Advertise on podcast: Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss

What an episode! Legendary showrunner and show creator Trey Callaway joins us. He talks about a failed pitch leading to two huge successes, the letter from a dying man that reinspired him and the life and death of showrunners. Trey tells us about going from film school student to being at the front of the class, Coppola coming to his hometown and why he now writes for good. A magnificent episode with an incredible storyteller.

We have the magnificent John Green on the show. The best-selling author talks about his new book Hollywood, Ending. He tells us why the long gap between novels, turning books into films and whether he enjoys writing. We talk books being turned into toilet paper, his love of soccer and his pursuit of non-fiction. John talks openly about anxiety, imposter syndrome and dealing with fame.

We talk to British show creator Ben Chanan. The creator of The Capture talks about his transition from documentaries to scripted tv, carrying the idea around in his head for five years and how getting Covid nearly derailed a whole season. We discuss about the spy genesis of the series, British show vs American show creation and the access and experience of documentaries. Ben speaks honestly about his journey from editor to director to show creator and what he learned along the way.

We have the excellent Erica Messer on the show. She tells her story of moving from temp to writer, the greats she learned from and how she got to work on some of the most iconic shows of our time. What she learned from being a bartender, the joy of studio lots and how she coped with working on a dark show like Criminal Minds and being a mother. A fun, informative and in-depth chat with someone whose been in some of Hollywood’s most iconic writing rooms.

We have the remarkable Minkie Spiro on the show. Heavily Emmy nominated for All Her Fault, she talks about her start in documentaries, the family disapproval of her career choices and what she learned on Holby City. We talk about being pissed on by rats and what that teaches you about life, she uses some great British phrases and we discuss award shows. We talk Downton Abbey, 3 Body Problem and show producing compared to directing. One of our funniest and most brightest episodes with a legend.

A true fairytale today as we talk to Craig Gerber, creator of Disney princess shows galore. He tells us his fascinating tale of fairies that led him to create Sofia the First while stuck in a traffic jam, the joy of working at Disney and presentation and diversity in writing rooms. He talks about his early career struggles, creating the new Sofia the First: Royal Magic show and what next for his writing career. A heartwarming tale of success in Hollywood articulately told.

We welcome the dynamic writing duo of Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson to the show. We talk about celebrating wins together, the mechanics of a writing pair and their new show It’s Not Like That. They tell us why they have a shared inbox, being mistaken for a couple couple and the changing dynamics of writing rooms. A deep dive into the world of writing partners navigating today’s TV landscape.

What a nice man! We have Thom Harp on the show to talk movies, pitches and being nice. We talk persistence, writing what you know and getting the best out of your team. Thom describes the frustrations of years of pushing, how he made the most of the Covid opportunity by listening to sensible advice and the joy of working in a job you love. A really fun, informative and engaging chat.

We have the impressive Courtney Lilly on the show. He talks about the state of Hollywood, being in the same storm but a different boat and the luck it takes to succeed. We hear about his start as a journalist, showrunning on a show created by someone else and the importance of Morpheus. Why Black-ish was a success, talented actors over good writing and the importance and value of diversity. A fascinating and insightful interview full of self-reflection, nuggets of wisdom and candour.

Episode 150 and we have a legend on. It’s David Zucker, he of The Naked Gun and Airplane fame.  He is as funny and witty and irreverent as you would hope he would be. David tells us the story of how he got Airplane made, we talk about the puns of it all and why he doesn’t like the new Naked Gun movie. He talks about spoofs, his new project the Star of Malta and the self-confidence to move to Hollywood. We hear about when he was king of Hollywood, how they tricked the DGA into letting three of them direct a movie and his new course - Master Crash - https://mastercrash.kit.com/join A fittingly insightful conversation for episode 150 with a true Hollywood legend.

Rogue One writer Gary Whitta returns to the podcast and we talk…podcasts. The British writer explains why he decided he needed to make a scripted podcast, casting Jon Boyega and how bad Hollywood is at the moment. He talks us through where he sees the industry, the process of pitching this show and his views on taking notes. In his usual witty, sardonic style, we also cover advice for writers, the frustrations of projects falling apart and the joy of creating again. A very fun, irreverent and insightful romp around Hollywood with one of its sharpest minds. Check out his pilot at www.seeyouinhell.tv

The magical Craig Thomas returns to the podcast. The How I Met Your Mother co-creator comes on to talk about his heart-warming novel That’s Not How It Happened. Craig talks about why he wrote the book, disability in Hollywood and the tortuous process of writing a novel. He explains his personal journey with his son’s rare disability, why it was so important to write this book and how he used his tv writing skills to help finish the novel. A genuine, heartfelt and important episode about a passionate man wanting to tell a story properly. Must listen material.

We talk to filmmaker Martyn Robertson and sports surgeon Gordon Mackay about the inspiring feature doc Make it to Munich. In a crossover episode we talk Hollywood and whisky, pioneering surgeries and telling stories with heart. They explain how the extraordinary story of a young man’s courage to overcome life-changing injuries has ended up at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood - the adventures they had along the way and the importance of real life heroes.

He was told he had no future in the entertainment business and yet Australian Nick Verso has gone on to have a stellar career. In this episode we talk about dealing with such raw rejection, how he found his place in the business and also the other early project that was turned down - and the apologies he has had about that since. We talk about why he started directing, how we got good at writing and managing the Australia-Los Angeles divide. A raw and candid episode from a smart and driven creator. And Noah gets excited when Nick starts talking about DJ'ing.

We talk to the incredible, passionate and enthusiastic James Eason-Garcia, co-EP of Ironman and his Awesome Friends. Noah and I geek out a little and cover both James' career while also asking superhero and Jedi questions of a man who has special access to both of those worlds. We talk about his journey from fan to working on these projects, the excitement of actually of walking through the doors of Disney to work and taking notes on established franchises. James talks about the state of the industry, the ongoing fascination with superheroes and collecting memorabilia. A really insightful discussion full of pure joy (from all three of us) of such fascinating worlds.