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We present our review of The West Wing (Season 5)!The fifth season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from September 24, 2003, to May 19, 2004, and consisted of 22 episodes. This was the first season with executive producer John Wells as showrunner after series creator Aaron Sorkin departed the series at the end of the previous season.The fifth season had star billing for nine major roles, all of which were filled by returning main cast members from the fourth season. The cast was credited in alphabetical order except for Martin Sheen, who was listed last. Stockard Channing is only credited for the episodes in which she appears.The fifth season opens with First Daughter Zoey Bartlet being rescued from her abductors. President Bartlet takes the presidency back from acting president Walken, but is forced back into a level of powerlessness. He comes to terms with the actions that led to his daughter's kidnapping, a new Republican Speaker of the House (Walken has had to resign in order to assume the presidency) who forces Bartlet into several decisions he does not want to make, including the nomination of an unimpressive Democrat, "Bingo Bob" Russell, for vice president. The conflict with the new Speaker comes to a head in "Shutdown", when the Speaker tries to force the President into cutting federal spending more than had been agreed to and Bartlet refuses, forcing the federal government into a shutdown. Bartlet regains some of his power, cutting a deal to get a liberal Chief Justice, and season five ends with a bombing in Gaza leading Bartlet to push for Israeli peace talks and Josh to grow closer to Donna after she is critically wounded. The fifth season begins toward the end of Bartlet's first year of his second term (fifth year overall) in office. By the end of the season, over a year has elapsed.Disclaimer: The following may contain offensive language, adult humor, and/or content that some viewers may find offensive – The views and opinions expressed by any one speaker does not explicitly or necessarily reflect or represent those of Mark Radulich or W2M Network.Mark Radulich and his wacky podcast on all the things:https://linktr.ee/markkind76alsohttps://www.teepublic.com/user/radulich-in-broadcasting-networkFB Messenger: Mark Radulich LCSWTiktok: @markradulichtwitter: @MarkRadulichInstagram: markkind76RIBN Album Playlist: https://suno.com/playlist/91d704c9-d1ea-45a0-9ffe-5069497bad59
Overcrowded waiting rooms. End-of-life decisions. Pandemic fatigue. These are the realities of working in emergency medicine. It's also one of several storylines a new Max medical drama ‘The Pitt' tackles with unflinching accuracy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta sits down with executive producer John Wells to talk about why the show resonates with so many. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's Pittfest here — but not like the one on the show. This week on Awards Magnet, we bring you two conversations with the stars and creatives of The Pitt and cohost Joyce Eng. Listen below. Spoilers abound. Join Joyce as she talks with Noah Wyle, who wrote two episodes in Season 1, and co-executive producers John Wells, who directed two episodes, and R. Scott Gemmill, the show's creator. Then, Joyce chats with Fiona Dourif. Email us at slugfests@goldderby.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John Wells - April 20, 2025 - The Resurrection of Jesus Christ - John 20:1-16 Revelation 1: 18 “ I am the living one. I died and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and hell” 2 Timothy 2: 8 “ Remember that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, the offspring of David as preached in my Gospel”. I Corinthians 15: 19, Matthew 20: 18 Mark 10:33 “ Behold, we go up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered over unto the chief priests and they will condemn him to death…. They will mock him, spit on him, and flog him and kill him…AND AFTER THREE DAYS HE WILL RISE AGAIN ” Luke 18:31 “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem and all the things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. … they will scourge him, and put him to death: and on the third day he will rise again and they understood none of these things ” Luke 24 : 25 “ Oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory ? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself ” Romans 1:4 “ He is declared to be the Son of God in power …by his resurrection from the dead ” John 11:25 “ I am the resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this ?” John 14:19 “ Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live you will live also.” The Meaning of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ • He is the Eternal Son of God • I have Victory over sin & death, hell and the grave • I am Justified • I will live after I die The Results of the Resurrection • Vindication – God is satisfied, Justice has been met • Victory – “ It is Finished” My sin is gone, my debt is paid • Vitality – I'm enriched, renewed – I can live Full and Free in Him • Vicarious Living – “the life I now live I live by faith in Him”
The Cinematography Podcast Episode 307: Johanna Coelho As the cinematographer of all 15 episodes of The Pitt, Johanna Coelho helped create a fresh take on the medical genre's visual style. Executive producer John Wells wanted a feeling of constant urgency and realism to the hospital drama. They chose to treat The Pitt as if it were live theater, meticulously choreographing and blocking every action and movement within the bustling emergency room setting. Most of the episodes of The Pitt were shot in order, which helped with continuity on set. Johanna used the scripts as her blueprint, which carefully detailed character positioning in the background and clearly indicated the point of view for each scene. Her shot lists were fluid, evolving organically from the actors' movements within the space. This approach gave the camera operators remarkable freedom to follow the kinetic energy of gurneys and operating tables as they navigated the ER. The set was entirely open, with few places for the camera people to hide, so the entire crew wore scrubs to blend in. “Because of the way it's shot, the way everyone moves, we do no marks on the set,” says Johanna. “There's no marks, there's no lighting on the ground. It's a 360 set completely.” This required flexibility from the crew to embrace the spontaneous adjustments made by both the actors and the camera team, only doing additional takes when absolutely necessary. With an open set, Johanna and the electrical team had to get creative with their lighting strategy. The lighting was all integrated into the ceiling and run through a dimmer board. Absolutely no stands, flags, or fill lights were on the floor of the set. The gaffer created custom lighting that could be attached to the matte box on the camera and the occasional fill light was handheld on a pole. Cameras were entirely hand held, using a ZeeGee camera rig on a Steadicam arm, enhancing the sense of immediacy. As a result, the actors and crew never had to wait around for lighting or camera setups, which enabled them to shoot at a fast pace, about 9-10 pages per day. “We shoot extremely fast,” explains Johanna. “We come in at call time, we do the blocking and then we're ready to shoot, because the lighting is integrated. It's happening so fast, and we know the space so well. It's mostly the same pace and space all the time.” The immersive world of The Pitt was primarily constructed on a stage at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, with select exterior shots filmed on location in Pittsburgh. The production heavily relied on practical effects, employing detailed prosthetics and makeup captured in close-up to amplify the raw and visceral feeling of working in a high-stakes emergency room. “When I read the scripts, I felt it was clear you needed to be immersed in the middle of it,” says Johanna. “It's an experience for the audience, but it was also an experience for the crew shooting it. We were really inside that bubble, inside that ER set with the cast and crew.” You can see The Pitt on Max Find Johanna Coelho: https://www.johannacoelho.com/ Instagram @johanna_coelho Sponsored by Hot Rod Cameras: https://hotrodcameras.com/ Sponsored by Laowa by Venus Optics: https://www.venuslens.net/ The Cinematography Podcast website: www.camnoir.com YouTube: @TheCinematographyPodcast Facebook: @cinepod Instagram: @thecinepod Blue Sky: @thecinepod.bsky.social
Editors - Mark Strand ACE, Joey Reinisch, Lauren Pendergrass and Annie Eifrig In this episode, we explore how THE PITT editing team of Mark, Annie, Joey, and Lauren navigated the unique challenges of cutting this intense medical drama. From their experiences working with producer John Wells to dealing with emotionally charged scenes, they reveal their techniques for maintaining authenticity and managing the show's fast-paced environment. They also share their personal connections to the material and how they balance relentless action with powerful storytelling. Created by R. Scott Gemmill and executive produced by John Wells and Noah Wyle, THE PITT follows an emergency department staff as they attempt to overcome the hardships of a single 15-hour work shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital. They do this while having to navigate staff shortages, underfunding, insufficient resources and a handful of rats run amok in the ER. Each episode of the season covers approximately one hour of the work shift. MARK STRAND, ACE Mark Strand is a Los Angeles-based editor with 25 years of experience in scripted drama, comedy, and procedurals, as well as long format documentaries, reality television, clip shows, news programs, television commercials, and everything in between. Past projects include ANIMAL KINGDOM, RIZZOLI & ISLES and SHAMELESS. JOEY REINISCH Joey Reinisch is a seasoned editor known for his work on "Better Call Saul," with extensive experience in editing various genres including one-hour films, features, drama, dramedy, and horror. LAUREN PENDERGRASS Editor and director Lauren Pendergrass is known for her work on NEW AMSTERDAM, MAYANS MC and THE SONS OF ANARCHY. ANNIE EIFRIG Annie fell in love with editing at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Since then she's worked with a wide variety of directorial talents, always striving to bring an internal vision to the screen. Past projects include MAID, BETTER THINGS and TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG. The Credits Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Check out what's new with Avid Media Composer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube
Join us in discussing the movie Burnt, directed by John Wells. Did you know Gordon Ramsey was an executive producer?Links, articles, and videos mentioned in this episode:Bradley Cooper InterviewMost information was on the special features of the DVD. Join our Book Club and get access to exclusive content on PatreonFollow us on InstagramFollow us on TiktokFollow us on Bluesky
Diane & Andy preview the sharp new comedy THE STUDIO (AppleTV+) and catch up on what we're watching: DELI BOYS, GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY, THE RESIDENCE and THE PITT. Diane chats with THE PITT's Executive Producers John Wells, Noah Wyle, R.Scott Gemmill, cast members Taylor Dearden and Patrick Ball, and we're resharing the chat with Executive Producer Simran Baidwan. Learn more about how this extraordinary drama was made.
Diane does a quick preview of upcoming premieres and then chats with SIMRAN BAIDWAN, an EP on Max's hit medical drama THE PITT, and a showrunner on Prime Video's comedy CLEAN SLATE. We talk about the meticulous process of making THE PITT and navigating several tough storylines.
2 Corinthians 5: 7 “ for we walk by faith not by sight “ Romans 1:16-17 “ the just shall live by faith“ Galatians 2:20 “ the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith “ Hebrews 10:38 “ the just shall live by faith “ Lessons from the Life of Moses # 2 Faith that endured to the end • Are you living by faith ? • Are you making life's choices in faith ? • Will you die in faith ? Hebrews chapter 11: 23-28 By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. Are you Living by Faith ? • Faith and you Children • Faith and your Identity • Faith and your Choices • Faith and your Sacrifices • Faith and your Endurance • Faith and your Worship • Faith and your End
Executive Producer John Wells on His Latest Series “The Pitt”
Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review the new medical drama from ER alums John Wells, Noah Wyle, and R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt.
The medical drama meets 24 on the new Max series The Pitt, which reunites ER veteran Noah Wyle with ER veteran John Wells to create a show that for legal reasons is definitely not a reboot of ER (we'll explain!). Lawsuits aside, we're hooked on this gritty, fast-paced procedural designed to bring some much-needed network flair to the Max app. Plus: Did you already bail on your resolution to budget better? We're here to help with our first 2025 edition of Add/Keep/Cancel! ———
Diane chats with savvy and smart TV commentator Michel Ghanem, who goes by the @tvscholar handle on Instagram and BlueSky. MIchel recently started watching some Bravo Housewives and as Diane is a diehard Bravoholic, the two compare notes on Salt Lake City and RHONY. We also debate Michel's allegiance to ER, while Diane makes the case for why he needs to watch THE PITT.
John Wells - January 19th, 2025 - The Abiding Presence of God - Exodus 33:14 The Divine Presence (His Person) The Divine Promises (His Word) Exodus 19: 1-6 Exodus 33:11-15 Moses is fearful ….the future is uncertain … He is lacking resources “ the Israelites are weak, unbelieving, stiff nicked” “ God how can I trust you ? “ You say I have found grace …” “ WHO WILL YOU SEND WITH ME ?” MY PRESENCE SHALL GO WITH YOU “ I WILL GIVE YOU REST” The Divine Providence ( His Guidance)
Welcome to the award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique area of Texas. This week, Tom welcomes John Wells, the new publisher of the Kerrville Daily Times. They discuss John's background, from his start in digital advertising post-University of Alabama to his ventures in the newspaper industry. John reveals his motivations for moving to Kerrville and his vision for enhancing local journalism, focusing on community engagement and digital advancements. Key topics include the importance of local government reporting, expanding coverage of local sports and education, and innovative plans like a new website layout and potential app development. John also discusses reader feedback mechanisms and introduces new segments to increase community involvement. Key highlights: John Wells' Journey to Kerrville Differences Between Local and Major Newspapers Focus on Community Reporting Challenges in Local Journalism Local Sports and Community Involvement Resources: John Wells on LinkedIn Kerrville Daily Times Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts Hill Country Authors Podcast Hill Country Artists Podcast Texas Hill Country Podcast Network
Join Jeff Kaufman, attorney, radio host, and comic book writer, as he uncovers the untold tales of celebrities, infamous figures, and unsung heroes. From the glamour of Hollywood to the gritty stories of true crime survivors, every episode of "Under Oath" promises a captivating journey into the lives of those who've made a mark.Listen to the show live on Saturdays, at 7:30am EST, on Real Radio 104.1, or catch the stream on your iHeartRadio app (or wherever you get your shows and podcasts). You can also watch the show on YouTube.
John Wells - December 1, 2024 - The Cross 1. The Crowd Their Denial Their Doubt Their Dishonour Their Destruction 2. The Cries Forgive Forsaken Finished 3. The Curse Sin and it's Stain Sentence of the curse Satan's power - broken 4. The Claims Drawing all humanity Resurrection Eternal Life by believing Personal Crisis for you 1st Corinthians 1: 17-19 Acts 3:13-15 Luke 23
Producer, writer and director John Wells joins Frank Mackay on this episode of The Frank Mackay Show!
Michael Cudlitz plays the iconic Lex Luthor in The CW's hit series "Superman & Lois." He was born on Long Island, New York, and raised in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. He graduated from Lakewood High School in 1982 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, where he graduated in 1990. Cudlitz played "Abraham" on AMC's "The Walking Dead" and directed four episodes. Additional TV credits include "Clarice," based on the Oscar-winning "Silence of the Lambs," Tim Doyle's single-camera comedy "The Kids Are Alright," Emmy-winning HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" and TNT's acclaimed cop drama "Southland" which was executive produced by John Wells, and for which he received a Critics Choice Award for "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series." With feature credits including Diego Luna's "Cesar Chavez," "A River Runs Through It," "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "The Negotiator," Cudlitz starred alongside Lee Pace and Jason Sudeikis in the independent film "DRIVEN" about John DeLorean. Most recently, he directed one of the episodes in the final season of "Superman & Lois." Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.
Actor/Producer/Writer Jeffrey Byron and Actor/Producer John Wells join us on this episode of The Jimmy Star Show with Ron Russell broadcast live from the W4CY studios on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024.Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp and use my code JIMMY for a great deal: www.betterhelp.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-jimmy-star-show-with-ron-russell9600/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Tuesday, October 1, 2024.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate and share her daily news digest with our audience. Tune in every morning to the TRNN podcast feed to hear the latest important news stories from Canada and worldwide.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcastSupporting articles:Story 1 - Longshoremen in Montreal are on strike (and so too are longshoremen along the US' eastern and gulf coast). Story 2 - Blood Tribe chief decries the death of John Wells at the hands of police. Story 3 - The RCMP wants drones. Story 4 - Israel launches ground invasion of Lebanon.Story 5 - Heavy rains in Nepal kill at least 150 people.
Please rate & review The Movies on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you listen to the show!---Natalie Erika James, director of the new film APARTMENT 7A, stops by The Movies to chat all about her prequel to ROSEMARY'S BABY, streaming on Paramount + starting Sept. 27! We talk about bringing back 1960s New York design, the delicate art of balancing dark humor with even darker subject matter, how simply STELLAR Julia Garner is as an actress and much, much more!---Follow The Movies on Twitter: @TheMovies_Pod and Facebook: The MoviesCredit Song: "PELOTON"- John Wells
My guest this week is Baltimore rapper John Wells. We spoke about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the Bel-Air spinoff, The Lion King, the pros and cons of drive-in movie theaters, the Wayans family, putting on for Baltimore, the video for his single “No Drugs In Heaven,” making his late father proud, and the creative process behind his upcoming project whole world burnin' down. Come fuck with us.whole world burnin' down will be available wherever music is sold, streamed, or stolen on Friday, September 20. If you're in the Baltimore area that night, celebrate the album release by pulling up to Live 4Ever 2 at the Metro Baltimore--doors at 7PM, show starts at 8. Tickets are $17.51 and you can cop tickets here. Follow John Wells on Instagram (@lorluck), Twitter (@johnwells__), and TikTok (@johnwells__) Join the Reel Notes Patreon today starting at $5/month to get early access to episodes, our Discord server, exclusive bonus interviews and reviews, and more!My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. For information about contacting your representatives to demand a ceasefire, finding protests, and other tools, check out CeasefireToday!Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), and Letterboxd (@CineMasai) Support the show
Send us a textEver wondered how two iconic golf courses stack up against each other? Hear firsthand experiences from the Dye Course in French Lick, Indiana, and TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, where we navigate tough pin positions and quick greens, all while raising an impressive $8,000 for charity. You'll also get an insider look into standout performances, including John Wells's remarkable 70 in the Champ Flight. This episode is a mix of intense competition and heartwarming camaraderie that made our weekend truly unforgettable.Young golfers bring a unique energy to the sport, and this episode celebrates their infectious enthusiasm. Listen to inspiring stories and personal anecdotes that highlight why youth participation is so vital. We also preview the upcoming National Championship in Hilton Head, sharing the excitement and community spirit they bring. Don't miss the heartfelt conversation with special guest Chris Tillery, who shares his triumphant return to golf after an injury and the birth of his first child. Chris dedicates his win to his late grandfather, making for an emotional and inspiring story. We also explore the experiences of regional champions and the strategic insights that led to their victories, featuring voices from caddies and players. This episode is a tapestry of competitive spirit, emotional victories, and the incredible community that makes the Golfweek Amateur Tour so special. Podcast HomepageGolfweek Amateur TourSenior Amateur TourFacebookYouTube#GWPodcastshirtChallengeJ Butler GolfMeridian PuttersJohn Robinson (JR) Contact InformationCell - (843) 422-3767E-Mail - hiltonheadjr@aol.com
En la 1345-a E_elsendo el la 30.08.2024 ĉe www.pola-retradio.org: • En la 7-a mortodatreveno de la plej elstara E-poetino, Marjorie Boulton (pasanta la 30-an de aŭgusto 2024) el la arkivo de la E-Redakcio de Pola Radio ni memorigas nian intervjuon faritan kun ŝi dum la UK en Vilno 2005. La akompana foto prezentas ŝin kun prof. John Wells, kiu transdonas al ŝi bonezirojn okaze de ŝia 90-jariĝo. • En la kulturkronika bulteno ni informas pri la 50-jariĝo de Arkady Fiedler-muzeo apud Poznano, pri la arto de Hiroshige en Krakovo kaj pri regionaj kulturdistingoj en Lublino (la orienta Pollando). • Ni krome informas pri la proksimiĝanta IKUE-kongreso kaj ligita kun ĝia temo konkurso: https://eventaservo.org/e/d53a9b kaj jen la kongresa aliĝilo: https://mallonge.net/75ikue. • En unuopaj rubrikoj de nia paĝo eblas konsulti la paralele legeblajn kaj aŭdeblajn tekstojn el niaj elsendoj, kio estas tradicio de nia Redakcio ekde 2003. La elsendo estas aŭdebla en jutubo ĉe la adreso: https://www.youtube.com/results?q=pola+retradio&sp=CAI%253D I.a. pere de jutubo, konforme al individua bezono, eblas rapidigi aŭ malrapidigi la parolritmon de la sondokumentoj, transsalti al iu serĉata fragmento de la elsendo.
Brent Billings, Elle Grover Fricks, and Josh Bossé examine one more perspective on the ideas of salt and light found in the Sermon on the Mount.BEMA 257: John — Wells and HusbandsBEMA 313: Parables — The Good Samaritan
Today's episode is a special one, several years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing John Wells, a true pioneer in the tiny house movement. John first caught my attention through his insightful comments on my Facebook posts about building my own tiny house. As I dug deeper into his profile, I realized he was the real deal - someone who had fully embraced the off-grid, minimalist lifestyle.While we initially decided not to release our conversation, recent events have changed my perspective. Sadly, I learned of John's passing through this month's Tiny House Magazine, where he was mentioned as an early influence for Andrew and Laura Lavoie. This news prompted me to revisit our interview, and I was struck by how valuable and inspiring our discussion truly was.In this episode, we'll explore John's remarkable journey from living in a 2800 square foot house to embracing life in a 128 square foot tiny home on the remote Terlingua Ranch in Southwest Texas. John shares practical steps he took to make this dramatic transformation, offering a wealth of tips for anyone interested in off-grid living. Throughout our conversation, John's unique approach to simple living and his authentic personality shine through, providing invaluable insights for those considering a similar lifestyle change. Though recorded a while ago, John's wisdom remains as relevant and thought-provoking as ever. In This Episode:
En 1988, la découverte d'un corps mène les forces de l'ordre sur la piste d'une vieille affaire classée. Un incendie meurtrier, considéré à tort comme un accident, malgré les mises en garde de la victime qui se savait menacée. Les enquêteurs s'embarquent alors sur une voie dangereuse, où agents infiltrés côtoient tueurs à gage et millionnaires corrompus. “Les dossiers du FBI” est un podcast coproduit par Initial Studio et New Dominion Pictures, adapté de la série documentaire audiovisuelle "FBI Files" produit par New Dominion Pictures. Cet épisode a été écrit par Mark Harris et David O'Donnell. Il a été réalisé par John Wells. Bonne écoute ! Pour découvrir nos autres podcasts, suivez Initial Studio sur Instagram et Facebook. Crédits du podcastProduction exécutive du podcast : Initial StudioProduction éditoriale : Sarah Koskievic et Marie Agassant, assistées par Cyprille-Anne LigerMontage : Camille LegrasAvec la voix d'Olivier Sitruk
En 1988, la découverte d'un corps mène les forces de l'ordre sur la piste d'une vieille affaire classée. Un incendie meurtrier, considéré à tort comme un accident, malgré les mises en garde de la victime qui se savait menacée. Les enquêteurs s'embarquent alors sur une voie dangereuse, où agents infiltrés côtoient tueurs à gage et millionnaires corrompus. “Les dossiers du FBI” est un podcast coproduit par Initial Studio et New Dominion Pictures, adapté de la série documentaire audiovisuelle "FBI Files" produit par New Dominion Pictures. Cet épisode a été écrit par Mark Harris et David O'Donnell. Il a été réalisé par John Wells. Bonne écoute ! Pour découvrir nos autres podcasts, suivez Initial Studio sur Instagram et Facebook. Crédits du podcastProduction exécutive du podcast : Initial StudioProduction éditoriale : Sarah Koskievic et Marie Agassant, assistées par Cyprille-Anne LigerMontage : Camille LegrasAvec la voix d'Olivier Sitruk
Joining me, Kelly-Anne Taylor, this week is the writer, director and actor, Dolly Wells. She grew up off of Kensington High Street in London – the youngest of six children. Aged 18 – she discovered that her stepfather was actually her biological father – the great comic actor, John Wells. In her 20s, Dolly worked as an actress – but also as a photographer's assistant, she had a stall in Portobello Market and wrote book reviews for the express. It was only when she had her daughter in her 30s that she really decided to go for it. Since then, she's made her mark – and there seems to be very little that she can't do. She's played a vampire-hunting nun in Steven Moffat's Dracula, a woman locked in a basement with David Tennant in Inside Man and an incompetent assistant in the Sky comedy Doll & Em (which, she co-wrote with her best friend, the actress, Emily Mortimer). Now, she turns her hand to directing BBC3's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder – which follows a bright-eyed, precocious teenager Pip (who decides to investigate the unsolved murder of a schoolgirl. In this episode, we talk about the beauty of ageing, her life-changing friendship with Emily Mortimer, and how female directors are changing the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Madeline Smith is an actress best known for playing Bond girl Miss Caruso in Live and Let Die with Rodger Moore but also had larger roles in the Hammer horror films The Vampire Lovers, Taste the Blood of Dracula, Tam-Lin, Theatre of Blood and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. She stared in comedy films including Up Pompeii, Up the Front and Carry On Matron and the musical film Take Me High with Cliff Richard. Her television credits include Doctor at Large, The Two Ronnies, His and Hers with Tim Brooke-Taylor, Casanova '73 with Leslie Phillips, Steptoe and Son and The Howerd Confessions with Frankie Howerd. She was a member of the regular cast of the BBC2 series The End of the Pier Show and In The Looking Glass alongside satirists John Wells and John Fortune and composer Carl Davis. Madeline also starred in The Passionate Pilgrim which was the final screen appearance of Eric Morecambe.Madeline Smith is guest number 397 on My Time Capsule and chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things she'd like to put in a time capsule; four she'd like to preserve and one she'd like to bury and never have to think about again .Follow Madeline Smith on Twitter: @maddysmith007 . Follow My Time Capsule on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook: @MyTCpod .Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter: @fentonstevens and Instagram @mikefentonstevens .Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .Music by Pass The Peas Music .Artwork by matthewboxall.com .This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people . Get bonus episodes and ad-free listening by becoming a team member with Acast+! Your support will help us to keep making My Time Capsule. Join our team now! https://plus.acast.com/s/mytimecapsule. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Take time this Father's Day to celebrate all the dads in your life! John Wells and Justin Woodland, husbands to our leading ladies and all-star dads, spent a few minutes with us to create this special episode. Take a quick listen to learn about Michele and Amber off the clock. We hope this is a sentimental start to a celebratory weekend. Happy Father's Day!
“Something's been worrying me. You're a French police officer and yet you've got a Scottish accent.” -“Aye. It worries me too.” Before Daniel Craig was even a twinkle in his father's eye (give it a couple of months) there was the 1967 original big screen version of Casino Royale, a far-from-subtle James Bond spoof based extremely loosely on Ian Fleming's first novel, which would go on to become the bedrock for all subsequent Austin Powers movies! How to best describe Casino Royale? Baffling, bloated, self-indulgent, messy - yes, all these apply. However, it's a fascinating celluloid confection and there are plenty of interesting aspects to the film, plus a handful of chuckles along the way. Famously suffering from temperamental stars (step forward Mr Sellers) and multiple directors, and shot through with the psychedelic sentiment of the time, Casino Royale is worth watching for the cast alone: along with the aforementioned Peter Sellers we have Orson Welles, David Niven, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, Ursula Andress, John Huston, Bernard Cribbens, Ronnie Corbett, Anna Quayle, John Bluthal, John Wells, Geoffrey Bayldon, Peter O'Toole and even Derek Nimmo! This week Tyler is joined by Martin Holmes, the host of Vision On Sound - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/visiononsound - to try and make sense of it all!
Meryl Streep and The Movies with Zachary Scot Johnson and Maryl McNally
Longtime friends and Meryl Streep fans Zachary Scot Johnson ( http://www.youtube.com/user/thesongadayproject/about ) and Maryl McNally discuss Meryl Streep's 2013 drama / dark comedy "August: Osage County"."August: Osage County" co-stars Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Juliette Lewis, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Julianne Nicholson, Abigail Breslin & Benedict Cumberbatch. It is directed by John Wells and has a screenplay by Tracy Letts.Email the hosts at MerylStreepPodcast@gmail.com and remember to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast if you enjoy!August: Osage County review begins around the 47:45 mark (sorry, we got chatty)Zach's ranking of Meryl's performances1. sophie's choice2. silkwood3. postcards from the edge4. the post5. iron lady6. big little lies season 27. julie and julia8. the hours9. devil wears prada10. a cry in the dark11. don't look up12. adaptation13. the bridges of madison county14. kramer vs kramer15. the french lieutenant's woman16. manchurian candidate17. into the woods18. let them all talk19. the laundromat20. the river wild21. doubt22. music of the heart23. it's complicated24. ricki and the flash25. mamma mia 226. florence foster jenkins27. out of africa28. death becomes her29. the prom30. prime31. a prairie home companion32. ironweed33. deer hunter34. mamma mia35. falling in love36. plenty37. dancing at lughnasa38. little women39. defending your life40. heartburn41. first do no harm42. still of the night43. before and after44. she-devil45. suffragette46. mary poppins returns47. evening48. house of the spirits49. the homesman50. manhattan51. juliaZach's ranking of Meryl's films1. the post2. the hours3. silkwood4. don't look up5. little women6. kramer vs kramer7. adaptation8. sophie's choice9. out of africa10. the deer hunter11. doubt12. big little lies season 213. into the woods14. the bridges of madison county15. a cry in the dark16. let them all talk17. the laundromat18. postcards from the edge19. the french lieutenant's woman20. iron lady21. julie and julia22. the devil wears prada23. it's complicated24. mary poppins returns25. the prom26. the river wild27. manchurian candidate28. music of the heart29. death becomes her30. suffragette31. a prairie home companion32. prime33. falling in love34. ironweed35. ricki and the flash36. florence foster jenkins37. defending your life38. dancing at lughnasa39. plenty40. manhattan41. mamma mia42. evening43. heartburn44. still of the night45. mamma mia 246. first do no harm47. she-devil48. julia49. the homesman50. house of the spirits51. before and afterMaryl's ranking of Meryl's performances1. sophie's choice2. the post3. julie and julia4. a cry in the dark5. devil wears prada6. bridges of madison county7. the iron lady8. postcards from the edge9. adaptation10. big little lies season 211. out of africa12. kramer vs kramer13. the hours14. doubt15. french lieutenant's woman16. manchurian candidate17. river wild18. mamma mia 219. plenty20. florence foster jenkins21. mamma mia22. silkwood23. let them all talk24. prime25. music of the heart26. into the woods27. it's complicated28. little women29. heartburn30. deer hunter31. death becomes her32. falling in love33. a prairie home companion34. ricki & the flash35. dancing at lughnasa36. suffragette37. first do no harm38. she-devil39. evening40. the prom41. the laundromat42. ironweed43. house of the spirits44. mary poppins returns45. defending your life46. manhattan47. before and after48. still of the night49. julia50. don't look up51. the homesmanMaryl's ranking of Meryl's films1. the hours2. little women3. sophie's choice4. bridges of madison county5. postcards from the edge6. kramer vs kramer7. the post8. adaptation9. a cry in the dark10. florence foster jenkins11. doubt12. silkwood13. out of africa14. the deer hunter15. big little lies season 216. devil wears prada17. mamma mia18. french lieutenant's woman19. the iron lady20. mary poppins returns21. into the woods22. julie & julia23. mamma mia 224. river wild25. prime26. evening27. falling in love28. manchurian candidate29. it's complicated30. death becomes her31. music of the heart32. defending your life33. ironweed34. let them all talk35. dancing at lughanasa36. suffragette37. the laundromat38. house of the spirits39. heartburn40. first do no harm41. ricki & the flash42. prairie home companion43. julia44. she-devil45. the prom46. plenty47. don't look up48. still of the night49. before and after50. the homesman51. manhattan
It's the Friday news roundup! A bridge collapsed in Baltimore — could something similar play out here? Mayor Ed Gainey's trying, once again, to generate taxes from UPMC and other tax-exempt properties. And a new Pittsburgh-based medical drama called “The Pitt” is in the works. Plus, we've got some fun Easter news, a comprehensive plan update, and a very happy groundhog arrival. What very Pittsburgh storyline would you love to see from Max's new show? Call or text us at 412-212-8893. We always cite our sources: Pittsburgh was named one of the best places to celebrate Easter. Mayor Ed Gainey is challenging the tax exempt status of more than 100 more city properties. The Trib wrote about the bridge collapse in Baltimore and how the circumstances compare to what happens along Pittsburgh waterways. Learn more about our river traffic from City Paper's “Where the Heck are Pittsburgh's River Barges Going?” PublicSource has a great story about how the city basically ignored warnings about Fern Hollow for years. Max (new HBO) is launching a new medical drama called “The Pitt,” which will be set in Pittsburgh. Check out Reddit's ideas for some very Steel City storylines. The executive producer, John Wells, graduated from CMU. The Pittsburgh Film Office says it's not expected to be filmed here. Punxsutawney Phil and his groundhog wife Phyllis welcomed two healthy pups this week. Did you know Phil lives forever? Here are four fun “Phil phacts” from the Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. Here's how you can get involved with the city's first ever Comprehensive Plan process. Learn more about our sponsor, the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh and their Racial Justice Challenge, at ywcapgh.org. Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We're also on Instagram @CityCastPgh! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what's going on in the world of TV, then discuss the first three episodes of 3 Body Problem (Netflix) and the sixth episode of Shogun (Hulu/FX).What do we think of a new John Wells/Noah Wyle hospital-themed team-up? Was it cool for Pete Davidson to leave Bupkis like that? Will we ever see another season of Euphoria? And is 3 Body Problem a worthy TV follow-up from the creators of Game of Thrones? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Shogun Ep 7 (Hulu/FX)Bonus Ep: Constellation Season 1 (Apple TV+)Shownotes:00:03:00 - Noah Wyle and John Wells reteam for The Pitt00:12:15 - Euphoria Season 3 delayed indefinitely00:20:25 - Pete Davidson abruptly leaves Bupkis00:29:15 - 3 Body ProblemEpisode 1 - CountdownEpisode 2 - Red CoastEpisode 3 - Destroyer of Worlds01:10:00 - ShogunEpisode 6 - Ladies of the Willow WorldLinks:Listen to Patrick's videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick's newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David's free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
John Wells speaks with George Musser about his new book titled "Putting Ourselves Back in the Equation Why Physicists Are Studying Human Consciousness and AI To Unravel The Mysteries of The Universe."Then, Eric Siegel, author of the new book “The AI Playbook, Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment," talks about how machine learning can enhance business operations.
John Wells speaks with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson who has co-written "To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery" with StarTalk senior producer Lindsey Walker. (0:45)Then, as much as you might think it's just a craving – sugar is an addiction! We speak with neuroscientist Dr. Nicole Avena, who pioneered research on sugar addiction and has a new book on the subject called "Sugarless." (25:42)
Gabe Bowen, professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, discusses how geoscientists have mapped changes in atmospheric CO2 over past 66 million years.Then, John Wells, co-founder and co-host of Cool Science Radio, talks about the last decade hosting this science and technology show — what he has learned and loved as he departs the show for new endeavors.
Co-hosts John Wells, Katie Mullaly, and Lynn Ware Peek look back at some of their favorite interviews from the year:Can quantum computing solve humanity's biggest problemsTheoretical physicist Michio Kaku talks about his new book, “Quantum Supremacy: How The Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything.” (0:57)Writer Paul Bogard explains impact of darkness on all forms of lifeWriter Paul Bogard discusses the importance of the night sky and the impact of darkness on all forms of life in his book "The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light." (27:19)
DC had a plan to change how it did business and in the process help the entire comic book industry. Only, it didn't happen. In Part 2 of The DC Implosion, we take a look at how two major winter storms played a part in defusing the DC Explosion. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) This series was produced for those wanting to learn more about the comics they consume. The below list includes the sources we used to gather information. All quotes, and clips used in this production are used under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. RESOURCES https://web.archive.org/web/20100213202643/http://www.wilx.com/blogs/weatherblog/82723922.html Newsarama.com https://www.tcj.com/ Quotes from The Comic Reader, Comic Media News, and others were sourced from: Comic Book Implosion: The Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1374 https://youtu.be/pUwxH4SM9Rg?si=9CFNLQkieVhxA-2x Other resources Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle Between Marvel and DC by Reed Tucker https://amzn.to/3RkGfTB Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe https://amzn.to/3RfGbUX MUSIC AND SFX Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Music by Dmitry Taras from Pixabay Music by ArctSound from Pixabay Music by Grand_Project from Pixabay Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Music by AntipodeanWriter from Pixabay Sound Effects from Pixabay CLOSE Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com Call the Major Spoilers Hotline at (785) 727-1939. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends!
DC had a plan to change how it did business and in the process help the entire comic book industry. Only, it didn't happen. In Part 2 of The DC Implosion, we take a look at how two major winter storms played a part in defusing the DC Explosion. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) This series was produced for those wanting to learn more about the comics they consume. The below list includes the sources we used to gather information. All quotes, and clips used in this production are used under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. RESOURCES https://web.archive.org/web/20100213202643/http://www.wilx.com/blogs/weatherblog/82723922.html Newsarama.com https://www.tcj.com/ Quotes from The Comic Reader, Comic Media News, and others were sourced from: Comic Book Implosion: The Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1374 https://youtu.be/pUwxH4SM9Rg?si=9CFNLQkieVhxA-2x Other resources Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle Between Marvel and DC by Reed Tucker https://amzn.to/3RkGfTB Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe https://amzn.to/3RfGbUX MUSIC AND SFX Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Music by Dmitry Taras from Pixabay Music by ArctSound from Pixabay Music by Grand_Project from Pixabay Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Music by AntipodeanWriter from Pixabay Sound Effects from Pixabay CLOSE Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com Call the Major Spoilers Hotline at (785) 727-1939. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends!
In November 1977, DC Comics made a proclamation that would change the entire comic book publishing industry. Only, it didn't happen. Instead of an explosion of comics, DC Comics suffered a massive implosion. But does this make DC Comics a loser, or was it just ahead of its time? Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) This series was produced for those wanting to learn more about the comics they consume. The below list includes the sources we used to gather information. All quotes, and clips used in this production are used under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. RESOURCES Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1953 statement retrieved from The Miller Center https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/age-of-eisenhower/mcarthyism-red-scare Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed in 1953 for espionage clip, retrieved from the Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1341583.html Have you no sense of decency, sir? Retrieved from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7x8RkdG6I0 Seduction of the Innocent by Frederic Wrtham (2021 Edition) https://amzn.to/41iL7NA Frederic Wertham and William Gaines's testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency were retrieved from WNYC.org and the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection https://www.wnyc.org/story/215975-senate-subcommittee-juvenile-delinquency-ii/ The Ten Cent Plague by David Hajdu https://amzn.to/3TfhURL The 1954 Comic Code Authority Rules https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority Comic Book Sales Data via Comichron https://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html "So Much Moralizing" Stan's Soapbox, March 1970 New York Times, February 04, 1971 https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/04/archives/a-comics-magazine-defies-code-ban-on-drug-stories-comics-magazine.html?_r=0 Comic Code Authority Shuts Down https://majorspoilers.com/2011/01/21/last-nail-in-the-coffin-for-comics-code-authority-archie-says-good-bye/ Tom Brevoort reflections on Rolling Stone's article about Marvel Comics https://tombrevoort.com/2021/02/14/blah-blah-blog-rolling-stone/ (referenced as: https://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/comic_sales.html) The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino by Carmine Infantino and J. David Spurlock (2001) https://amzn.to/3RAUox3 Jenette Kahn Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenette_Kahn Sequential Tart Interview with Jenette Kahn by Jennifer M. Contino, retrieved from the Internet Archive https://web.archive.org/web/20031026213108/http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may01/kahn.shtml DC Comics Publishorial, "Onward and Upward" DC Comics Logos Over the Years The Comics Journal #40 Kim Thompson, “An Interview with Marvel's Head-Honcho: Jim Shooter” (p. 38) https://www.tcj.com/tcj-archive/the-comics-journal-no-40-june-1978/ Quotes from The Comic Reader, Comic Media News, and others were sourced from: Comic Book Implosion: The Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1374 Other resources Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle Between Marvel and DC by Reed Tucker https://amzn.to/3RkGfTB Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe https://amzn.to/3RfGbUX MUSIC AND SFX Unspoken - licensed via Premiumbeat.com Break Through - licensed via Premiumbeat.com Patriotic Epic - licensed via Premiumbeat.com OMnis - Music by DSTechnician from Pixabay Big Day Out - Music by Geoff Harvey from Pixabay Defenders of the Truth - Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Inspiring Cinematic Ambient - Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay Superhero Hollywood Trailer - Licensed via PremiumBeat.com Documentary Background - Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay Out of Time - Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Summer Adventures - Music by Sergii Pavkin from Pixabay This Minimal Technology (Pure) - Music by Yrii Semchyshyn from Pixabay Sound Effects from Pixabay CLOSE Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com Call the Major Spoilers Hotline at (785) 727-1939. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends!
In November 1977, DC Comics made a proclamation that would change the entire comic book publishing industry. Only, it didn't happen. Instead of an explosion of comics, DC Comics suffered a massive implosion. But does this make DC Comics a loser, or was it just ahead of its time? Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) This series was produced for those wanting to learn more about the comics they consume. The below list includes the sources we used to gather information. All quotes, and clips used in this production are used under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. RESOURCES Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1953 statement retrieved from The Miller Center https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/age-of-eisenhower/mcarthyism-red-scare Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed in 1953 for espionage clip, retrieved from the Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1341583.html Have you no sense of decency, sir? Retrieved from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7x8RkdG6I0 Seduction of the Innocent by Frederic Wrtham (2021 Edition) https://amzn.to/41iL7NA Frederic Wertham and William Gaines's testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency were retrieved from WNYC.org and the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection https://www.wnyc.org/story/215975-senate-subcommittee-juvenile-delinquency-ii/ The Ten Cent Plague by David Hajdu https://amzn.to/3TfhURL The 1954 Comic Code Authority Rules https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority Comic Book Sales Data via Comichron https://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html "So Much Moralizing" Stan's Soapbox, March 1970 New York Times, February 04, 1971 https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/04/archives/a-comics-magazine-defies-code-ban-on-drug-stories-comics-magazine.html?_r=0 Comic Code Authority Shuts Down https://majorspoilers.com/2011/01/21/last-nail-in-the-coffin-for-comics-code-authority-archie-says-good-bye/ Tom Brevoort reflections on Rolling Stone's article about Marvel Comics https://tombrevoort.com/2021/02/14/blah-blah-blog-rolling-stone/ (referenced as: https://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/comic_sales.html) The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino by Carmine Infantino and J. David Spurlock (2001) https://amzn.to/3RAUox3 Jenette Kahn Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenette_Kahn Sequential Tart Interview with Jenette Kahn by Jennifer M. Contino, retrieved from the Internet Archive https://web.archive.org/web/20031026213108/http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may01/kahn.shtml DC Comics Publishorial, "Onward and Upward" DC Comics Logos Over the Years The Comics Journal #40 Kim Thompson, “An Interview with Marvel's Head-Honcho: Jim Shooter” (p. 38) https://www.tcj.com/tcj-archive/the-comics-journal-no-40-june-1978/ Quotes from The Comic Reader, Comic Media News, and others were sourced from: Comic Book Implosion: The Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1374 Other resources Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle Between Marvel and DC by Reed Tucker https://amzn.to/3RkGfTB Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe https://amzn.to/3RfGbUX MUSIC AND SFX Unspoken - licensed via Premiumbeat.com Break Through - licensed via Premiumbeat.com Patriotic Epic - licensed via Premiumbeat.com OMnis - Music by DSTechnician from Pixabay Big Day Out - Music by Geoff Harvey from Pixabay Defenders of the Truth - Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Inspiring Cinematic Ambient - Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay Superhero Hollywood Trailer - Licensed via PremiumBeat.com Documentary Background - Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay Out of Time - Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Summer Adventures - Music by Sergii Pavkin from Pixabay This Minimal Technology (Pure) - Music by Yrii Semchyshyn from Pixabay Sound Effects from Pixabay CLOSE Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com Call the Major Spoilers Hotline at (785) 727-1939. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends!
WWW.4DADJSRADIO.COM https://www.mixcloud.com/glibstylez/playlists/chilled-hip-hop-soul-lo-fi-beats/ Tracklist: DJ GlibStylez x Reese Tanaka - BBS Intro 2023 Es x Rhook Beats - Shotgun DJ Alkemy - Isosceles (ft. Mxntis) Sankofa - Duel of the Iron Chef (ft. AthenA, Denz, Nord1kone) Travisty - When My New Shit Drop F.Y.I. - Rah Rah Blazy Green x Skinny Bonez Tha Godfatha - Maneuver Well (cuts by DJ Techneek) 1773 x Strange Soul Music - Slow It Up (ft. Tiff The Gift) eu-IV - seen RhymeStyleTroop x The Dead Poetz Society - Originate (ft. D-Styles) Ro$$ay x Gloomy Sxnday - Wishes Mike Titan x Silent Someone - All the Words Useful (ft. Generalbackpain x Crotona P) Mashio Musik - PlayThat Deuce Ellis x Cee Gee x DJ J-Ronin - Hold Court (ft. Tragedy Khadafi x Planet Asia) Vice - Check It Out (Prod. by T3) Masta Ace x Marco Polo - Life Music (ft. Stricklin, Speech, E.Smitty) Jamaal Matters - Fresh Calamari (Prod. by Mr Milly) DK - Oprah (ft. King Bliss) AMV - Jasia (Part 2) SoulTre (Tre-Dot x Eliah Soul) - SoulTre Sela Ninja - By Order (ft. La Pazz) [cuts by DJ Glibstylez] Kev Brown x Dre King - Luxurious Art Blame One x Preed One - Sinister (ft. DJ TMP) superegobeats - After Hell Subtex - Barcelona 92 (ft. Wordsworth, Copywrite, Ren Thomas (Prod. by Hozay) Record Pause Play - Rapping Machine JRoberts x IMPERETIV x L-Biz x Rasheed Chappell - Better Days (MiLKCRATE Remix) Rome Mallory x Perseo - Never Leave Again Kev Brown x Dre King - No Escapism DjProofBeatz - ScaryThings Copywrite - Mixtapes In My Sleep (ft. Mickey Factz Prod. by Swab) Elzhi x Oh No - In Your Feelings (ft. Dankery Harv) Kiezin - Lines Freddie Black x King Hansom - Piensalo (Thimk About It) Elaquent - No Man Is Safe From (ft. John Wells)
WWW.4DADJSRADIO.COM https://www.mixcloud.com/glibstylez/playlists/chilled-hip-hop-soul-lo-fi-beats/ Tracklist: DJ GlibStylez x Reese Tanaka - BBS Intro 2023 Es x Rhook Beats - Shotgun DJ Alkemy - Isosceles (ft. Mxntis) Sankofa - Duel of the Iron Chef (ft. AthenA, Denz, Nord1kone) Travisty - When My New Shit Drop F.Y.I. - Rah Rah Blazy Green x Skinny Bonez Tha Godfatha - Maneuver Well (cuts by DJ Techneek) 1773 x Strange Soul Music - Slow It Up (ft. Tiff The Gift) eu-IV - seen RhymeStyleTroop x The Dead Poetz Society - Originate (ft. D-Styles) Ro$$ay x Gloomy Sxnday - Wishes Mike Titan x Silent Someone - All the Words Useful (ft. Generalbackpain x Crotona P) Mashio Musik - PlayThat Deuce Ellis x Cee Gee x DJ J-Ronin - Hold Court (ft. Tragedy Khadafi x Planet Asia) Vice - Check It Out (Prod. by T3) Masta Ace x Marco Polo - Life Music (ft. Stricklin, Speech, E.Smitty) Jamaal Matters - Fresh Calamari (Prod. by Mr Milly) DK - Oprah (ft. King Bliss) AMV - Jasia (Part 2) SoulTre (Tre-Dot x Eliah Soul) - SoulTre Sela Ninja - By Order (ft. La Pazz) [cuts by DJ Glibstylez] Kev Brown x Dre King - Luxurious Art Blame One x Preed One - Sinister (ft. DJ TMP) superegobeats - After Hell Subtex - Barcelona 92 (ft. Wordsworth, Copywrite, Ren Thomas (Prod. by Hozay) Record Pause Play - Rapping Machine JRoberts x IMPERETIV x L-Biz x Rasheed Chappell - Better Days (MiLKCRATE Remix) Rome Mallory x Perseo - Never Leave Again Kev Brown x Dre King - No Escapism DjProofBeatz - ScaryThings Copywrite - Mixtapes In My Sleep (ft. Mickey Factz Prod. by Swab) Elzhi x Oh No - In Your Feelings (ft. Dankery Harv) Kiezin - Lines Freddie Black x King Hansom - Piensalo (Thimk About It) Elaquent - No Man Is Safe From (ft. John Wells)
On this week's episode, Writer/Executive Producer Alex Berger (Blindspot, Glen Martin D.D.S, Quantum Leap, and many many more) talks about his writing career, thoughts on breaking into the industry as well as his experiences taking a "Showrunners Course" through the studios.STORY NOTESAlex Berger on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1584238/Alex Berger on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexbergerla?lang=enFree Writing Webinar - https://michaeljamin.com/op/webinar-registration/Michael's Online Screenwriting Course - https://michaeljamin.com/courseFree Screenwriting Lesson - https://michaeljamin.com/freeJoin My Watchlist - https://michaeljamin.com/watchlistAUTOGENERATED TRANSCRIPTAlex Berger:They said, when you're interviewing a director, ask if you're the showrunner and you're interviewing somebody who's coming in to do an episode of your show, ask the director, do you cook? And if so, are you a person who uses a recipe or do you like to improvise? And there's no right answer to that, right? But if you cook and you're the person who is going to measure out the exact number of grams of flour and the exact number of grams of sugar, that's kind of how you're going to approach directing. If you're going to come in with a shot list, you're going to be going to stay on time. You're going to make sure that you move the set along. And if you're the person who likes to kind throw a little salt to throw a little sugar, you might be a little more improvisational on say you might be a little more, more. There's little things like that that you're going to how to dig in on this with those. NowMichael Jamin:You're listening to Screenwriters Need to Hear This with Michael Jamin.Hey everyone. Welcome back to Screenwriters. Need to hear this. Michael Jamin here. I have another wonderful guest today and this guest, we're going to talk about drama writing because he works primarily in drama and his story is fascinating how he broke in. And we're going to get to please welcome Mr. Alex Berger and he's worked on Alex. Let me introduce people to some of your amazing credits here and you can fill in in, I'm just going to go for some of the highlights. Well, I know you did Kil, you co-created Glen Martin d d s, which is the show. My partner ran Covert Affairs, the Assets Franklin and Bash the Mentalist Blind Spot. And currently you are a writer on Quantum Leap, so you got a lot of drama. Burger. Welcome, welcome to the podcast.Alex Berger:Thank you so much for having me. It's, it's good to be here. I've been enjoying listening to it.Michael Jamin:Oh man, I'm so happy you're doing this. Let's talk. Let's start from the beginning because I think it was so interesting about your background. So many people say, how do I get a showrunner attached to sell my show? And you kind of sold your show, your show, Glen Martin, d d s. You were pretty new to the scene and then you got a show on the air without much experience. So how did that happen?Alex Berger:Yeah, I'd been out here for probably five or six years and I'd had a couple of staff jobs. I'd had a job doing a sort of comedy variety show before that. That was a very sort of small potatoes thing. But that came about because Steve Cohen Cohen, who I know you've talked about before, was a friend of mine and had mentioned this idea that Michael Eisner had for a long time about a family who traveled the country in an rv and they had writers attached for a long time. Tim and Eric of Tim and Eric Show were attached to write the thing.Michael Jamin:I didn't know any of this.Alex Berger:They got a 60 episode order on their other show, and so they had to back out. And so Steve would come in and pitch a take. So I came in and I pitched a take, and Michael Eisner, who had just left basically running Hollywood, he was running, Disney had just started a company, and he had just had larynx surgery, so he couldn't talk. So every time I pitched something, he had to write his response on a computer, which was fun, but a little challenging.Michael Jamin:But what was the idea, how much, when you pitched your take, what did they give you?Alex Berger:He had said Family lives in an rv. Basically it travels the country and animation. And he had more than that. I mean, it is been almost 20 years, so I've forgotten. But he definitely had a real idea. He'd had this idea for 30 or 40 years that he'd wanted to do over the years at Disney and he wasn't able to do it. So he had a pretty formed idea of what he wanted the show to be. ButMichael Jamin:Was it dentist you came up with that throughAlex Berger:Development? I mean, that was sort of like Steve and I, Steve became sort of a, and it was almost like an incubator instead of a typical situation in which I would come in and pitch a show, he kind of brainstormed with me and created the ideas with me, and we kind of toyed with a couple of different versions of it and came up with the idea of him being, why is he on the road and what's he driving in? And came up with the idea of a dentist that was in his mobile dentistry unit and sort of built some of the characters around that. And it kind of kept getting added to,Michael Jamin:Because all that stuff became comedy gold throughout the seasons. We were like, what kind of idiot has a dental car? Who does he think, what kind of clients? How does that work? And it all became fodder for the show,Alex Berger:For the circus at one point. And it was doing dental work on animals, if I remember correctly. But it was definitely, I didn't think I'd seen that before. So that was kind of one of the things that was fun to explore.Michael Jamin:And so you came up with all the, well, at least the dynamics for the characters, because what I remember, we watched the, I dunno if it was a pilot or presentation that you saw, but yeah, the characters you invented were funny. You had the dumb kid, he had the daughter and she had an assistant, which we hadn't seen that before.Alex Berger:It was definitely even more than other experiences I've had in development, very much a team effort. And then we had sort of come up with a script, and then I think you had Eric Fogle on the show before, and Eric came on and was also sort of added his vision both in terms of look and feel and tone and story, and was digging in with us. And then Michael on his own, paid for an eight minute pilot presentation. So they made an eight minute stop motion, basically the first act of the show. And he took it downtown and took it everywhere. And we ended up setting it up at Nick at night with this 20 episode order. And I think that's when you guys sort of made the picture, right?Michael Jamin:So you started, I'm curious. It's funny how I never even asked you about this. So at that point you had to meet showrunners for a show you created, which we're going to talk about a second. Did you meet a lot of showrunners?Alex Berger:I met none of the showrunners. I met you guys after you'd been hired.Michael Jamin:Oh, really? I wonder how many they had. SoAlex Berger:The tote system was, they wanted to sort of make that decision. And so they met with showrunners and had decided they were very much immediately captivated by you guys and were really excited about, and I don't think it was a pretty quick decision. And then they had me come to meet you guys.Michael Jamin:Now the thing is, I imagine you were very easy to work with and to your great credit, I always felt like you just turned over the keys and it was like, okay, here you go. And it was never an ego thing if you, but was it difficult though for you?Alex Berger:I mean, I can give you the answer that I was thinking at the time, and I can give you the answer that I have in retrospect. I think at the time I felt like, I don't know. It's a good question. Let me give you the answer in retrospect first, which is in retrospect, I know that I was inexperienced to know, especially about comedy writing a lot and certainly about running a show. I think at the time I was very happy for you guys to come in and run it. And exactly as you said, take the keys. I think that I felt intimidated because it was a room full of really seasoned comedy writers. I knew I was one of the least experienced writers on the show, and yet my name was on the show. So it was a kind of a weird game. It's not like a typical situation in which a more experienced writer comes in, but they've never run a show.So they pair them with a show runner and then they're really a triumvirate or something. I definitely felt like experience wise and sort of comedy chops wise, I was with folks who'd broken 2, 3, 400 episodes of cool sitcoms that I really admired. So I felt like I wanted to contribute from a character and comedy perspective as much as I could, but I also felt like I was learning on the fly that I had my name on. So it was definitely tricky to sort of figure that out. But you guys were great about never feeling like you were stepping on toes, and you always would consult with me, especially at the beginning, but it was very clear that it was your show, but it was also that you wanted me to sort be on board with what we were doing.Michael Jamin:And I mean, it was a fun room. I mean, maybe I shouldn't speak for you. I thought it was a fun room. Yeah,Alex Berger:Yeah, it was great. I mean, it was like I'd never been in a sitcom room before. I mean, I've been in a couple of drama rooms as an assistant and a writer, and those rooms are more buttoned up and a little more like, let's come in at 10 and start talking about the story at 10 15. And there's definitely bits and sort of digressions, but a comedy room has a certain energy that you can't replicate. And it was really fun to be in that room. And I've been in rooms that are a little bit like that since, but never anything that was, I laughed quite so much, just had it.Michael Jamin:I was going to ask you about that, right? I haven't worked in any, we've done dark comedy, but never drama. And so I'm curious, you've done a lot of drama. So are the rooms, are they really what you're saying? Are they buttoned up? Are they sur because it's still a creative shop?Alex Berger:It's fun. I would say this is based on a very small sample size of my two years in Glen Martin. And then just listening to comedy writers talk, I think comedy writers find the genius through procrastination. I think that it takes the tangent sometimes to get you to the gold. And I know you guys, especially more than other comedy writers I've known, were very focused on story structure. I know from your time with Greg Daniels and Seaver had bought a book at the mall,And it was very important to you that the story felt like it had load-bearing walls, but it did feel like more free flowing and there were room bits and there was a whole sitcom inside that room of three characters, both people in the room and people we were looking out the window at. So that's definitely different than other shows I've been on, other shows I've been on, it's a little more like, all right, let's get to work. And especially these days with room hours have gotten shorter and so on less. And I've been in Zoom rooms for the last couple of years, so it's even less of a roomMichael Jamin:Basic. Oh, so gotten, haven't gotten, your last rooms haven't been in person either. YouAlex Berger:Haven't? Yeah, I've been in three Zoom rooms since the pandemic.Michael Jamin:It's funny you mentioned because comedy rooms have room bits and our offices were on Beverly Hills and Big glamorous street in Beverly Hills. We would look out the window, and you're right, we would create stories when we weren't making stories for the tv, we were making stories for the regular characters that we would see outside our windows.Alex Berger:Yeah, I mean truly. I know you had Brian and Steve and a couple of other people from the show on. I have not laughed that hard in a room.It was a blast. And I also think there's value to it creatively. It's not wasted time. I think it's just a different way of getting to the process. I remember hearing once of, I can't remember which one, it was a Simpsons writer who would be on draft. He had two weeks to write his draft, and he would past around the fox lot for 12 days and then write the draft in the last two days. And someone asked him, why don't you just write the draft for the first two days and then be done? And he said, because I need those 12 days of pacing to get me to the last two days. And I think copywriter are more prone to that kind of way of thinking. I think.Michael Jamin:See, see, I don't remember that way always. I always get nervous when that story's not broken. I always want to crack the whip seavers more. Like that's, but to me, I was always,Alex Berger:When you were in the room, it was more like, let's stay on story. And when see, it was a little more. And then when you guys were both out of the room, it was even more free flowing, which is not to say that all of the eps weren't trying to keep us on story, but its like it's was a silly show about silly characters and absurd, every premise of every episode had a massive degree of absurdity to it. And so you wouldn't be too serious in a room like that, or you wouldn't be ready to make that kind of show. I mean, at least that was my take on it.Michael Jamin:I would describe that as a writer's show. It was always about what made us laugh and not the 15 year old kids who shouldn't be watching or the 10 year old kids. I knowAlex Berger:It was either Brian or Steve who said it was a show with a demographic of nobody.Michael Jamin:Yeah,Alex Berger:The demographic of the 15 people in that room for sure. We all really enjoyed watch them. They're all really funny. They'reMichael Jamin:Funny.Alex Berger:It was on the wrong network.Michael Jamin:Oh, for sure. Steve and I were horsing around procrastinating on some work we were doing, and for some reason we stumbled on, maybe it was some guy's YouTube channel where he was talking about Glen Martin and this guy nailed it. It was like he was in the room. I don't know how he knew every, it seemed like he knew where we messed up. He knew where we got it. Right. I was justAlex Berger:Amazed. I saw that video and I was like, I can't believe somebody watched the show. I thought that literally, I could not imagine that this guy was that deep into the show.Michael Jamin:Oh no. I get a lot of comments on social media like, oh my God, you ruined my childhood. Really? Like you gave me nightmares.Alex Berger:My wife's cousin is like 25 or 26, and he's dating a girl. And on the second date, he asked her what your favorite shows are. And the second show she said was Glen Martin, d d s. And when he said, oh, my wife's cousin wrote that show, she was instantly smid with him. She gave him so much gr.Michael Jamin:Oh, that's so funny. I mean, it was a wild show, man. Too bad. That was a shame. We were going to spin it off too. We all, oh yeah,Alex Berger:Stone spin off right behind. OhMichael Jamin:Yeah, there you go.Alex Berger:The Drake Stone. Yeah,Michael Jamin:All my dolls. Yeah. As soon as they went under, they go here. Here take some. You must have some dolls, right? They give you some dolls. I haveAlex Berger:Alen Martin Puppet and an Alex Burger puppet, and my kids constantly want to play with them and I won't let them.Michael Jamin:Who were you in the show? I don't remember what kind.Alex Berger:I think I was a Greek God carrying somebody at some point in some fantasy sequence and they would reuse the puppets. That was what was so funny. So I think that was one thing, and then they reused me as another thing.Michael Jamin:And did you ever get out to Toronto to see theAlex Berger:No. Did you go upMichael Jamin:There? Oh yeah. We went once and Fogel and I had a very romantic dinner together on top of the Toronto Space Needle or whatever they call that. I sawAlex Berger:Them shooting the pilot presentation, which they shy in New York. It was incredibly cool, but just I've always found set to be tedious in general, but I can't imagine how tedious it must be to do stop motion.Michael Jamin:Do you go, oh, I think they wanted to poke their eyes out, but do you go on set a lot for dramas? Yeah. Is it just your episode or what?Alex Berger:Depends on the show. I did this show called Blind Spot for five years, and basically we would have a writer on set for every episode and we would try to make it your episode, but oftentimes it was the writer who wrote the episode had a baby and is on maternity leave or they can't go to New York at this time or if they went to New York and they wouldn't be back in LA for the breaking of their next episode. So we tried to shuffle it around a little bit and it's trickier when it's out of town. You've got to make people have life that they've got to plan around. But you're going for three and a half weeks to New York.Michael Jamin:Are most of your show shot out of town?Alex Berger:It's been mixed Quantum Leap, which is the show I'm on now is Shot Year on the Universe a lot. Blind Spot was New York Covert Affairs, which I went to a lot of episodes for, was in Toronto, which was a lot of fun. And then I've had a couple Franklin, imagine the Mentalists were LA and it's been sort of a mix.Michael Jamin:How many day shoots are most of your shows? Dramas?Alex Berger:It depends on the budget of the show. Blind Spots started as nine and then was eight and a half and some tandem days and by the end was eight. They keep pulling money budget every year. Quantum Leap I think is eight.Michael Jamin:Interesting. And then what do you, as a writer on set for comedy when on set, it's like, I want to make sure they're playing the comedy right, making jokes, but what are you looking for that the director isn't covering?Alex Berger:Well, first of all, it's a lot of times if you have a great director, it's a team effort. So the director is obviously in charge of the set, but if you have a director who's collaborative, they're asking you, do you feel like that works? Or which take do you feel like was better? It's blocking work for you and your main job is just to make sure that you're the protector of the script and a protector of the story. And it's not like, excuse me, you didn't say the word there. Although there a Sorkin set, they will keep you word perfect, but it's more like, actually, I know you want to change that line. It doesn't feel comfortable in your mouth, but it's really important that you say this. It's going to set something up that we're doing in three episodes, or Hey, just so you know, when you're saying this to this character, you're actually lying and you're going to be revealed to be.It's a lot of making sure that everybody knows the episode up to the episodes we're leading to. And then, yeah, there's still a lot of shows I've worked on have a fair amount of comedy. So you're still making sure jokes, land and actors, this doesn't feel comfortable in my mouth. Do you mind if I say it like this? Or if you work with an actor who wants to have a little bit and wants to assert a line, sometimes I need to be the one to say, okay, well then that means that this person needs to say this line after to keep a joke going.Michael Jamin:Right? Right. It's interesting, and especially when scenes are shot out of order, it is easy for actors to lose track of where they are in the story. So that is theAlex Berger:Part I really like is Prep, because I've worked on a lot of big shows, big action shows and into you fly to New York with your script in hand and you're so excited. And then the first thing that the line producer tells you every single time is, we're $400,000 over budget. Before you even say hello. The fun part to me is the puzzle of how do you protect the story with the constraints of we can't shoot this in nine days. I've walked into episodes that were supposed to be seven day shoots, and the board came out and it was 10 days. And so you've got to figure out, okay, we can move this back into the house so we can take this care, we can do this here. And actually the shootout that happens after the bank robbery, maybe that happens off screen, stuff like that.Michael Jamin:So are you doing a lot of rewriting on set then?Alex Berger:It's usually in prep.Michael Jamin:Okay. In prep,Alex Berger:By the time you're on set in a drama, you're pretty close to set to go unless something changes or an actor nowadays, if an actor gets covid, then all of a sudden you're taking that actor out of the scene and rewriting the scenes and why are they, that kind of thing.Michael Jamin:And then are your showrunners ever on any of these shows ever on set? Or are they always sending proxies? Yeah, itAlex Berger:Depends. It depends on the show. So typically on the shows that I've been on, the showrunner, the showrunner was there for the pilot. They're usually going to go for 1 0 2 just to, it's been four months and they want to reestablish a tone and kind of be a leader, and then they'll try to pop in and out a bunch during the year so that it's not like they're just coming when there's a problem. And then when the show's in la, the showrunner will usually try to pop by after set, especially if before the Zoom Room thing, the writer's room would wrap at seven, the production's still going, so they usually come for the last couple scenes, something like that.Michael Jamin:How many writers are there usually on these hour shows?Alex Berger:I mean, I'm curious to hear what your answer is for comedy too, because it's really shrinking in the beginning. I mean, Glen Martin was what, 10, 12, something like that, including if you're Partners is too, and then it's gotten down to 10 and then eight. And then I think Quantum Leap were about 10, which is a big staff, but the Netflix show I just worked on was six. The show, the Assets that I did, which was a limited series was five. And this is a lot of big issues of the strike is these rooms are getting too small. What are the root comedy rooms like now? Because I know there's been, it's like sometimes it's like 25 people in a roomMichael Jamin:Well, on animation, but I think those days are kind of overAlex Berger:Or big network sitcoms aren't there.Michael Jamin:I don't think they're that big. I don't think there aren't big network sitcoms anymore, but I don't think, I mean it was never,Alex Berger:What was the Tacoma room?Michael Jamin:Oh, it's probably eight or so. But that's a small cable show,Alex Berger:But they're all small. I think they're all like that now. Even the network comedies, unless you're Abbott, they're all 13 or eight orMichael Jamin:Yeah, I think even just shoot me back in. This was in the day, I want to say maybe 10 or 12 times. Oh really? That's it. Yeah. Yeah, Roseanne. Roseanne was famously Big. Fred had a big staff, but that was Roseanne. It was a giant show.Alex Berger:And The Simpsons, I know there's these shows that have the two, I mean the drama rooms, there's a bunch of writers who having a big staff and then they like to split the room in two and break two episodes at the same time. A lot of showrunners actually want a small staff and hate having too many voices. I like a big room. I like eight to 10 people because you're always in a drama room, especially you've always got one writer on set, two writers on draft sometimes set, so there's three or four people gone every single day. So your room thins out real fast, and I think you need at least five people to break a story.Michael Jamin:Oh yeah. Now the thing is, you're a funny guy. You have a good sense of humor. You started in comedy, but do you miss at all comedy or do you feel I'm a fish in water with drama?Alex Berger:Yeah, I was in over my head in comedy, I be the guy who can do a little bit of comedy on a drama staff than that guy in a comedy room who's mostly focused on story. I mean, I felt like, obviously I wrote Pilot and I felt like I had a voice on that show, but it was clear to me that this was not the type of show that I was going to be thriving at. I really enjoyed it, but it was like just comedy wasn't my thing. I love writing on a Funny One Hour, Franklin and Bash, which was a legal show, was essentially a comedy that had the stakes of a drama, but the tone of a comedy. And I love because I like being able to go to the serious scene to have the emotional he, to not have to have a joke at the end of every scene. And then I've written some pilots and stuff that have a fair amount of comedy, but I always want, and I've written half hour dramas. It's just I want the pressure of three jokes a page and beating a joke and beating a joke and beating a joke. It just wasn't my pace.Michael Jamin:Well, I got to say, I think it was probably the last script you wrote was you and Pava teamed up to write a Christmas episode. Oh yeah. And you guys crushed it. I remember coming back, you guys turned it in, whatever you guys did together, were like, you guys, you're going to do this together. Probably because PA wanted to write a musical. I was like, Papa, I'm not writing a musical. And he probably did, but you guys turned in a great draft. And I was like, if that show had gone, I'd be like, I remember thinking, well, these guys are going to be stuck in a room together for a long time. Because yeah,Alex Berger:That was a lot of fun. That was a lot of fun. And it's funny, I want to show my kids the show. They're really young and there's not a lot of episodes that are appropriate for little, that one's pretty tame. That one's pretty tame. We did a rom-com parody sort, the Wedding planner parody, and then we did a, what was it? I forget the other ones. It was a lot of fun.Michael Jamin:Oh yeah. What is nutty stuff? So now the dramas, I'm sorry. When you go off to write your own pilots, when you're developing your own, is there a unifying theme tone that you like to pitch? Yeah,Alex Berger:I would say two things. One is fun. I don't want to write some things super dark. I don't want to write. I like watching shows like that. I watch Last Of Us and The Leftovers and a lot of shows that are real bleak and I really enjoy them. But when I'm living in the world for 12 hours a day, for eight years, I want it to be fun. I want to have a certain amount of lightness to it and sort of levity to it, which is not to say it has to be a comedy, it can still be a drama. There just needs to be something fun about it. And even when I'm writing on a show like Quantum Leap, we've had episodes that are really serious, but the ones that I do, I try to make them, I did an airplane hijacking episode, but I tried to make it fun and sort of like an eighties action movie. And then the other thing I would say is sort of optimism. I try to write something that makes you think that the world is going to be a better place. I've written a lot of political shows and politics is pretty dark these days. One, my take is sort of, but if we do this, we can all get through it. None of those have gotten on the air. So maybe that says something about what people feel about optimism these days.Michael Jamin:Well, it's also a numbers game, but how do you feel, let's say you were given the keys to run your show, got on the air somewhere, eight episodes on the air. How do you feel? Feel about that? Yeah, let's do it. I'm ready. Or like, oh my God, what did I get?Alex Berger:Both. I mean, I did the Writer's Guild showrunner training program a couple of years ago, which is phenomenal. WhatMichael Jamin:Was that? Tell me all aboutAlex Berger:That. It was great. But so essentially it's a six week every Saturday, all day, every Saturday college course on how to run a show. And it's run by Jeff Melvoin, who's a really seasoned showrunner, and Carol Kirschner, who's been working in the business forever. And then they bring in John Wells is usually a big part of the program and they bring in really heavy hitter showrunners all the way down to people who were in the program last year and then got a show on the year. And they're like, bill and Ted when they come back at the time Machine and Bill and Ted's, and they're like, you're in for a crazy journey. And so it's really cool to hear from all of those people and they focus one day is on writing, one day is on post one day on production. And what I learned from that was having been on staffs for something like 250 episodes of tv, I've learned basically all the things you can do in terms of book learning to run a show.But the last 20%, you can't learn until you're there. Sort of like if you read a hundred books about swimming, you kind of know how to swim, but if you dropped out of a helicopter ocean, you're going to have to figure it out and you're going to be drowning while you're doing it. And literally, I don't know if this was your experience when you guys had it, but every other show I've talked to says nothing fully prepares you for it. So I have a couple shows in development right now, and if you told me that they were to go, I think the first feeling would be utter terror and like, okay, let's do it. Let's go. This is the time to do it. And I've run a lot of writers' rooms and stuff like that, but I've never actually had the keys to the castle, soMichael Jamin:Interesting. Right. Okay, so you've run the room, you've been breaking stories, you're in charge of that. Now time in terms of tell me about the short run is problem You apply, how do you get in?Alex Berger:You have to be recommended by somebody and applied and they want someone, they're trying to find people who are the next shows up. And so people in the program have a pilot that's already been shot and that's already ordered a series, but they don't know how to run a show. You people who've worked in features or worked in writing novels who are transitioning into television. So all the production stuff to them is totally new. And then you have lot of people like me who sort came up as staff writer, story editor and just worked their way up the ranks who've been around for a while, who just haven't taken that next step, who want to know more about what it's like to run a show. I loved it. First of all, it was like being in college, man, it was just absorbing material and taking notes at a frantic pace and reading that they recommended. But it was just so interesting to hear. It's like this, your podcast is so great because you could hear people speak, but these are people who are specifically targeted at the demographic of you're a co eep and you're about to run a show. Here's what you need to know.Michael Jamin:And so you don't pay for this, right? Or youAlex Berger:Do, the guild pays for it and the studios pay for it. It's a phenomenal program.Michael Jamin:And then it's so interesting. And then, alright, so then how big of a cohort, how big of a group isAlex Berger:It? 30. And it's a bummer because these days it's been on Zoom and so you don't really get to the year. I did it in 2017 or 2018. And so I got to know those folks and they were sort of, yeah, again, my cohort and three quarters of them are running shows and everybody else's EPS or eps, running rooms. It's a very fun dynamic to have a group.Michael Jamin:What are they teaching you? I'm so curious as what they teach you. I bet there's stuff I don't know. And we've done three shows. What are they teaching you about post that you were surprised?Alex Berger:The overwhelming, the first thing they tell you when you walk in the door is quality scripts on time. The bug that they gave me, the showrunner program, quality scripts on time, and that was basically the theme of it was being efficient, being and knowing when to cut your losses and say move on. And knowing when to say this isn't good enough. And so for posts, it's like, are you the type of person who wants to be in post for 10 hours a day? That's fine, but then you need to have somebody who's going to be overrunning the room, or do you want the writer who produced the episode to do the first and the second cut? And then you do the last cut and they bring in editors and they talk, editors tell you about what they want to hear. A lot of things that I'd been in post a lot before I was in that room and then editors were telling me things that I was doing that annoyed the crap out of them. And I was like, oh, little thing like what? Snapping, when you say cut there,Michael Jamin:Oh,Alex Berger:That annoys.Michael Jamin:That annoys them. It's like a dogAlex Berger:Thing. Yeah, exactly. And a lot of editors, some editors want line notes. Some editors want you to say, this scene doesn't feel funny enough, I'm not getting the comedy. And then they'll say, okay, let me take another swing at it. And you need to feel like, is this the type of editor that wants to do it on their own or that type of showrunner that wants to do that. But broadly speaking, it's essentially a leadership training program. The nuts and bolts stuff with all stuff that I had seen up close being a lieutenant on a show, there are a lot of little tips that I picked up here and there and when I get a show, I will go back to my notebook and frantically look through it, but it's mostly about how do you lead, how do you manage, how do you fire people? How do you delegate? How do you tell people that they're not doing a good enough job but give 'em a second chance? Interesting. They bring a lot of directors in, stuff like that.Michael Jamin:What was the last thing youAlex Berger:Said? How to interview a director? How to interview director. A big director came in and talked to you. Here's some questions you should ask when you're interviewing. Here's a great one that they said. They said, when you're interviewing a director, ask if you're the showrunner and you're interviewing somebody who's coming in to do an episode of your show, ask the director, do you cook? And if so, are you a person who uses a recipe or do you like to improvise? And there's no right answers to that, right? But if you cook and you're the person who is going to measure out the exact number of grams of flour and the exact number of grams of sugar, that's kind of how you're going to approach directing. You're going to come in with a shot list, you're going to be going to stay on time, you're going to make sure that you move the set along. And if you're the person who likes to kind of throw a little salt to throw a little sugar, you might be a little more improvisational. I say you might be a little more, more. There's little things like that that are like how to dig in on this with those people.Michael Jamin:Now I'm learning. What else can you share with me thatAlex Berger:Might be helpful? I can get my notebook you,Michael Jamin:Hey, it's Michael Jamin. If you like my videos and you want me to email them to you for free, join my watch list. Every Friday I send out my top three videos. These are for writers, actors, creative types. You can unsubscribe whenever you want. I'm not going to spam you and it's absolutely free. Just go to michaeljamin.com/watchlist.I remember when we're running Glen Martin, which is the first show we ran a lot of this, and you probably weren't even aware of this, A lot of it was me. If I was at the board or whatever, it was me like, okay, I want to make sure I'm not losing the room. I want to make sure everyone, no one's losing focus. And I think part of that was make a decision even if it's a bad one because you can lose the room if you can't pull the trigger. You know what I'm saying? It's so frustrating. You guysAlex Berger:Did a good job with that. And then I think that decisiveness, I think is actually one of the most important qualities in the showrunner, but also willingness to admit you were wrong if you made a decision and moved on and then a day later you realize you were wrong. You have to and say, I made the wrong decision. And one of the things I've learned running that I've really tried to do when I'm running a room is if there's an idea floating around that I hate, but it's getting energy and it's getting excitement, I try not to step on it until it either burns out on its own or it's reached a critical mass and I'm like, look, I think this is not going to work, but let's talk it out because there's nothing worse as having come up on staffs. And this is one of the most valuable things when you've been a staff writer and a story editor as opposed to getting your own show as the first thing that happens to you is you know how demoralizing it is when everybody's super excited about something now it's not going to work. It's so demoralizing. Yes, A lot of times you think it's not going to work. You just sit there back and listen for 20 minutes and you're like, oh, actually, you know what? There is a version of this that'll work if I just add this one thing. It's an organism and you're leading an organism and it's very hard. You guys did a great, and you guys are a team, which is even harder because you've got to read each other's minds aboutThis works.Michael Jamin:You bring a good point. I remember one time, so when Glen Martin, I would go, I would direct the actors on Wednesdays or whatever and see would be running the room, and I remember coming back at the end of a long day directing, come back to the room and you guys had made a lot of progress on the script and everyone's excited. Everyone's excited about this idea and you guys pitched it to me. I wasn't getting it. I didn't get it. I was like, I didn't want to shit on it because I could tell everyone was so excited about it. And so I just kept on asking questions just to explain it to me so that I would get on board.Alex Berger:That's a really hard part is and because I've never been the actual showrunner, I've never been the one, I would be like, I'm sorry we're vetoing this. A lot of times what I would do, because I was a number two, was if I hated something, if I left the room and then I came back and I hated something, I'd be like, look, I'm not totally on board with this idea, but let's give it its day in short and let's pitch it to the showrunner. And I would try, when I would pitch it to the showrunner be to not give away which side I was on or to say, look, here's one side of the argument, here's the other side of the argument. But when it's ultimately up to you, it is hard because I always analogize it to in Family Feud when the first four people give their answer and then that last person has to give the final answer and they want to go against the rest of the family. It's a hard thing to do. You're wrong.Michael Jamin:Yeah,Alex Berger:I guess, I don't know. What was that experience like for you? Did you feel like it was like you had to balance? What was your favorite idea versus losing another 10 people's morale?Michael Jamin:It wasn't even about my favorite idea. It was more like I just want to make sure if sea's on board than I trust, I trust him. But it's also like I wish I can remember what the episode was. It just didn't make anyAlex Berger:Sense to me. No, I remember that a couple times. Every show I've ever been on has had that. Every show I've ever, the showrunners left the room, the room gets excited about, something comes back in and it's not what they want, it's just part of show running. The value of having a staff that's been together for a while is the longer the staff has been together, the more you can say, oh, secret and Michael are going to hate this. We shouldn't even this path. Versus early on, you're going down a million paths you don't know. But once you get to know the showrunner, you kind of get to know what they like and what they don't like.Michael Jamin:Yeah. There was another idea that we had in that, I don't remember what we were all on board, but Seaver wasn't on board. It was something crazy.Alex Berger:Oh, I think it was the radio episode and there was something about wires or no wires, and they weren't recording the music the whole time,Michael Jamin:Who wasn't recording music.Alex Berger:Glen went to, you got to cut this out of the podcast.Michael Jamin:No one's going to care. ButAlex Berger:It was like there were a lot of room bits that I think that's the problem with room bits is they take on a life of their own and then they're an inside joke. And if the runner comes in and there's a room bit in the script, it's an inside joke. It just doesn't work. You weren't there for the beginning of it, which is a good sign that it's not a good story because the audience wasn't there for it either. But I think it was Glen becomes a radio producer named Stacey Rappaport.Michael Jamin:Yes.Alex Berger:His wife was also named Stacey Rappaport. Yes. And I know he works for Stacey Rappaport. And anyway, the whole time it was the, you guys were doing the Brady Bunch, Johnny Bravo episode basically as aMichael Jamin:Yeah,Alex Berger:Remember the debate was like, were they actually recording by the way? I will say again, you can cut this out early, but it's not relevant at all. But I grew up watching the Brady Bunch for whatever reason, even though I'm 10 years younger than you guys. And that was number one reference that you guys talked about. So I did feel like at least I got those references.Michael Jamin:Oh, it's so funny. I remember that. I remember because I think I was the one who pitched the name Stacey Rappaport.Alex Berger:I remember because I had a friend named StaceyMichael Jamin:Rappaport. Oh really? That's so funny. It was just a man's name that the joke was that Glen was going to choose a new identity for himself and he chooses a woman's name.Alex Berger:What have you gone back and just watched full episodes of the show?Michael Jamin:No. And everyone, people want to know about. People ask me that a lot. I don't touch. I should. I love that show, but I don't touch anything that I've written. I just don't. It's over and I don't know why, but you doAlex Berger:Just not even about Glen Martin. That is an interesting thing about writers is whether they want to go back. I go back and watch stuff and I hate it because I'm like, but because Glen Martin was not really mine. It was such an organism of the room. I laugh when I go back and watch it except the one I wrote, which I don't like.Michael Jamin:Oh my God. We had some fun in that show. But okay, so when you take, I have so many questions for you. When you were young, when you were a kid, did you want to be a writer? I know TimeAlex Berger:Know was a profession. I loved television. I was a youngest kid. I was raised by the Cosby Show and the Brady Bunch and G I F. And my idea of a family was basically what those families were probably to go back, rethink the Cosby one. And then even in college, I interned at Saturday Night Live and late night with Conan O'Brien back when he was on, which were fantasy camp, especially the s and l one was truly a dream come true. And it still didn't occur to me that it was a profession that I could go do. I was go to law school and then a buddy of mine, we were in Jerry's Subs and Pizza, which is an East coast person you probably remember. And we were sitting there talking about what we're going to do and he's like, like I said, I'm going to go to LA and be a writer. And I said, how do you do that? And he said, someone writes this stuff, why couldn't it be us? And it just gave me this epiphany of like, oh yeah, everybody who's out there as a writer at some point wasn't a writer and just got out there and learned how to do it. And so we all went out together and we kind of got our start.Michael Jamin:Did your friend become a writer too?Alex Berger:Yeah, we all ended up creating a show together. So the earliest thing that we did was we were on the high school debate team together and we walked into National Lampoon, which at the time was doing low budget cable programming, and the head creative guy there just made fun of my resume the entire time and made fun of debate. And then by the end of it said, there's a show here. And so we came, pitched him a show called Master Debaters that was a debating society, and we ended up getting to make, it was like our film school. I knew nothing about how to make a TV show and that one, I was throwing the keys to the castle. I was casting it, writing it, producing it. I was in it, posting it with every crisis. But it was so low stakes because the budgets were tiny and they were in syndicated cable stations and college campuses. No one would watch me. So I got to learn by doing and I loved it. It was great.Michael Jamin:Interesting. And then, all right, so then you became a writer and then you just kept on writing. I guess mean it's not an easy path, but you've made a really pretty good name for yourself over the years.Alex Berger:Yeah, I mean, thank you. It was a winding path when I came out, I thought for a minute I might want to be a development executive. I read a book by this guy, Brandon Tartikoff, who used to run N B C called The Last Great. It was like basically made it out to be, you're sitting in your room and the smartest people in the world come and tell you what TV show ideas they have, and then you pick the eight of them and pick the order in America Shears. And so I worked in development for a minute and I was not what it was like at all, and I was miserable and I was jealous of all the writers who were coming in. So I said, that's the job I want. And so I quit. WhatMichael Jamin:Was it I didn't know you worked at VO for? I wasAlex Berger:Assistant. I was an assistant in development at N B C.Michael Jamin:What was it like then?Alex Berger:It's very busy and not as creative as I wanted to be. I actually really enjoyed the conversations I had with the executives when it wasn't time to do my job and it was just time to talk about tv. But the actual job I was doing, I was terrible at, I mean, it was a lot of keeping track of who was calling, and I'm an absentminded first, butMichael Jamin:That you're an assistant. I mean, surelyAlex Berger:You, but it's a long time before your branded Tartikoff, right? Almost everybody else under branded Tartikoff has a lot of business responsibilities to do. And it wasn't, that's not how my brain works. My brain needs more free time. I think if I worked at a place that was smaller that was incubating three or four shows, I probably would've enjoyed it more. But we had 50 comedies and 50 dramas in development, and I was trying to get of all of them and who was calling and the letterhead changing and all this stuff. And it was just like I was not good at it. I mean, my boss even said to me one day, he said, you're a very smart guy. Why are you not very good at this? And we had a nice conversation about that. But the main thing was the writers that came in that I was, can I get you a coffee?Can I get you a tea? Can I get you a Coke? I was so jealous of them. Door would close to the pitch, and I just wanted to be in there listening to. And so I realized I should follow that. And so I didn't last that long. I left like eight months and I quit. I at the time had been, I think had a couple of writing jobs, like smaller writing jobs lined up that show Master Debaters had been optioned of VH one. So we were writing a pilot for VH one and a couple of their small writing jobs. So I went to go do those and then got back in the beginning of the line as an assistant, I was a writer's assistant on a show, and then I was an assistant to a showrunner and then I stop.Michael Jamin:So it's a brave move for you to leave that behind in.Alex Berger:It was definitely, I mean, I had some stuff lined up, but it was definitely a risk, but I just knew it wasn't the right, I was in the wrong place. But it's interesting, it was an incredible learning experience. I knew how development work from the inside, and I still think I know more about what's actually going on at the network than a lot of my peers because I was on the other side. And then the folks I met who are the other assistants to the other executives are now all executive vice presidents of networks or presidents of networks or I met my agent because he was an assistant to an agent that used to call, and then he signed me while he was still a coordinator. One of the people on that hall now became the president of Fox, another one who I've dealt with a lot became the president of N B C. I met a ton of great folks through that who have become friends and allies over the years, and I sold Joe to,Michael Jamin:But okay, so it's probably changed lot since you were in assistant that was probably 20 somethingAlex Berger:Years ago, 19 yearsMichael Jamin:Ago. So what is it like then that we don't understand?Alex Berger:I think the main thing that I didn't understand, and this has for sure changed and certainly in cable and streaming is just a volume. They are not spending as much time thinking about your script as you are by definition. But in development, there are literally 40 to 50 scripts at least back then on both on comedy and trauma. And so my boss, who was in charge of both has a hundred scripts to keep track of. So he was very smart and could make a judgment very quickly about a script, but he would read it once, sometimes read it again, and then he was making a judgment about whether it was a show. So as a writer now I know they're reading fast, they're reading it at three 30 in the morning, or they're reading it on the plane, I've got to grab attention fast, I've got to hook you in. I cannot lean, oh, the great twist, wait till the Great Twist. It's on page 55. And when I'm pitching, it's the same thing my boss said to me, I hear 300 pitches a year. I typically hear about five ideas I haven't heard before. The other 95 I've heard before. It's about take, it's about the writer, it's about their passion. And so when I go and pitch an idea, the substance of the idea is the second most important thing. And my connection to it and why it has to be me is the first most important.Michael Jamin:And that's the hard part. I feel that's the hard part because usually you think of an idea, you can't really, I don't know, you're a hundred percent right. They always, they want to know why are you the only one in the world who can write this idea truthfully? It's like a lot of times you're not a lot of times like, well, this is the characters we created. It's a funny situation, but there's probably a lot of people who could write this idea.Alex Berger:I think that what I have seen, and I've never done this, but I know folks who have is, I knew a writer once who his sort of why me paragraph was, I just run a show for a bunch of years. I came off of running that show and I didn't know what I wanted to do next and I had an identity crisis. And so it got to the idea of identity crises and here's a spy show, an action spy show, but at the center of it as a character going through an identity crisis. So it's notMichael Jamin:GrewAlex Berger:Up and my dad was a spy, and therefore sometimes it's emotional or sometimes I had this interaction with a guy on the subway and I couldn't stop thinking about it. And it led me to this show. And sometimes by the way, you retrofitted sometimes you already come up to the show and then you've got to come up with that first paragraph that's retrofitted and sometimes often it feels organic even though it was come up with thatMichael Jamin:Word. That's so interesting because I'm glad you said that to me. It almost sounds, it gives me some soce knowing that, because a lot of times we'll say, okay, this is why we're the only ones, and this is from seabird's idea home life or my home life, and then it doesn't sell. And you're like, well, I don't know what to do now. But you're actually broadening it out into a thematically, it's more personal to you. It's not necessarily a dynamic. It's more like,Alex Berger:Here's how I think about it. I think that, and I could be wrong, and by the way, it's different in a comedy because you've got to make 'em laugh in a comedy, and I know certain comedy executives don't laugh, but for the most, if you're funny in the room, they're thinking, okay, I want to be in business with these pets, but in drama, are there twists and turns? Am I hooked on this? Is this going to fit with something that we have on the air? Do we have something similar? But I always think what they're going to remember when they've heard six, they hear six to eight a day, and then at the end of the week they go tell their bosses about the ones that they bought. So what they're going to remember is, oh my God, you'll never believe the story this guy told about the time that he was held hostage on the subway, or you'll never believe that, or a cool twist or a cool character. They're not ever going to remember the third beat of the pilot, or when pitch episode ideas, here's soMichael Jamin:Interesting.Alex Berger:I think you need that stuff to be in there, but what they're going to remember, it's like when you walk into a house, when you're looking for a house, you remember, oh, I was dazzled by the kitchen and the master bedroom had the fullest bathroom and yeah, yeah, it had five bedrooms and five baths, which is what we need. But it felt like this when I walked in. It's like, how do they feel? That's another, I'm sorry to ramble, butMichael Jamin:No,Alex Berger:For drama. I think in a pitch, if you can make the executives feel how the show is going to make them feel, that's a successful pitch to me. Comedy's a little different, I think. ButMichael Jamin:Interesting. I feel like I'm learning a lot from you actually, because I mean, honestly, we'll sell shows and we'll not sell shows.Alex Berger:We're learning all that time from you guys for 40 episodes on the murder.Michael Jamin:But a lot of this is, like I said, we will sell a show or we won't sell a show, and I won't know why. I don't know. I'm not sure why this one sold this one, the other one didn't sell. I can, but that'sAlex Berger:Why I really don't like Zoom pitches because you can't. I love, that's actually my favorite part. I think it comes from, like I said, I was on the debate team in high school and college, and I loved trying to persuade someone who was not necessarily on my side at the beginning that I'm right. And I viewed every pitch as a miniature debate. I'm debating against the person who says, don't buy this. And I love the feeling of like, oh, I've got them hooked, and they're now, they are going to buy the show as long as it continues to go on this pace. And I hate the feeling of, I think they've checked out. And actually when I've memorized a pitch, when I think they've checked out, I'm talking, but my internal monologue is, well, I guess we didn't sell it to Fox. All right, well, if we can sell it to Fox, we can go to a B, C. Because I'm sort of like, I've moved on.Michael Jamin:How much off book are you have notes or not?Alex Berger:I've developed this method that I got from this guy, Martin Garra, who I've worked for eight or nine years for some blind spot, and now on Quantum Leap, it's different, but I love it, which is, it's different on Zoom, but when we go back to in-person pitches, what he does is he brings in his laptop and he puts it on the table in front of him and it acts as a teleprompter. And so he's looking up at you making eye contact and occasionally looking down. And then he is got a remote that flips page to page and the script is there word for word. So if you're like, oh shit, I'm about to get to the part that I always mess up, then you just look down and read for a minute and they know you've written this. It's not like no one is under the illusion that you walked in and RIFed for 20 minutes off theMichael Jamin:Topic. Does he do this in person or on Zoom?Alex Berger:Both. On Zoom, it's so easy because you can have your screen, but in person, I thought, oh, they're going to think it's offputting. But because I was practiced, I got to the point where 70% of it was eye contact and the laptop was there as the security one did.Michael Jamin:And what program is he using? That's a teleprompterAlex Berger:Work.Michael Jamin:Oh, so you're just scrolling. Oh, you're just clicking.Alex Berger:There's this Bluetooth remote that he uses that I was now in my drawer, and it's just you click and it's to the nextMichael Jamin:Page. You have a Bluetooth remote that works on your lap. I didn't even know this such a thing. I'm learning so much from you Burger.Alex Berger:Oh, you know what? I've lost it. Oh, here. Yeah, so it's like a little U S B that plugs into the back of your computer, and then you're just like, you click, click, click and it's, you look like you're giving its head talk it 5% easy. And I actually think in a comedy pitch, it might come off as too dorky, but for a drama it's like, I'm going to tell you a story. I'm going to deliver a pitch. And I wrote it. And the reason I find it useful is a lot of times when you're developing with the pod and the studio and then also the non-writing show runner, so many Sunday night, you're getting notes for a Monday morning pitch and stuff's changed. So if I get to the section that just changed, I might look down a little bit moreMichael Jamin:Interest. So I was going to say, are you going in mostly with pods these days for people who don't know that they're producers on the overall deals at studios, but is that how it works in dramas as well?Alex Berger:I don't think I'm going to show on the air anymore without an entourage. So when I was on Blind Spot, it was produced by Greg Ante and I did a couple pieces of development with him and then also with Blind Spot. I just think there's the business side of it, which is that these networks want to be in business with their 800 pound gorillas and the not. So if you walk in with one of them, even if it's my vision a hundred percent, and it's my personal story, the fact that this brand is behind it really helps. And then I also, I actually enjoy the process of crafting the idea with smart people. I don't want to work with a pod who's annoying and gives dumb notes or a studio who does that. But every pod I've ever worked with, if I'm stuck on an idea, I'll say, Hey, can we hop on the phone for half an hour and work out this story problem? You guys have each other so you can get in a room and hash out a story problem. But I need to talk. I cannot think through anyMichael Jamin:Interesting,Alex Berger:And we'll work it out. Oh,Michael Jamin:So you'll really use them as a resource. It's so interesting.Alex Berger:I mean, this guy, Martin Garrow who runs Blind Spot Quantum Leap, I've developed him a bunch of times and he's a writer.Michael Jamin:Yeah, it's differentAlex Berger:Stuff is acting as a pod. But I can call him and we have such a shorthand, we've broken 150 episodes a week, butMichael Jamin:That's different because he's a writer. He is not, I mean, he's a writer, is writer producer, but he's really aAlex Berger:Writer. So it's Greg Ante. I like working with folks who are on the creative things, and I've worked with producers who weren't writers, but could be because they're a creative, the worst part of that development is when someone gives you a note and they don't realize, oh, that's going to unravel. They think it's two lines, but it actually unravel all. Whereas when you work with people who've made a lot of tv, they're like, look, I know that this blows everything up to do this one little thing, but here's why I think it's better. Or Hey, they gave a huge note. Here's easy fix. It's only two lines.Michael Jamin:Yeah, I mean, that's so interesting. You're absolutely right. There's a huge difference between, I think between working with a producer, producer and a writer producer, because the writers, they just know what's going to unravel everything. I don't know. Yeah, that's ProducersAlex Berger:Are good for like, oh, you know what? Who'd be great for this is this actress. And they make the call and they're good.I find that you find everybody's in this business, they're good at something. Nobody who's come to this business and is just dashing a check. Well, probably not true, but the people that I try to find work with are people who are in this business smart. And even if they're not totally up on exactly what I wanted to do, fix the script, they have something that they're really good at that I want to use. So even if it's, there's one person at this company who's mostly the production person have a really good idea about like, Hey, if we shot this in Buffalo, we could do this.Michael Jamin:Right. Interesting. Wow. I think I've learned a lot from you. Before we conclude, you want to write drama withAlex Berger:Me? Let's go that. Let's talk about drama.Michael Jamin:I think I'm going to get into the drama business with you. I think you're going to be my pod. What advice do you have for young writers? You must have something to Wise to say.Alex Berger:Yeah, I mean, I probably don't have anything wise to say, but I'm happyMichael Jamin:To. Or how are they breaking in the business?Alex Berger:It's funny. The answer was so different 10 years ago to four years ago. It changed rapidly, and it's very different now because of the writer's strike. So if you're talking about what should I be doing right now, if I want to break in? I was just talking to a writer today and my advice to her was, just use this time to write. It's not a good time to try to get a producer attached or a showrunner attached or an agent. It's a good time to just be writing and really writing diligently. And then this is over. And in general, my advice is get a job in the industry, even if it's as an assistant. If you can't get a job as an assistant in a room, get a job as an assistant in post or get a job as a PA on set, just get into the room. Then just keep building a network and talking to everybody. And when your cousin comes and says, you know what? I used my college roommate, I think as a writer, I don't know what he take them up on all of those opportunities because you never know what's going to result in something. The first three jobs I got were from general meetings that I didn't want to take because actually two of them were from people. My mom had metParties in Washington dc but they were another assistant who was leaving their job and happened to open up. And then the last thing I would say is, I think the thing that people don't do as much of it that they should do is engage in the continuing education piece of this. So your listeners to your podcast are obviously trying to learn how to write, and that's important. There's a lot of other good podcasts out there. There's Deadline Hollywood, which everybody should be reading every single day. There's business podcasts like The Town and the Business and Fresh Air that people should be listening to understand the macro pieces of their business. So often you get people who come out here and they have
In the second episode of "Strike Talk," we delve deeper into the ongoing battle of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) as they continue their strike against the major studios. Screenwriter John Wells, best known for his work on television series such as ER, Third Watch, The West Wing, Southland, and Shameless, joins Billy and Todd to share his perspective on the unfolding drama. Theme Song: “Not Your Fool” written and performed by Alexa Villa; courtesy of Sign From The Universe Entertainment, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Casting DirectorMargie talks with her longtime friend and colleague, 4-time Emmy award-winning Casting Director, John Frank Levey. John is best known for casting such iconic shows as China Beach, ER, The West Wing, Third Watch and more recently, Shameless, SEAL Team and Animal Kingdom. John and Margie talk about how the business of casting has changed over the years, the “IT” factor, charisma and the early days of casting ER and working with heavyweight creators like John Wells from ER and Aaron Sorkin from West Wing. John's new book, Right for the Role, is a must-read for aspiring actors and casting directors.
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