurehourVisit our store for Beyond Belief concert film DVDs!Visit our video vault to stream a ton of live and live-to-Zoom TAH shows! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thrilling Adventure Hour creators Ben Acker and Ben Blacker join Mark and Hal to finally determine the Best Thrilling Adventure Hour segment, once and for all! MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Veronica West (creator of Surface, High Fidelity; Dexter: New Blood; Chicago Fire) discusses why she wrote Surface on spec, the elaborate pitch, working with actors, learning on the job, 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abdullah Saeed (creator, Deli Boys) discusses diligence versus talent, his favorite part of the television-making process, the most important part of your sample script, embracing chaos, 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drew Hancock (writer/director, Companion) discusses being put in a box, tricks for directing on the page, writing from the perspective of a robot, why second drafts always suck, and lots 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie O'Brien (creator, The Z Suite; co-creator, Teachers; The Santa Clauses) discusses improv and showrunning, her post-Teachers struggle, optimism in the face of rejection, the bananas sample script she had to write, 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Rudman (Carl the Collector; Nature Cat; Sesame Street) discusses pitching and selling pre-school series, the throughline in his shows, carrying on the traditions of Buster Keaton and Spongebob, 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.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Things have been a little tough in Los Angeles this month, so we are bringing you our first ever Dead Pilots Society Rerun. This is one of our all-time favorite episodes. From way back in 2020, it's Eternally Yours from Joe Port & Joe Wiseman (Ghosts, The Office, New Girl), about a family of normal looking but emotionally closed off, stuck-together-for-eternity vampires. If you think there's no fresh spins left in the vampire genre, you need to listen to this one.  Eternally Yours was recorded live at The Improv in Hollywood and stars Ed Weeks as Charles, Briga Heelan as Liz, Asif Ali as Max, Vella Lovell as Emma, Tony Cavalero as Jesse, Yassir Lester as Benji, Matt Walsh as Mort/Sigmund Freud, Mindy Sterling as Phyllis/Woman/Kristen Stewart, Brendan Scannell as Steve The Blood Guy/Man, David Fumero as Henry, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Michelle Nader (showrunner of Shifting Gears and Deli Boys) discusses relationships with actors, including her "avatar" Kat Dennings, writing yourself out of your low points, how growing up in the mob prepared her for a career in television, 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.comCome see The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our last episode of the year, journalists Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, the authors of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, discuss making a living as a "pop culture pundit," mapping the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the missing "DC vs Marvel" chapter, lessons the MCU might take from recent successes like Deadpool & Wolverine and Agatha All Along, what other franchises might learn from the MCU, what Kevin Feige really does, and what the MCU can teach writers.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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heath Corson (Animal Kingdom; Batman: Assault on Arkham) discussing his new 4-issue comic, The Brood. Set in the “Minor Threats” universe, The Brood is a story about family, the patriarch of which happens to be a criminal mastermind.Heath Corson talks about writing from a personal place, how good and evil don't apply to family dynamics, human moments in a comic book world, and more.And after that, a recording from the Minor Threats universe panel from San Diego Comic Con in July 2024 featuring Minor Threats creators Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, and Scott Hepburn, writers Heath Corson (The Brood), Gail Simone (Secret Six; Batgirl), Kyle Starks (Barfly; Where Monsters Lie), and artists Ryan Browne (Barfly; Eight Billion Genies), and Soo Yee (The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos).With a cameo by Reno 911's Thomas Lennon!Want to watch a video of the panel? Go to benblacker.substack.comTHE 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dana Ledoux Miller (co-writer/co-director of Moana 2; creator/showrunner of Thai Cave Rescue; Kevin Can F*** Himself; Narcos) discusses turning the Moana sequel from a TV series to movie, learning the rules of musicals, wrong turns, trusting herself, creating a work worthy of 101 years of Disney features, and lots 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this craft-centered episode, Roma Roth (creator, Sullivan's Crossing; Virgin River) discusses finding and adapting IP.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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this craft-centered episode, Dean Lorey (showrunner of Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, Poppa's House, Creature Commandos, and Harley Quinn) discusses running multiple shows, writing drama so that the comedy shines, defining Harley Quinn as a solo act, shepherding James Gunn's vision for Creature Commandos, relying on his collaborators, when to stop fiddling, and more.Come see Dead Pilots Society live on Sunday, November 17, 2-4pm at the Elysian Theater in LA! Also available to watch on demand.In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.The November 17 show features scripts by John Enbom (co-creator, Party Down) and Brendan Scannell (Loot) & Amy Reed (Diary of a Future President).Cast includes: Martin Starr (Party Down; Spider-man), Olivia Liang (Kung Fu), Maria Bamford (Kite Man: Hell Yeah!), Ryan Hansen (Party Down; Veronica Mars), Anna Seregina (The Civil Dead), Chris Witaske (The Bear), Brendan Scannell (Heathers), Ellie Reed (Diary of a Future President), Patrick McDonald (Smosh), and more to be announced.GET TICKETS HERE.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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this craft-centered episode, The Lincoln Lawyer showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez (Queen of the South; The Night Shift) discusses writing procedurals. Dailyn has worked in that genre frequently, including The Glades, Lie To Me, In Plain Sight, and others.Come see Dead Pilots Society live on Sunday, November 17, 2-4pm at the Elysian Theater in LA! Also available to watch on demand.In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.The November 17 show features scripts by John Enbom (co-creator, Party Down) and Brendan Scannell (Loot) & Amy Reed (Diary of a Future President).Cast includes: Martin Starr (Party Down; Spider-man), Ryan Hansen (Party Down; Veronica Mars), Olivia Liang (Kung Fu), Chris Witaske (The Bear), Anna Seregina (The Civil Dead), and more to be announced!GET TICKETS HERE.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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gremlins: The Wild Batch's Tze Chun and Brendan Hay discuss the smooth sailing of their show, writing animation scripts, bringing little monsters to the Wild West, keeping a stress-free environment during lockdown, and lots 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Soo Hugh (showrunner, Pachinko; The Terror) discusses international filmmaking, the translation process, rewriting, her first second season, mild, medium, and spicy takes, and more.Come see The Thrilling Adventure Hour at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater on October 13, 6pm and 8pm, or stream it live or on demand!"An Evening Beyond Belief" stars Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster as married mediums. It's kind of like The Thin Man with ghosts. You don't want to miss it.Two different shows, two different scripts, all spooky October fun. Get tickets now: ThrillingAdventure.liveTHE 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seth Rogen (Long Shot), Riki Lindhome (Knives Out, Wednesday), and Ben Blacker (Thrilling Adventure Hour, Hex Wives)  join Paul and Jason to discuss the 2004 period horror film Van Helsing. Recorded live from Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles, they talk about Hugh Jackman's wet pilgrim hat, Frankenstein's tech, everyone being upside down, Carl the friar, and much more. (Originally Released 03/28/2019) We're coming to NYC on Nov 15th & Philly on Nov 16th! Go to hdtgm.com for ticket info, merch, and for more on bad movies.Order Paul's book about his childhood: Joyful Recollections of TraumaFor extra content on Matinee Monday movies, visit Paul's YouTube page: youtube.com/paulscheerTalk bad movies on the HDTGM Discord: discord.gg/hdtgmPaul's Discord: discord.gg/paulscheerFollow Paul's movie recs on Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/paulscheer/Check out new HDTGM movie merch over at teepublic.com/stores/hdtgmPaul and Rob Huebel stream live on Twitch every Thursday 8-10pm EST: www.twitch.tv/friendzoneLike good movies too? Subscribe to Unspooled with Paul and Amy Nicholson: listen.earwolf.com/unspooledSubscribe to The Deep Dive with Jessica St. Clair and June Diane Raphael: www.thedeepdiveacademy.com/podcastCheck out The Jane Club over at www.janeclub.comWhere to find Paul, June, & Jason:@PaulScheer on Instagram & Twitter@Junediane on IG and @MsJuneDiane on TwitterJason is not on social mediaGet access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using the link: siriusxm.com/hdtgm.

Colin from Accounts creators and stars Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer discuss falling into making this show, writing for themselves, creating flawed and funny characters, who's allowed access to the shared document, and more.Come see The Thrilling Adventure Hour at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater on October 13, 6pm and 8pm, or stream it live or on demand!"An Evening Beyond Belief" stars Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster as married mediums. It's kind of like The Thin Man with ghosts. You don't want to miss it.Two different shows, two different scripts, all spooky October fun. Get tickets now: ThrillingAdventure.liveTHE 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the after-show for Honey Do List, featuring our interview with Julie Bean and Brian Donovan. Julie and Brian share incredible stories about breaking into the industry and how they worked their way up to becoming showrunners. Brian also discusses his time on the legendary Georgetown improv troupe alongside Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Mike Birbiglia, and Jacqueline Novak, to name a few. There's great practical and honest insight into showrunning in this episode. Plus, you'll find out why every writer should have a post-it note on their computer that says: "Put it in the bathroom." You'll also hear about the development of Honey Do List and how it went from a tik tok video to a TV pilot. We loved chatting with Brian and Julie, and we know you're going to love listening to this one. Enjoy!The mother-daughter duo and tik tok video that inspired Honey Do List hereTickets to Ben Blacker's show Retro Specs live at The Elysian Theater on 9/29ticket link: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/retrospecsFor more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

Charlie Covell (creator of Kaos and The End of the F***ing World) discusses their influences in retelling classical myths, creating a "contemporary kinked" world, threading the tonal needle, why they love first drafts, their playlists, and more.Want to check out one of the playlists Charlie made as they were creating the characters? Visit benblacker.substack.comCome see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS, on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs, we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love from TV, film, comedy, and the stage. From Girls to Gilmore Girls, from the Big Bang Theory to Buffy, get NEW EPISODES of your favorite shows, written by writers who never wrote for those shows!The Sept 29 show features a Seinfeld written by David Iserson (New Girl; The Spy Who Dumped Me) and Succession written by the notorious parody account creator Fake Carol Lombardini. Starring Paul Scheer (The League), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black; She-Hulk), Sherry Cola (Nobody Wants This), Ayden Mayeri (Mr. Throwback), Andrew Lopez (The Bear), Chris Grace (Superstore), Jaime Moyer (The Great North), and more!Live or streaming/VOD tickets here: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/retrospecsTHE 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month's pilot is Honey Do List, written by Julie Bean (showrunner of Grown-ish) and Brian Donovan (American Housewife). It's based on the real-life story of a mom who extricates herself from a controlling marriage, moves in with her lesbian daughter, Summer, and begins to rediscover joy by checking items off her bucket list, one at a time. This fantastic pilot was written during the pandemic, and we know you're going to love it! Enjoy!The cast for this one includes Katy Mixon (American Housewife), Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street), Brea Grant (director of Torn Hearts and 12 Hour Shift), Andrew Ti (Yo Is This Racist podcast; That 90s Show writer), Chris Tallman (The Thundermans), Jamila Velasquez (Empire, Law and Order SVU, and West Side Story), Raymond Lee (Quantum Leap), Simon Gibson (Netflix is a Joke Festival & Star of the Amazon Prime Docuseries “Inside Jokes”)  and Andrew Reich with stage directions. For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

Sherman Payne (creator, Emperor of Ocean Park; Shameless) discusses how to tell a great story, the different kinds of writers in TV, adaptation, what it takes to thrive as a TV writer, "prestidurals," and more.Come see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS, on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs, we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love from TV, film, comedy, and the stage. From Girls to Gilmore Girls, from the Big Bang Theory to Buffy, get NEW EPISODES of your favorite shows, written by writers who never wrote for those shows!The Sept 29 show features a Seinfeld written by David Iserson (New Girl; The Spy Who Dumped Me) and Succession written by the notorious parody account creator Fake Carol Lombardini. Starring Paul Scheer (The League), Hannah Simone (New Girl), Sherry Cola (Nobody Wants This), Ayden Mayeri (Mr. Throwback), Parvesh Cheena (Frasier), and more!Live or streaming/VOD tickets here: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/retrospecsTHE 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of a special two-part episode, wonderful writer Ben Blacker (Hex Wives, Thrilling Adventure Hour) interviews Matt all about his experience hosting I Was There Too. Matt shares stories about the dream guests that got away, how he puts his guests at ease before interviewing them, and more as they look back at the some of the funny, weird, inspirational moments over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Producer Ashley Jay Sandberg (Twisters; The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) discusses what a producer does, the art of giving and receiving notes, putting together the team, the future of movies, and lots more.Come see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS, on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs, we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love from TV, film, comedy, and the stage. From Girls to Gilmore Girls, from the Big Bang Theory to Buffy, get NEW EPISODES of your favorite shows, written by writers who never wrote for those shows!The Sept 29 show features a Seinfeld written by David Iserson (New Girl; The Spy Who Dumped Me) and Succession written by the notorious parody account creator Fake Carol Lombardini. Starring Paul Scheer (The League), Hannah Simone (New Girl), Sherry Cola (Nobody Wants This), and more!Live or streaming/VOD tickets here: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/retrospecsTHE 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of a special two-part episode, wonderful writer Ben Blacker (Hex Wives, Thrilling Adventure Hour) interviews Matt all about his experience hosting I Was There Too. Matt shares stories about the dream guests that got away, how he puts his guests at ease before interviewing them, and more as they look back at the some of the funny, weird, inspirational moments over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Smith (creator, Slow Horses) discusses comedy in drama, building off of author Mick Herron's plots, his work on Veep and The Thick of It with Armando Iannucci, and the reason why this show works as well as it does.Come see Ben Blacker's live show, RETROSPECS, on Sunday, September 29, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs, we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love from TV, film, comedy, and the stage. From Girls to Gilmore Girls, from the Big Bang Theory to Buffy, get NEW EPISODES of your favorite shows, written by writers who never wrote for those shows!The Sept 29 show features a Seinfeld written by David Iserson (New Girl; The Spy Who Dumped Me) and Succession written by the notorious parody account creator Fake Carol Lombardini. Starring Paul Scheer (The League), Hannah Simone (New Girl), Sherry Cola (Nobody Wants This), and more!Live or streaming/VOD tickets here: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/retrospecsTHE 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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlacker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brea and Mallory talk about book rating systems. Which one is the best? Plus, they solve a problem about seasonal book slumps and recommend audiobooks with amazing narrators. And the biggest news ever! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!Reading Glasses MerchRecommendations StoreSponsors -Dipseawww.dipseastories.com/GLASSESLinks -Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupAmazon Wish ListNewsletterLibro.fmCAWPILE: Characters, Atmosphere, Writing Style, Plot, Intrigue, Logic, Enjoyment To join our Slack channel, email us proof of your Reading-Glasses-supporting Maximum Fun membership!THE READING GLASSES BOOK!Books Mentioned - The Parliament by Amy PokwatkaTwilight Falls by Juneau BlackHex Wives by Ben Blacker and Mirka Andolfoplain bad heroines by emily m danforthOver My Dead Body by Greg Melville

LICENCE TO DRINK!It's the James Bonding Cocktail Party Podcast Part 1: the gathering so nice, they episoded it twice. Craig Ormiston and Eddy Colloton from Licence to Drink, join the Matts and many of our season 2 guests for a series of 007-themed cocktails and kinship. Enjoy drop-ins by Ben Blacker, James Bladon, Emily Schmemily, Bobak Ferdowsi, Mike Simses, and Julie Lacouture.Drink along with Matt and Matt as they descend into drunkenness and the quality of the episode lessens sip by sip! Listen to Part 2, with even more drinks and guests, next week on StitcherPremium.com. Use promo code: BOND. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christy Hall (Daddio; It Ends with Us) discusses what working in theater taught her, being curious by the gray areas, what matters most in getting a project off the ground, co-creating I Am Not Okay with This, mowing down cornfields, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/actor Sierra Katow (Funt; Golden Axe; The Sex Lives of College Girls) discusses performing stand-up from a young age, putting together her first hourlong special, the fun of narrative writing, the comedy landscape, writing jokes for clubs, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathleen Jordan (creator, The Decameron and Teenage Bounty Hunters) discusses finding inspiration in a 14th century text, creating comic characters, balancing tone, theme, and plot, and lots 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Rodat (Those About to Die; Saving Private Ryan) discusses the parallels of his ancient Roman series to today's politics, his grueling rewriting process, the "heart and soul" of Saving Private Ryan, the three levels of conflict, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Fishko (creator/showrunner, Orphan Black: Echoes; Fear the Walking Dead) discusses showrunning as a three-person job, hiring people she can trust, her writing superpower, the evolution of the series, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jordan Morris (Jordan Jesse Go!) talks about his new graphic novel, Youth Group, out this week. It's a funny and charming horror-comedy about teenage exorcists in the 1990s.Order your copy now: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250789235/youth-groupTHE 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.

Jurassic Park, Spider-man, Mission: Impossible, Carlito's Way, Indiana Jones, Bad Influence, Kimi, Snake Eyes, Panic Room, Presence, Black Bag, and even more. We're lucky to have David Koepp on today's episode. Want to participate in a writing workshop this summer with Ben Blacker and some terrific writers? Go from idea to first draft or get a rewrite into fighting shape? Email NerdistWriters@gmail.comCome see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.The June 30 show at the Elysian Theater features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife).The cast includes: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Jonathan Tucker (Kingdom; Westworld), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts) and more to be announced!Get live or video-on-demand tickets here.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.

Under the Bridge creator Quinn Shephard (writer/director, Not Okay) and showrunner Samir Mehta (Narcos; Fear the Walking Dead) discuss couching emotional story in mystery plot, finding the universal in the specific, the Sopranos as children and as comedy, writing from the heart, reading to hire a room, and lots more.Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.The June 30 show at the Elysian Theater features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife).The cast includes: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts) and more to be announced!Get live or video-on-demand tickets here.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.

The Big Cigar's Janine Sherman Barois (Claws; Criminal Minds) and Jim Hecht (Winning Time; Ice Age) discuss the responsibility of telling true stories, how The Big Cigar isn't just a biopic, working on multiple projects, the state of the industry, and more.Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.The June 30 show at the Elysian Theater features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife).The cast includes: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts) and more to be announced!Get live or video-on-demand tickets here.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.

You're listening to our after show interview with Michael Jonathan Smith (Twisted Metal). In it you'll hear Michael tell the arduous journey he went on to getting this pilot rejected. We talk about his bumpy journey, how he got to where he is now as the creator and showrunner of Twisted Metal on Peacock. For the Cobra Kai heads out there, there's some good discussion of the evolution of that show which he worked on all the way through from season one. We talked about what drew him to write this pilot and where it might go in series and we also discussed the things he would change about it. You're going to love this one! Enjoy it!For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

The First Omen writer/director Arkasha Stevenson and co-writer Tim Smith discuss bringing their perspective to a beloved franchise, body horror, David Lynch, their writing process, that image, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer/director Ned Benson (The Greatest Hits; The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) discusses writing an earnest love story, writing through the lens of a director, the delusions of belief, when to let go, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer extraordinaire Ben Blacker joins us to deconstruct Connery's unofficial return as Bond in the infamous Thunderball remake! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aron Eli Coleite (creator/showrunner, The Spiderwick Chronicles; Atlas) discusses dialogue and action, helpful Aron-isms, our goldfish attention spans, key differences between TV and movie writing, why development takes so long now, and lots more.Come see Retrospecs on Sunday, May 19, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Retrospecs, we dig those old scripts by established writers out of their drawers and expose them to the warm light of the stage. Starring actors you know and love from TV, film, comedy, and the stage. From Girls to Gilmore Girls, from the Big Bang Theory to Buffy, get NEW EPISODES of your favorite shows, written by writers who never wrote for those shows!The May 19 show is a benefit for the Green Envelope Fund and features a Seinfeld by David Iserson (The Spy Who Dunped Me; New Girl) and a Succession written by "Fake Carol Lombardini" that takes place during the WGA/SAG strike and co-stars real Carol Lombardini!Live or streaming/VOD tickets here: https://tinyurl.com/Retro519THE 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.

Please enjoy this victory lap of Season One episodes as we celebrate 10 years of The Worst Idea of All Time. New episodes posting on our Substack.WorkJuice Presents: The Worst Scripted Event of All TimeBen Acker and Ben Blacker, creators of the Thrilling Adventure Hour, teamed up with Tim Batt and Guy Montgomery, the creators/hosts of The Worst Idea of All Time podcast, in which the New Zealand-based comedians watched Grown Ups 2 every week for one year, to bring this one-of-a-kind live show to Los Angeles.After watching Grown Ups 2 for 50 weeks, Tim and Guy wrote their own version of the movie, with their own brain-addled commentary.Acker & Blacker produced this live read of that script starring The Thrilling Adventure Hour's WorkJuice Players Busy Philipps (Vice Principals) and Hal Lublin (We Got This), and TAH friends Kate Micucci (Garfunkel & Oates), Baron Vaughn (Grace & Frankie), Arden Myrin (MadTV), Mark McConville (Superego), Michael McMillian (True Blood), Jason Ritter (Parenthood), Humphrey Ker (Dymock Watson: Nazi Smasher), and Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness).Jordan Katz and the Elements of Style, featuring Eric Kufs, perform the opening and closing music.Are you in LA? Do you want to see the WorkJuice Players live? You're in luck! On Friday, April 22nd, at 10pm at Largo at the Coronet, WorkJuice Presents: Sparks Nevada's "I'm from Earth" Day Special starring Marc Evan Jackson, Paul F. Tompkins, the WJ Players, and very special guests. Get your tickets now:http://ticketf.ly/1UOlRcb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.