Podcasts about pitchfest

Episode 203 - Hard Faith Fest LA 2026 - with Spencer Folmar In this special bonus episode of the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast, your host Geoffrey Whitt welcomes Spencer Folmar who shares the details about the upcoming Hard Faith Film Festival in Los Angeles. Spencer shares the origins of Hard Faith Films and defines “Hard Faith” as faith-centered storytelling that addresses difficult, realistic topics often avoided in traditional faith films. Hard Faith Fest 2026 runs June 25–28 at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena with the theme “Do Not Fear,” featuring four days of screenings (50+ projects), workshops, panels, musical performances, a ticketed Pitch Fest, after parties, an awards show (40+ awards), and Sunday worship and prayer. Get all the details about the festival and updates at hardfaithfest.com. We have a special listener discount code: HFF26LA50 will give you 50% off a four-day pass.Highlights include:Origins of Hard FaithDefining Hard FaithOverview of Spencers FilmsFestival Theme Do Not FearFestival Growth and VenueTravel and Hotel TipsFour Day Schedule BreakdownSpeaker LineupPartnership and InvitationDates, Website, Socials, and Discount CodeHard Faith Fest is dedicated to showcasing films that tell stories of liberation, resilience, and the human experience. Our mission is to provide a platform for independent filmmakers, screenwriters, and artists to share their unique perspectives and connect with a diverse audience. Through the power of storytelling, we aim to inspire, educate, and provoke meaningful conversations.https://www.hardfaithfest.comUse Discount Code HFF26LA50 to get 50% off a four-day pass.The Faith & Family Filmmakers podcast helps filmmakers who share a Christian worldview stay in touch, informed, and inspired. Releasing new episodes every week, we interview experts from varying fields of filmmaking; from screenwriters, actors, directors, and producers, to film scorers, talent agents, and distributors.If you would like to support the production of this podcast, you can do so at https://www.faffpodcast.com/support Get Email Notifications: https://faffpodcast.com/emailEnter the Faith & Family Filmmakers Awards festival: https://filmfreeway.com/FAFFawardsFAFF Association Weekly Zoom Meetups for Filmmakers: https://www.faffassociation.com/eventsJaclyn's Book - In the Beginning, Middle and End: A Screenwriter's Observations of LIfe, Character, and God: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9R7XS9VProduced by Geoffrey Whitt for Faith and Family Filmmakers Association https://www.faffassociation.com/Faith and Family Filmmakers Association is sponsored by Rediscover Television https://www.rediscoverfamily.tv/

Winning the Rewired Pitchfest 2026 competition has put women's health in the spotlight, but Daye's founder Valentina Milanova tells Digital Health Unplugged that the UK is still "falling behind" on care, research and investment. In the latest podcast episode, Tammy Lovell, editor at Digital Health News, speaks to Milanova about the urgent need to rethink women's health and why progress has been slower than it should be. They explore the ongoing challenges, from stigma and funding gaps to delays in diagnosis and access to care, and what needs to change to better support patients. At the centre of the conversation is Daye's flagship innovation: a diagnostic tampon designed for at-home HPV testing, which offers a new approach to cervical cancer screening aimed at improving accessibility for patients while easing pressure on NHS services. Milanova also reflects on the wider issues shaping women's health - from the legacy of women being excluded from clinical trials until the 1990s to the reality that many women still wait years for a diagnosis. Listen to the full episode to hear why she believes the UK has the tools to tackle one of the most preventable cancers, but isn't moving fast enough. Guest: Valentina Milanova, founder and chief executive of Daye  

Andrew returns with his latest blueprint for a gothic mystery, and the coaching quickly zeroes in on what will make it work: a clear, compelling villain and twists that truly land. With help from thriller coach and Thrillerfest executive director Samantha Skal, the discussion unpacks the hidden layer of the story—what the villain is actually doing—and how that contrasts with the protagonist's assumptions.As they dig in, it becomes clear that strengthening the mystery means making the murders more personal, introducing a convincing false suspect, and mapping both the visible story and the truth underneath it. By the end, Andrew has a sharper path forward: deepen the villain's motive, raise the stakes earlier, and build each twist so it feels both surprising and inevitable.#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.About Book Coach Sam SkalA fan of the scary, mysterious, and suspenseful, Samantha Skal is the Executive Director of ThrillerFest, the co-founder of Shadows & Secrets writing retreats, and an Author Accelerator-certified book coach who specializes in coaching mystery, thriller, horror, and suspense authors. Sam writes stories that keep her up at night, is a breast cancer survivor, and lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Learn more at www.samanthaskal.com and www.shadowsandsecrets.com. Catch Up on Andrew's Hot Seat Coaching JourneyTranscriptHi, I'm Jennie Nash, and you're listening to the #amwriting podcast, the place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most.This is a hot seat coaching episode where we work through a real challenge in real time.And today we're back talking with Andrew Perella, the hashtag am writing podcast producer who has stepped out from behind the mic to work on a novel. And where we left Andrew last time was you'd worked through the whole blueprint and you were tasked with completing. Inside outline. So before we get into our guest and, um, what we're gonna do today, how was that, what was it like for you?Um, I mean, it was, it was, uh, really hard. Uh, but it was, it was, uh, it was really gratifying and it was, it was a lot of fun to do as well. Um. Because I think, um, part of, part of the assignment, you, you, you left for me, [00:01:00] Jenny, was to also beef out certain elements of certain, certain, the presence of certain characters, um, and certain and certain elements of the book.And so I was trying to do that as well as. As, as crafting the outline. Um, and so yeah, it was, it was a long, it was a struggle. It was a struggle, especially to get it to three, to keep it to three, to get it down to three pages. I know, and I'm very strict about that for reasons you are. Um, and. Did you feel a sense of accomplishment when you did it though?Like, oh, this is a book and I'm writing it, or how did that land? Yeah, I mean, like at first I just started writing. I started writing the scene bullets and the, and the points, and just started like, okay, what are all the, what are all the elements that that. I have in my head that I need to get down onto paper and it was like 6, 7, 8 pages.And I was like, okay, now I gotta get this down to three pages. Um, and, and, and I was like, okay, I can combine these two scenes or maybe I don't need this. So I just ended up cutting a lot and cutting a lot [00:02:00] and getting it down. So like, yes, there was a sense of like. Completion. Um, that was certainly gratifying, uh, to get that.And, uh, I had a couple of late nights, um, getting that, getting that squared away, but yeah, it also feels, feels more real now. Um, and it's like, yeah, there's, there's, there's a, there's a there here, which I'm pretty excited about. I'm excited about too, and I'm also excited because we're doing something really cool today.Um, and we have with us Samantha Skull, who I will introduce in a hot second. But hi Samantha. Hi. Thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Well, I'm excited too because, um. Sam, as I call her, um, I've known for quite some time. She's one of the OG author, accelerator certified coaches. And Sam, you actually don't know this, but I use you.Probably every day.Oh my God, I'm so flattered as an example of [00:03:00] what a great book coach should do, which is to focus and choose who you're gonna serve and how you're gonna serve them, and to really go deep into what you love and what you wanna do all day. Right? The read books all day and get paid for it thing like do what you love and you.Do that. You've done that just so powerfully and it's so visible on your website, which we'll link to in the show notes so folks can go see, but. Sam loves all the dark and suspenseful and scary mystery, twisty things, which always just cracked me up because I don't, and that's what's so beautiful about book coaching and writing for that matters.Everybody has their own thing and, and that's part of the work of writing Big is. What is your thing? You know? So the reason that I wanted Sam to come is she's built a whole business on this type of work and with, um, another author, [00:04:00] accelerator coach, she runs a really cool, uh, writing retreat that is, um, it's always in Salem.Right. It is in a haunted hotel, which, um, Carrie Savage, who is my co-founder in shadows and secrets, uh, loves being haunted. I do not choose to be haunted, so I choose the non haunted floor. So they have that retreat and they, um, have just started taking it virtual and just all kinds of tools and resources and things for people writing this kind of work.And in addition to that, I. I just am always impressed by your trajectory of having gone from. A volunteer at the Thriller Fest. Well, for a participant at the Thriller Fest conference to being a volunteer, to running the Pitch Fest piece of the thing. And now you're, well then you were co-director, now you're running the whole thing.You're, you're, yes, I am. You're running the entire [00:05:00] Thriller Fest conference, which is how many writers every year. Oh, we have around a thousand and I have a team behind me. Just to be clear. This would not happen without a village, but uh, yes, we have around a thousand thriller authors who come to New York and we, uh, we talk about the dark stuff all week.It's absolutely the, the best time. And it's in two weeks. I can't, I mean, when this comes out, it may have already passed, but yeah, can't wait. No, this is coming out right before, so if anybody wants a quick getaway to New York, they should go. But also just the programming, watch the programming coming out of it and we're so excited.Yeah, it's really good. So, um, I just, I love the career you've built for yourself. It's always just really inspiring to me. And, um, also a recent breast cancer survivor, so we're, uh, always wanna shout out to that. Yes. Get your scans. That's my PSA. Always love it. Same. Love it. Love it. So I wanted Sam to come look at Andrew's inside [00:06:00] outline because I knew that the thing he has to work on is this, what I call in my not totally expertise in this area.I call the twisties of it. That there's a, you know, it's a mystery. It's a murder, it's a gothic, it's horror. It's all the things. And it, those twists have to land. And this is so much Sam's expertise that the whole time I was talking to Andrew about it and guiding him and coaching him, I just kept thinking, we need Sam in here.So, so we got Sam in here. And so, um, Andrew completed his inside outline and Sam very graciously, um, agreed to look through it and to look through his whole blueprint. So before we get into what you saw and what you found, Sam. I just love to hear, I mean, this is so self-serving. I just like nothing more than reading a blueprint.I think it's so fun. Um, just to like, [00:07:00] kind of peel back the, the cover and see what's in there. Did, did you have fun with that? Oh my gosh. So much fun. Andrew. This story is, is so cool. And I love the historical elements and the rethinking of, you know, vampires are running around London and everyone's just like, that's fine.You know, and then how does, how does this all go down? And we have this very agency filled, moxie filled main character who's just a delight and yeah, I loved it. I have, I have so many fun questions to ask you. So Andrew, how does that feel? I mean, it feels great and I, I was reading through, uh, through both of your notes, um, in the, in the, in the outline and like you're asking all of these questions.Um. Some of them that I have not thought of before and like, so I'm, so I'm really excited to kind of dig into these and talk through them. But I'm, I'm, it's really gratifying to hear that this, that this idea is, is, is, is an interesting one. Yeah. I loved it. I a hundred [00:08:00] percent read this book. I'd, I'd see it and be like, yes, I want, I want to be in that world.Cool. Well that's why you're here. Because I would be like, no, too scary. Too scary for me. So, um, I'm gonna let. Sam sort of take it away and, uh, we could talk for days, I'm sure about this, but one of the, the things I love about book coaches who are well trained is they'll hone in on the most important, the most important things.So. What do you think, Sam? What's the most important thing Andrew should be thinking about in his next iteration of this outline? Yeah, so my favorite thing to talk about outta the gate with Mr. Thriller and suspense and gothic horror, depending on how dark you wanna make this, um, is who is the person who's really behind all these murders and why are they committing them?Right? I like to think of MTS mystery full or suspense as the villain's journey as experienced by the [00:09:00] protagonist. Mm-hmm. Right. So we, we must know what's going on beneath the surface in order for those twists to land, because twists are just assumptions about what's going on that the protagonist makes.And when the truth, you know, what's really going on with the villain is revealed, it's twisty because it's unexpected. Mm-hmm. So if we don't, therefore if we don't know who's. Who's behind, who's doing all these villainous things. Um, we struggle to make those twists land and we struggle to get a blueprint that we can actually follow.So tell me your thoughts on who this mastermind murderer is and why they're doing what they're doing. Um, so. So Jack Seward is the, is the, is the Mastermind behind this. And I've been, I've been thinking a lot about it this week since I, since I finished the, since I finished the outline. And a lot of other things have occurred to me about who this gentleman is and how he's doing what he's doing.But I think the why is, um, he is committed to the status quo. He is committed [00:10:00] to, uh, uh, uh, uh, a, you know, uh. He is committed to the manosphere. He is committed to the patriarchy. He has committed to, um, the previous way of doing things. Um. In, in, in society, in politics, in medicine. And so like he's seeing this sea change, um, in all of those areas.Um, with the advent of this, of this, um, medical school for women, uh, with the, with this vote, um, vote, uh, that is happening. Um, and he disapproves and so his goal is to disrupt all of those, um. Disruptions di uh, by pitting them against each other. Got it. So if he can, if he can. Create this illusion that vampires are preying on Suffr jets.They will be too busy fighting each other to try and find any sort of, uh, agency for [00:11:00] themselves. Aha. Very, very well thought out. I love that. As a, as a mastermind villain goal. So here's the other thing, is that mm-hmm. In the genre expectation for any sort of modern mystery, full or suspense, is that we have three twists.We have one at the mid and we can have more. Right. But we have one at the midpoint, which is just the midpoint turn. Like it's, it's a classic story thing, which you already have. You have a great midpoint currently. Mm-hmm. Um, and the climactic twist is the reveal of, uh, as, as Carrie, my co-founder and shadows and secrets likes to say, um, the climactic.Confrontation answers the story question, which is presented in the inciting incident and typically in mysteries, the inciting incident is who's doing the killing? Right? Like, who's behind this dead body that we have early on? And we'll talk about that in just a second. Um, so the climactic answers that question, and then we have a final twist, which is typically the reveal of this gentleman who wants to keep things as is.And he [00:12:00] meanwhile. During the course of the story is going to be taking action to stop, uh, our plucky protagonist from stopping him, right? Mm-hmm. So he's a full antagonist to our protagonist. And in that way we need a fake villain, right? We need someone that he can have set up so that she thinks this is the person behind everything in the climactic scene.And then she gets to the end and is like, oh my gosh, I've. You know, I've conquered, I've brought chaos to order, I've solved this thing, and now, oh my God, now there's somebody else who's actually behind everything. And actually we're still in grave danger and we didn't even know to be worried about this.And that's how you get that like, you know, 85 to 98% just ripping through the pages readers, you know, being so hooked to figure out what happened. Right. Um, so. Tell me a little bit more about who Seward could have set up or manipulated or something [00:13:00] else to commit these murders so that he gets done what he wants to get done, but he also protects himself.And if you don't know the answer, that's okay. We can brainstorm. But if you do, then that's great. So this is, this is kind of part of the, the, the thought, the idea that I've had since I, since I finished the, the, the, uh, the outline is. Because the, the syringe idea mm-hmm. The double-headed syringe idea always felt a little tenuous.Uh, like I, I wasn't quite sure that that was gonna hold, but, so my new thought about this is, is. Because he is, uh, he is the, uh, director of a mental institution. Um, and so, and so, like, that's a whole other politic where he has people who are, uh, who are in his thra essentially. And so is there a way that he can coerce, um, a vampire who needs him to commit these murders on his behalf, thereby kind of insulating himself from the actions.Perfect. And [00:14:00] so I think that could, so the climactic twist would then be. It's a vampire I disco discovering that the, the, this is the vampires committing the murders. But then the, the, the final twist is, oh s**t, he's been doing this at the behest of, of Seward, who's her, you know, kind of Yes, yes. As it were in quotation.Okay. Yes. That sounds amazing. And it also, you know, when we step into this story, um, in your initial scene, we have. Vampires feeding on people and Abby's just like, uh, okay, that's, that's normal. Right? And so is that, did I read that right? Is that the world that we're in? Is that We have vampires existing and Van Helsing, you know, was the one who kept them in check.And we have all that like lore that we're dealing with that the reader brings in. So tell me more about the world I'm walking into here. So, yeah, I think I'm still developing this world. So we're 20 years. Around 20 years after the events of Dracula. Okay. The, the, the novel. And so, and I think, I think people are now aware that [00:15:00] vampires exist.And I think, you know, at this, at the same time, they're being used as like this bogey man or, or, or straw man of like, everything that is wrong with, with British society. Um, but they're also. Not the monsters, right? They're, they're just another, another, um, community that is trying to, uh, eke out, eke out some sort of existence.Um, I love that so much. It's just such a fun, sort of new twist on. Know a story that's so well known and has been in our collective conscience for a hundred years. You know, I don't know when, when Dracula came out. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a long time, right? A little over a hundred years. Yeah. It's been a minute.It's been a minute. Um, and so I, so it's still very much a period of transition as, as you know, London and the world are still trying to figure out what that means, that these things actually exist and live among us. Um, and, uh, and so. There were [00:16:00] some things that didn't make it into the outline like I had.There was this one scene where they're walking down the street and there's someone on the soapbox at speaker's Corner at Hyde Park who's railing against, who's railing against, uh, um, vampires as like a sturge on society and things of that nature. And, and there'll be things in the newspaper. I think that kind of addressed this new, this new politic, um, that, that the characters interact with.And so I'm still feeling out what exactly it means. That vampires exist and are part of the public consciousness. Yeah. So one sort of logical question that comes up for me there is, you know, if we're in society and there's just like monsters living among us who occasionally pick people off on the street, that would create a level of, um, extreme tension.Okay. Right. One might say, right, like, yeah, if I'm wandering down the street and I see a vampire eating somebody that's not just like a, you know, we would be taking steps to protect ourselves because humans are always going to protect themselves, and so yes. You [00:17:00] know what, if you change it where the vampires are only allowed to feed on like livestock or something.Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, something that's like the, nobody's happy, right? Yeah. Like, like most, uh, um, situations where we, we agree on something and we're, we're all giving something up. Yeah. But that allows them to exist in society and live among us. Right? Like the, the veil has been lifted. Vampires are here.But they've agreed to only eat livestock, and then the fact that they're murdering people by eating them then becomes. A huge deal. Right? Because this Deante that we've had with them is now broken. Mm-hmm. Um, something like that, because I think if we, if we have it just being casual that they're, they're eating people in alleys or whatever, it reduces, I mean, that's a fun story, don't get me wrong.Yeah, yeah. But that reduces the impact of the murders that we are seeking to solve with this and Right. You know, you said this was, this was a mystery. And so currently [00:18:00] we don't have a ton of mystery on the page like we have. The midpoint is where, um, she discovers that things might not be what they seem, which I love.But in order for that to have impact, we need something earlier. And that could be, you know, these murders have been happening for a few days. That could be the last year. It could be she sees the first murder. Um. Something along those lines, but we need something early. So we, we understand the tension and we understand the mystery story question because you have a ton of other story questions in here, but if this is mystery first, the mystery story question needs to be who committed, who is committing these murders and why?Yep. Yeah. Does that kind of, that makes sense? Land? Yes. No, absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. Now as a, as as I was, I was rereading the outline, the other, the other, the, the other night. And I was like, I feel, I feel like there needs to be another murder scene. Yeah. Earlier we gotta up the body count in the, the book.Yeah. You know, it's a, it's a, it's a conversation I have every day. [00:19:00] Yeah. Not, not enough dead bodies. Not enough dead. Not enough dead bodies. Yeah. So, you know, and so if she is, if she's really worried about, you know, that's their question is why, why is she so involved in solving these murders? How do we make it personal to her?Mm-hmm. And so could this be a friend? Could this be. You know, um, a sister, could this be an aunt, like some something that's related to her so that this person is taken out. And then that becomes Seward has targeted her because she's the, she's, you know, van sing's niece, right? Yep. Yeah. So she's a public figure that if he takes out by having a vampire.Quote, you know, kill her. Then he will have achieved his goal of disrupting this whole thing and be like, look how dangerous it's for women to be out in the world and you know. Mm-hmm. We should put a stop to this. Like that achieves his goal, but she won't know. Right. Obviously that [00:20:00] that's his goal. Right.But he also needs to create the unrest, so it's not just, you know, she's the one who's murdered. That's going to be the climactic plan and he will have killed other people in the meantime. Right. Okay. Something like that. Like we need to make, yeah. Whatever it is that needs to be personal to her. And if she paint, if she paints a target on her back later on by being a ksky, amateur sleuth, which is classic.Um. That works well as well. But I like, you know, one of the questions I love to ask is, what was your villain doing on the day that their prote, the pro protagonist, decided to ruin their life by deciding to go after and stop them from villain. And so maybe she had nothing to do with any of this and she's researching and becomes a problem.That's the other way you could play it. Mm-hmm. Um. But, you know, if he has this grand plan and he's like, Ooh, Abby would make a great sort of like, figurehead to the end of all these murders, and that's the one that I'm gonna point at it and be like, [00:21:00] look, we can't, you know, I, we can't have these women out here.Right? Something like that could work well. Um, what do you think? What, what's, what's your brain do when I say all those things? Um, it's interesting. I hadn't considered, I hadn't considered that her uncle would be targeting her. One of the things I've been grappling with was like. One of the reasons he targets people around her is to scare her away from med school to scare her away from the cause, okay.Um, and kind of pin her in further to the existing, to the existing, um, um, status quo. Um, and so I hadn't considered him using her. Sacrificing her for his, uh, for his ultimate goals. Yeah. Um, and that's an in, that's an interesting idea. And, and if she were to discover that would certainly up to stakes, um, that would certainly up to stakes for her.It would. And so if you want him to be a little more [00:22:00] empathetic Right. We don't need to go like full dark if you don't want to. Right. Um, he could be trying to protect her. By killing other people, which is misguided. Yeah. But, uh, fun. Right? And then that would make sense. So when she figures out it's actually him, he could be like, I was doing all of this to protect you because I love you.You're in my family. Right? Yeah. That also works. But we need to have whatever his, his plan is for causing, you know, using these murders to achieve his goal. If she's, she needs to be the target of it so that it's very personal to her as she moves through this story. Um, and upping the stakes is always great.It amps the tension, right? Yeah. And again, she's not gonna know any of this until she gets to that final twist. And so one of like the most fine chilling, you know, tingly things that you can do with mysteries is that reveal at the very end. We as through the protagonist, understand how much danger we were in [00:23:00] this entire story, and we had no idea.Right? And that moment is the one that we're seeking with readers and for ourselves, right? It's like, how do we have that moment that reveal have the biggest impact possible? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Something like that. Yeah. I, I see Andrew just grinning, like, what are you, whatcha feeling? He's just like, got his giant grin on his face.I mean, like, and like I said, I've been trying to figure out how, because it, because as I was reading, as I was reading through the outline, it did feel like, like abriana was just kind of like adjacent to mm-hmm. All of the murders. Um, and, and Jenny, you and I had talked about whether there was an active investigation and, and, and Sam, I think you kind of alluded to that in, in the notes, is there, is there an active investigation and like, is she, is, is Abriana being.Is, uh, uh, coroner does a suspect by the, by the investigators. Um, is that, why, is that why she is doing her own investigation? Um, [00:24:00] which is another, which is another way to to, to up the stakes. Mm-hmm. Also, um, I, yeah, I'm, I'm, that's an interest, that's an interesting way though to, that's an interesting take on Seward, who's, um, an avuncular figure.He's not, like, he's not a blood relation. To Abriana, but like he is, he is determined in his goal and like, you know, he would, he probably would stop at nothing to get that done, even if it meant, even if it meant, uh, the daughter of a friend of his got killed. Yeah, I mean, just thinking through, and this is your homework, really, is to think through how dark do you want to make him, right?Because you can have a villain who starts off with. A, uh, a goal and decides to achieve it through very ill-advised means, but still wants to protect the people around them, right? Like they can be both. We don't have to have it be a hundred percent. [00:25:00] This person is so evil and willing to burn it all down, right?And so, but that can also be a series of bad decisions. It's like bad decision one leads to, oh my God, like people are finding out that these aren't really vampires. Now I have to really like double down to make it really seem like vampires, so I don't get caught. Because guess what, if I get caught, my life is ruined.Right? And you know, as Abby gets closer, he realizes. I have to kill her. Right? Yeah. She's, she's gonna ruin everything. Yeah. And that sort of angst and that, you know, that would be very painful for him. That could be the thing that when she confronts him at the end, and there will be a de Ma, right? We're gonna have something where he's like, I did all these things for this reason.And it doesn't have to be Yeah. Pages, but we do have a, that's a classic mystery thing. Mm-hmm. She'll understand if you like this, that you know, he was trying to protect her and then. He'll be like, you did this to yourself. You know, like, right. Yeah. You're the one who got in the way. Um, something like [00:26:00] that.And he's like, mm-hmm. My only choice now is to kill you. And then of course she will not allow that because she's our lucky protagonist and will survive because chaos will be brought to order. That's the other big thing is we wanna wrap this up unless you're going who, in which case. It gets worse at the very end.Um, is, is that, is that, is that allowed? Yeah, we, yeah. Well, to keep chaos on the chaos, absolutely. We just need it genre bending is. So hot right now, right? Um, and it's really fun, right? So you can have both, you can have the main mystery wrapped up, like she can, Abby can figure out, okay, this wasn't actually vampires and someone is posing as a vampire.And so that actually changes your midpoint, by the way. We'll talk about that in a second. But if that's the arc, right? She thinks it's vampires. She is, when she does the climactic confrontation, she's like, it's vampires like someone, you know, what are they doing? Why are they doing this? And then realizes [00:27:00] in that, that it wasn't vampires and it's actually someone else.Um, the chaos will be brought to order in that way, right? Like we have, we have a right, we have figured out that someone was posing as a vampire. But what if you have a final, final twist where you know, there actually are vampires. Killing people as well. Like seaward only admits to three of these murders and then there's someone else doing, you know, and it's just like we end it with like, oh no.You know? Right. Yeah. Or by, maybe there's something mystical with like by imitating a vampire or that, you know, the vampires have been gathering their energy for the last 20 years by feeding on goats and you know, they're ready to, we need a new van Helsing to, to keep them under control or something. And Abby takes up that mantle and, you know.You can, you can totally play it where there's an unanswered. Okay. Oh no, it's worse at the end, but we do need some sort of wrap up of the story. Gotcha. But there does seem to be some cover resolution. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I see what you're saying. That makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense. So it strikes [00:28:00] me, I'm not sure that you picked this up, Sam, and you might not have, but that there's a.Uh, um, Mina the Vampire. Mina, yeah, yeah, yeah. Is is her mother. Right. I did pick up on that, and that's a question I have. Okay. Yeah. Great. Because it seems like what you're all talking about that could play a really important role in any of these twists and arcs. Right. I. Yes. Yes. Plus one. Yeah. Everything you just said.Um, yeah. So Mina being her mother, fantastic. One of your final twists, right? And particularly if you have Seward being like the final confrontation, final twist person, and then, you know, you have this lovely final scene where she's like, oh my God, it's my mother. Um, yeah. But the logical question there is why would Mina Hyde, what's she after?Why would she not have tried to help Abby? Right? Because you're dealing with reader expectations that mothers will do anything to protect their children. Right? And so you can, we can twist that. Maybe she is trying to protect her from what's coming, right? [00:29:00] Like what's actually going on. Maybe she's the one who's been protecting her the whole time by warding off the vampires that have been attacking her, her friends at medical school.Um. And that's why there's so many mistaken identity things, right? Because you have two where, where Abby's like, whoops. I think that was supposed to be for me. Yeah. Um, and so the reader's gonna wonder why are they so bad at killing her, right? Like, if these were assassin attempts, like why wouldn't what, what's going on?And so that answers that question. If it's Mina stepping in, but you know, we need to understand what Mina's really after and why she didn't step forward sooner. That's a huge question that, you know, yeah. Everyone will have. Yeah, it is a huge question. Like, like where has she been for the last 18 years?Mm-hmm. Why has Aubrianna not seen her since, since, since her birth? Um, and I haven't quite nailed that down yet. Like, is there some sort of like vampire code? I don't like, I don't know. Is it, is it that she's, is that she, that Mina. Knows [00:30:00] Jonathan, her husband too well, and knows that, that he would not allow a vampire, uh, to interact with his children.Like. And so I think there, I think there are a couple of answers to that, but I haven't like, landed on one yet. Um, but I, like, I, I like the idea of Mina working kind of behind the scenes to protect, to actively protect, um. Abriana, which is what that, that opening that, that, that scene in the alley earlier on is about, is like she comes to her aid at that point.Um, and, uh, and, and and physically puts herself between, between Abri and Abriana and the violence, which Abriana misunderstands, uh, and runs away terrified. But I think, I, I think there are ways to incorporate that, as you say. Elsewhere in the, elsewhere in the story. Yeah. Well, I mean she, to make to a fantastic twist would be, she assumes Mina is the one after her, right?Right. Yeah. Like she recalls in this opening scene that Mina was coming at her and is like, Ooh, that's the vampire that wants to kill me. Yeah, yeah. And [00:31:00] you know, sees her around. And so that's her assumption. And this is how you create twists, right? Her assumption is that Nina is the person behind all of this, and why, but.You run the risk of when she starts investigating Mina and figuring out who she is? It would be, we'd figure out we need some very good reason that she couldn't figure out that was that Mina was her mother, right? Yeah. Yes. So in that case, I would suggest having some other vampire be the one that she thinks is behind everything.Um, which leads me to the midpoint. So currently this is where she discovers that these bite marks are not bite marks at all. They are. Other Marks syringes. Right, right. Like the, yeah. Yeah. Um, so if that's the midpoint, which I like, again, that means that she's going to assume that there is a human or a vampire who's lost her teeth.I don't know, um, behind all of this. And the climactic confrontation will be with that, [00:32:00] with that knowledge that this is not a vampire doing these villainous things. Um. So how does that feel? Like do if, do we, is there someone in the cast that we can sort of have her assume is that person that's not Seward.Not, not someone that I've identified yet. Um, okay. But I, I, I, I agree with you. We need, we need someone that she, that she's pursuing and, uh, in, at, in, in that sense. Um, and, and she believed, I, I, I see, I see. Now I see what you're saying. That the, the importance of her making that, that, that incorrect assumption that this is the person who's, who's doing, who's doing the, the killings.And I don't know who that is yet. I don't know if there's someone actively in the, in the cha in the cast that we have, or if I need, if I need a new character. Okay. I mean, you can also play with, you know, so this is the thing about mysteries, it gets very quickly complicated, is on the surface we have all the assumptions which are incorrect.[00:33:00] Right? Right. And so we have to build up that, those plots and make it plausible. Yeah. Because we need, you know, the example I like to give is like, let's say you, you come home and you're expecting that no one else is there and there's an open window and there is a earring back on the counter and a bloody footprint on your.You know, nice white carpet and you know, um, a knocked over plant and then you recall, oh yes, you know the nab I've been babysitting the neighbor's cat, they knocked over the plant. So that's solved. But this bloody footprint is really freaking me out because clearly somebody came in here and made a bloody footprint and that's terrifying.You're focusing on the bloody footprint because that's the most obvious thing, but the earring back is the thing that is the villain clue. Right, and that, that's the person that came in and misled you by putting the bloody footprint on the carpet for reasons, capital R, whatever it is in this story, right?But we have clocked on screen, on the page what the clue is and ignored it. And so yeah, [00:34:00] this is how you can go back in on a revision and you know, you maybe we don't know who this other person is that's actually doing this, but they will have a vested interest in not being caught. Right? Mm-hmm. And so these little clues that we put on the page later are ignored, and then we're following the story that we've already created.Mm-hmm. Um, but keeping track of all these layers feels complicated, which is why Jenny's outline with three pages is so, so useful. Um, right. Because what the, what's on the page is the, is the story that you already, that we're focusing on, right? Mm-hmm. And then what really happened? Mm-hmm. Is the thing beneath the surface that we don't learn until the truth is revealed in one of these twists.Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah. No, that absolutely makes sense. That Absolutely. That also feels like a lot to think about. It is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't have, I don't have enough red earrings. I don't have enough mis, I don't have enough misdirecting. Misdirecting clues, as it were. Right. Well, those are fun to brainstorm, right?Because we start thinking [00:35:00] about who really, it comes back to Seward. Like what would he be doing to misdirect Abby away from this? Right. To keep her safe, if you like that as a goal. Yeah. And also to make the, make society freak out about how vampires are killing again. Mm-hmm. Um, what would he plant, who would he manipulate?Who would he pay off? You know? Mm-hmm. Maybe there's a vampire who knows about all of this, and. Is trying to kill the person that Seward is hired to do the syringes because Seward's not going around and doing this. Abby would've seen him or you know mm-hmm. Recognized him or something. So he will have paid someone to, or it has someone in his organization who also believes in the cause.Yeah. And is doing this, and maybe that person's a vampire. I don't know. I do love the double syringe. I mean, I hope that stays. Yeah. Yeah. It's good. It's good. Is it? Yeah. I heard you say, I heard you kind of dismiss it, Andrew, but it, to me, that would be a perfect misdirection if [00:36:00] somebody finds that and now there's this whole thread of assumptions about what that means and Yeah, but that it's not really what it is or it's not being used the way we think, or so.Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. Sam, you mentioned something because I was, I was getting close to like throwing that overboard. No, it's good. No. Okay. Okay. I think it is good. So, so, so, so, but that could still be, that could still be used as a, that could still, I could still use it as a red herring potentially, uh, because it could still be a vampire at Seward's behest committing the murders.But maybe they're doing it with the syringe or maybe they're, and or maybe they're doing it a little bit with their own or Right. Or not. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, to Jenny's point, this could be a total, maybe. Maybe it's not used for what we think. Maybe the double syringe is something completely unrelated and it's like the best way to draw out the.I don't know. I mean, depending on, maybe he is drugging the people in the [00:37:00] asylum, like giving them more drugs than they're supposed to have. Right, right. And, and he devised, I mean, you know, devised a double syringe to deliver it and doesn't want anybody to know that that's what he is doing, you know? Yeah, yeah.Okay. Yeah, yeah. But if you wanna play with the idea that there's also a vampire involved who believes in Seward's? Cause then that, you know. That's very interesting because it's like, well, why? What do they want? You know? Yeah, yeah. Or even just someone who is, is being coerced by him, who does, doesn't necessarily Yes.Believe in the cause, but is perhaps is, has perhaps been assigned to his asylum. Mm-hmm. And he's taking advantage of, I love. Which I think, I think really makes sewer to a, a pretty despicable individual on a number of levels, which I, which I can like, well, I mean, he's already killing people, so, right. You know, slippery slope.But that's what, you know, it's, that's the, [00:38:00] that's the thing is that his, his goals. We need to make logical sense when we get to the end and Right. You know, Abby figures out what's going on, but he, he can also be empathetic. Right? Yeah. Like, why is he so scared of women? Yeah. Being in society, what is, what is that deep fear about?And that's definitely something to explore as well. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, so we could, like I said, talk for days, for days about these things, but, um, it feels like this is a good place to leave Andrew with a whole bunch of work to do. And I'm just laughing because, um, this is such a perfect example of.Why we do a blueprint, right? There's so much to work out. There's so much to think about. There's so many layers and levels to every story. And, uh, you know, we, we heard you today, Andrew, sort of going, well, I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I don't know. I, I'll have to see, you know, that's, that's the work and being in that.[00:39:00] Discomfort and that not knowing mm-hmm. And the, all the possibilities and making your choices. That's, that's a work, right Sam? Like that's, it is, it's so fun. But yeah, it's mysteries are puzzles, right? Yeah. And we wanna guide the reader through the puzzle in a way that gives them maximum impact and maximum joy.For every reveal that we decide to put out there, right? We, we, we don't want to casually have a reveal. Everything is on purpose. Um, and so I was gonna say on, on the inside outline that you have, um, a parallel one, or, you know, if you make it even tighter just to flow the flow of events, you can have a, what really happened?Um, line which tracks what the villain is actually doing. And I do find that that can be really helpful because it does get overwhelming with figuring out, okay, we have assumptions. Yeah. And those assumptions are, you know, lead to action and this is how we get a repulsive plot. But those assumptions are.Not going to be the [00:40:00] actual thing that is the truth. And so we need to track what the truth is and what our villain is doing to stop our protagonist from stopping them because Yeah, forces of opposition, you know, so just for our listeners to clarify that makes sense. What Sam's talking about is a parallel inside outline is, is to literally do.An a three page outline for the, the villain? Yes, yes. Or to put a bullet point or a, a subpoint on the protagonists inside. Outline that. Tracks that, um, sometimes people color code that. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, but the, that's why we keep this so tight because if you start making it nine pages or 15 pages and then you layer these things, all of a sudden you have a 30 page outline, and now you've just got one of those giant story grid things that I find to be impossible to, to manipulate.Like we still want this to be manipulatable, right. So that you [00:41:00] can. Hold it in your hands and see it and, and then get to a place where you say, I can write that story. I love this story. I can write this story. That's, so that's what we're going for. So, yeah. Um, Sam, could you maybe just summarize, um, Andrew will take some time to work on this next iteration to show me.Can you give him direction on key thing to think about and me direction on the key thing to look for? Yeah, of course. So the biggest thing is figure out what Seward's really, why he's really doing what he's doing and how it relates directly to Abby. Right. What is, what action can he take that is about her, and that's either protecting her or, you know.Um, killing someone close to her to scare her away, but then why, right? Mm-hmm. So figure out the, figure out what he's really doing, and then look and see what actions, what other actions would he take about who this other person [00:42:00] is that he's framing or manipulating, or blackmailing or whatever. And if that's a vampire, then.You know, why does that work when we, when it's revealed? Like, what else could be going on? That makes sense. Perhaps the vampires don't want women and suffragettes to have this power because it threatens the power that they have in society currently, or something like that, or mm-hmm. Whatever it is. But figure out what, what's really going on.That's your homework, that's your big homework. Mm-hmm. And then, you know, for the next iteration. More murder on the page, right? We need the attention to rise and we need to understand why Abby, as she takes her steps based on assumptions, what are those assumptions? Why is she so personally invested in this?Why doesn't she just give up, right? Because that's the big logical question that I always ask is for both the antagonist and your protagonist, why don't they just walk away? Why do they keep doing this when it gets hard, right? Because when someone's actively trying to [00:43:00] stop you as the protagonist is. For the antagonist, why would the antagonist not just be like, okay, this is too tough, right?Like, I'm, I'm out, uh, this is, my goal isn't going to be achieved. So why do they both keep going? And the answer is usually we're in too deep, right? We can't, the only way out is through, um, which is what the midpoint establishes. Usually. It's like, well, shoot, you know, I can't leave this story. I have to keep going.Right? So the three twists, right? We want the assumptions to be present on the inside outline. So we have a midpoint twist. We have an inciting incident that presents the mystery story question, murder usually. Mm-hmm. And then climactic twist, who is this fake villain? And then final villain, Seward. And then final, final twist.Mina is actually involved, right? And has been protecting her the whole time or whatever, right? Yeah. Okay. So on the page, assumptions is second part of that homework, but you have to figure out what really happened in order to have the assumptions, which are Yeah, not [00:44:00] right. Yeah. So drawing, drawing out those two timelines of the, what, what actually happened, timeline, and then the assumptions, timeline and how they, well, the assumptions are gonna be on the page, right?Those will be on your protagonist inside outline, right? Because it, it informs her actions. And so everything you have about her fighting to go to med school and like all these things, all that works. All we're doing is just tweaking it a little bit so that the mystery is more. Front and center, and she's taking action based on, okay, I have this clue, what do I do?Now I have this clue. What do I do now? What stands in the way of each time I do this? Oops, I'm wrong about that. So what now? You know? Okay. And in the meantime it's clear that her personal stakes are rising and she is becoming a target. There's more attempts on her life and, and you know, then what? Right.Once you have a target on your back, you can't run. Yeah. Yeah. So. Yeah. Make it scarier. That's your homework. Yeah, I do. I do. I have to put her in [00:45:00] peril. I have to put her in peril. Right? You do. Yeah. Yeah. And the final thing I'll mention about this is when you actually get to writing the way that you, even if it's, even if the actions are a little less intense, right?We don't actually have an assassin coming at her every page because we'd get bored with that. So through interiority, through inner thought, she's going to think about what she's scared of throughout the entire book. Mm-hmm. It's not just gonna be, oh, I assume this thing. It's like I assume this thing. And also I'm terrified because you know what, if this is about that, and that's how you create those red herrings too, is because she's going to make assumptions about what's happening, and those assumptions will be based in fear.Right. Love it. Right. That makes sense. Love it. That makes sense. Thank you. My God. You're so welcome. Love this story. Can't wait to read it. Are you still with us, Andrew? You're not. You're not walking away. Right. You're not like, I'm in too deep now. No. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Just past the midpoint. Yeah, I was gonna say good.Good. No, that's why, that's why I'm, that's why I'm grinning so [00:46:00] much. It's like, it's like, ‘cause we're talking about this as if it's an actual, real thing. It's not just, it's not just an idea that I've, I've, I've had and been, I've been telling my wife about this is an actual, this is an actual thing I'm talking with people about.Um, and so this is, this is real. This is. It is real. It's exciting. Um, we will, uh, see how this unfolds for Andrew and Sam, I just wanna thank you so much for joining us and talking about all this. Um, and I'm gonna tell our listeners that if you want this kind of twisty help, um, that's Samantha's website, which is samantha skull.com and that's SKAL.She has a really cool, um, very inexpensive twist. Course, which you can, um, take. It's just awesome. And it's, um, she got some blueprint stuff on there, all kinds of things. And you can learn also about the retreat that she runs with carrieSavage@shadowsandsecrets.com. And you can go to Thriller [00:47:00] Fest and see all of the big work she's doing for this community of writers out in the world.So Sam, thank you for coming on. Oh, thank you so much for having me. And I just wanna say, Jenny, the reason that I focused, I mean, yes, I love this stuff and I have, I've loved it my whole life, but I listened to you. This was your. To focus in on what I love and I did. And it's just the best I get to wake up every day and talk about murder, which sounds like a terrible hobby, but I love it.So here we are. I know. That's why I talk about you all the time. Maybe that's it. ‘cause you listen toI, I, uh, I push people a lot harder now, let's put it that way. Um. Amazing. That's, that is my craft. But thank you Andrew, again, for being so willing to be doing this in public. It's not easy for those listening just to be on the hot seat like this for so long, so often really hard. So, um, you, [00:48:00] huge, huge shout out to Andrew and shout.Um, just for our listeners, thanks for tuning in and let's get back to work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

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Today on The Rock Fight, Colin is joined by Shawnté Salabert to break down her trip to Title Nine's Pitchfest 2025, where women founders are reshaping the outdoor industry from the ground up.Since 1989, Title Nine and its founder Missy Park have been putting money behind women-led brands; more than $1.7 million in Pitchfest investments and $72 million in total purchasing power. Shawnté attended this year's edition and shares what makes this event different: collaboration over competition, community over ego, and a focus on solving real problems.The conversation covers:How Pitchfest is rewriting the rules of outdoor entrepreneurship.Standout brands from this year's event.Why representation in design and leadership still matters.The growing movement to fund women founders, not just feature them.Thanks for listening! The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC. Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's semi-weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.Please follow and subscribe to The Rock Fight and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your feedback, questions, and comments to myrockfight@gmail.com.

Today on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave tackle a packed week of outdoor industry news!First up, the crew reacts to the latest ripple effects of Outdoor Retailer's Minnesota move and whether the industry is being too quick to jump on the “OR is back” bandwagon. With questions around the “Leadership Village,” the role of run and lifestyle categories, and whether the show truly knows who it's for, Colin and Eoin argue that defining the audience is the only way forward. (05:56)Next, the conversation turns to Bass Pro's acquisition of Hobie. Once a pioneering surf and sailing brand turned kayak powerhouse, Hobie has faced dealer frustration, supply chain nightmares, and brand drift. Will Bass Pro revive Hobie, turn it into a house brand, or alienate specialty retailers even further? Dave dives into Hobie's rich heritage and what Bass Pro could do with the name; if they think beyond fishing kayaks. (13:23)The lightning round brings more industry headlines (21:20):Kohl's pushes its FLX line into kids' activewear.Keen jumps into the crowded trail running shoe market with “The Seek.”Arc'teryx shrugs off PR fallout from its controversial Himalayan fireworks stunt.Support those who support The Rock Fight! Today's sponsors: Ibex, Fjallraven, Lems Shoes, Royal Robbins, and Conatus Counsel! (26:18)Finally, the hosts analyze REI's new strategic plan, Peak 28. With four lofty pillars—culture, assortment, service, and membership—the co-op hints at big changes ahead. But with payroll bloat, declining margins, and vague promises, the question remains: will REI truly reinvent itself, or is this just frosting on an underbaked cake? (30:37)The show closes with The Parting Shot presented by Garage Grown Gear, celebrating a big week for women-led outdoor brands like Wild Rye, Gnara, and Title Nine's Pitchfest. Proof that despite the challenges, inspiring things are happening across the outdoor landscape. (39:59)Thanks for listening! The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC. Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's semi-weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.Please follow and subscribe to The Rock Fight and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your feedback, questions, and comments to myrockfight@gmail.com.

In this special episode of the HRchat Podcast, we preview the 2025 HR Tech Conference in fabulous Las Vegas!Bill Banham's guest is Katie Achille, Managing Partner at The Devon Group, and an award-winning communications pro. Katie is deeply embedded in the planning and communications behind the HR Tech Conference in Las Vegas, happening September 16–18.HR Tech Conference, one of the world's biggest HR technology events, will offer a power-packed Tuesday through Thursday format that ends with Josh Bersin's closing keynote. This year introduces the HR Strategy Summit, specifically for leaders of large organizations and the prestigious HR Icons Awards Gala, celebrating excellence across six categories.As always, networking opportunities abound as the conference brings together the HR technology ecosystem – practitioners, vendors, investors, analysts, and media – creating what Katie Achille describes as a "town hall" atmosphere where meaningful business connections happen naturally. The speaker lineup features numerous big names plus the awesome William Tincup will be moderating a panel of TikTok influencers on converting social engagement to job applications.The Women in HR Tech Summit returns for its eighth year, consistently reaching capacity with sessions that deliver actionable insights rather than just high-level trends. Another highlight is Lydia Wu's session on leveraging AI as a career advancement tool, elevating the conversation beyond basic applications to strategic leadership development. Innovation takes center stage at the Startup Pavilion with approximately 50-60 emerging companies and the reimagined Pitch Fest competition. Literary legend James Patterson adds star power, previewing his first-ever business book before its official publication. For an immersive experience, attendees can observe live podcast recordings at the HR Executive/WRKdefined studio on the expo floor through a unique "fishbowl" setup with headphones. Ready to join the HR technology community in Las Vegas? Register at hrtechnologyconference.com with code DEVON25 for $250 off any registration type.Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here. Follow us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our newsletter Check out our in-person events

In this special episode of the podcast, host Neal Bloom takes us inside the Burbank Startup Pitch Fest - an exciting evening of innovation, capital, and community hosted in partnership with the City of Burbank and Rising Tide Partners. We kick things off with a welcome from Burbank's Economic Development team, highlighting why the city is fast becoming a tech and media hub. Neal then moderates a candid conversation with early-stage investors Amy Harmon (Innovent Capital) and Ben Kahan (Pegasus Angel Accelerator) about today's venture landscape - from what they look for in a pre-seed deal to how AI and founder-market fit are shaping startup success. Then, five founders take the stage to pitch their startups: KATSHID: A frictionless, passwordless biometric identity platform Geri Gadgets: Sensory tools supporting cognitive wellness in dementia and neurodivergent populations Blip Industries: Drone-powered logistics, imaging, and defense systems Health-e-Habits: Digital wellness programming helping families build mindful relationships with tech Aspivix (Winner): A modern, non-traumatic alternative to the gynecological tenaculum, improving IUD and reproductive care From pitch insights to early-stage investing frameworks, this episode is packed with startup wisdom and a strong dose of real talk from the entrepreneurial front lines. Recorded live at Burbank Startup Pitch Fest 2025.

In this special episode of the podcast, host Neal Bloom takes us inside the Burbank Startup Pitch Fest - an exciting evening of innovation, capital, and community hosted in partnership with the City of Burbank and Rising Tide Partners.We kick things off with a welcome from Burbank's Economic Development team, highlighting why the city is fast becoming a tech and media hub. Neal then moderates a candid conversation with early-stage investors Amy Harmon (Innovent Capital) and Ben Kahan (Pegasus Angel Accelerator) about today's venture landscape - from what they look for in a pre-seed deal to how AI and founder-market fit are shaping startup success.Then, five founders take the stage to pitch their startups:* KATSHID: A frictionless, passwordless biometric identity platform* Geri Gadgets: Sensory tools supporting cognitive wellness in dementia and neurodivergent populations* Blip Industries: Drone-powered logistics, imaging, and defense systems* Health-e-Habits: Digital wellness programming helping families build mindful relationships with tech* Aspivix (Winner): A modern, non-traumatic alternative to the gynecological tenaculum, improving IUD and reproductive careFrom pitch insights to early-stage investing frameworks, this episode is packed with startup wisdom and a strong dose of real talk from the entrepreneurial front lines.Recorded live at Burbank Startup Pitch Fest 2025. Join us at the next Burbank Tech Talks on October 14 during #LATechWeek. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

This episode is sponsored in part by Dalia—Talent teams are sitting on a powerful asset: candidate and lead data in their CRM. But knowing how—and when—to convert those leads into applicants and hires? That's the hard part. That's why Dalia is offering a free CRM Audit to help you unlock more value from the systems you've already invested in.…. Go to dalia.co/rectechcrm to get your free CRM audit today AND by jobcase, Jobcase is an online community where workers of all kinds – like hourly employees, tradespeople and healthcare technicians – access jobs, make connections, and support each other in any aspect of their work life.Visit jobcase.com/hire and tap into their 120 million strong  job seeker network Alright rec techies…..here's what's happening this week.  First up…WorkWhile, an AI-powered labor platform that matches businesses with reliable hourly workers, today announced that it has raised $23 million in Series B funding amid strong growth. https://hrtechfeed.com/flexible-work-matching-platform-lands-23m/ HR Tech today shared details of this year's Investor Experience and Pitchfest competition, which will take place throughout the event this September 16 – 18 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. https://hrtechfeed.com/hr-tech-conference-pitchfest-is-back-for-2025/ LAS VEGAS — Workerbee, the agent-powered platform transforming enterprise hiring, today announced a strategic investment to accelerate growth, expand its trusted specialist community, and advance its AI-driven product infrastructure. The dollar amount was not listed.  https://hrtechfeed.com/workerbee-secures-strategic-investment-to-accelerate-agentic-ai-infrastructure-for-trusted-hiring/ JobSync, the leading recruitment marketing optimization platform, today announced the appointment of Blair Stock as its new Vice President of Client Strategy & Growth, effective this week. Stock will be instrumental in strengthening sales and client engagement while helping shape the company's overall revenue strategy and execution.  https://hrtechfeed.com/jobsync-adds-industry-sales-executive/ According to the Q3 2025 ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, the global Net Employment Outlook (NEO) stands at +24%. down just one point from last quarter and up two points year-over-year. https://recruitingheadlines.com/report-steady-hiring-plans-ahead-for-q3/

Welcome to Bloombites - a weekly brain and heart dump from the front lines about startup community, investing, and building.Here's who I've been meeting with over the last week:Met the Covanos cardiovascular team thanks to Jose Arrieta.Shared notes with Cheryl Turnbull of the Ohio State University Entrepreneurship Center on bridging inventors into startup founders thanks to Derrick Brent.Great walking meeting with Eli Carlson on supporting our founder friends.Erik Groset and I caught up with Casey Dickinson to hear about Superfaction, his latest gaming startup.Interviewed Jamie Platt, CEO of new-to-U.S./Carlsbad diagnostic company Pictor Dx.Caught up with Brett Crosby to learn about his new adtech AI startup AdZen.Coffee with Puesto founder Alex Adler to talk tacos and tech ;)Met with the founding team of LumaLake AI Botond Szatmary and Drew Senyei to learn about the future of senior care monitoring.Attended the graduation ceremony of the latest Founders Institute San Diego & Veteran Class! Congrats, well done Mike Sherbakov and team, and thanks John Z for hosting.Enjoyed a great event by Whittier Trust bringing together local investors to talk about the current economic environment. Thanks to Sandip Bhagat for your deep insight and Jeff Treut for the invite. Welcome officially to San Diego!Impromptu San Diego Angel Conference meeting with Cathy Pucher, where we are co-emceeing the June 5 finale event. Come join us!Internal check in with my Athena team to keep building the partnership.Recorded a gem of a conversation with Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Cabana on the Tacos and Tech Podcast.Good check in with the City of Burbank Economic Development team Marissa Cardwell and Odette Zakarian and Brittany Hodge in planning out June's PitchFest and the next year's worth of community building events.Quick catch up on the state of the San Diego SaaS ecosystem with Brad Corona of Vertical Venture Partners.Debriefing/planning for next bootcamp session with the SDSU ZIP Launchpad team Cameron Brock, Erica Charlonis, and Craig Lauer.Into the mountains with Tim Ryan for a retreat to do long term startup ecosystem planning including the next cohorts of Startup 101, Founder Build Day, SD Tech Founder events, physical hub design, and much more to come.Have a great week and keep building! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit risingtidepartners.substack.com/subscribe

Jordan Sollof is joined by representatives of the two Digital Health Rewired 2025 Pitchfest winners, Asclepius MedTech Limited and Daysix. Michael Morgan-Curran, chief executive of Asclepius, winner in the pre-revenue generating category and Ben Beaumont, chief technology officer at Daysix, the revenue generating Pitchfest champion, explain what their solutions are and how their companies were formed. The pair pick out some key highlights and achievements since the start-ups were founded before discussing why they applied for this year's Pitchfest and what their experience of the process was like. They speak about how winning the competition has already and will continue to help them moving forward, before laying out their goals and ambitions for the coming months and years. Lastly, Morgan-Curran and Beaumont give their expert advice to health tech start-ups considering applying for Pitchfest 2026. Guests: Michael Morgan-Curran, chief executive of Asclepius MedTech Limited Ben Beaumont, chief technology officer at Daysix  

The one and only Kelli Jones joins host Christian Rawles to talk about how she's grown Noso Patches from creating a patch to repair her beloved puffy jacket to a thriving business on a mission to keep outdoor apparel out of the landfill. Kelli has been instrumental in creating the Title 9 Pitch Fest and has worked hard to support and advocate for other female founders in the outdoor industry.This conversation covers how Kelli puts the 'show' in trade show, how she decided to go all-in on Noso, growing a business in a mountain town like Jackson & the work Noso is doing to keep outdoor apparel going for longer.Show Notes:Learn more about KORE OutdoorsNoso Patches websiteNoso Patches on InstagramGoggleSocTraction book & the EOS SystemRocky the RocketConnect with Kelli on LinkedInConnect with Christian on LinkedIn

On this episode of The Founder's Sandbox, Brenda speaks with Shivani Honwad – founder of her own law firm, who specializes in immigration and business law for the creative industries.  Shivani is a business and immigration lawyer, and trailblazer in supporting the Freelance and Free Act, as well as a professor at NYU LA campus teaching Entrepreneurship for creatives.  “I could not keep hearing it and not do anything about it” Shivani says, speaking about immigration as a major issue for freelance fashion workers.  Shivani set out to get smarter. Ten 10 years later, The Law Firm of Shivani Honwad, LLC, focuses primarily on immigration and business law for companies in the fashion, tech, beauty and entertainment realms. You can find out more about Shivani at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivani-honwad- http://www.shivanilaw.com Find some of my guest's content here : Laws “the freelance and free act” https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/about/freelance-isnt-free-act.page     Transcript: 00:04 Hi, I'm pleased to announce something very special to me, a new subscription-based service through Next Act Advisors that allows members exclusive access to personal industry insights and bespoke 00:32 corporate governance knowledge. This comes in the form of blogs, personal book recommendations, and early access to the founder's sandbox podcast episodes before they released to the public. If you want more white glove information on building your startup with information like what was in today's episode, sign up with the link in the show notes to enjoy being a special member of Next Act Advisors. 01:01 As a thank you to Founders Sandbox listeners, you can use code SANDBOX25 at checkout to enjoy 25% off your membership costs. Thank you. 01:18 Welcome back to the Founder's Sandbox. I am Brenda McCabe, your host. This is a monthly podcast in which I reach entrepreneurs, business owners, who are going to learn about building resilient, purpose-driven, and sustainable businesses with great corporate governance. 01:38 I like to assist the entrepreneurs in building these scalable, well-governed and resilient business. And what I do with my guests is they tell their origin story about how they've built their own practices. And we'll get to the origin story of my guest this month, Shivani Honwad. Shivani and I have known each other for many years. She was bi-coastal in New York and Los Angeles. We met actually in the Los Angeles. 02:06 Los Angeles Venture Association, LAVA. It has a women affinity group. And she was eagerly contributing to some of the material and programs that we put on for women business owners, actually startups in the LA ecosystem. So I wanna thank you Shivani for joining me this month and the founder Sandbox. Thank you, Brenda. Thank you. So. 02:35 You own your own law firm, the law firm of Shivani Honwad. And it was originally based in New York. I don't know whether you operate nationally, but I'd love you to kind of repeat your origin story when I met you the first time in one of the women in lava. It was a small gathering. And it struck me your story was fascinating, because you were 03:04 working for a law firm in New York, but it was in your social life. You were, you know, out for drinks in the evenings and you would often be approached by women who were in the fashion industry, so models, and inevitably over a drink or maybe not a drink, they would end up using some of your free services. What was that? What were they asking your advice on, Shivani? And with that, we're going to get started on your origin story. 03:32 Thank you. Yeah, sure. So, you know, I was in my twenties in New York City and as one does in New York City, I would often go out. So I, at the time, was working in criminal law with a firm and civil litigation. But so I would go out with my friends. You know, I went to NYU, so I had a lot of friends in the city. And, you know, these models kept approaching me and they were like, hey, I heard you're a lawyer. I need help. 04:00 And I was like, oh, did you get arrested or did something happen like that? And they were like, no. And I kept hearing stories of how they were working for these modeling agencies. Most of the people that approached me were international models and their passports or their visas or something like their paperwork was being withheld so that they didn't really have freedom to travel and then not only that, they wouldn't be paid out. So. 04:25 they would model for days, weeks, sometimes months at a time, and be paid $0. And the agencies were just, there was just a lot of abuse in the industry. And so they kept asking for help. And at the time, I didn't really understand enough about the industry to know how pervasive this was. But I started looking into it because it wasn't just one model approaching me. It was like dozens of models over the course of a few weeks, if not maybe a few months. 04:54 that kept asking me for help. And it got to a point. I imagine your name got around, right? Well, because I wasn't doing anything yet. It was just that I was the only lawyer at all of these events, right? And I mean, this is also pre-Me too. So the other part of it was, is the lawyers they were going to, some of the male lawyers unfortunately, were also taking advantage of them and being like, hey, I'll help you, but you have to be my date to this event like Saturday night. 05:20 So they would see me in my 20s and a woman and woman of color, and they would just be like, oh, OK, so she won't sexually harass me or she won't threaten me in any way. So I think I was seen as a safer space for that. So I think that's why people approach me at parties. And then it got to a point where I just I couldn't really keep hearing it and not do anything about it. 05:46 And so I did some research into it. And then I found lawyers. I knew some in my network that knew how to help them. And the biggest issue, it seemed, was the immigration part, where it was like, if models come into the US under what's called an O-1 visa, and typically it's tied to whoever their agent or employer is if they come in under that route. But if they do it, there's other ways they can do it to have a little more freedom, or they can get their green cards so they have freedom. And that's the EB1A route. 06:16 And so I figured out an attorney who did that and he had agreed to like train me in how to do that. So eventually like I started my own law firm focusing on that. And it was just to help these models get some freedom. And then, you know, I expanded from there to doing some IP and contracts because once I helped them and get got them more stable, they were like, okay, well now I'm doing these ventures and I want you to negotiate these contracts and I want you to be my lawyer for this. Like you were great. So that's how my law firm kind of came to be. 06:44 And it was just 10 years actually, since I've opened it this past August. Oh my goodness. Yeah. It was just, it started out at this crazy need of just people needing help and to be in a safe space. And the irony of it is that I originally went to law school to kind of work on human trafficking issues. Oh my goodness. And I never thought I would see it. Like I never thought I'd work in fashion, but I mean, the work I was doing was tied to that because a lot of the models were essentially held in debt bondage. 07:14 of being tied to these agencies not being paid out and saying like, you owe us this much money so we're not gonna pay you or what have you. So I think that's how it's still, I got to do what I went to law school for, but in a different way than I had initially thought. Like I thought I would work for the UN or something like, but it was so hard to get into the UN. I applied nonstop originally, but like I got to do this. And like we changed some laws around in this space. Like, 07:43 The Boston Globe did like the Spotlight team did a piece on this and like some of my clients that I was also interviewed for. And then, you know, we met with officials in city hall. And so the freelances and free act, which got passed in New York also applies to models. So if an agency, you know, gets payment from a client to the agency and they don't pay the model within 30 days, the state of New York will actually fine the agency. 08:10 So the models now have recourse to collect payment faster. Excellent. So I would ask you later to give me this law, and we'll put it in the show notes. Because this is amazing. You have been a trailblazer in a serendipitous way. You started out, or while you're studying law, you thought you would work in sexual traffic, and you did not, or human trafficking. And you were doing criminal law. 08:38 ended up actually representing fashion models, immigration issues, as well as eventually venturing into assisting them in their contract management and IP. So amazing story. And I loved one thing that you did say. You said, I couldn't not do anything, right? I researched it and I just could not just let this go. So. 09:08 Very, very resilient, Shivani. How did that experience or others inform you to actually move all the way out here to Los Angeles and set up practice? And tell us a little bit about that. So I don't think you and I have actually talked about this before. But originally, what brought me out to LA was some of the work that I did here for the models. I was recruited by some organizations in the e-sports area. 09:38 Um, you know, e-sports is actually pretty big out here in California. And, um, there was some e-sports organizations that wanted me to help implement essentially policies and basic human rights for the gamers, because, um, kind of what we had done for the models in New York, um, there was really no regulations a couple of years ago. It's still pretty bare minimum, but. 10:02 for the e-sports gamers. And you have all these essentially mostly teenage boys, there are female gamers as well, but in the e-sports tournaments, and they were just taking a ton of speed or drinking nonstop Monster Energy drinks, and they were just dying, quite frankly, they were under all this pressure to perform. And again, there was really no regulation around it. And their contracts were devoid of like... 10:28 just basic human rights of like, okay, you can get a bathroom break, you get time to eat, you get time to sleep. So originally I was recruited out here to kind of work on those issues. And I will say, if you've never been to an e-sports tournament and like in a stadium, I advise going, it's an experience. Wow. This is like a trillion dollar industry and it like traverses all socioeconomic, like really like it. 10:56 It just transcends all lines. It's just an incredible scene to experience, just the fandom of it all. So I was in that space for a little bit originally and it just, it was a very chaotic environment that I just didn't really want to be in anymore. Right. And then, yeah, I just- And you were doing this from 11:26 from your own practice? At that time, you'd set up your practice, so you just recently celebrated 10 years of your law firm, Shivani Hanwad. Yeah. You were actually serving the e-sports from your law firm. Yeah, so I was doing some contract stuff. I was doing visas for the gamers, things like that. So I was getting more familiar with it. But it was because the issues paralleled. 11:53 basically what was happening with models in New York with the sports gamers in California. So that's kind of how the whole thing started. And then, like I said, it wasn't really for me, but then I had made some inroads here. I got connected to Lava and some other organizations. And then I got offered the position to teach at NYU's LA campus. So that's kind of anchored me here in Los Angeles now. But yeah, so I still do kind of the same stuff and I work. 12:22 you know, same. The thing with immigration law is it's federal. So my clients are all over the world and a lot of my clients also in the fashion, creative industries, their contracts are mostly like for New York and California based things. And like I'm admitted to practice law in both New York and California. So they just email me, like we do Zooms or, you know, calls and stuff and go through stuff. So yeah, I serve clients all over the world basically. 12:51 position you have with New York Stern's LA campus? It's not Stern. So it's New York University. Okay. I went to Stern undergrad. Yes. And then, but New York University's Los Angeles campus is just a general campus. It's not a specific school. Okay. So we serve students from all schools. And actually we have multiple global campuses. So we have two other degree granting campuses. One is NYU Abu Dhabi. 13:21 and one is NYU Shanghai. So this is what come to our LA program. It's an undergrad study abroad only program. So it's one semester and they come mainly from our New York campus. Some are, we also do have a lot of students that come from our Abu Dhabi campus and our Shanghai campus. And then they might be as part of other programs too. And so they come out here, they spend a semester, they, we work on getting them internships. 13:48 And they just kind of see, like most of them want to go into the entertainment industries in, you know, whether it's media, like screenwriting, directing, producing, or music. So they're just trying to see if they like the LA environment, make some inroads for if they want to like pursue their career in LA or New York or what's better for them. So that's the program that we have out here right now. And like we're growing actively because the campus opened in fall of 2019. 14:15 closed promptly in spring of 2020. And then just reopened fully again last year. All right. And do you teach a specific subject? Well, yeah. So the course that I teach, it's basically structured around like entrepreneurship or creatives. So I bring in kind of my business and my legal backgrounds. My, the director of the NYU LA program is amazing. And she gave me carte blanche to kind of design a course. 14:44 She was like, think of them as your future clients. What do you wish they knew? So that's kind of what we designed. So we like include like how to pitch, how to develop a deck and then how to pitch that deck. I also do a negotiation simulation because oftentimes these students have never like negotiated a deal before. So I go over, you know, what are basic deal terms that you should at least understand and if nothing else have these in a contract. And then I design a whole simulation and like put them in groups. 15:13 and give them mock contracts and they have to negotiate it out. And it's really fun because every single time we do it, they all start with the same contract, the same roles, and everything. And then they all present at the end of class what their deal terms were. And no group has ever had the same deal terms. And the reason for that is because it's also to show them that you all come in with your own biases and preferences and experiences and values. 15:41 Yes. It doesn't really matter what the other people are doing. It's just like, what makes sense to you? What do you feel comfortable with? Because if you feel comfortable with the deal and you're okay performing for this rate or with these terms or whatever, then you're going to be fine. And so, because then I always ask them, did you want someone else's deal? And they might say that they wanted parts of it. They're like, oh, I didn't know I could add that. Sometimes if we're doing an artist contract negotiation, 16:10 my female students will always be like, they'll add in hair and makeup budget. And then the male students didn't know like, oh, that's a thing or like, how much is hair and mica? And like women know that it should be expensive. So they're like, oh, I could do that. So like, it's things like that that come up cause I'm like, you can add in, if it's not written there, you can add stuff in. Like I give you flexibility. And they're like, okay, I'll think about that next time. But because they negotiated out, they felt heard. 16:40 So they're comfortable with the deal that they agreed to because they felt like they were heard, they felt valued. And so they were fine with their deal overall. So again, although they may have picked up some things that they would like for next time, no one's really been outright like, my deal was terrible. Like everyone's kind of felt like kind of comfortable because they get time to talk it through. And I think that's like the biggest takeaway is like, as long as like the other side feels heard, 17:09 you can agree to a situation where all parties kind of essentially win and can work together well. And thank you, this is fascinating. So you have an entrepreneurship program at the New York University's Los Angeles campus. There's another campus in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. And so it's a year abroad. So is it cross-cultural mix and what students? Yes, but. 17:38 Sorry, I'm just gonna clarify. So it's not a year abroad for Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. They're actually degree granting campuses. Okay. So the Abu Dhabi campus is actually a really incredible program. It's a four year program. Okay. And it only has like a 2% admission rate cause tuition is free at that campus. So they're completely separate programs but they're all under the NYU umbrella. But I'm just saying that students come to our LA campus for a semester. It's a semester, right? Yeah, for a semester just to kind of do a semester abroad essentially. 18:09 And how many entrepreneurs have gone through your program? So, okay, so let me also clarify, sorry. I teach the Entrepreneurship for Creatives course, but like our entire curriculum here is centered around the entertainment industry. So there's a movie marketing class, there's a screenwriting class, there's pitching your project class, there's a history of film class. So it's all centered around entertainment. There's music courses, there's stuff like that. 18:38 The entrepreneur part is just kind of what I do because like, that's my background. And also like if you're a creative, you are an entrepreneur in the industry, like you are your brand. So mine's the only one, my course is the only one focused on that. So it's not that we have entrepreneurs here. They all want to be in the entertainment industry, but it's part of being in the entertainment industry, you are an entrepreneur. So just to clarify that a little bit, that it's not a separate program. Excellent. And thank you for that, you know, clarifying. 19:08 And I would like you to speak about your own new venture. So not only do you have your own law practice, you have recently started an initiative that is the South Asian Creator Collective. Tell us a little bit more about this. Yeah, so we launched that out of the NYU LA campus. Okay. Because I just found out like that my South Asian students 19:38 They, you know, we have only a few, usually every semester, but they just didn't have the community that some of the other creative communities had because typically South Asian families, your parents want you to be a doctor or an engineer and not really like, okay, you can have a music hobby or be a dancer as a hobby, but not have that as a career. So there was a lot of lack of support. And then I represent some South Asian artists. 20:06 whether they're writers or dancers or creators, producers, things like that in New York and LA. And so they also obviously would say the same thing. So I kind of wanted to bring everyone together to not only create a community for like my clients, my friends who are in the industry, but also to help build that bridge for my South Asian students to have like, you know, mentors in the industry. So we had our first meeting earlier this, a couple of months ago. 20:32 What came out of that was really cool that I brought together my friends and clients. They've already started collabing together on stuff. And then Brenda through you and Ty, I met people who are possibly interested in investing in South Asian creators projects. So we're looking at doing a possible pitch event in the spring to have our creators pitch projects and then to have investors possibly invest in them. So I like the idea of just bringing people together to kind of create this community 21:01 and to help each other kind of, you know, use everyone's skill sets just to create a better whole together. I love it. And I was absolutely thrilled that you were at the Thai So Cal's recent event with the preview and a screening of Show Her the Money, as well as we had our final. 21:22 competition for five women-owned businesses. So thank you for joining us there. We did that at the Noah House in Hollywood, of which I'm a member, and look forward to hearing more about the PitchFest that is probably gonna be in the spring of next year. Hopefully. Noah's crazy though about that, show her the money screening. I didn't realize how many people I knew in the film. Like I knew... 21:48 Liz, like from this organization that we were part of in New York, Dreamers and Doors, were like mainly female entrepreneurs. Like I knew her when she was starting Sogal. And so it was so crazy to see how far they've come. And then like I knew so many other people in the film. And I was like, wait, I knew them back then. I didn't know they were in this film. And like Naseem was in there. Like there was just so many people that I was saw in the film that I was like, wait, I know these people personally. So it was just a really cool screening to see. And to see so many. 22:18 people that I've known over the years, just in how far they've come over the years too. Was really cool. Yeah, initially it's a movement now. So initially Show Her the Money was gonna be shown in 50 US cities. It's gone viral. I think we're up in to the 200s and yeah, it's a movement. So thank you for being, and it's a small world, right? Oh, completely. We all end up, yes, there are no borders. So yeah, thank you. 22:45 And I look forward to that launch and I would be happy to promote it here in the founder sandbox as well as on my YouTube channel. You know, this switch gears. I want to I initially I've known you for years, but I really wanted you to come on to the founder sandbox because not only your story of not resiliency, but to the move across from the from LA to from New York to LA. But 23:14 you're passionate clearly about resilience. And I am also passionate. And it's the type of work I do with with founders as they're scaling their businesses just working on this resiliency, I say muscles. You recently hosted during LA's tech week, about two weeks back, a session on resiliency. Tell us a little bit about it and why you wanted to spearhead that. 23:42 Um, so I did my first LA tech week event last year, and that was a great learning experience. We did it all about pivoting and we had like 400 RSVPs for like 75 spots because I did at NYU's LA campus and we're small. So we had a fire martial capacity of 75. So it was just like overwhelming. But the original reason I launched that event was because 24:09 Um, when I looked at the original LA tech week calendar, all I saw were men on that calendar. And I only, if I saw a panel with a woman, it was like one woman and like five men. And I was like, I have so many incredible friends and clients that are women doing incredible things in the tech space and they never get the platform to talk about this. So I wanted a female forward event. Um, so I did that one and then that one went really well. So then everyone was like, 24:37 Okay, what are you doing for tech week this year? So that's how I was like, okay, so everyone really liked the pivoting one because they said they learned something from it and it was something everyone could relate to. So then, you know, as we're coming out of COVID, a lot of people have felt burnout and have felt the need to kind of just like reinvent themselves or just kind of rise from the ashes to a degree. So then this year's theme, I was like, I feel like I wanna do something around resilience. 25:04 because it's about like weathering the storm and coming out and like, you know, thriving again. And so again, I did it female forward. But what was really incredible is a lot of my male clients and friends also came and like others that I didn't know. And like all of them just like loved the event. And they're like, this has been the most informative event I've ever been to. And I said that at the beginning of my event, I was like, you know, this is like, yes, I, you know, my panel is all women, but 25:33 we can't change the ratio of where only 2% of women receive VC funding if we don't have men in the room, because you need everyone at the table to help change that statistic. And so by sharing the stories of like, again, they were my clients and friends, but they all run like incredible organizations. Like Steph Rizal was one of our speakers. She's an incredible singer songwriter. She just wrote a book for creatives and self-care. 26:00 I had Jazzy Collins, who's the first black person to win an Emmy for casting. And she has a production house called Force Perspective. I had Mickey Reynolds, who used to be the CEO, co-founder of Grid 110, and is now head of programs at Slosnikov, a VC fund. And then I had May Muna, who is amazing. She's a refugee. And she started two organizations, one called the Tia Foundation to help refugees in the US. And then she started this... 26:28 restaurant called Flavors From Afar where refugee chefs essentially have their menus every month featured at the restaurant. So like I got to feature these incredible stories and founders and you know, just how they like, May Muna, her Flavors From Afar restaurant is now Michelin like rated, but she was fired from a Carl's Jr. That's like her story. She's like, yeah, I was fired from Carl's Jr. and now I have a Michelin restaurant. 26:54 So where you start and kind of what happens, it's like you just have to keep going. And all of them kind of had stories like that of being like, you know, dismissed somewhere early in their career and just like, keep like, just keep going. And like, Jazzy too, like, you know, she was just like dismissed for being usually the only black female in any room. And now she's the first black person to win an Emmy earlier this year. And it's just like how, you know, yes, in casting, sorry. But yeah, and how that like just 27:23 those stories of how that rises. And I think a lot of people learn from that because a lot of them were just like, you just have to keep trying, or you just have to try something. And if it doesn't work, you know, go a different direction, but fail faster was kind of the message that they were putting out there that like you'll still figure it out and you just have to like have a really supportive community around you. And as long as you have that, like you can just like find the strength to keep going. 27:50 Tudos to you. This is a podcast that is absolutely filled with lots of nuggets, your own story in New York, coming out to LA, you're teaching your own entrepreneurship journey and your passion with respect to the underrepresented, right? And actually putting on events. 28:16 and Female Forward as well as last year in pivoting is thank you for being part of the ecosystem here in Los Angeles and next year I wonder what you're going to do in LA Tech Week. I know this week was pretty burned out still so we'll see. We have time. So you know I'd like to give you the opportunity to provide how my listeners can contact you or how's it best to contact you. 28:46 Um, yeah, I'm on LinkedIn. I'm on Instagram. My Instagram is just my name, Shivani Hanwad. Um, my email is just shivani at shivanilaw.com. So I guess any of those are kind of the best ways to find me or connect with me. 29:01 Okay, and we're going to shift gears back to this sandbox. You are a guest here to the founder sandbox. And again, my mission is to build resilient, scalable, and purpose-driven companies. So I always like to ask each of my guests what the word means, resilience, purpose-driven, and scalable, sustainable businesses. Each of my guests has a different meaning. And it's 29:30 actually one of the highlights of my podcast for me. Okay, so am I doing all three? Yes, you will. Okay. You already talked a little bit about resilience, but what does it mean to you? What does resilience mean to you? Shivani Ha. I think resilience just means to me, it's just like to persevere, to keep going. And I think all of us have our own challenges, obstacles and hardships. And I think finding the strength to just kind of get through those. 29:59 Because you don't always get over everything that you kind of maybe get through in your life, but getting through it is, I guess, the way to look at it in my mind. And then just kind of still making stuff happen, even if it's hard, is the way I look at resilience. To persevere, still making it happen. Thank you. Purpose-driven. You're very purpose-driven. How many back? If we were to scale you. 30:28 Well, purpose-driven, I just find it like, you know, just quick tangent, but like what originally drew me into law school and like wanting to work in the human trafficking space was like, you know, I was caught in these monsoon floods in India when I was working in Bollywood. And I learned about human trafficking and that's kind of what I wanted to work on. And I have worked on it in different ways, like, you know, changing that law in Delaware and then my work on the TVPGA as part of the New York State Trafficking Coalition. 30:58 So I have worked on that. And I just think that's always been kind of my, I guess, anchor point in a way of like a lot of the work or the pro bono work even that I do through my law firm. And part of why I've kept my law firm is because now no one tells me how I get to spend my time or money. I wanna work on representing children that have been trafficked and do those cases pro bono. I can do that. No one's like, no, you need more billable hours. Like it's up to me. 31:26 So I have a couple of nonprofits that I work with that I represent kids that have been trafficked to get them either status here or just like to a safer spot. And I really love that work. So the work I do with the creatives and everything, it kind of funds and provides me the ability to do this other work. So I think purpose-driven is just like figuring out what it is that you're passionate about and what your anchor point is. Like, why are you doing this? Like, what is it that's getting you through and what gets you out of bed? 31:55 Like I get really excited to like work on my clients' cases because I think they're doing really incredible things. Yes. So I think purpose-driven is just like that, like finding what you're passionate about and like how you can have a positive impact in the community. I have goosebumps. I had, you went off on a little tangent. That was a very important tangent and as it is your anchor point. So thank you for sharing, Shivani. Sustainable growth. 32:23 Okay, what's sustainable? So this is something I'm working on now. Yes. I think, you know, for me, I was an accidental law firm founder, you know, that like I kept meeting these people and like that needed help and like I, I never really thought I would start my own law firm. And so I think it's been a journey of figuring out how to like run a law firm and grow it and all of this and like. 32:48 I'm getting to that point where it's like, okay, what am I doing? Am I still doing this? Am I merging it with something else or someone else? And I'm very fortunate to have really great partners. I'm really fortunate to have the opportunity to these couple of law firms have offered for me to merge my law firm with theirs, join them, all of that. So it's figuring that part of it out. But I think, you know, to be sustainable or scalable, I think one thing, especially people who are type A like me, 33:17 that we struggle with is delegating. And that like finding, you know, you're not good at everything. You're not like, the first thing I did was hire a tax guy. Cause I was like, I don't do this. Like I don't know how to do anything tax wise, but it's just like figuring out like, you know, what you're good at and what you're not good at instead of trying to learn everything, figuring out how to delegate or finding team members to help you with the stuff you're not good at. Because I think a lot of people, especially founders try and hold on to everything. 33:46 And that's kind of what leads to burnout because if you're trying to do stuff that you're just not great at, you just always are gonna feel defeated. But if you have other people that are good at that stuff, supporting you in that, and you get to focus on the stuff you're really good at, then that's gonna energize you because then you're being more successful because you're doing the things you're great at. And then you're being supported still by other people. So you have that mental bandwidth to keep doing and keep running in the right direction. 34:14 what the stuff that you're passionate about, you're good at, what you're trying to grow. So I think to be sustainable or scalable, learning how to delegate is a really important skillset that it takes some time and emotional bandwidth to be able to be okay with letting go of something. Cause like most founders, like their companies are their babies. Like they're growing it. And you know, it's just so hard. It's like saying like, 34:44 It's like you're finding a nanny for your child. Like, okay, I'm okay with letting this person do this part of my business. So. Excellent analogy. And it also probably has to do with your own awareness, right? And the maturity of recognizing there are certain things that I just don't wanna do, but I don't like it or I'm not good at it. And the maturity and awareness that it's better done by someone else, right? 35:13 Yes. And I'm also self-employed and, you know, pushing through. And I have also delegated many things. I'm having a fantastic team, the producer of my podcast, and I let them do and tell, I follow their orders to tell you the truth. But you need that sometimes. Sometimes it's easier if someone just tells you what you need to do and then they're just handling the rest. 35:42 Um, and thank you for joining me in the, the, um, founder sandbox podcast this month, you know, um, to my listeners, if you liked this episode with Shivani Han what sign up for the monthly release, um, where founders, business owners, corporate directors and professional service providers provide their own origin stories. And they tell their stories about resilience purpose driven and scalable. 36:11 Thank you again. You can listen to these episodes on any major podcast streaming service. Signing off for this month. Thank you. Thanks, Brenda.  

It's January! It's the month for renewal, resolutions and fresh starts. Whether you're looking for personal or professional changes, now's the time to put plans to work. In Arlington Economic Development, training and support go hand and hand throughout the year, but this January, there's more in store. I'm Susan Soroko, Director of Creative Economy at Arlington Economic Development in Arlington Virginia. The role of Economic Development is to retain and attract businesses where workers can live and thrive in a great community even when the work world is changing. We support (small) business through programs like BizLaunch and value the importance of placemaking and a sector devoted to creative economy and the arts. Today we're going to talk about what it takes to transform a small business. Alex Held is Small Business Manager at Arlington Economic Development. He is a solutions oriented thinker with six years of business development, sales and marketing, and consulting experience in dynamic organizations both nonprofit and for-profit, managing competing priorities in a goal driven setting. I am particularly skilled at uncovering clients' needs and finding solutions to achieve their objectives. Resources Arlington Economic Development BizLaunch Division: https://www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com/Small-Business BizLaunch Transformational Challenge and Pitch Fest event: https://www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com/News-Resources/Events/BizLaunch-Transformational-Challenge-and-PitchFest Alex Held LinkedIn bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-held-cpm-747b6615/ The Innovation Economy Website: https://www.innovationeconomy.show Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://agilebrandguide.com/ Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/innovationeconomy/ Listen to our other podcast, The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström: https://www.theagilebrand.show The Innovation Economy podcast is brought to you by Arlington Economic Development: https://www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com The Innovation Economy is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Nick and producer-turned-”shark” Mark hear pitches from ten up and coming Australian climate startups! Our third annual pitch episode with some incredible ~seed stage startups in the latest cohort from EnergyLab - Australia's leading climate accelerator. Previous guests on the Pitchfest and podcast have gone on to raise hundreds of millions in capital (you can review these here), so let's dive in to the latest group!You can also watch on YouTube here.The lineup:(02:16) Stralis Aircraft - Hydrogen-electric planes for emission-free flights (Bob Criner)(12:38) Enaxiom - Harnessing low-grade waste heat to decarbonize wastewater treatment (Tia Collings)(23:58) OptiGrid - Smarter energy management for batteries (Sahand Karimi)(33:31)GridStore Energy - Boosting solar panel output and profits (Garth Paton)(42:47) CLT Toolbox - Structural design software to accelerate timber building (Adam Jones)(53:51) Dewpoint Innovations - Novel coatings for passive cooling and atmospheric water collection (Dil Khosa)(01:02:23) X-Centric - Accurate soil data for agriculture (Roozbeh Ravansari)(01:11:22) Brownee - Empowering SMEs to thrive in a sustainable economy (Renate Crollini)(01:21:06) InfigoLabs - Decarbonizing industries with ultra-high-temperature heat solutions (Prashant Parulekar)(01:28:54) Planet Price - Quantifying the real costs of everything (Debbie O'Byrne)If you liked the pitch? Reach out! And if you didn't like the pitch, send feedback!***As always if you don't want to miss any eps, hit that follow button!We'd also love it if you gave us a review / rating on Apple or Spotify! It really helps other listeners find us.You can sign up to our mailing list, say hello@apositiveclimate.com or follow us at www.instagram.com/apositiveclimatepodcast and https://au.linkedin.com/company/a-positive-climate. **About the podcastA Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference. Hosted by Australian renewable energy and climate investment experts Nick Zeltzer and Alex McIntosh.Previous guests have included innovators from JET Charge, Goterra, 5B, Amazon, Zoomo, V2Food, All G Foods, Vow, Sea Forest, Great Wrap, Infravision,...

Are you ready to revolutionize how hiring managers and recruiters collaborate? This episode, we're thrilled to host David Nason and Master Burnett from HireBrain, where they share their innovative approach to reimagining how jobs and requirements are both defined and filled. Fresh off a win at HR Tech's Pitchfest in October 2024, they are ready to break down the pillars of hiring and talk about what it takes to build a solid foundation for talent that aligns hiring managers, recruiters, candidates, and most importantly, the business. Tune in to explore how you can remove blindspots and bias from hiring while creating a better hiring experience for everyone involved.

The AI Startup PitchFest, organized by Pundi AI, WOO Innovation Hub, and The Generative Being, aiming to spotlight cutting-edge AI solutions, is thrilled to announce the expert Jury Panel as well as an extension of the submission deadline. The participants now have until October 25, 2024, to submit their applications, providing more time for groundbreaking AI and web3 projects to join this prestigious competition. Meet the Esteemed Jury Panel:Dr. Lun-Wei Ku, Research Fellow, Institute of Information Science, Academia SinicaDr. Yi-Chieh Wu, Interdisciplinary Artificial Intelligence Center, National Chengchi UniversityShivang Gupta, Founder, The Generative BeingsAlex, AI Lead, WOO Innovation HubIan Chong, Developer Ecosystem Lead APAC, CircleZac Cheah, Founder, Pundi AIThese prominent figures in AI and blockchain technology will bring their wealth of expertise to evaluate startups based on innovation, market potential, scalability, team capability, and technical feasibility. Their participation not only elevates the credibility of the competition but ensures that the most promising AI startups will gain the exposure they deserve. Finalists will have the opportunity to present their solutions at the prestigious Singapore FinTech Festival, with the top three winners access to a six-month incubation program, empowering them to refine and bring their products to market as well as receiving up to 100,000 USD worth of resource support. Apply now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddwiTDhfhPXW7KKUfP5-4w-aFDHG6DbU8rvgO5xjtASFq9dw/viewform Leave a comment and share your thoughts: https://open.firstory.me/user/ckkcfzy6qw1t408649cld3pc3/comments Powered by Firstory Hosting

In today's news: The village of Stevensville has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for the construction of a pavilion at Hickory Creek Park.  Set for Tuesday is the Emerge Innovation Hub's fourth annual PitchFest in Benton Harbor.  As Halloween approaches, the city of St. Joseph will host a Truck or Treat event for the kiddies this Saturday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's news: The village of Stevensville has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for the construction of a pavilion at Hickory Creek Park.  Set for Tuesday is the Emerge Innovation Hub's fourth annual PitchFest in Benton Harbor.  As Halloween approaches, the city of St. Joseph will host a Truck or Treat event for the kiddies this Saturday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's news: The village of Stevensville has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for the construction of a pavilion at Hickory Creek Park.  Set for Tuesday is the Emerge Innovation Hub's fourth annual PitchFest in Benton Harbor.  As Halloween approaches, the city of St. Joseph will host a Truck or Treat event for the kiddies this Saturday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, I attended The HR Technology Conference in Las Vegas. The event was full of energy and optimism for the future as hundreds of vendors showcased new AI products and AI integrations. Everyone was playing up the new heights of efficiency and effectiveness AI can take us as an industry. However, there was much debate about the level of genuine innovation on offer and a sense that rather than thinking radically and reinventing what we do, we were just looking at faster ways of solving old problems that don't live up to AI''s potential to challenge the status quo. Here are three interviews I recorded at the show to help you make up your own minds about the levels of innovation we are currently seeing. First up is Allyn Bailey from SmartRecruiters who predicted the rise of recruiterless recruiting on the show last year. I was interested to see how far she thought we had come on that journey and what was going to happen next. The second interview was with Josh Sklüt, co-founder of MyStandard, who was undoubtedly the vendor trying to be the most disruptive, with a very different way of looking at the relationship between employers and potential employers. The final interview is a conversation with David Nason, founder and CEO of HireBrain, who seeks to better align hiring managers and recruiters and who were winners of the Pitchfest competition at the conference.  Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Jumping Into Size-Inclusive, Sustainable Fashion with Hayley Matthews-Jones In today's episode, we are back with a brand-new guest interview! This time, Rachel is chatting with Hayley Matthews-Jones, the visionary founder behind The Jump. Discover how Hayley has shaped her understanding of local economies and sustainability, and why her personal struggles with finding the perfect jumpsuit fit inspired her to launch The Jump. We'll also learn about the importance of domestic manufacturing and the critical role of engaging with customers through surveys can be so helpful in the product development process. One of the most challenging aspects for any small business is finding funding, which Hayley dives into, including the rigorous application and pitch process of the Hatch Bloomington contest. Additionally, we touch on the importance of business planning, self-accountability, and maintaining a strategic vision for entrepreneurial success. We'll also explore the significance of building an email list from the get-go to ensure reliable customer communication despite the volatility of social media platforms.    About The Jump: The Jump is a size-inclusive jumpsuit brand that will be sustainably made in the US. We're currently in the research and development phase, with a goal to launch in Fall, 2025. Although we didn't make it to the final round of Hatch Bloomington, we're moving ahead with planning. We're currently conducting a user survey to learn more about our customer needs.   Take the survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe03FzrSq-jk8rSBNdXF-OtPr9G9V_tVB0tHOkr9k8ECb9SAQ/viewform   In this episode, you'll hear: -How The Jump got started and what Hayley noticed in her own collection of jumpsuits. -Recent survey findings! -How Hayley was able to reach the Top 10 in her Pitch Fest! -It's so important to stay focused on where you're going when you're in the trenches of the day-to-day in your business. -Always check your local community (Library, Chamber of Commerce, etc.) for free resources in the small business realm. We can't wait to hear what you think of this episode! Connect with The Jump: https://shopthejump.com/   Purchase the Business of Apparel Online Course: https://www.thebusinessofapparel.com/course To connect with Rachel, you can join her LinkedIn community here: LinkedIn. To visit her website, go to: www.unmarkedstreet.com.

Sense, a market leader in AI-driven talent engagement solutions for enterprise recruiting, announced the launch of its new Career Sites solution. This innovative product empowers companies to seamlessly build and launch a career site with brand consistency, an intuitive design, and robust recruiting features. https://hrtechfeed.com/sense-launches-career-site-solution/ Job search engine DirectlyApply, has announced the release of a new search experience that matches job seekers with opportunities based on the unique details of their resumes. https://hrtechfeed.com/directlyapply-redefines-job-search-with-resume-powered-matching-technology/ Fama Technologies, the social media screening platform announced their newest feature: Instagram Reels as a Source! With this release, Fama is taking a large step forward in helping its clients identify signals of workplace misconduct that may only appear in video format.  https://hrtechfeed.com/fama-announces-new-instagram-reels-as-a-source-feature/ The HR Technology Conference & Exposition® today announced the participants of its 2024 Pitchfest.  This year will see 31 companies compete against one another in three preliminary rounds. Each participant will have three minutes to present their concept, followed by two minutes to answer questions from the judges. Scores will be determined through a combination of audience voting (30 percent) and the judging panel (70 percent). The total score earned in the preliminary rounds will determine which six companies will advance to the Pitchfest final. https://hrtechfeed.com/hr-technology-conference-exposition-announces-2024-pitchfest-participants/  Phenom is hosting its annual AI Day 2024 on Spet 12th, which focuses on how Generative AI and AI agents empower organizations to hire faster, develop better and retain longer through augmented work — while ensuring responsible AI adoption and utilization. To register go to ai.phenom.com  

Host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the biggest events at Consensus 2024.To get the show every day, follow the podcast here."CoinDesk Daily" host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the biggest events at Consensus 2024, from meeting top Web3 leaders at PitchFest to an electrifying Karate combat between crypto influencers. And, don't miss the EasyA Consensus Hackathon where developers can build and present their projects in front of world-class investors.-Consensus is where experts convene to talk about the ideas shaping our digital future. Join developers, investors, founders, brands, policymakers and more in Austin, Texas from May 29-31. The tenth annual Consensus is curated by CoinDesk to feature the industry's most sought-after speakers, unparalleled networking opportunities and unforgettable experiences. Register now at consensus.coindesk.com.-This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “First Mover” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and Melissa Montañez and edited by Victor Chen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this special episode of the podcast, we talk about when things going into the public domain. After learning about some properties joining the public domain in the coming years, we pitch one another on how they could be adapted with the same grace and care as Pooh: Blood and Honey. Which is your favorite […]

Catherine Gray, the host of Invest In Her, interviews Kat Weaver & Katie Dunn, the co-founders of Power to Pitch. They are a founder and investor team who saw the gaps in education, resources, & access to capital, and together advise founders on fundraising strategies, review pitches, update pitch decks, meet with program members on a weekly basis for support, and actively make introductions to investors.   www.sheangelinvestors.com  https://www.powertopitch.com/   Follow Us On Social Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn  

Thriller author KJ North's DEAD MAN'S MONEY is available on Amazon now!On today's 160th episode of The Thriller Zone, I'm happy to spend some time with debut author Steve Urszenyi as we discuss his thriller novel, Perfect Shot.Sure, we cover his experience as a writer, but be sure to listen as he shares the story behind the breathtaking opening scene, plus his reasoning behind and the process of choosing a female protagonist Alexandre Martel. As you may guess, we learn how Perfect Shot is the first book in a series featuring Alex.One of my favorite parts of this conversation is when Steve talks about his background as a paramedic and tactical medic which, as you'll quickly see, heavily influenced his writing and this story.Our conversation concludes with a discussion about Steve's agent, John Talbot, and John's role in the publishing process. Plus, you'll hear how Steve Urszenyi used his experience with PitchFest to land that "dream agent," and continues by offering some advice for aspiring writers. Yes, you may have heard this one particular advice before, but listen as to how Steve makes it seem a wee bit different. If you'd like to learn more about this debut author, visit: SteveUrszenyi.com and follow him on all social channels.Of course, you're happily invited to join us as we discuss all things thriller, mystery, and suspense at TheThrillerZone.com, as well as following us on ALL social channels @thethrillerzone. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to us at YouTube.com/thethrillerzone.Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. And as always, be sure to tell a friend you've found "The front-row seat to the best thriller writers in the world...with TheThrillerZone.com!"---SummaryIn this episode of The Thriller Zone, host David Temple interviews debut author Steve Yerzani about his thriller novel, Perfect Shot. They discuss the process of writing the opening scene, the choice of a female protagonist, and the research involved in the book. Steve shares his background as a paramedic and tactical medic, which influenced his writing. He also talks about working with his literary agent, John Talbot, and reveals that Perfect Shot is the first book in a series featuring the protagonist Alex Martel.Takeaways Choosing a strong opening scene can set the tone for the entire book. The choice of a female protagonist can challenge genre norms and provide a fresh perspective. Research is crucial for creating an authentic and engaging story. Drawing from personal experiences can add depth and realism to the writing. Having confidence in your own writing style and process is essential. Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background03:00 The Opening Scene and Writing Process06:00 Choosing a Female Protagonist09:01 Elevator Pitch and Plot17:33 The Importance of Research21:42 Becoming a Tactical Medic25:34 Surprising Experiences as a Paramedic28:49 Working with Literary Agent John Talbot32:08 The Alex Martel Series39:18 What's Next for Alex Martel43:00 Best Writing Advice44:39 Closing Remarks

Tune in to hear Boese review his 15 years at the HR Tech conference and the innovative ideas he's seeing at this year's Pitchfest, where startups bring new ideas to the fore. According to Boese, one of the top challenges for HR in 2024 is embracing technology more meaningfully. “AI can't teach us how to love,” he says, so we must find ways to use technology while preserving the human touch.Unum took its Gartner Marketing Award-winning HR Trends podcast studio on the road (again) to the 2023 HR Technology Conference & Exposition, held October 10–13 in Las Vegas. Listen as HR Trends host Clare Morin and others interview some of the biggest influencers in the HR tech world. You'll hear their expert opinions on how technology will change the HR profession and improve the employee experience through 2024 and beyond. 

"What if one of the big tech companies - Apple, Google, Amazon, Tesla - decides to become homebuilders? And disruption comes from outside the industry that basically upends the industry completely, a company that can come in and do what the industry will not, or can not, at this point, to deliver affordable, high-quality housing?" Join us this week as talk with Rich Binsacca and Dennis Steigerwalt about HIA 2024, PitchFest, and offsite construction. Rich Binsacca is the editorial director of Pro Builder, the leading B2B media brand for the U.S. housing industry, where he heads a team journalists, designers, and contributors to deliver timely, relevant, and award-winning content. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, he has engaged the housing industry since 1987 as a journalist, editor, producer, and marketing/communications professional. Published independently by SGC-Horizon, Pro Builder is the official media partner of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Dennis leads strategy and market engagement for the Housing Innovation Alliance, a network of over 2,000+ companies focused on strategic growth opportunities in the homebuilding industries. He's a boundary spanner, a connector, and an investor in all things related to the built environment.  Navigating complex networks of relationships and promoting broader investment in research and development, Dennis seeks out opportunities to connect the dots on transformational initiatives to achieve objectives together that we shouldn't, and likely couldn't, tackle alone. The Housing Innovation Summit will take place June 4-6, 2024. Pitchfest will kick off the Summit on June 4th. Get a 2-day Summit registration to participate in all Pitchfest activities and Summit sessions, round table discussions, and networking events. Stay for the final day (June 6) with a separate ticket for tours or send another member of your team to gather best practices from the field. Follow the Housing Innovation Alliance on LinkedIn and connect with Dennis.  View Videos of the virtual podcast here: https://youtu.be/J4GORWQp-SY https://youtu.be/4IJa3dqjJsE

Did anyone pay attention to the HR Technology Conference & Exposition's Pitchfest winners?The big winner digitally consolidates 401(k) plans. You know, rather than manually. That's how much basic blocking & tackling we still have left to do when driving innovation for business and making all of our work lives better. Another winner we loved is CollabWORK, who also addresses a pretty fundamental talent problem. We all love hiring referrals, but we don't think outside the box when it comes to connecting with the seven degrees of separation of our high performers and hard-to-source talent.Summer Delaney, CEO and Founder of CollabWORK explains their community-based hiring approach. Yes, they use AI, but that wasn't the big story. In fact, they might have won because they take a pretty cautious but intelligent approach. Tune in!

On this week's show, we cover how high and low our voices can go, things we have changed our views on, places we don't want to vacation, Oktoberfest, mattresses, a Beyonce concert, mailbox shenanigans, and more!Please consider becoming a Patron to help out the show and to start getting bonus content at just $5 a month: patreon.com/QualifiedNonsenseSend any questions or comments to: qualifiednonsense@gmail.com and don't forget to rate, review, like and subscribe on your podcast app of choice! Thanks for listening!Socials:Instagram & TikTok: qualified_nonsenseTwitter: @QNPodcastHosts: Jake Wilhelmi, Matthew Ellis, and Brandon BernhardtMusic: AceSound Effects: https://www.zapsplat.com

Leigh Medeiros, co-founder and co-director of the Hollywood Climate Summit's Pitchfest for Film and TV, talks about how climate screenwriting equals good storytelling and gives “ten reasons why the time is now for screenwriters to help save the planet."

In June, I hosted a webinar called "The Truth About Screenwriting Contests and Pitch Fests" where I shared my thoughts on some of these writing contests and the potential scams out there, as well as some bad advice I always hear. This episode addresses questions you asked in our Q&A session that we didn't have time to answer. There's lots of great info here, make sure you watch.SHOW NOTESFree 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 TRANSCRIPTSMichael Jamin:When I'm in a writer's room all the time, we don't use these words that everyone seems to have learned on the internet. That's why when you said 15 minutes, 15 minute structure, what? It is unfamiliar to me because I've, in my 27 years, we don't talk like that. So when I teach you how we talk, it's like it's not as complicated as people wanted. When you learn from somebody, screenwriting, just find out, are they qualified to teach you? Forget. I don't care if they wrote a book. No, no. What shows have they written on? Hey everyone, it's Michael Jamin. Welcome back to another episode of Screenwriters Need to Hear this. I'm here with Phil Hudson. Welcome Phil.Phil Hudson:What up?Michael Jamin:What up? We're doing another q and a. So once a month I do a live webinar. You're all invited to go to be invited. Go to michael jamon.com/webinar. The one in June. The topic was, we always do a different topic, but the one in June was the Truth about contests, screenwriting Contests, and Pitch Fests. And afterwards I do a q and a and we try to get to as many questions as we can when we run out of time, and I can't answer all of them while Phil has kept a file. And now we're going to answer all those questions for you. So hopefully this will be very illuminating. Yeah, may seem a little random, but whatever. It's, it's knowledge. Alright, Phil. Yeah, so hit me with a question.Phil Hudson:Yeah, absolutely. Just again, for decorum purposes I guess, or flow, we took all the questions. If we don't answer your question here, it's probably addressed somewhere else. So we have previous q and a question, podcast episodes. You take questions all the time on your social media there. There's stuff everywhere. So if your question hasn't been answered, most likely it's been answered somewhere else. We've already answered. Your YouTube is actually a great place to go for our content. Yeah, subscribeMichael Jamin:To Michael Jamon,Phil Hudson:Writer.Michael Jamin:Yeah, Michael Jamen, writer on YouTube as well as Instagram and TikTokPhil Hudson:And Facebook. And you can go to Michael's site as well. And I believe in the footer there's a list of all your social media and they can click on that stuff. So yeah, I've broken your questions out into multiple sections by topic and I've had to fold some questions together because there were just a ton of questions in this podcast, in this webinar. So, okay. This first section is called Breaking In related to the Truth about Screenwriting contests and Pitch Fest. And Michael, you are not one to mince words regarding all of these hacks and sheets to get into the industry. And I think it's something a lot of people need to hear and hopefully have, are going to hear from you today.Michael Jamin:By the way, I want to say, I'm sorry, Phil, but the webinars are always free and if you miss it, we send you a free replay, which is good for 24 hours. And then if you miss that, you can purchase it on my website for a small fee@michaeljamin.com slash shop. So sorry if you missed it, but you had to wax at it for free. Okay.Phil Hudson:Yeah. And that's on demand and permanent. It's not, you watch it once and it goes away or it, it's like you get it and it's chock full of good information.Michael Jamin:Yeah.Phil Hudson:Awesome. So Natalie Faler, how do you even find a person to pitch your screenplay to? So since these contests don't help your career get started, how do you get your career started? How do you come become qualified to get hired or work in any of these production companies?Michael Jamin:So what you need to have, you look at your script as a writing sample. You can write a movie, tell whatever you want, a TV show, whatever it is. Everyone's get so focused on, well, how do I need a Bible? Do I need episode three and four and season 10? No, no. You just need one damn good script that will impress people. That's all. Just one and one is hard enough. So write your script. And then when you give it to somebody, if it's good, someone in the industry, they'll pass it along. If it's really good, if it's mediocre, they're not, if it's okay or bad, they're not going to pass it along. You don't get a chance to sell your TV show if it's bad. No, you have to write a great script. What's in your hands? So everyone just assumes that and they assume, well, I already have a good script. Okay, but does anyone else agree with you? Have you given to anyone who agrees with you that it's a great script because it's not up to you. They have to agree with you. They have to say, yeah, it's a great script and then doors will open. But first things first, learn how to writePhil Hudson:And that actually jumps us down, you address is can we, Drake ask typically how many episodes do you pitchMichael Jamin:One you first go for, you don't do any, you pi, you give one script. How are you going to pitch an episode? How are you going to pitch a show if you can't even get the meeting to pitch a show? And you can't get the meeting until someone reads a script of yours and says, this is a really good script sample. It's a work, it's a writing sample. That's it. It's not about selling anything. It's about impressing people with your ability to write. It's okay if you're not going to sell it, tell you how many scripts I've written the intention even to sell it. It was just to impress people.Phil Hudson:Yeah. The last part of this question is how do you become qualified to get hired or work in any of these production companies as an avenue of working your way up? And the answer is you start at the bottom.Michael Jamin:Yeah, you start at the bottom way at the bottom where you're not even thinking about that. You're thinking, well, how can I become qualified to get coffee for the person who works here? And then you, that's how you start making contacts. That's how you start working your way up. So everyone wants to start at the top. My recommendation is start at the bottom.Phil Hudson:Beautiful. Liz Romantic besides attempting to get representation from an agent, what's another way to get my screenplay seen by a producer?Michael Jamin:Oh, well again, working Do a fill does works at a production company versus a pa, then I got promoted to associate producer. That's how you do it. That's, that's another way to do it ano, is to start at the bottom. Start making your connections in Hollywood. Another way to do it is to, you can start your own channel on social media where you're putting out amazing, you're shooting and making your own amazing content and I'm, I'm talking about scripted, whatever it is you want to do as a scripted, start doing that. Start impressing people with your ability to write and amazing things will happen. But I was going to do a whole webinar on that as well. I know I'm not, I'm giving short shrift to that answer, but I'll explain in detail in future webinars.Phil Hudson:Yeah. Awesome. Rob Stagin Borg, they say Hollywood Ism All is always looking for new talent, but are they really?Michael Jamin:Yeah, they're looking to exploit you. And like I said, you want to be exploited. Why not? They're looking for someone to make them rich. Everyone is looking for someone to make them rich. And if you have the ability to make them rich, if they look at you and they see dollar signs in your face, you're in, you're in. Yeah. But the problem is no one wants to do that. They want to beg, come on, can. No one wants to, no one's interested in helping your career. They want to help their own career. And the way they help their own career is by finding someone who's this, who's got a ton of talent that they can exploit in a good way, but exploit.Phil Hudson:Yeah. Yeah. All right. Our buddy, the Jovan shares back, and this question is in reference to one of the topics of the webinar, which is available now for people to buy. If you want to go watch it, it's michael jam.com/shop. But this is in relation to the topic of what's the reality and value of competitions and screenwriting contests and all this stuff. And you're basically saying not a lot and most of 'em are not beneficial.Michael Jamin:Yeah. You can go listen to the webinar we talk about which ones I think are the best ones and the biggest ones. But the small ones, the little ones, it's only making them rich, not you rich. Yeah.Phil Hudson:So with that context, does this advice also go for short story competitions?Michael Jamin:I don't really know. I really don't know. I'm not in that world. I'm a TV writer.Phil Hudson:Yeah. And that might be short film contests and things, but there's the occasional short film that gets moved. Like the Poon Dynamite, right? Was it paca? I don't know. It was a short that was put into Sundance and then it got bought and then it got flipped into a feature. That'sMichael Jamin:Very, but they said short story though. This person said short story. Correct.Phil Hudson:In the context of screenwriting. Okay. I think it's really about short films because you talk you storyMichael Jamin:If, yeah, I mean if you can make something and a respective, especially a film festival, that's a little different. If you make something at a film festival that gets people's attention. But that's what I'm yelling it all along you. You've already made it. You've already made it and it's already great. SoPhil Hudson:Yeah, you've done the work. You're not hoping someone else will give you the in. Yeah. Alright. Sadie Wise heart, what are avenues with getting into the industry with just an associate degree? I keep hearing being a PA is great, but are there also other avenues? Michael, I've never once in my life been asked if I have an associate's degree. That's something people talk about, but I,Michael Jamin:No one cares. Phil, I want to know, can you get the coffee? Can you pick up lunch? Yeah. Do you know how to use the coffee machine? That's what I want to know. I don't need to see your diploma.Phil Hudson:This will be fun. So this is my diploma cover. I was handed when I walked across my stage at my college graduation. It's empty, right? There's no diploma in here. Why? My school went defunct, my school closed.Michael Jamin:They went out of business.Phil Hudson:There's no, there's no diploma. Did I earn it? Yep. Do I have the honors? Yep. Do I have photos of me? Did my family come? Yep. There's no diploma in there. If someone wanted to see my diploma, I couldn't even show it to them. That's how little it matters in the industry. Yeah. Can you do the job?Michael Jamin:But this person wants to know, are there other avenues other than pa? I mean, if you want to break into the business, you're going to have to start at the bottom. I'm you, I'm sorry. You don't get to become an executive producer unless you've, you know, got to start at the bottom.Phil Hudson:Yeah, yeah,Michael Jamin:Absolutely. But again, I have a i'll, I'll probably do a webinar coming up where I'll talk about things, other avenues to break into the business if you absolutely cannot move to LA and you insist on not starting at the bottom, what else can you do? It's going to be a harder, but there are things you can do, but it'll be harder.Phil Hudson:Yeah. Ah, we met a bunch of people are going to sign up for that one. That sounds like, that sounds like a lot of the questions we get. Okay, great. Rob Stagin Borg, again with so many services out there designed to help in Arian quotes, new riders. How can a new rider tell what is legit and what is this scam? A scam?Michael Jamin:I would assume everything's a scam. I thinkPhil Hudson:That's the answer.Michael Jamin:I mean, I don't know. I don't know what kind of service that they're talking about. If it's a coverage service, you're going to be read. The person reading your coverage is probably not qualified. They're no more qualified than you are unless you were able to find a writer, a working writer, a successful working writer with credits that you've seen on I M D B on shows. And those people are out there that have the time to help charge people to read, to give notes or whatever. That's your due diligence. You got to find them. But wouldn't, a service is different like a service is what are you going to get? You're going to get a minimum wage paying person reading your job. But if you can find a working writer to do that, and because of the internet, you probably can then expect to pay. You expect to pay for someone's expertise. They've earned it and you're going to have to pay more for it. Sorry. That's just how it goes. So if you want to pay $50, you're going to get $50 worth. If you want to pay $400, you'll probably get $400 worth.Phil Hudson:And you got your start taking lessons from a former writer who was retired and doing that, right?Michael Jamin:Yeah. Yeah. But that's a little different. But yeah, I, I wanted to learn from people who had the job that I had, who I wanted rather the job that I wanted getting charged.Phil Hudson:Dominique Davenport. Hey Michael and Phil, what's up Dominique? Hey, I'm a PA from Atlanta. I'm just now getting my footing in the industry. What steps should I be taking starting out?Michael Jamin:Good for you. You're already got your foot in the door. Maintain those relationships that you have with everyone who works there, from the producer to the associate producer to the coordinator. Just maintain those relationships and prove that you're a hard worker. That you'll go above and beyond because when they get their next job, they will bring you along with them. They don't want to want to train someone from scratch. So my advice to you is to be nice to whoever you've worked for as a pa, the coordinator, all the way up to the producer, the executive producer, show them that you're a hard worker. Show them that you hustle, that you go above and beyond because when they go to their next job, they're going to want to take you with them. Why is that? Because they don't want to hire someone brand new and have to break them in. And maybe that person doesn't have your work ethic, so it's just easier for them to work with the same people and promote those people. So you're, you've got your foot in the door. All you got to do now is continue doing more of the same, which is continue impressing people with how hard you work. Don't say no to anything. Get there early, leave late. Good for you. You're in, you're in. So just work your butt off and you'll do great.Phil Hudson:Yeah. Hannah Chartier, who's the writer's assistant on Tacoma fd, and this is very specific to Atlanta. I was talking to her and her story is she volunteered and did a bunch of work for the broken lizard guys for Super Troopers too. And then the she PA on that. And the producer was so impressed, he brought her along as his assistant for Miss Marvel in Atlanta. And I was talking to her on set and she was telling me that, and I was like, oh, that's cool. I know Miss Marvel's stunt Double Cassidy. I went to film school. They're like, oh, I know Cassidy Cassidy's. Awesome. That's how small the industry is. So someone I went to film school with in New Mexico who's working as a stunt person and an actor in Atlanta knows someone that I'm sitting on a set in Santa Clarita, California, dressed in 13th century French garb.Like we're having a conversation about that person. So that word does travel and your reputation does precede you. So Chelsea Steep, should Hollywood go back to proper employment? So for those who aren't aware, Hollywood used to literally have a contract on you as a writer, and you only work for Warner. Oh, and you only worked for M G M and that was your job. And you wrote things for them and you were on their payroll. And then that changed with a rider's strike and the formation of the Rider's Guild to stop that because credits were being assigned to producer's, girlfriends, and whoever it was. And you had no say because you were just an employee. And so they started a union to protect writer's interests. And that's how the W G A began. And they think this question is saying, should writers, should we go back to that as a form of employment?Michael Jamin:I think you answered it really well. I mean, some writers are lucky enough to have an overall deal at a studio and they get paid well, but most writers don't. That most writers are just jumping from gig to gig. And that's why we're on strike right now because the studios have turned it into a gig economy. So there's a happy medium somewhere, I hope.Phil Hudson:Yeah, Sadie Wise Heart again. Where would be some good organizations or companies to find jobs as rider's assistants, also with the rider's strike? How would that affect that process?Michael Jamin:Well, there are no jobs during the rider's strike. So that affects that process. Writer's assistant is not an entry level job. It is a job you have to be trained and qualified to do. I'm not qualified to be a writer assistant.Phil Hudson:It's a union job too.Michael Jamin:Now it's a union job covered on I O C, right? Yeah. Yep. But you have to, someone has to train you how to do that. And I'm not, I'm a showrunner and I don't know how to do it. And so usually you start as a pa and then you ask the writer's assistant who's above you, how do I do your job in case I poison you? And that way I can take your job if you fall sick and they'll train you to know how to do that job because you have to know how to use the software really well. But you also have to know the distribution protocols, who gets scripts when and how they're distributed. And so it's a little bit complicated. There's some notes you have to know how to take notes really well, but it's not an entry level job, but it's a a job you definitely want to get if you are an aspiring screenwriter for sure.Phil Hudson:Yep, yep. Everything's different right now and going to continue to be different. Even if the actors strike at this time, they have voted for the authorization to strike. So yeah, Tom Miller, if I get rejected from contest and get nos from query letters, what do I do?Michael Jamin:There's your problem right there. If you get rejected from a contest, reputative one, the big ones that we talk about in that webinar we just did, and don't, you're not going to get rejected, but you're not going to, let's say you don't win, it's because you need to work on your game. You need to become a better writer. How about work on that? It's not some, they're telling you maybe you're not good enough, but in the meantime, you should always be working on your craft, get better and better as a writer. And that, you know, don't need a contest to do that. You, or you can also shoot your own stuff. You can make it. I've done plenty of webinars on what I would do, and I'm going to do another one on what I would do if I had a break into the industry today.But at the end of the day, if you are not a good writer, there's just no demand for you. And I know you're going to say, well, but aren't there bad writers working? Sure there's a whole range of writers working, but the bad ones aren't going to keep writing forever. They may have gotten lucky. And that can't be your strategy. Your strategy can't be Well, they're bad. I can be bad too. No, there's no demand for demand for mediocre writers. You need to work on your craft and get better. But there's a lot you can do and we'll talk more about that in future webinars. Yeah,Phil Hudson:Yeah. I'd also say that a lot of that rejection, keep in mind that that also might be topical. It might be related to your subject matter, and it may be that some of those are very specifically looking for stories. Like Sundance for example, is a good one. They're looking for underrepresented voices, and so they're looking at indigenous stories and they're looking at people with something interesting. So the work I've done there, they're very fascinating people and typically from a different ethical, racial, more of a, what we call a protected class background who have not had opportunities to tell their stories that are unique. So you got to understand your audience too. And that's still a lesson you got to learn. So, alright, Jarret Frierson, ultimately what's most important, establishing connections and networking or making your writing the best it can possibly be?Michael Jamin:Well, if you could have the best network in Hollywood, and if you're writing is no good, no one's going to go out in a limb and hire you. I mean, because that they're jeopardizing their own career. If they have a show and they can hire one writer and they got some bad writer that's not contributing and is going to drag them down, they're not going to risk their career for you. I don't care if you are their babysitter, you know, have to be good. So why can't you do both at the same time? Why can't you work on your craft while continuing to make the context and expanding your circle? But again, I talk about, I've talked, I've spoken about at length about what that means, what your network means, and your network isn't people you randomly send emails to once a year to keep. That's not your network. Your network or your, is your cohort people, your friends, people, you're close to, people you work with, people, your class, your graduating class, this is your network. It's not people who you've reached out to on LinkedIn and they decide to friend you. That's not your network.Phil Hudson:No, it's Kevin who texted me today and said, Hey man, how are you doing? We haven't talked story in a while. You want to hop on a call and we have a call tomorrow to go over stuff. Oh, great. He's the guy, the who sends me things to read and I send him things to read and we hop on the calls and we spend an hour talking about them. Great. Perfect. It's so awesome. Cool. Moving on. This section is craft. It's just how we do the job. Olivia asks, some teachers say you need establishing shots. Others say no. Who's right?Michael Jamin:Well, I guess if you're going to shoot it, you always want to, if you're shooting something, get an establishing shot. It helps establish a location. We always have establishing shots. I've never been on a show. You need establishing shot, especially if you're going to cut from one location to another. If you're doing a scene in someone's house and the next scene is in a restaurant and you don't put an establishing shot, people are going to think, wait, is there back room of the house? A restaurant? They're not going to be confusing. So get the grab an establishing shot. Do you need to put it in your script? No, you don't need to put, say exterior restaurant day. I mean, you could say Interior restaurant day. So you don't need that. You don't to slug an establishing shot in your script, but if you're going to shoot it, get one.Phil Hudson:Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a good question in an answer I wish I would've had in 2009 and 10 when I was writing a lot of establishing shots for no purposeMichael Jamin:In my script. Make it more, does it make the read more enjoyable? No.Phil Hudson:And more and clear and Right. The slug line makes it clear. I am inside a restaurant.Michael Jamin:Yeah, I get it. I know what a rest, thePhil Hudson:First ad, the first A d will schedule. Yeah, exterior shop. Yep. Yeah, right. Tamara Hanssen. What would you say are the most important things to pay attention to when writing a thriller? And what would you say is the biggest difference between a horror versus a thriller? I thought it'd be an interesting one because you're a comedy writer.Michael Jamin:Yeah. I'm not really the best person to ask. I mean a horror because I don't write either one of them. But a horror can be just a slash fest, a slash film, which is guts and gore and a slasher movie where there's a mass murderer at a campground that's a horror movie. Could be. Whereas a thriller, it doesn't have to be all that guts and glory. It could just be the fugitive, right? A guy running from the law. There was no guts and Glo guts in that. It was just a guy keeping one step ahead of almost like an action movie. So those are the kind of differences. But in terms of writing, they still both need to have a story. Both need to have, you both have to follow a story, and that's something that can be learned.Phil Hudson:And that's the answer, is the focus on telling a good story. And then you'll learn the tropes, right? Yeah. BecauseMichael Jamin:No one wants to read a story. If your screenplay screenplays, they go camping and the dad gets murdered, and now the sun's running from the ax killer, who cares? What's the story? Yeah, it's it. It's great Down. ButPhil Hudson:Silence of the Lambs, silence of the Lambs, on the other hand, wins the Oscar Oscars because at that end scene, we are worried Clarice Darling is going to be consumed by this darkness she's been avoiding.Michael Jamin:So it's not just plot, it's plot and story. Make something great.Phil Hudson:Yeah, that's solid answer. Christine, I'm an artist getting into production for animation. What would you say is the most important thing I would know from your perspective as a writer on an animated show?Michael Jamin:Well, if you're an artist, I mean, these animation houses often give you tests. And I, I've never worked at an animation house, even though I've worked with many. And the tests, can you draw? I know Disney famously has a, I think they call it like a sack test or a potato sack test or something where they ask animators, this is, you Google it, you'll find it to write the emotions. Imagine a sack of flour, and now make, it has no eyes, no no limbs, no arms or legs. No eyes or face. Make the sack sad. Now make it excited. Now make it angry. And this is a famous test that they do to show all the emotions of a sack of flour without relying on the facial expressions. And that really apparently is what made Disney so amazing in animation way back when they first started. So study all that. But again, I'm not an artist for animation, so I'm not the best person to talk to.Phil Hudson:Yeah. See, it rings true though. The magic carpet in Aladdin. Very emotive, very expressive, no face, no arms. So Conrad Michael, what's your rules around character descriptions when introducing them? How many samples would you recommend? Oh, it's two questions. I apologize. First question.Michael Jamin:Yeah, character description, shorter is better. And you want to describe them a little bit, and it helps to give 'em a little bit of their personality. And it shouldn't be cliche. A girl next door is pretty cliche, doesn't know how hot she is, is cliche, give some juice to this character. And in that description, age, what do we need? What do they look like? That helps. But also to help describe their personality just a little bit. And in a way that's not a cliche. That's often why people say, think Jack Black or whatever. That does help. We know Jack Black is a little outrageous. We know he's thinks he's cool. Maybe he isn't, but he's got that attitude that helps. That's one way people do it. Yeah.Phil Hudson:Wardrobe important as well, because it tells us who the character is. Something else you can consider, a lot of people don't think about.Michael Jamin:Yeah, I mean, if you need a woman, that was a note. If she's wearing overalls that says something about maybe she's out, maybe she's outdoorsy, maybe she works in the garden a lot as opposed to wearing a dinner gown.Phil Hudson:Yeah. And it gives eventually, if it's going to get made, gives you costuming department something to work with. So yeah. Anyway, Viki. Wow. Viki, can you tell us about the eight episode structure of the Hollywood movie in three acts, storytelling? Is there anything else? Jan from Finland?Michael Jamin:I don't understand the question. What is it?Phil Hudson:Yeah, so 8.9 0.88, that structure of a Hollywood film, right? They're specific beats and metrics you need to hit within a structure. It's more of a formulaic approach. They said eight episode, I'm pretty sure they're talking about eight beat or eight point, and I think that's famous,Michael Jamin:The topic. I thought they're talking about eight episodes. Okay. So they went, if the question is, can you tell me more about the points ofPhil Hudson:Yeah, the eight, they're saying the eight episode structure of the Hollywood movie. And so I think what they're saying is theMichael Jamin:Eight point structure. Yeah, that's why I did hear it, right? I did hear it right. You did hear it. Right. Eight episode structure, that doesn't make sense.Phil Hudson:No, it's eight point structure of a Hollywood movie compared to three act storytelling or in three act storytelling.Michael Jamin:Okay. Okay. So I was confused. So I teach in my course, I teach three act structure, and that can be applied to everything. Whether you're making a movie, a TV show, half hour, 90 minutes, 60 minutes, doesn't matter. Three act structure, it doesn't matter. It's all the same. It's just that in a movie, it's going to be a little, everything act is going to be a little longer lengthwise than in a half hour TV show. In terms of these points that you're talking about, not episodes but points. Yeah. Also, when I teach my class, there are points that you think that have to be met. The bottom of act one is a point, the middle of act two, the bottom of act two, I teach all this. I have a certain number of things that you have to do per episode in order to tell a compelling story. It's not formulaic, it's just something that you need to have in a story so that it feels like you're not just treading water. So that stuff happens. So if you'd like to learn more about that, we have a screenwriting course. It's only open once a month for a couple of days, but you can sign up to find out when it will be open. And that's at michaeljamin.com/course.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.Phil Hudson:Awesome. Keenan, what is your opinion about whether writers should adopt and master three act structure versus the mini movie method? Roughly eight, 15 minute movies that make up a feature. Is there any reason they should be blended together?Michael Jamin:I don't even know what that is. I only know three act structure. I don't know what this 15 minute, I don't know where you're learning this stuff from. I don't. What difference does it make if I'm telling a story? I don't. Okay. Just so you know, when I tell a story on a sitcom, it's not 15 minutes, but it's 22 minutes because sitcoms tend to be short. So is there any difference between a 15 minute sitcom and a 22 minute sitcom? No, it's cutting out a couple of minutes. That's all. There's just no difference. Everything is three act structure. Boy, they make things. Boy, the internet makes things hard for people, I think.Phil Hudson:Yeah, these are a bunch of branded terms that I've read about in books and in other places that you've not, because you don't look at those things. Yeah, I don't.Michael Jamin:AndPhil Hudson:Ultimately, from my perspective, it's just a lot of it is very, very confusing. It does get very formulaic into, you know, need to introduce everybody, every major character of your script. By page three, you need to have your inciting incident on page 10. You need to, and your script act one on page 25, and then it becomes so burdensome. And then you fall into the dark zone and wasteland of act two, where no one tells you what you have to do in that.Michael Jamin:But then talk about making your course. There's so many people Yeah, go ahead, Phil. Go ahead.Phil Hudson:I was going to say, but then in your course, it's like, oh, they're very clearly defined what I need to do in the top of act two, middle of act two, bottom of act two, very clear. And it's like, oh yeah, this all makes way more sense. And now I understand exactly what I need to do. ButMichael Jamin:It's also simpler. It's like they make it so complicated.Phil Hudson:Well, they feel like making it complicated and naming it something fancy is a way of just making it sophisticated and seem more advanced. And that's the thing. I mean, I do Brazilian jiujitsu, I wrestled in high school. I like grappling Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's, just a, it's when you talk about climbing a mountain, that's my version of climbing a mountain right now is just getting tapped out and practice murdered by a bunch of people half my size. And there's this thing called white belt mindset, which is looking for the cool hack and the cool trick that the other guy doesn't have. But then I watched this black belt. He did a, literally watched it last night. There's a black belt who's talking about a study that was done out of 500 fights in Juujitsu. You're not punching people in the face, it's just submissions and grappling. He said, out of 500 fights, what is the percentage of specific moves that won a fight? And it's like the first three, the top three make up 50% of all wins. And they're the basics. The next four, the other basics. And they make up 95% of the taps. So people are so caught up in the tips and tricks and hacks and it's, it's fundamentals. It's all about fundamentals. ButMichael Jamin:Also when I'm in a writer's room all the time, we don't use these words that everyone seems to have learned on the internet. That's why when you said 15 minutes, 15 minutes structure, what I, it is unfamiliar to me. Yeah. In my 27 years, we don't talk like that. So what I teach you is how we talk. It's like it's not as complicated as people want to, when you learn from somebody, screenwriting, just find out, are they qualified to teach you? Forget. I don't care if they wrote a book. No, no. What shows have they written on?Phil Hudson:And this is advice that you give to everyone. You literally say, if it's not me, you don't need to learn from me. Find someone who has done the job. Look them up. And you, me didn't make me, you asked me maybe a year ago to put up all these samples that used to be in the course publicly on the site so people could vet your writing and see your writing just as a like, Hey, you to help people, here's some samples of real shows. You can go watch on Hulu or Netflix or tv, wherever right now that exists, that were produced. And get an idea of whether or not they want to learn from you. And ifMichael Jamin:You don't think,Phil Hudson:Find somebody else. Right?Michael Jamin:Right. Find someone. Just study their work. Do you like it if learn from them if you don't find somebody else.Phil Hudson:Yeah. Lynn Marie, in my last script, I had too many characters. When you are hired as a writer, are you given a number of characters? Does it depend on the story you've created?Michael Jamin:No, the, it's not. It's not like you're given a number, but you can't service all of them if you had too many characters. So you can't service all them. And so you have a bunch of actors you're going to hire, whatever your number of actors that's on your TV show or movie, whatever. Let's say it's five main actors on, let's say you're doing a TV show, you have five actors. And if you can't service them, if you don't, can't give 'em anything to do, they're not going to be happy. I actually was watching an interview with Alan Ruck from Succession, and I think he was talking about season two or season one, I don't remember. But he said the first three episodes of that season, he wasn't doing anything. And he went to the showrunner and director. He goes, guys, maybe you want to kill me off because, because I'm not doing anything.And they said, please don't go into the, I know it's slow now, but we have great stuff for you later in the season. And he's like, oh, okay. And he said, I'm glad I stuck around because they did. He almost made a mistake of leaving. But you can't have an actor stand around and not service them. Why are you paying them? So I go through this in the course as well. How many characters should you basically have for a TV show? For a movie? It's a little different, but you got to give 'em something to do. Why are you paying them?Phil Hudson:And without naming names, and this is something I just read yesterday. Some other advice on the internet. Combine characters so that you're not randomly dropping in new people throughout the movie or abandoning those. You've established a lot of bad advice about characters as well on the internet. And if the answer is, what do they serve? The story,Michael Jamin:They have to have something to do and they have something to, they can't just stand around and nod when somebody else says something. You got to give 'em a good at a strong attitude or else why are they in the scene?Phil Hudson:Yeah. Awesome. Moving out of craft, another section. Being a pro anonymous. I was an actor on Lopez, one of Michael Jam's shows. Loved it, critically loved, but I felt the network it was on really limiting it, limited it. How do you compromise with a network on the final product?Michael Jamin:They're paying for it. You give 'em what they want. What's the compromise they're paying you? Do you want to work again or not? They have the right, this is what they want and you have to give them what they want. That's the compromise. Obviously, you're going to try to do it to your best of the ability so that you feel it's good, but at the end of the day, you give them what they want because it's paying for it. What's it? What's the stuff? My art, my words? What's that? How is that going to put foot on your plate when they fire you?Phil Hudson:Yeah, when we first started, you referred yourself as a tailor. Do you want to talk about that?Michael Jamin:Yeah, basically, I think of myself as a tailor. When someone comes in, they say, I got slacks. And I say, okay, you want cuffs. And they say, yeah, I want cuffs. Okay, I can give you cuffs. I don't say, I don't, no, you're going to ruin my slacks. It's theirs, whatever you want. I can give you pleats, I can give you cuffs, whatever you want. And I'll try to make the best. And I can give you a recommendation. I could say, you know what? You wouldn't look good in a three double breasted suit. You'll look better if it's a single breasted. And they'll say, but I want double breasted. Okay, I will give you the best double breasted suit I can.Phil Hudson:Yep. That's being a pro. Great. Yeah. Jim, someone offered me an option with no payment. Is it worth it to tie up my script?Michael Jamin:An option with no payment? It sounds like a bad, sounds like a bad,Phil Hudson:That doesn't sound like an option. It may not actually be legally binding, by the way. In most states, there has to be an exchange of money to be able to option. Sometimes it's a buck, sometimes it's a significant amount of money. But to me, Michael, my unsolicited opinion here is run. That is just a waste of time. And if you listen to the last podcast that we did, I recently just had an experience similar to this, not exactly this, but run.Michael Jamin:I was, that's myPhil Hudson:Opinion, Michael.Michael Jamin:Years ago I was a writer. I was accessible writer, working on a TV show, and my partner and I wrote a script and we didn't sell it. No, actually it's not true. We s That's not true. We sold it to H B O and then we got the rights back and then some other network because the H B O decided not to make it. And then some other network wanted to buy it. And I'm like, oh, okay. And their offer was $1. And I said, well, you're going to have to do more than that dollar. I told 'em to go fuck off. So sorry you don't get my script for a dollar, but suss out these people. I don't know what kind of option, why, I don't know. That's not really an option. It doesn't sound like a good deal. Who are these people? WhatPhil Hudson:That sounds, sounds like to me is some guy who thinks he's a producer is sees something in you and wants to take advantage of you at your expense to go hawk your script, to go make a dime. And the answer is, if your script is that good, other people are going to read it and they're going to want to pass it around and they're going to want to make it. And that's an option. That's something to pursue. Someone offering you an option for nothing. It's just move on.Michael Jamin:Yeah, it sounds like, it sounds suspicious if you're, you're professional, if your gut's telling you to run, then run. Listen to your gut. Yeah,Phil Hudson:My gut is speaking for you, Jim. Yeah, run. Cool. Moving on, miscellaneous, just a bunch of questions. Probably four or five here, Michael. Okay. Mark, how does one copyright a screenplay and how much does it cost?Michael Jamin:You can register your screenplay with the writer's GU of America. I don't know, it might be 35, 40 bucks or something, a copyright. I think the minute you write it, it's copywritten, you know, can mail yourself a copy but in the mail and keep it sealed. But again, I don't give legal advice on this channel, so I'm telling you what I know. If you're really worried about it, you can get an entertainment lawyer or you can Google it and you can find out for yourself. So I don't give you any, again, there's nothing in it for me to give anybody legal advice. I'm not a lawyer. So these are a couple of options, but please explorePhil Hudson:More. Electronic filing is $45, so standard application is $65 and you canMichael Jamin:Do it for free. And that gives you certain protections, not all, but do your own due diligence. SoPhil Hudson:It also publishes it in a registry that is searchable and anybody can go find your script. And there you go. But again, idea versus execution.Michael Jamin:Yeah,Phil Hudson:Right. It's all about the execution. Alright, Tina, should we get it registered with the W G A before we have someone read it? What is the best way to get your script in front of someone for just notes? And Perry does registering a script with the W G A protect the IP from being stolen from me.Michael Jamin:I've only registered, I should do a webinar on that, on getting stolen. Yeah,Phil Hudson:That's a big topic and it's a scary look. The questions from my perspective, they're scarcity mindset questions. You need to be smart. But if you're worried about someone stealing your idea, it's saying, well, this is all I have. Instead of saying, okay, I'll just move on. And it's very hard to prove theft of intellectual property unless it's just very hard. It's a case that very rarely wins. And I know of one very famous case that we did talk about early on in the podcast where there was a film that came out and they lost in France. France said that they stole an idea from someone and they had to pay a ton of money, but it was produced and made out into the world by a professional filmmaker before they even got there. So anyway, that's just my thoughts.Michael Jamin:Yeah, I mean, you know, can register. Ultimately, you're going to have to put your work out there if you want to get hired and if you can keep, you want to keep it yourself and if you're so worried about it, and you'll never, no one's going to find it in your closet. So I, I'll probably do a webinar at some point talking more about this at length, but ultimately you, you're going to have to put your work out there and be careful who you give it to. Don't give it to the guy in Starbucks with the hbar mushroom mustache, but you can give it to reputable studios and you shouldn't have to worry too much.Phil Hudson:Yeah. One thing that just came up again, we talked about before was registering your script with the W G A and then putting your registration number on your cover feels, it feels pretty amateur.Michael Jamin:It feels a little Bush League. I've only registered for whatever what it's worth, only one script in my entire career. That was the first one I ever wrote. And then I was like, I can't, and then I was like, I can't afford to do anymore, like 40, whatever it was, 40 bucks. I can't afford to do this.Phil Hudson:You can submit it directly through final draft by the, you can register your script through Final Draft Now. It's been out for a couple years, but IMichael Jamin:Didn't know that.Phil Hudson:I think registering your script and as a paper trail, that can be served as in court as evidence is one thing, but putting it registration number on your script is another mark of, yeah, maybe don't do that. Yeah, maybe. Yeah. Ryan McCurdy, how does someone who is in multiple guilds, the W G A D, G A and P G A navigate their jobs? Do they just not write but will direct or do they not work at all? How do people who are in multiple guilds? Oh, so it's a repeat of the question. I apologize, but I don't know if this is reference to the strike specifically, but I thought it was a good question for you because you W G A and D G A, right?Michael Jamin:Yeah, but it's not, and I'm not even an active member in the D D G A, whatever job you're working at, if you were working as a director, now you, there's nothing to navigate. You pay dues. If you're getting directing gigs, then you will pay dues on those directing gigs and you have writing gigs, then you pay dues for that. So there's nothing to navigate. It's just like you only pay dues if you earn money for the work you've done. Although I should be clarified, you do have a low monthly fee of, it's probably 25 bucks every quarter or something like that in addition. But there's nothing to navigate really.Phil Hudson:And during this strike it, I think specifically, not to speak for the Writer's Guild, but the research I've done as someone who is kind of at that stage of my career where I do have the opportunity to have some meetings with people and have some conversations and conversations I've had with the W G A, right? It is against the W G A strike guidelines to have meetings with signatory companies right now regarding written work. That does not mean you can't sit at home and write. And it does not mean that you can't work with other writers and pass things around. And what it means is you shouldn't be seeking employment or to gain monetary value from a signatory in violation. So regardless if you're in the guild or not, you shouldn't be doing that.Michael Jamin:Right. So next question,Phil Hudson:Lindsay, what was the biggest surprise to you when you first started working in the writer's room?Michael Jamin:The biggest surprise was everyone was incredibly talented. This is when I was on Just Shoot me and I was in way over my head. I was able to write one script on with my partner. We wrote, I was able to be funny on my own, at my own pace, but in a writer's room, when you're surrounded by really talented writers pitching ideas, I didn't understand the difference between a good idea and a bad idea idea. I had no idea. And I was worried about being fired because I didn't know how to contribute. That was really eye-opening. It was like, man, everyone is so funny. And I'm laughing after a couple weeks. I'm like, no one's paying me to laugh. I'm getting paid to make people laugh. I better figure out how to do that fast and figure out how to contribute meaningfully in a writer's room.And that really means understanding story structure, that that's kind of what I teach in the course. If you were lucky enough to get that break, God, you don't want to screw it up by not understanding how to story structure and understanding how to do the job. Man, if, here's the thing, if you get hired tomorrow, not wonderful, you got hired in a show, sign up for my course immediately and cram it because you do not want to get fired from your job because you don't understand how to do the job. And I'm telling you, 99% of new writers just don't, because there's so much to learn. So whether they get fired or not, it's a different story. But I've see, I see people flame out all the time.Phil Hudson:Yeah, it's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking seeing that turnover, even for someone at my level just knowing I want that job so bad, but at the same time, coming to the realization that, man, I wouldn't have been able to do that job either.Michael Jamin:Yeah, yeah, yeah.Phil Hudson:Think you think can, and you have the enough gumption and ego to push you along to say, I can do that job. And you have to have that blindness to reality to continue moving forward. But there's also a level of reality you have to settle into, say a personal assessment. Yeah. I would've been fired too. I would not have been able to execute.Michael Jamin:Phil. You know me, I never yell at people, take my course. I'm never saying sell my, I'm never sell a sale, sell. Take my course. You don't. But if you get hired on a staff job, take the course please. Because if you get fired off this thing for not knowing what's sick, oh, you'll kill yourself. You will be so upset that you are not prepared soPhil Hudson:Well, on this note, did, didn't you have a friend who was a showrunner who basically wanted to offered all of her writers your course? Yes. They didn't know story.Michael Jamin:I forgot about that. Yeah, I did havePhil Hudson:A, without going into detail of the that, do you want to talk about that? The conversations you were having with her about what those struggles were?Michael Jamin:Yeah. She was running a show, a big show on a major network. This is a friend that I've worked with many years ago, but she's a really talented writer. And so she was running this show with a bunch of new staff writers, and she was just so frustrated with the quality of work. Actually, I'm not sure if she was running it or she was co-running it with somebody else. So maybe it might not have been her show. She might have been co-executive producer. And she was very frustrated and she was like, I wish everyone here would just take your fricking class so that I don't have to educate them so that they could stop arguing with me all the time when I'm telling them what a story should be. So they would stop arguing with her and just listen and contribute meaningfully because it's like so frustrating is when a new writer doesn't know how to do a job, they'll often fight for something because they don't know any better and they want to contribute and they fight for something, which is a terrible idea without knowing what a good idea is. And she was like, Ugh, this is so frustrating. I wish they would just take your damn class so I wouldn't have to waste energy yelling at them or arguing with them.And she's a good writer. She's talented. She's worked for 20 something years.Phil Hudson:And again, I've seen in my limited career in the writer's room, I have seen people burn out for arguing with the showrunners about something that ultimately doesn't matter to the story, and more specifically arguing with the showrunner's vision of what the story should be.Michael Jamin:Yeah. Oh boy. It'sPhil Hudson:Sad. And you have a whole section in the course too about writers. Were medicate, how do you behave in a room? And I had conversations with the lizards when I was on tour about that etiquette and the reality of the fact that when you're new, shut up and listen. ShutMichael Jamin:Up.Phil Hudson:Yeah. Only open your mouth if you have something that is stunning. Yeah. So awesome. Two more questions here, Olivia, ask, does the corp help? Does the course help us find an agent at the end?Michael Jamin:Well, I mean, it doesn't give you instructions on how to do that, but it's certainly going to, it's certainly if you can't write a good script, good luck getting an agent. So the course teaches you how to write a good script. Hopefully doors open after that, but good luck. You're not be able to trick an agent into hiring you if you don't know how to write or not hiring you. I don't like the expression representing you. Sorry. Yeah,Phil Hudson:Yeah, that's a good point. Two, two things. One there, I believe there is a q and a in the bonus section where you do talk about agents and managers. Yeah. And you go over the realities of that situation. Two, I'm blanking. Oh, you did? I didn't you do? Oh, one of our early podcasts. It was like episode five or something, was talking about agents and managers. So go back and listen to that podcast. Yeah, good stuff in there. Lindsay. Last question. Do you prefer to be a member of the writer staff or be the showrunner?Michael Jamin:So when you're starting off, when I was starting off, I did not want to be the showrunner at all. Like I knew I didn't know what I didn't know. And then I did it for about 10 years as a rest, staff writer, learning, soaking it up after about 10 years, you rise so high that the next step is you either become a showrunner or you just don't work because there's just not that many jobs. So becoming a showrunner actually opens up opportunities. So my partner and I took that jump and we started looking for opportunities to run shows and we ran. We've run three shows when we were before we became showrunners. You're always looking at your boss. You're always thinking, I bet I could do my job. I bet I could do his job or her job better than he or she can. Then when you finally get that job, you're like, Ugh, it's so hard. It's so hard. I don't know why I thought I was so arrogant to think that, and now, like I said, I've done it. I've proven to myself the show I'm currently on, co-executive producers. I'm not the showrunner and I'm perfectly happy not to have that pressure of being the showrunner. I'm perfect. I make less money, but I'm perfectly happy.But if the next job is showrunner better than being unemployed, I'll take whatever. I'll happy to do it. But I'm also, it's not an ego thing for me where I need to be the boss.Phil Hudson:In the documentary showrunners that I've recommended many times, there's a showrunner who says that a network at a certain point is so concerned with getting the thing done, that if you were literally dying on your deathbed and you had to be wheeled, you are like, I can't come in. I can't do the job. I would have to be wheeled in on a gurney and put up on an iv. They would say, what kind of gurney would you like and what kind of iv? What would you like in the iv? Yeah, because the showrunner job is that important to the overall production. Yeah. So do you get paid for the stress involved with that?Michael Jamin:Yeah. Yeah. Although about the shows that I did, they were cable shows, so they were less money. They networkPhil Hudson:Critic, critically acclaimed table shows.Michael Jamin:Yeah. Yeah.Phil Hudson:So that's it, Michael. That's your June webinar q and a.Michael Jamin:Woo. Yeah. Thank you so much everyone. We got a lot. What can you do, Phil? If someone, like I said, I should mention this. All the webinars are free to attend. If you attend, we always give you a little something special if you miss it, we send you a free replay within 24 hours. If you do not watch that and you want to watch some of the old ones, they are available for purchase on my website at a small fee. All this stuff, I got free lesson, I got a free webinar, I got a free newsletter. Sign up for all of it on my website, michaeljamin.com. If you want to see me tour with my book, my forthcoming book is called right now. It's called the Paper Orchestra. Maybe changing the title. I don't know, but you can learn more about that. If you want to see me in your city, go to michaeljamin.com/upcoming. I'd love to see you there. I'd love to see everyone there.Phil Hudson:Oh, it's great too. I went for my birthday last year. You did a performance in an incredible performance. Yeah, incredible performance, but then also I wait your birthday's tomorrow, isn't it?Michael Jamin:Oh God. My dad called me today. He goes, happy birthday. He goes, it's not my birthday yet. He goes, I know. Why'd you call me then?Phil Hudson:Yeah. Anyway, I went and then it was fun. I got to meet people from your course who I've talked to for years and they were there supporting and fun stuff, but really, really cool way to see how story moves and it's not like you have the amazing sets and choreography and like crazy lighting. It's you moving people with words and it's with words. It's a great explanation, A great display of what storytelling should be is how I would describe that.Michael Jamin:Thank you, Phil. Thank you. Yeah, everyone come see it. I thank you so much. Alright, Phil. Until next week.Phil Hudson:Keep writing. SayMichael Jamin:Keep writing. Alright. Thanks everyone.Phil Hudson:This has been an episode of Screenwriters. Need to Hear This with Michael Jamin and Phil Hudson. If you're interested in learning more about writing, make sure you register for Michael's monthly webinar@michaeljamin.com/webinar. If you found this podcast helpful, consider sharing it with a friend and leaving us a five star review on iTunes. For free screenwriting tips, follow Michael Jamin on social media @ MichaelJaminwriter. You can follow Phil Hudson on social media @PhilaHudson. This podcast was produced by Phil Hudson. It was edited by Dallas Crane Music by Ken Joseph. Until next time, keep writing.

Emmy Rousseau, Visionary Educator, is the founder of Trinity Transformations and the Holistic Healing Hub. She empowers changemakers, especially educators, to go from feeling flat to in flow, so that they can create the change in the world they were born to make.  Emmy is passionate about helping others realize that putting themselves first is selfless, not selfish. She is here to help us see how filling ourselves up first helps us serve not only ourselves, but also the world best. She does that through a combination of movement and mindset. Her accolades include: Bestselling author, Speaker Slam Certified Gold Inspirational Speaker and 2021 Grand Slam finalist. She co-created and co-hosted Amplifying Voices: Mental Well-th and the Never Give Up Summit. Emmy was the winner of the 2022 PARO Pitch competition, was awarded Top 3 in the She Did It! Pitch Fest, Top 100 in the 2022 Total Mom Pitch, and was a finalist for the Universal Women's Network™ 2022 Women of Inspiration™ Awards.  Emmy is a certified teacher of 22 years turned educational consultant, transformational speaker, activist, fitness instructor and co-author of the book, Our Yellow Brick Road: An Anthology of Humans Who Believe in the Impact of Storytelling (Life to Paper Publishing (2022). Emmy loves speaking to educators and other changemakers at schools, conferences, summits, retreats, and on podcasts like this, to share her teachings and learnings.  Emmy's pillars in life and business are joy, gratitude and love. Learn more and follow Emmy: https://www.trinitytransformations.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/transformwithemmy/ https://www.youtube.com/@transformwithemmy https://www.instagram.com/transformwithemmy/ https://www.facebook.com/transformwithemmy https://www.tiktok.com/@transformwithemmy --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/maria-leonard-olsen/support

Listen in for a snapshot from each of our 2023 Pitchfest finalists! At the 2023 Housing Innovation Summit, we introduced a new program, coined: Pitchfest in order to bring new ideas to light, offer feedback that startups can use to advance their solutions, and introduce these innovators to potential advisors, partners, investors, and clients. A dozen companies made it to the final round, and four came out on top.In this episode, you'll hear from...Mohsen Zehtabchian, AmatecCliff Fetner, Soil ConnectJim Scott, StructureBotRobert Benjamin and Helene Cornell, Aris HydronicsSameer Sood, FwdSlashDerek Cowburn, LumenCacheNeedham Hurst, Up&UpEric Law, Urban MachinePaul Cardis, On3Tomas Garcia, ArxBranka Minic, Jobs to BuildJordan Wojtowecz, TraceAirRead more about Pitchfest and the Housing Innovation Summit. Support the show

This series highlights our Pitchfest finalists. At the 2023 Housing Innovation Summit, we introduced a new program, coined: Pitchfest in order to bring new ideas to light, offer feedback that startups can use to advance their solutions, and introduce these innovators to potential advisors, partners, investors, and clients. A dozen companies made it to the final round, and four came out on top.In this episode you'll hear from Tomas Garcia of Arx. Tomas was a finalist in the Tech + Data category. Read more about Pitchfest and the Housing Innovation Summit. Support the show

This series highlights our Pitchfest finalists. At the 2023 Housing Innovation Summit, we introduced a new program, coined: Pitchfest in order to bring new ideas to light, offer feedback that startups can use to advance their solutions, and introduce these innovators to potential advisors, partners, investors, and clients. A dozen companies made it to the final round, and four came out on top.In this episode, Jordan Wojtowecz of TraceAir will give her pitch. You'll also hear from their client, Dan Galasso of Tri Pointe Homes. TraceAir participated in the Tech + Data category. Read more about Pitchfest and the Housing Innovation Summit. Support the show

In this engaging episode, we're thrilled to bring you insights from remarkable thought leaders who are reshaping the landscape of healthcare technology. Our guests are:Sarah Dowell of Cyber Clinic, an online mental health clinic that offers individualised counselling leveraging cutting-edge tech.Dr. Adrian Cohen, Founder of Headsafe, who is revolutionising concussion diagnosis and management with his groundbreaking Nurocheck technology.Serge Lauriou from My Medic Watch, a company transforming how we monitor individuals with medical conditions through a smartwatch application.Adam Hutchinson, the innovative founder of oVRcome, utilising smartphone technology and virtual reality to make mental health therapy more accessible.Key TopicsThroughout the episode, our guests discuss their roles in the exciting and ever-evolving healthcare technology field, touching on several key topics:The revolution in mental health care and the role technology plays in improving accessibility and effectiveness of treatments.The transformative role of Nurocheck in concussion assessment and management, leading to objective and reliable diagnoses.How My Medic Watch is empowering patient safety and assistance through smartwatch monitoring technology.The impact of oVRcome's use of VR and smartphone technology in making mental health therapy accessible to a broader population.Links & ResourcesWatch On YouTubeRead the Episode ArticleSubscribe to the NewsletterBecome a THT+ MemberExperience the excitement of the Pitchfest, where fearless startup founders and innovators present groundbreaking solutions to investors. This episode of Talking HealthTech provides a front-row seat to witness the innovations shaping the future of healthcare technology. Don't miss out on these visionary ideas and the potential they hold for improving patient care and accessibility.Join us on Talking HealthTech for the Connect Virtual Care event hosted by Informa Connect at the National Telehealth Conference. We're exploring ground-breaking ideas and inspiring innovations in healthcare technology, and we can't wait for you to join the conversation. If you love the show, leave us a review, and share it with someone who might also find value in it. For those keen to take their healthtech to the next level, consider becoming a THT+ Member for access to our online community forum, quarterly summits, and exclusive content. For more information, visit the link above.

Bestselling authors William Bernhardt and Rene Gutteridge discuss the latest news from the book world, offer writing tips, and interview Nancy Crochiere, author of the new novel Graceland. For thirteen years, Nancy has delighted readers with her humorous and relatable account of family life in her newspaper column, The Mother Load. Now she's making her fiction debut with a charming, big-hearted novel about a single mom forced to chase her Elvis-obsessed mother and pink-haired daughter to Memphis to prevent them from revealing…her long-held secret.Chapter 1: IntroductionRemembering MomsChapter 2: News: AI Spotlighta) Harper Collins Will Use AI in NYC Publishingb) AI Programs Assimilate Your Webpage, andc) Author Pubs (and Sells) 40 Books Generated by AIChapter 3: Interview with Nancy CrochiereIn this interview, she discusses:a) the joy of eccentric characters,b) the joy of courting controversy,c) the joy of outlining,d) the joy of a regular writing schedule, and e) the critical importance of perseverance.Chapter 4: Parting WordsWriterCon is September 1-4 (Labor Day weekend) in Oklahoma City. If you're a writer, aspiring or published, or you know someone who is, this is where you need to be. WriterCon will feature:3 NEW YORK TIMES-BESTSELLING Authors!!!50+ successful writers talking about their art and craft8 top-of-the-line agents who have actully sold books and made great deals for their writers18 excellent publishers with pro-level distribution and sales20+ people providing services for authors and keeping you up-to-date on the latest book-world developmentsPrizes, games, booksignings, swag, Book Expo, PitchFest, First-Page Panel, karaoke, snacks, signings, Lunch with the Stars, mentoring, manuscript critiques, scholarships, contests, merch, Open Mic, evening roundtable chats, AND SO MUCH MORE!Come join us and take your writing career to the next level!!!www.writercon.comUntil next time, keep writing, and remember: You cannot fail, if you refuse to quit. William Bernhardtwww.williambernhardt.comwww.writercon.com

Invest In Her host Catherine Gray talks with the co-founders of Power to Pitch, Kat Weaver & Katie Dunn. They are a founder and investor team who saw the gaps in education, resources, & access to capital, and together advise founders on fundraising strategies, review pitches, update pitch decks, meet with program members on a weekly basis for support, and actively make introductions to investors. www.sheangelinvestors.com  https://www.powertopitch.com/   Follow Us On Social Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn  

Kris McCarthy is the Co-Founder and COO of FanSaves. Kris played seven years of professional hockey and won two Championships before transitioning into the front office. He served as the Director of Sales for Two Minor League hockey teams in 2017. That's when he and Shannon Ferguson came across a pain point that led to the creation of FanSaves.  Kris works with teams and organizations to increase sponsorship sales and fan engagement through their award-winning digital platform. FanSaves allows teams to digitally activate their fans through discounts and deals provided by team sponsors while making fan data and analytics available. Kris is also the host of a podcast called, “Living the Startup,” sponsored by Staples Canada. He's recorded over 75 episodes sharing stories from startup founders from all over the world. Listen in for some takeaways about Kris's time as a hockey player and how he and FanSaves are improving sponsorship and fan engagement in the sports arena.  You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Learn more about Kris McCarthy and FanSaves [3:23] Kris's favorite story from his time in hockey [6:34]  How Kris became the GM of a team while playing [9:18] What FanSaves is and how it came into existence [11:35]  How the platform measures sponsorship engagement [16:10] Handling innovative technology on their platform [18:02]  How NFTs might impact the FanSaves experience [19:13]  Kris's PitchFest experience and what you can learn from it [21:08] What Kris has learned from failing forward [24:55] What it's like working with his significant other [26:16]  What Kris did today that put brought him joy [28:00]  Resources & People Mentioned Untold: Crimes & Penalties Connect with Kris McCarthy The website On Instagram On Twitter On Linkedin Connect With Mitlin Financial podcast*at*mitlinfinancial(dot)com - email us with your suggestions for topics or guests If you would like to learn more schedule a call: https://mitlin.us/FitCall https://mitlinfinancial.com  Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Facebook Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest's content linked on this site. Subscribe to Mitlin Money Mindset™ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts

Ryan and Dylan go head to head pitching a ten-year slate of films and streaming shows for the DC cinematic universe. Will they continue the DCEU or create a new universe from scratch? Take that, James Gunn. Timestamps: Box Office Breakdown: 0:53 Box Office Predictions: 1:55 Judge Introductions: 3:13 Rules of the Showdown: 4:15 Opening Statements: 8:20 Ryan's Pitch: 13:00 Unwinding from Pitch: 46:00 Dylan's Pitch: 47:47 Unwinding from Pitch: 1:21:50 Open Debate: 1:25:00 Judge Questions: 1:49:02 Judge Deliberation: 2:05:12 Reveal of the Winner: 2:58:23

Climate change isn't going away, so we have to find ways to adapt. Last week, we took a look at some of the ways that cities, businesses and NGOs are trying to combat extreme heat and rising temperatures - a growing threat to people and communities all over the world. It's all very well looking at macro solutions, but what can we as individuals do? This week we rounded up our World Changing Ideas reporters to pitch their favorite heat-reducing ideas. So, which one is your favorite? And can any of them have a real world impact? Take a listen!

Large events with a lineup of speakers who have well crafted pitches might seem like a good thing. But there's a better way that targets the people who truly need the solutions you have to offer, and the people who are more likely to stay committed to buying. Visit eCircleAcademy.com and book a success call with Nicky to take your practice to the next level.

We love HR Technology Conference & Exposition's annual Pitchfest. It's a great opportunity to give spotlight and stage to new innovation, new voices, and new approaches to solving old HR and talent problems. This year's lineup was as good as ever; a field of 33 was narrowed to 6. A winner of one of the most sought-after awards in our industry was announced. The winner was: SPOTLYFE! We couldn't wait to chat with Team SPOTLYFE following their big win. They tell the story that won the prize, why they think they're grabbing headlines in the current talent market, and how supporting PEOPLE outcomes supports WORK outcomes. They also share their latest research on burnout and the hustle culture, two big factors affecting the quality of our everyday lives. Take a Listen!

Michael & Phil tackle the subject of agents and managers and what new screenwriters need to do to attract representation. They also discuss pitch fests and screenplay contests.Show NotesMichael's Screenwriting Course - https://michaeljamin.com/courseFree Screenwriting Lesson - https://michaeljamin.com/free@DavidHSteinberg will read your script - https://twitter.com/davidhsteinberg/status/1430195753373167623Sarah Cooper is a comedian who grew famous for valuable content she put out on her own. - https://sarahcpr.com/A behind the scenes look at pitch fests - https://twitter.com/ChrisAmick/status/1420501613572022275?s=20Results of screenplay contests - https://twitter.com/EricHaywood/status/1422615678436003842?s=20Screenwriting contest from a Pro's perspective - https://twitter.com/matthewfederman/status/1422615672215900164?s=20Film Festival and Screenplay Contest submission software - https://filmfreeway.com/The Nicholl's Fellowship - https://www.oscars.org/nichollThe Sundance Labs - https://www.sundance.org/applyThe Black List main website - https://blcklst.com/The Black List evaluations and script hosting - https://blcklst.com/register/writer/Writer's Guild of America Dispute with Agencies Explained - https://www.vulture.com/article/wga-hollywood-agents-packaging-explained.htmlTranscriptMichael: (00:00)Whenever I hear a writer, saying they're typing, they're working at Starbucks. I always laugh, come on, man. It's so cliche. I don't do that. It's very rare. Most people who work in Starbucks who are tapping on their computers, please in LA, right? They want you to think that they're a writer. "Look at me. I'm a writer." But if you are real writer, in my experience, it's like, you're not working in a coffee shop. You're working on a show. Michael: (00:28)Hey, welcome back everybody. Today. We're going to be talking about agents and managers. Oh, that's a good one. Phil. Don't you think? Phil: (00:35)I think it's probably the most vital thing for anybody to know about how to become a screenwriter. Michael: (00:39)All right. Um, what are we going to do? Well, I guess everyone wants to know how to find an agent or a manager. What would the reason why you kind of need one is so first of all, you can't submit. I people often say to me, what can I give you? My screenplay? It's just, just so I get some notes or just so you can, you know, whatever, keep me in mind for something in the future. And the answer is absolutely not because I have to me and every other working writer in the industry, we have to protect ourselves. Like, let's say you, you have a talking dog cartoon and you say, Hey, I want you to read my talking dog cartoon. And I, and I get it or whatever. I open it up. I opened up the file like, oh, because now I haven't talking dog cartoon. Michael: (01:17)We all have talking dog cartoons. It's not an original idea, but because I looked at yours now, now if I get mine on the ear, you're going to sue me because we both have terrible clammy ideas. And so naturally I stole yours and that's not the case. It's just like, these are ideas out there. And the same thing with like a joke or an area. So most TV writers will protect themselves. We will not read unsolicited scripts. We just will not do it. Even if you sign a waiver or not gonna do it. Like I, you know, it's just too risky. Phil: (01:45)It's really interesting. So I just saw two cases of this. There's a showrunner who just on Twitter for his birthday announced, "Hey, I will read your script." You have to, he's a lawyer, by the way, you have to understand his, his career was "lawyer". And now he is a writer. Also he has a waiver, you have to sign and you have to agree to, and he gave very specific parameters to get your script to him. And then I, I just retweeted another showrunner today. And she's like, as a reminder, I will not read any unsolicited scripts because I have to legally can't cause I have to protect myself. Yeah. Right. So I'm funny. So, so the case where you're seeing it, you have to keep in mind, like, I mean, they are attorneys or in the case of other people who do you know, the return page counts of your scripts, they have attorneys who have drafted documents to protect them. Michael: (02:31)Yeah, yeah. Right. I don't, I'm not an attorney. I'm not going to do it. Um, but so that's why it has to come through an agent for some reason, when it comes through an agent, you have a layer of protection, but a little bit of the, uh, you know, and that's what the Ford you. So, and I will only read a script by the way, through an agent when it's, when there's something in it for me. And by that, it means like if I'm staffing for a TV show, I need to hire people and then I'll read the script, but I'm not going to read it as a, as a personal, you know, my pastime, you know/. Phil: (03:00)Well, right. And so obviously my, my response to you was a little facetious here. I was, I don't actually think that getting an agent or a manager is the most vital thing to your career. I think that anyone who's listened to any of the podcasts episodes so far understand the Michael Jamin answer to this is be a better be a good writer. Yeah. Right. Whatever. Yeah. Not even a good writer to be a great writer, be so good. I can't ignore you. Michael: (03:22)Yeah. Right. Yeah. That's, that's another episode. We will talk about the future. I want to go into that in great depth, but, but right. And so often when you get made, if you have an agent that means you've, you've surpassed, you've gotten over the first hump, which is like an agent feels like you're good enough. Um, and then, then I'll read a ton of scripts. All the scripts that I read from new writers are they've already cleared that first hurdle. They're good enough to get an agent, but that doesn't mean they're good enough to get a job. Right. And so, you know, you have to be a, you have to have a great script. And if it's like, well, I don't have a great script. Well, I'll find somebody else who does, there's somebody out there who has a great script. Phil: (04:00)Right. Right. So this is an interesting thing, because I think I put an overwhelming amount of emphasis on this question when I was first learning how to be a writer because you on forums and in screenwriting books and on websites, people say, well, you got to get an agent to sell something. And I think, well, I have an idea and I want to sell it. Thus, I need an agent. And the truth is, um, you have to be so good that the agent thinks he can sell you. Right? Yeah. It goes back to our conversation on our last episode about sales it's they are selling something and they were getting a commission for that. And they are not going to waste their time or energy on something, unless they think they can sell what you have, because you are a commodity. Michael: (04:43)Yeah. And if you had, I guess, say an agent, it's someone, there's a couple of things I want to explore. One is if you're up for it, you want to get a staff writing job. You're not competing against other people on the outside who've never written before. You're also competing since staff writers who have already worked, who are willing to do another, do another year as a staff writer. So now you're competing against people who've never done it and people who have done it well, or, and then maybe you're competing as story editors, which is the next level up from staff writer who are willing to take a bump down in salary because they want to work. So now you're competing against people who have one year of experience and two years of experience. So you must be great. You have to be great. And then the agent who's going to sign you. Michael: (05:22)They have a handful of clients and they're have, they have to service all those clients. They're already trying to get those clients work. So if they're going to bring on somebody new that person, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to sell you because they're don't, they already, you know, they got plenty on their plate. And so one way to make it easy is to have a fantastic script, not just a good enough script. And in other way is, uh, if you have a built-in, uh, Beltman, uh, marketing market arm, like you're already very sellable. For example, there was a woman named Sarah Cooper and she blew up during the pandemic because she used to make a viral videos of, of Trump, where she put Trump's speeches. And then she would kinda, uh, lip sync to them. But she wasn't just lip sinking. Michael: (06:04)She would also add little comic touches to them and she'd edit it really clever. I, she put a lot of work into one and they were really quite, they were next level. It was next level stuff. And it blew up on Twitter or one of the social media platforms. And, um, it became so big that she became known... she was an unknown before this. She was, uh, an aspiring actor, comedic actors. She couldn't get, she couldn't get arrested. And because she did all this work on her own and she blew up on her own suddenly it was like, well, it was a no brainer for every agent to sign her. She's already got a built-in platform. She already has a built-in marketing engine. And so she had made it very attractive.Phil: (06:45)This is, So this is an interesting thing where I think, you know, again, my perspective on this stuff kind of comes from a capitalistic perspective because my business and marketing background, but we're talking about audience here and we're talking about, you know, attention. It's really what we are, what we're offering people is something to gather their attention and they have to be willing to trade their time and energy and focus for that type of thing. So when you're writing a script, you're basically have to write something so good that someone is willing to sit through commercials or pay a monthly subscription to be entertained. Right. And that's what they're looking for. And so what this girl has done is she has brought some value to the table because she already has interest. She's provided free entertainment to people. And so those people want to see more of what she does. She has that audience. So I think it kind of speaks to what we're seeing now, which you've experienced recently with your book that you want to do. These people care a lot about, do you have an audience because you're bringing interested people with you. Yeah. Michael: (07:50)Right. And she also did... Sarah Cooper along with others who did the same thing. She did all this for free. She wasn't putting up her content and saying, Hey, someone paying you for my Trump impersonations. Right. You know, this was, she put a lot of work in it for free and expected, nothing in return and got something in return for it. You know? So she was smart. And by the way, she was just as talented before she started doing these videos as she was afterwards. So it's the same person. So talent isn't quite enough. You know, Phil: (08:18)That's an interesting note, right? Like, yeah. Like, and I'm trying to think of the exact saying on this, but talent. There are lots of talented people who go nowhere because they don't have the work ethic behind it. Michael: (08:30)Yeah. Yeah. And they don't have right. They don't, they're not, they're not then actually not seeing the problem from the end of the, the, the perspective of the buyer. What is the buyer one? And let's say the agent is your buyer. The agent is the person who want you, you know, you want them to buy you. Well, what's in it for them. They don't want to work that hard. They want to find a new client who is, requires the least amount of work on their part because they have, you know, they got plenty to do. And if they find with a, with a built-in marketing engine and is super talented and you don't have to convince someone to buy, you don't have to beg and plead and cold calling favors. You know, they don't have to hustle. No one wants to know Adrian wants to hustle for you. They want someone who's like a slam dunk. They want that person to hustle for them. Phil: (09:10)Yeah. Yeah. That's an interesting take. So, well, let's just assume then that I have the talent and I've got the goods. Like I've got the energy and maybe I haven't, for whatever reason hit it. I haven't gone viral. I don't have the following yet. And I want to get an agent. So I'm just going to run a couple of situations by, and you tell me if you think these are good places to get an agent and you may not, you may not be able to answer these, but I think you were so, yeah. So, uh, number one, pitch fests. Michael: (09:38)Yeah. So I didn't, that wasn't even a thing when I was coming up. And then when I found out the pitch fast, I was like, what is that about? That doesn't make any sense to me. I I'm gonna have to say no. I actually, I ran on Twitter, someone Tweeted out, well, I let my agent or whatever. I sold the project to a Pitch Fest. But for, I, for every one person who says that like 10 others say what a waste of time. They don't even send people. It's just like our, I think it's just a racket, honestly. You know? Cause why would, if you were a producer and you wanted to get in touch with, um, a talented writer for a project you're working on, like, why in the hell would you go to a pitch that you go to an agency you've called talent agencies say, Hey, I got an idea for a project. Uh, I need writers. And they, within 10 minutes, there'd be a dozen writers outside the door saying, yes, let's do this. Like, you wouldn't go to some unknown. You wouldn't say, give me someone who's never done it before at a pitch fast. And maybe you'll say, okay, well maybe they don't have much money. Well, if they don't have much money, how are they going to raise money for this movie? Or this TV show? Like, what's that about? You know, it seems, it just seems shady, shady, AAF. Phil: (10:44)Didn't I send you a tweet by someone who basically was like, yeah, my first day or my first week on the job, I was sent to represent the company in a pitch Fest. And I wore a suit and tie to try to make myself look older. Cause I was like 21 and fresh out of college. Michael: (10:58)Yeah. And so all these people were paying money to pitch this guy. It was his first week on the job. And he was like right out of college. How do you think that's going to go? Phil: (11:07)Okay. All right. So that's a really so similar screenplay contests.Michael: (11:12)There. And I didn't even know that was a thing until you told me about it. And I was like, oh, that's a thing. Um, Phil: (11:17)Well, we see a lot of members of your course submitting to screenplay contests and pitch fests and interesting. It's interesting. Michael: (11:24)And some like, from what you've told me, there are two big ones, right? There's the Nichols, which I was like, but now I am aware of.Phil: (11:29)That's through the academy. The academy does that. And they pick like 10 or 12 different screenplays specifically features that they think have what it takes and they give them a grant to just be writers to finish that script. Right. So it's a big deal.Michael: (11:42)And then, and then it's on it's Phil: (11:45)Right. So Sundance has a script and that's a little bit different because you're submitting information to join the, the, to become a fellow, a Sundance fellow. So you're joining either the director's lab, the writer's lab, the editorial lab, the documentary labs. And that's changed recently. And I've had, you know, fortuitously I've been able to attend to those. I've been a Spanish English translator for three years at the, at the screenwriting labs and one year at the director's labs. So yeah, definitely worth it. And that's an interesting thing too, for anyone sitting there, you know, they told me they're not just looking for a good script. They're looking for someone with a body of work. They're looking for a creative, with a specific vision or a specific story to tell and famous people like Tika Waititi who's blowing up right now. Uh, Ryan Coogler, they're all Sundance Fellow. So it's a legitimate, um, no, that's not even a competition now. It's, you're applying to be a fellow. Right. Michael: (12:43)The other Phil: (12:43)Ones that there are a couple of like, there's big, Big Break and like Final Draft and stuff like that. They, they have their own competitions. And I think there's some value in those because they do have actual industry professionals showing up to judge those and be involved. Does that make sense? Okay. Okay. But, but I definitely, you know, from my background in the independent world, I have seen the other side of this, where you go on different, um, screenwriting contest or film festivals, and you submit to win awards at these competitions. And it's basically like one or two guys, maybe a group of five to 10 people. And they're doing it as a way of bringing culture to their town or their small town. And a lot of time, what I've seen is that it's a money grab. It's a way to. You're making money and I'm making a living because every single person who submits on Film Freeway, and there's a couple others they're paying like 40 bucks a submission for these. Michael: (13:40)Maybe we shouldn't mention any names.Phil: (13:41)Yeah. Well, film the Film Freeway is the software where you say, okay, it's not an actual film festival. Okay, good. Right. So I, I, you know, I've been to some great film festivals and I think it's a lot of the networking that I have has come from attending film festivals because there are a hungry filmmakers who attend those things.Michael: (13:59)But, but not as like a contest, not yet.Phil: (14:03)Exactly. But they do have a screenwriting contest portion where you can submit your screenplay and you just pay a nominal 20 to 40 bucks for us to review your screenplay and enter the competition. Right. Michael: (14:15)But it's not like, you know, I think the best case scenario you can hope for any of these is like maybe an agent will find you. Right. I mean, it's not like you're going to the network is, would say let's put it on the air. Phil: (14:26)Hopefully someone there. And what I've seen is typically the experts who are sitting on the panels and attending and watching films or judging those things, they tend to be some of the better contacts you get out of those events. Okay. But from your perspective, like, it doesn't really seem like you find much value in a screenplay contest. Michael: (14:43)I didn't even know they were a thing and I've been doing this for 26 years. So, but maybe that's just my ignorance. Um, you know, so it's not like the winner's live land on my lap when I'm hiring, they don't land on my lap. Maybe they land, maybe if the big contest lands on an agent's lap and the agent will submit... submit it to me, that might, that might work, you know, but it's not, it's not a direct pipeline to success and I'm the guy doing the hiring. Phil: (15:05)Right. Right. So that's interesting. Okay. Lastly, um, and I, you know, we've never really had a conversation about this, but um, how familiar are you with The Blacklist? Michael: (15:16)Um, I remember helping my partner. I sold a screenplay a couple screenplays years ago. It was, we were hoping, cause it never got, we didn't get me, but most screenplays for theatricals don't they do not get made. And so we were praying that it would get on The Black List just because it would be an honor. And it would be that kind of, it helps to market yourself, Hey, look, I'm on the black list and it's hard to get off of The Black List to get produced, but occasionally it does happen. Um, but I, you know, it didn't happen. We didn't, we didn't make The Black List for, I don't know. Yeah. I don't, I think it's like a bunch of industry. People have to read it and they have to unanimously think that, Hey, this is really good. I don't think it made it. It was ours was even that widely circulated. So I don't think it was even an option. Phil: (15:56)There's two sides to it. So yeah, you can be put on The Black List and this is, again, this could be wrong. So if you have more information for watching this on YouTube comment below or let us know, and we'll address this in a future podcast, but my understanding is it is, um, industry professionals basically submit you and vote and say, these are the best screenplays that were unproduced this year and films like Arrival who come off The Black List and been made. Right. Um, yeah, but then there's the other side of it where you can submit your screenplay and get feedback from industry insiders. Michael: (16:28)Right. And now, you know, I'm not even, I'm not on the feature end, I'm in the TV. So I don't The Black List. They don't really take pilots. Do they... It's more Theatrical? Phil: (16:37)Uh, I don't know. I think they take pilots. I think you can submit to television as well, but it definitely definitely theatrical focused. So yeah. That's another thing. We'll look at it too, but if anyone knows just comment and let us know. Michael: (16:48)Yes. It's an honor to get on it and I know it's hard to get off of it, you know, to get produced, but uh, yeah. I don't know much about it. Okay. How much in the honor game, I just want to get money. Right. Phil: (16:58)Okay. All right. So, so what do you think it is then? How aside from the Michael Jamin answer of be a great writer... how do you get an agent? Michael: (17:07)Well, it's really, it's really what, what do you bring to the table? And it's not your willingness to work as a, as a writer, as a screenwriter. That's not anything, you know, like I said, if you bring to the table, your connections, if you are already on a show as, as, as a PA or the staff or a writer's assistant, and you're this close to popping and breaking in, and the showrunners was like, you, they want to hire you that you're bringing a lot to the table. You're already getting that first job basically. Or if you have a, like Sarah Cooper, if you already have a built-in marketing platform with a billion followers on Facebook, whatever the hell is on, you know, you, that you have that audience. So it's much easier. And it's, it's, it's sad, but that's just how it goes these days. It's not so much about talent. It's also about what do you bring to the table? Michael: (17:53)Hi guys, it's Michael Jamin. I wanted to take a break from talking and talk just a little bit more. I think a lot of you, people are getting bad advice on the internet. Many of you want to break into the industry as writers or directors or actors, and some of you are paying for this advice on the internet. It's just bad. And as a working TV writer and showrunner, this burns my butt. So my goal is to flush a lot of this bad stuff out of your head and replace it with stuff that's actually going to help you. So I post daily tips on social media, go follow me @MichaelJaminWriter. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook and TikTok. And let's be honest, if you don't have time, like just two minutes a day towards improving your craft, it's not going to happen. So go make it happen for me at @MichaelJaminWriter. Okay. Now back to my previous rant. Phil: (18:39)I guess here's the next question. What's the difference between an agent and a manager? Michael: (18:43)Let me know. And I have both, um...Phil: (18:46)I, I have an external perspective of what I've learned from trying to get these over years, but...Michael: (18:52)What are they telling you? Phil: (18:53)Yeah, so, so the agent's job is legally to sell the script. Like they, they're the only one qualified to sell a script. They cannot, managers cannot make deals, but managers bring people on and basically work through and support the project, give notes, provide feedback, and build relationships for that writer. Michael: (19:13)Yeah, they do that in the beginning. You know, I was kind of being a little glib, but our agent, you know, our agent was the one who got us, our first job. And so yes, agents submit and they get you that job. And then as we rose up through the ranks eventually become high. So high that it's actually kind of hard to get a job on a staff. The next step is basically have your own show. And so you're either going to be a showrunner or maybe the second in command. And so to be a showrunner, or to get your, to sell your show, you often need to sell your project with talent. And so a manager can usually hook you up with talent. There are other clients, and that's how it's worked in the past. We've done, um, we've sold shows with, uh, like comedians, like mostly big name comedians that they pair us up with their other clients. And so that's what a manager can do is cause more of a long-term thing, but they don't. Yeah, you're right. They can't make deals. They can't really submit you stuff like that. And, and they also, a manager can own, not that this is a plus, but they could own a percentage of your project. They can, they can help you produce it. Whereas a manager or agents can't do that. Right. Phil: (20:16)But, but, and so this is an interesting thing. So, um, do you know what the current, what the rate is for a manager versus an agent? Michael: (20:24)Uh, well, our agent takes 10% and so does our manager. Phil: (20:27)Yeah. And I have heard of instances where managers isn't taken up to 15%. Michael: (20:31)Yeah. Yeah. And then there's nothing left for the writer. Phil: (20:35)And then you have your attorney fees. Right. Which is like 5 cents.Michael: (20:37)That's 5%. Yeah.Phil: (20:38)So right out of the gate, you're between 25 to 30% of your income. Yeah. Plus taxes after that. Right. Yeah. But, but this is an interesting point. I've again, I come from a sales and capitalistic background of I have goods and I'm trying to sell goods. And so are there a lot of people who don't have that background who say, well, why would I want to give away 10% of my project and my responses will, 10% of zero is still zero that's. Right. Right. So if your manager can make the introduction and provide the asset to get the job done, right. Making connection with that actor who will go in and you can pitch that project with them and the agent does the job of closing that deal and getting you the best deal they can then that's money well paid because you're now getting 70% of whatever you sold instead of 100% of nothing.Michael: (21:28)Yeah. And there was only recently, like about a year ago, it'd be writers, Guild, uh, severed ties with all, all agents. So you had to drop your agent because, uh, the deal was, you know, there was, there was some shenanigans going on. So, uh, the writers had to kind of sever tires. And so we had to rely on our manager for work during then. And then of course it's been, it's been settled, but yeah, now we have an agent and a manager and a lawyer.Phil: (21:54)Awesome. Okay. All right. So what do, what, so we've talked about like we understand what to expect from them. Um, what else do you think, what else do you think is important to know about an agent and a manager? Michael: (22:04)Well, an agent, this is kind of important, but agents, you know, I think that most people think, well, my agent would go and get me a job. They'll they'll hustle like the agent. That's not really the accurate, the agent's job is more like to field offers. So when the phone rings, "Hey, we need a writer," or, "Hey, we want to hire Michael Jamin and Sivert Glarum, his partner." And they, then the agent was stepping. They feel the offers. They're not going to hustle and fight too much because they have other clients, they have to maintain relationships. And if a deal goes south, like if, like, let's say, uh, you know, I, we have a pilot and it goes south, how hard is my agent gonna fight for me? I don't know. I, I suspect not too hard because he wants to make, he still wants to keep his relationship with the network or the studio, a good one because he has other clients to serve. Michael: (22:50)So if you become too much of a squeaky wheel, if you become with your, when you have your agent and you start crying all the time, like in the movies, you'll see, oh, this happens all the time. Like, uh, you'll see a STR, a writer calling his agent what's going on. And I, and the agency I agents handholding. And then don't worry about me. I'm promising, I'm working hard for you like that. Does that call doesn't exist? I don't bother my agent with that kind of nonsense because you know, he's not a babysitter. And if I make myself too much of a nuisance, uh, he's not going to work for me. He's going to find somebody else to work for. Phil: (23:22)Right. Makes sense. Makes sense. Okay. Yeah. Michael: (23:27)All right. I wish I was a big, if I was a real big shot, then I could do that. But, um, you know, Phil: (23:32)Okay, well, which, so which one do you think is easier? Like if I, if I'm a new writer, which one do you think is the easiest to get and where should I put my time and energy? Michael: (23:39)I think it's probably easier to get a manager. I think there are, uh, yeah, I think in the beginning, and by the way, there, there are four big, as you mentioned, there are four big talent agencies in Hollywood. There's ICM, CAA, William Morris Endeavor, and UTA, United talent agency, and then are much smaller there are next tier, you know, Paradigm and APA there... and then there's some small boutique agencies coming out of the gate. You are not going to, no new writer is going to land it at UTA. Michael: (24:07)Yeah. Unless you're in a situation right. Where you're an overnight success like this girl right who. Right. It's like, is that it's like CAA is like, okay, you, we have a rare opportunity here to capitalize on an audience, so we should take her on.Michael: (24:21)And, and so you, you most likely to start at a small agency and that's so fine, your agent will give you attention. That's good. But there's an advantage to being a big one, which is, for example, when more staffing on a show, the first call I make is to my agent. And I say, Hey, um, I need, we need writers. Submit me your writers. I need young baby writers. And so that's how it works. They like the first call is my agency to send me his, his writers. And those are the first ones I'll read. And if there's a good one, I'll hire that one. Why? Because I'm trying to make good with my agent. I'm trying to keep him happy. So, you know, but if there's no one that's right for the show, then I go to the next agency, you know? Um, that's how that works.Phil: (25:04)Got it. Got it. But a manager would be the easiest way to approach this. Michael: (25:08)The manager will help... a good manager will help you land an agent too. Phil: (25:12)Because they may have connections, right? Yeah. Right. They are a matchmaker. All right. That makes a lot of sense. So, but this all being said, you know, I shouldn't even bother writing until I have one or the other. Right. Because ultimately I need these things to sell myself. Michael: (25:26)Yeah. No, you got to start. You have to always write. You have to always, right. I, um, you know, uh, the, there are, I can't remember what the numbers are. I ran the numbers, but there are slightly more active players in the NFL, including the practice squad. Yeah. There's slightly more working TV writers than there are at players in the NFL. Just a little bit more. I think it's like 2200 versus 2,800. It's not a lot of people. So if you were going to be in the NFL, do you know if your goal is to be in the NFL? Do you work out once a week or do you work out every single day? You know, Phil: (26:02)Uh, I was, uh, I was just listening to a Joe Rogan podcast this morning. And he's talking about this UFC fighter, Conor McGregor, which I don't know if you know who he is. He's kind of Conor McGregor recently was in a fight with a guy named Dustin Porier and it was round three was their third fight. And Connor broke his shin in the middle of the fight. Yeah. Shattered it. And people were like, oh, he's old. And, and he should give up. And ultimately Joe Rogan made this point. He's like, that dude is a Savage because it was a known injury. It had it scanned. He already had a broken leg when he went in and he still went in, he still fought. And he was still kicking with that, leg, right. And he went in balls to the walls at the beginning, swinging as hard as he could try and to knock Dustin Poirer you out because that's who he is. Phil: (26:45)And you have to keep in mind, this man has half a million, half a billion dollars in the bank. Oh wow. Because of other fights he's won sort of fight with that intensity to be that dedicated to your career, proves the level of integrity of energy and effort you need to be in. And they made this point. They said, you know, if I'm a professional athlete, you can be a good boxer and learn, takedown defense. You can stop someone with jujitsu or wrestling and you can get pretty far, but to be an elite level champion, you have to know jujitsu and you have to be really good at it. You have to know boxing, you have to know wrestling. You have to go to the cardio gym and you have to be working on all these facets of your craft to be a world champion. And, and it's, it's something most people are not willing to, to do. Michael: (27:31)No, they just say, I have a script. Can't you get me work. Yeah. You know? Phil: (27:35)Yeah. What can you do for me is I think the attitude I see a lot. Michael: (27:39)Yeah. Yeah. Um, it's the other way around. It's what, you know. Yeah. Phil: (27:45)The point, like, if you're playing, like if you consider that NFL analogy, it's it's you are playing at the elite level. Like how many high school athletes don't make it to division one football. Yeah. How many division one football players don't make it to the NFL combine, let alone get drafted, let alone play. Michael: (28:06)And you're coming after my job. You think I'm going to let you have my job. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So, and I've been doing this for, for 26 years. I'm the NFL player who you, you haven't heard of, but man, that guy's still kicking around? Yeah. He's still on the team. Wow. Good for him. Yeah. That's why. Yeah. Phil: (28:22)Yeah, because you put in the work, right. It's you know, and not, they're not people who work at coffee shops. Right. Or right at coffee shops, but something you told me when I first moved to LA is, you know, real writers are too busy to spend time at coffee shops. Michael: (28:34)It's every time I, whenever I hear a writer friend saying they're typing, they're working at Starbucks. I always laugh. Like, come on, man. Right. It's so cliche. Don't do that. It's very rare. Most of the people who are working in Starbucks who are tapping on their computers, at least in LA, right? Yeah. They want you to think that they're a right. Look at me, I'm a writer. But if you are a real writer in my experience, it's like, you're not working in a coffee shop. You're working. Phil: (28:54)And I'm sure that that's what we call "seamers" where I come from. They seem like they're doing the job, right? Yeah. Michael: (29:01)Yeah. They want you to think that they're doing work. Like I caught me, I got a terrible, my opinion is a terrible place to work. It's not comfortable. The seats are hard. Phil: (29:10)There's no whiteboard. Michael: (29:12)Yeah. In a whiteboard. Like why would you work at a coffee shop of all places? Phil: (29:15)Yeah. All right. So ultimately it comes back to the same thing we've been saying the whole time is ultimately you have to be good at your craft and not just good. You have to be great. I think that was one of the most helpful notes that you gave me. Uh, we talked about the spec script that I wrote or was, uh, a spec Mr. Robot for my TV writing class and... And you read it and he gave me a great note. You said is obvious. You're a competent writer and this is really good. The bad news is it's not great. Yeah. And that has stuck with me for two years. It's like, it has to be great to stand out. Michael: (29:48)Where you're constantly working on it. So, you know, you have an advantage over people. You already have a huge advantage over everybody else. And that you are now an industry insider because you are working on the TV show. And because of that, you are around scripts and you're reading scripts and you're, you're around other writers and you're learning, you know, that's a huge advantage that you will, but that was because you made a sacrifice. You moved here. Phil: (30:09)Yeah. Well, and it's, it is expensive and it is hard. And I could be living a very, completely, a completely different lifestyle if I lived anywhere else but California or in LA. Um, I think I read recently that the, the ave... The average income in America, is like is $36,000, but LA county considers the average cost of living your $53k.Michael: (30:29)A year. And that sounds low. Phil: (30:31)Yeah. Like, like it's, it's a crazy expensive town, but you know, I will say that one of the benefits of busting my butt as a writer's PA and doing my best to provide as much value as I could in that position is they brought me back on to be a, an office PA, which was a position I'd already had. And then I also got brought in to be the post PA. And I've been working on the same show for two full seasons now nonstop because they like you. Yeah. But the cool thing is I get to see how you guys break the story. I get to read every draft. You can see how it changes. I get to go into production. I get to see how they shoot the show. I get to see what changes happen, the day of shooting. And then I get to go and post and I get to watch the showrunners, make that final cut of their show and make those decisions. And I've learned far more being a PA than I think I've ever learned in film school. Michael: (31:25)Right. Are you sitting in on the mix Phil: (31:27)Too? I probably could if I asked that this point, um, but I make it very clear that I don't, I'm not trying to get anything from anyone. So, I I've been invited and I probably could at any point, but you know, I'm here to run tapes around LA, right. That's my job. And I'll do it and I'll do it as fast as I can. Michael: (31:46)All right. So good attitude. It's got a good attitude. Phil: (31:50)Cool. Michael: (31:52)All right. That's a good, that's a good episode of the podcast. Phil: (31:55)I think. Very helpful. Yeah, absolutely. Michael: (31:57)All right, everyone, thank you for listening. And we got more coming up, so, uh, you know, I don't know. What do you gotta do? So you gotta subscribe to podcasts. Is that what you do? Phil: (32:04)Yeah. Make sure you subscribe, make sure you leave a review at this point. Give us that five stars. It helps with our rankings. Uh, make sure you share it on your social media. If there's something you find valuable. And then I would also encourage everyone to follow you on social media. Michael: (32:17)Yes, please do. Uh, yeah. I'm at, especially Instagram @MichaelJaminWriter. I post daily tips on Instagram. So Coco. Phil: (32:24)Yeah, absolutely. The right thing to go fall in there. I think that, um, the members of your course specifically who said that the content you're putting out on social media or their gems of information, and they've already been through your course, Michael: (32:38)It's funny that they say people, I, people will say that it could, this is gold. And I'm like, I, I might, when I post on my social media posts, well, this is gold. I'm like, no, Michael: (32:46)Dude, the gold is in the course. I wouldn't give you the gold. This is really, this is just really good. They're really, really good stuff. Isn't it? Is in the course.Phil: (32:53)Yeah. So it's good stuff. So check out the course again. And um, you know, I think one of the students in your course, you said, you know, if you can save up the money, it will be the most transformative course you'll ever take and he's taken multiple courses just like I have. And you know, I could talk all day about how much I love the course, and I'm glad it's there and you know, grateful that it's improved my writing. So thank you. Thank you. Okay. And we'll see everyone next week. Michael: (33:18)Very good. Bye-bye now Phil: (33:32)This has been an episode of Screenwriters Need to Hear This with Michael Jamin and Phil Hudson. If you'd like to support this podcast, please consider subscribing leaving a review and sharing this podcast with someone who needs to hear today's subject. If you're looking to support yourself, I encourage you to consider investing in Michael's screenwriting course at MichaelJamin.com/course. I've known Michael for over a decade. And in the past seven years, I've begged him to put something together. During the global COVID-19 pandemic. Michael had time. And I have to say, I wish I'd had this course 10 years ago. As someone who has personally invested in most online courses, earned a bachelor's degree, and actively studied screenwriting for over a decade, this course has been more valuable to me than most of the effort I've put in because it focuses on something noone else teaches: story. In his course, Michael pulls back the curtain and shows you exactly what the pros do in a writer's room and that knowledge has made all the difference for me. And I know it will for you too. You can find more information at MichaelJamin.com/course for free daily screenwriting tips. Follow Michael on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @MichaelJaminWriter. You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @PhilAHudson. This episode was produced by Phil Hudson and edited by Dallas Crane. Until next time, keep writing.