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Hosted by TV editor/writer Gray Jones, the TV Writer Podcast has featured interviews with everyone from the bottom to the top of the TV industry... show creators like Beau Willimon (House of Cards) and Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) to recent graduates of TV writing fellowship programs.
Episodes
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
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Ben Watkins moved 14 times by the time he graduated high school. As a kid, his experiences ran the gamut from living in a fancy, gated community, to being homeless and sleeping in a 1976 Ford Monarch. He was married and had a family by the time he graduated college.
Before he turned to writing, Ben had worked more than 30 jobs ranging from plastics salesman to paralegal to soap opera stud. With such an eclectic background, it’s no wonder he has emerged as one of the most original storytellers in television.
Ben Watkins began the transition to writing with the award-winning Sundance short film Quest to Ref, which he wrote, co-directed and starred in. Soon after adapting that project into a feature screenplay for Universal, Watkins joined USA Network’s Burn Notice. He rose from staff writer to executive producer, before moving on to create the provocative Amazon Originals series, Hand of God. Watkins recently completed production on season one of Hand of God, which premiered in September.
Ben resides in El Segundo, California, with his wife and four sons.
Follow Ben on Twitter: @_benipedia_
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published September 30, 2015.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Click to tweet this podcast to your friends and followers!
Bill Taub has written and produced hundreds of hours of television over several decades, including many pilots that have gone to series. His new book on TV pilot writing, Automatic Pilot, is an indispensable tool for your arsenal!
Bill Taub is a native New Yorker who’s gone from Forest Hills to Beverly Hills. He has been obsessed with television since he was five, and considers himself a student as well as a participant in the medium. He came to television writing through advertising, as a writer-producer, Clio winner, and creative trouble shooter at several New York agencies.
His decades of experience in the industry have included both drama and comedies, including such hits as Barney Miller, Hill Street Blues, Newhart, and Cagney & Lacey. Pilots he has written that have gone to series have included Friday the 13th: The Series, The Odyssey, and Relic Hunter.
The more he studies the work of those he admires most, the one thing that becomes apparent is they either didn’t know all the rules, or they ignored them. It’s their originality, their uniqueness, that have made their work such a tremendous success. Whether it’s the work of David Shore, David Kelley, David Milch, or Larry David (the confederacy of “Davids” as he calls them), they didn’t know what they weren’t supposed to do — or didn’t know what they didn’t know.
Recently, Bill distilled the system he created and developed for his UCLA Extension Writers’ Program Workshop into the book Automatic Pilot.
Bill splits his time between Los Angeles and Toronto, where his wife’s family resides. He keeps himself busy with half a dozen other projects, pilots, web series, consulting, as well as occasionally teaching online thru the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and the Laugh Factory.
Follow Bill on Twitter: @BillyTaub
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published September 1, 2014.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Click to tweet this podcast to your friends and followers!
Couldn’t make it to Gray’s How To Write a TV Pilot panel at Comic-Con this year? No problem! Here is the complete video, including Q & A.
CONTEST/EXTRAS LINK: http://tvwriterpodcast.com/pilot
Have you ever thought of a perfect idea for a TV series? Find out how to write it! Gray Jones moderates a discussion and Q & A with powerhouse panelists Jen Grisanti, William Rabkin, Bill Taub, and Carole Kirschner. Get that idea from your brain to the screen!
Great questions were fielded from the packed house, including how to write a show bible, differences between one hour drama and sitcom writing, as well as single camera versus multi camera sitcoms, creating a TV show with an ensemble cast, and lots more!
Did you know that writing a spec episode of an existing show is still recommended for your portfolio? Find out why! Which screenwriting contests are the best for TV scripts? All these answers and more are found in this hour-long video!
MODERATOR:
Gray Jones (@GrayJones) – TV Editor/Writer, Author (Breaking In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews)
PANELISTS:
Jen Grisanti (@JenGrisanti) – Story/Career Consultant, Author (Story Line: Finding the Gold In Your Life Story, TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write A Script that Sells)
William Rabkin (@WritingThePilot) – TV Writer, Author (Writing the Pilot, Successful Television Writing)
Bill Taub (@BillyTaub) – TV Writer, Author (Automatic Pilot)
Carole Kirschner (@Carole_POTL) – Director, WGA Show Runner Training Program, Author (Hollywood Game Plan: How to Land a Job in Film, TV and Digital Entertainment)
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published August 28, 2014.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Author, Harvard MBA grad and world-renowned backpacker Francis Tapon is on a 4-year journey to all 54 African countries. How can he turn this into a 4-season TV series? By going a non-traditional route, of course!
The TV landscape continues to divide into thousands of channels, and it seems there’s a new online distribution player every month. More channels means less advertising per channel, and budgets are shrinking. Higher budget shows may be in trouble, but there’s a veritable gold rush for independent producers who can produce great content more cheaply. The challenge is that the funding models are different, and very few have a handle on the best strategy to stay ahead of this rapidly changing field.
Francis Tapon, a successful author and world traveler, has a promising idea for an episodic documentary series, called The Unseen Africa. But like Corinna Mendis, who shot her own scripted pilot, Francis has decided to forego the traditional pitch process and produce a full pilot himself, assisted by a Kickstarter campaign for part of the budget.
Will he be successful? Is this a viable path to getting your own reality or documentary series off the ground? Find out on this week’s podcast!
A little more about Francis:
Francis Tapon is a world-renowned author and world traveler, author of The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us and Hike Your Own Hike: 7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America.
He walked across America four times: he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, and in 2007, became the first to do a round-trip on the Continental Divide Trail. In 2009, he was one of the finalists for the California Outdoors Hall of Fame, which “features nominees who are world-renowned for their skills and who have helped inspire thousands of others to take part in the great outdoors.”
Though he speaks several languages due to his South American and French ancestry, Francis hails from San Francisco.
More info on The Unseen Africa Kickstarter campaign: CLICK HERE
Follow Francis Tapon on Twitter: @ftapon
Francis Tapon’s blog and website: francistapon.com
The Unseen Africa website: theunseenafrica.com
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published May 25, 2014.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Hilary Winston is the creator and showrunner of Bad Teacher, which premieres April 24 at 9:30 pm on CBS! Gray Jones caught up with her a few days before the premiere.
In the interview, Hilary has great tips on career development and networking, as well as writing, pitching, and selling pilots. She also has a fascinating personal story… how she started as an intern at the White House in the Clinton administration and ended up writing comedy in Hollywood… how even after writing scripts on a writing staff, becoming an assistant for several years was the best thing for her career.
Hilary’s official bio:
Hilary Winston is an author and writer/producer of television and film. Prior to developing and executive producing Bad Teacher, Winston wrote for network and cable television series, including the Emmy Award-winning comedy My Name is Earl, Happy Endings, and Community.
Winston expanded into novel writing and is the author of a dating memoir, My Boyfriend Wrote a Book about Me, which she adapted as a movie for Paramount Studios. Also, she pens a monthly column for Playboy Magazine.
Winston began her writing career by getting people coffee at various places like National Public Radio and Hollywood Squares. She can now proudly say someone else gets her coffee. Unfortunately, she doesn’t like coffee.
Winston grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. Currently, she resides in Los Angeles with her husband and her cats, Lolly and Gordon.
Make sure to watch Bad Teacher Thursdays at 9:30 pm on CBS!
Follow Hilary on Twitter: @hilarywinston
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published April 19, 2014.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
The TV Writer Podcast is back, better than ever! Host Gray Jones has moved permanently to LA, and the podcast now features exclusive in-person video interviews with Hollywood TV writers and producers. This week’s fun episode is with Amy Berg, co-creator of the new web series Caper, and producer/writer for Person of Interest, Eureka, Leverage, and The 4400.
Amy Berg is a self-confessed power nerd, and her office proves it! Gray & Amy have fun geeking out over her collection of sci fi figurines, before getting down to business.
What gutsy move fresh out of college landed her a meeting with Joss Whedon?
How did a failed interview lead to her first staff TV writing job, at 22 years old?
How was it a good thing that she lost out on a job to Jane Espenson?
How did a spec script from the point of view of a dog kick her career into high gear?
What’s her advice about “gimmick” scripts?
And how did she end up creating a web series after so many years producing television?
Speaking about Caper, check out new episodes every Wednesday, plus lots of bonus content at Geek and Sundry!
Follow Amy on Twitter: @bergopolis
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published February 26, 2014.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Co-creator of Lost… creator of Miami Medical… writer of Tuck Everlasting… showrunner of Necessary Roughness… what more do we need to say? You’re sure to love this week’s interview with feature & TV writer Jeffrey Lieber!
One day in 1986, after blowing up a glass beaker in a lab in high school, Jeffrey Lieber’s science teacher, Dr. Nagoi, turned to him and said, “Jeffrey… you be an actor… you be a writer… maybe have a family… but please, dear God, don’t be a chemist.” And it was those words that launched a journey that has ended up with Mr. Lieber becoming a screenwriter, showrunner, blogger, father and husband. Every day, while pursuing his passions, Mr. Lieber takes a moment to stop and thank Dr. Nagoi for his sage advice.
In our first video interview from a backyard, Jeffrey has many humorous anecdotes about his efforts to secure an agent, writing Tuck Everlasting, developing Lost, creating Miami Medical, showrunning Necessary Roughness, and his path between all these projects. He also has great advice about breaking in, and how to get noticed.
Follow Jeffrey on Twitter: @JeffLieber
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published August 1, 2013.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
In the UK, TV pilots get “optioned” the same way feature scripts do in the US! Learn about this and many other fascinating differences between writing in the UK, the US, and Canada, in Gray’s fun interview with UK writing team James Whitehouse and Hannah George.
James Whitehouse and Hannah George started working together nearly four years ago.
Since then, they have worked for the BBC, writing six episodes of the award-winning new CBBC children’s drama series ‘Wolfblood,’ which has since been acquired by Disney for international release. They have also written on Nickleodeon’s hit series ‘The House of Anubis.’
They have a had several of their own scripts optioned in genres as diverse as children’s sci-fi, and adult sitcom, and drama. They are currently in development with several companies for these, and writing on CBBC comedy show ‘The Slammer.’
In this fun interview, they tell what you should look for in a writing partner, and describe many fascinating differences about writing in the UK versus writing in Hollywood or Canada, including optioning TV specs, writing without a full time writers room, and much more!
They are represented by Harriet Pennington-Legh at Troika.
Follow James on Twitter: @JMJWhitehouse
Follow Hannah on Twitter: @HannahMGeorge
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published June 31, 2013.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Think there’s only one way to break in? You won’t after watching this interview with Aaron Ginsburg! He could win a prize for the most outrageous way of breaking in.
Aaron Ginsburg (now on The CW’s THE 100) is a writer/producer who has worked in television, film and video games for over a decade. Along with his longtime writing partner, Wade McIntyre, he was recently a Co-Producer on NBC’s DO NO HARM, he wrote the next installment in the popular family comedy HOME ALONE franchise (HOME ALONE: THE HOLIDAY HEIST), and he is currently co-writing a new comic for SKYBOUND (The Walking Dead) entitled CLONE.
Ginsburg & McIntyre have also written for FOX’s quirky comedies THE FINDER and THE GOOD GUYS, and Ginsburg spent three months in Bogotá, Colombia producing USA Network’s BURN NOTICE prequel feature, THE FALL OF SAM AXE. Their comedy short, A NINJA PAID HALF MY RENT, was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival several years ago and where it went on to be featured at dozens of other festivals (including HBO Aspen Comedy Arts Festival, SXSW and the LA Film Festival). Ginsburg & McIntyre sold the 1/2 hour single-camera comedy CROWDED APARTMENT to SPIKE TV, and wrote the dark indie thriller INSIGHT (starring Justified’s Natalie Zea, Chuck’s Adam Baldwin, and Christopher Lloyd) which was released in over 40 theaters and is currently streaming on Netflix.
In the gaming world, Ginsburg & McIntyre wrote the script for Activsion’s mega-hit videogame, CALL OF DUTY 2: BIG RED ONE which won the prestigious award for Outstanding Achievement in Story and Character Development from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. For the past 7+ years, Ginsburg has directed LA’s hit stage show, THE THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR at Largo at the Coronet.
Follow Aaron on Twitter: @DrLawyercop
Transcript from Aaron’s guest chat on the TV Writer Chat: CLICK HERE
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published June 28, 2013.
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Saturday Mar 07, 2020
Tawnya Bhattacharya has worked as a TV writer, feature writer, teacher, and consultant, and has great tips to share on both writing and developing your career!
Tawnya Bhattacharya currently writes for the hit TV series, THE CLIENT LIST on Lifetime, along with her writing partner, Ali Laventhol. The team previously worked on USA’s FAIRLY LEGALand are repped by ICM Partners and Rain Management Group. Before that, their NURSE JACKIE spec got them into the NBC Writers on the Verge fellowship program. The duo are currently in development with Battleplan on their original pilot.
Tawnya’s solo work includes several optioned features and writing assignments. She was one of a handful selected for the Fox Writers Initiative in 2009, where she optioned her original pilot to Fox.
Bhattacharya taught screenwriting at Writers Boot Camp in 2005 to 2009 where she helped hundreds of writers at various levels create and develop their screenplay projects through courses and script consultations. In 2010, she launched Script Anatomy: a company designed to help screen and television writers reach their personal writing goals and elevate their storytelling through private script consultation, group feature and television writing classes and workshops.
WEBSITE: scriptanatomy.com
Follow Tawnya on Twitter: @ScriptAnatomy
Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.
Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find our previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com or on Gray’s YouTube channel.
First published June 22, 2013.