Writers Group Therapy

In this session, we get in the game with David Stassen, Showrunner of Netflix’s hit sports themed comedy “Running Point” that stars Kate Hudson as the President of the LA Waves basketball team. David brings a history of sports television producing to the show, having worked as a producer on ESPN’s “Around the Horn” and “Rome is Burning”. David expanded his narrative experience joining “The Mindy Project” where he wrote, produced and directed. He’s also know for the Dwayne Johnson/Kevin Hart action comedy “Central Intelligence”

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We talk with award-winning playwright, screenwriter and author David Scott Hay about writing experimental speculative fiction and horror. From futuristic ("NSFW") to literally biblical (the upcoming "The Butcher of Nazareth"), David has a unique perspective on the genre and writing. As a screenwriter, David wrote the screenplay for the 2006 film “Hard Scrambled” that won Best Drama Feature at the Garden State Film Festival. 

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We talk with prolific Fantasy Romance author Nicolette Andrews about her writer’s journey, her inspirations, self publishing, marketing and live events. Nicolette is best known for twisty-turny romantic fantasy and angsty plots. When she’s not torturing her creations, she enjoys cooking, camping, and cozy videos games.

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In this session, we talk about what we’re working on, and how we got those writing gigs, and what to look out for when looking for and taking gigs. 

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On this session, we have Randee Dawn, an author whose books and stories reflect her work as a journalist covering the music and entertainment industries. Her first novel was a pop-culture fantasy titled “Tune in Tomorrow” published in 2022 called a “wild ride” and “funny as hell” as it takes readers into a world of alternate reality TV. Her latest book “The Only Song Worth Singing” comes out in April and looks backstage at the music industry with a supernatural twist.

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On this session of writers group therapy, we have Summer Shelton, many multi-hyphenate of the new drama film “You & I,” that she wrote, produced, edited and starred in. It is also her directorial debut. Summer has won many awards for her films and shorts and is the recipient of five fellowships including the Cannes Producing Fellowship and the Sundance Institutes Bingham ray Creative Producing Fellowship.

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Ask a dozen writers how to write and you’ll get twelve different takes. Language and style are not set in stone. Words change meaning, conventions get overwritten by conventional wisdom. How do you stay current with proper style and formatting guidelines? We discuss!

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Our 200th Episode! (And we totally forgot to say anything about it!?)

Writing your spec script is usually a solitary task and the notes you get, you can take or leave, but what is it like to write for someone else, with their own vision, style and story requirements? We discuss the ins & outs, pros and cons, and what are some tips to help when writing for someone else.

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This session we talk with Cyndi Brec, author of the YA Fantasy/Romance series “The Therans” on the upcoming launch of her first book “Secrets Beneath Scars.”

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Evan Ari Kelman’s latest film, the elevated kidnapping thriller “Barron’s Cove,” premiered recently at the Hampton International Film Festival. The script was a semifinalist for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships and appeared on the Black List in 2021. Evan is also the CEO of ScriptGen, an AI company that creates tools for writers, designers, and producers to accelerate production and eliminate inefficiencies. 

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On this session of Writers Group Therapy we have with us New Zealand writer/director Christine Jeffs to talk about her new medical drama “A Mistake” starring Elizabeth Banks. Previously Christine directed Amy Adams and Emily Blunt in “Sunshine Cleaning,” and Gwyneth Paltrow in “Sylvia.” 

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This summer, AI-related disruptions left the entertainment industry reeling. From video game devs and VO artists strikes over unregulated AI use to protests at Warner Bros. Studios, it's clear that the rapid advancements in AI technology are causing major waves. In this episode, we explore the relationship between AI innovation and human creativity, and ask the question: can these two forces coexist in the world of storytelling?

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In this session of Writers Group Therapy we discuss Netflix’s visually stunning and narratively compelling“Our Living World” with award winning producer and show runner Ben Roy. Ben has worked across many genres and platforms, creating content for Channel 4, the BBC, PBS and Animal Planet. He has produced adventure and wildlife shows for Discovery, National Geographic and Smithsonian channels. 

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In this session of Writers Group Therapy, we have with us Lauren Pomerantz, the writer of the new comedy feature “Am I Okay?" that streams on Max starting June 6th. Lauren has previously written for TV on The Ellen DeGenes Show, Saturday Night Live and Community. She brings her comedy chops to “Am I Okay,” which  debuted at Sundance in 2022 and stars Dokota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno. 

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In this session of Writers Group Therapy, we are talking with Brett Wagner, the writer and director of The Big Bend, a thriller borne out of an experience he had with his own family in the deep desert of west Texas. His award winning shorts “Chief” and “Care” appeared at Sundance, the LA International Short Film Festival and received a BAFTA award of excellence, and qualified for the Academy Awards.

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In this session, horror fans will be excited to hear from The First Omen screenwriting team of Arkasha Stevenson and Tim Smith who also directed and produced the film respectively. We discuss their passion for the original that drove their process in creating a terrifying prequel to the Richard Donner classic.

Arkasha and Tim are a team who have written and produced projects for AMC, Hulu, Netflix, SyFy and Amazon including Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block, Legion and Briarpatch. 

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We talk with “A Bit of Light” screenwriter Rebecca Callard and Director Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton on “True Blood”) about their touching slice of life film that stars Anna Paquin, Ray Winstone and newcomer Luca Hogan.

***Spoiler note: Contains some spoilers***

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What happens when writers say and do stuff that comes back to haunt them? We discuss how the industry reacts to the personal actions of writers and what you should be cautious of when posting and vlogging.

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Brooklyn lawyer turned actor and author Steve Schlam discusses is new novel “The Harvesting of Haystacks Kane” that was released by 8th House Publishing. Steve studied under Joseph Heller, the renowned author of “Catch-22” at City University of New York where he earned his Master’s in Creative Writing and English. 

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On this session, “Barry” co-executive producer and writer Duffy Boudreau talks about writing the award winning Max series as well as his earlier work in comics and journey from Oklahoma to Washington to Los Angeles.

Editor Note: The day after recording our interview with Duffy Boudreau, “Barry” was nominated for Best Comedy Series in the WGA Awards.

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Fashion was the first to get “fast” with “Fast Fashion.” Then saw the rise of “Fast Publishing” and “Fast Music.” Is Hollywood the next creative realm to get to the cheap and trendy treatment? We discuss what is “fast” and how it’s going to come for Hollywood.

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In this session, we chat with Jenna St. John, the writer/actor/producer whose indie comedy series “Sexpectations” reach #3 on the top comedies list on iTunes/AppleTV ahead of “Parks and Recreation.” 

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Special guest, producer and screenwriter Ed Solomon talks about his writers journey and new show “Full Circle” on Max. Ed is know for writing blockbusters like “Men in Black,” “Charlie’s Angels,” and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” His latest show “Full Circle” featuring Claire Danes, Dennis Quaid and Timothy Olyphant is streaming on Max. 

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This session we expound on the Black Friday and Holiday deals that might appeal to writers and filmmakers. We also discuss writing holiday movies and what are the key elements that go into them.

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Writer/Director Jeffrey Crane Graham discusses his new award-winning, John Hughesian coming of age dramedy “Always Lola” that is premiering for rent/purchase on most streaming platforms including Amazon Prime, YouTube and AppleTV. Jeffrey also teaches screenwriting and produces and cohosts the podcast “The Screen Writing Life.”

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In this session we discuss the state of Hollywood post WGA strike while the SAG-AFTRA strike continues, as wells our own personal writing updates.

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Richie Billing is a UK-based author, podcaster and writing instructor whose debut novel, “Pariah’s Lament” was published in March 2021 by Of Metal and Magic Publishing. We discuss his writing, teaching and more. 

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Jane L. Rosen is an author, screenwriter, and former Huffington Post contributor. Jane often takes inspiration from real-life stories and interviews to craft her novels. Her first novel “Nine Women, One Dress” was translated into ten languages. Her second novel “Eliza Starts a Rumor” has been optioned by NBC. “A Shoe Story” and “On Fire Island” are out now.

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Dusk Wave Arts CEO, Vision Holder and Lead Writer Paul Graham brings attention to neurodiverse issues through digital audio comics and games. We discuss the development of his company and his stories.

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We’re back from our Summer break, starting off our 7th year of Writers Group Therapy, but the WGA, and now SAG-AFTRA, are still on strike. We catch up on all the latest and look towards a fall with no premieres. 

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NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the WGA going on strike.

From their unusual start from a Twitter feed that became “S**t my dad says,” show runners Patrick Schumacker and Justin Halpern are celebrating the success of their shows “Abbott Elementary” and “Harley Quinn.” We discuss their unique start, juggling show running duties on two shows and what the future holds.

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We wrap up the 6th year of Writers Group Therapy (Can you believe it's been 6 YEARS!) with a discussion of Rachanee’s recently published third novel in the Kingdom Legacy Series: “Heir of Memory & Shadow,” a look at the first week of the writers strike, and our summer plans.

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Does your script need some TLC? Maybe a script doctor can help. Shannon Massey Smith shares the ins and outs of being, and working with, a script doctor.

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“Blindspotting” creator/writer/producer/director/actor Rafael Casal (Miles) talks about how touring with his music and poetry transformed into telling stories about his community in Oakland, CA in the award-winning Starz series.

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This session, we discuss what Tom learned about Stephen King and writing from his book “On Writing” including the tools and techniques King uses and recommends as well as revealing details about his journey to becoming a published author. 

Book Description from Amazon.com: Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. 

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Our guest this session is screenwriter, YouTuber, and podcaster Tyler Mowery who recently rebranded his YouTube Channel with 266,000 subscribers as “Top Development.” We talk about Tyler’s journey, process and script consultant services.

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In this session, we discuss promoting your written works and compare promoting books, scripts, shorts and web series.

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We talk with the creators of the new comedy streaming series “The Game.” Writers/creators Matt Curtain and Lauren Henning, and director Amanda Sonnenschein talk about the genesis of the show and its unique tone and humor.

From the show: The Game is an ensemble adventure-fantasy comedy series that follows a group of TTRPG players both IRL and as their fantasy counterparts in the supernatural realm as they embark on a daring and heartfelt journey towards understanding and acceptance of one another and, most importantly, of themselves.

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In this session, we talk our writing goals for 2023, the latest news including the WGA prepping for contract negotiations, Twitch payout cuts, COVID in Hollywood, Moviepass’ resurrection, and more.

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Writer/Director Thomas Tulak, and Assistant Director/Composer Adam Pineless talk about “Who Dunt Dunt DUNNit?” their a hyper-meta, award-winning comedy film. It’s a hilarious murder mystery, wrapped in a murder mystery wrapped in a movie production about a murder mystery.

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It’s been a rough few weeks across Hollywood at studios such as Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, G4 and others. From layoffs to total shutdowns, we take a look at recent turmoil and how it might affect writers.

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For some us, our biggest addictions are caffeine and endlessly scrolling TikTok videos, so, how do we write characters with more serious addictions? We talk to Ted Perkins, a former Warner Brothers and Universal studio executive, producer, screenwriter and now author who tackles the topic in his new book Addicted In Film, for which Ted watched 100 movies in 100 days about addiction.

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