Advertise on podcast: No Set Path: Entertainment Break-In Stories

Emma is a writer and producer who recently staffed on two half-hour specials of ROBOT CHICKEN for Adult Swim and HBO Max. She currently serves as the Director of Development at The Green Room Productions, where she collaborates with Seth Green on film and television projects, including Warner Brothers’ upcoming animated feature MEERKAT MANOR. Emma began her career writing and producing segments for NFL Films, has associate produced multiple true crime series for networks including CNN and Oxygen, and has supported executives and producers across the industry.  Today we get into rising the ranks from executive assistant to Director of Development despite challenges like layoffs and strikes; how to navigate getting your work in front of higher-ups who could help you land a spot in a writers’ room; and going from moving from an NFL internship on the east coast (to LA with no job, no contacts and no plan) to landing work on a network show. KEEP UP WITH EMMA: Instagram: @emmamtaylor_ TikTok: @emmamtaylor Website: www.emmamtaylorwrites.com KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath

KEEP UP WITH MICHAEL: IG: @mkritter KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com. bio.site/nosetpath

KEEP UP WITH ALLI: IG: https://www.instagram.com/alligooch/ http://offscript.cc/ KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow bio.site/NoSetPath www.NoSetPathShow.om

Guest host Michael Ritter joins for a discussion 10 years after graduating USC SCA: - What percentage of graduates have left the film industry, or directed a feature film? - How did expectations upon graduation meet reality a decade later? - How can one figure out what opportunities are worth pursuing? - Are there noticeable differences between the trajectories of USC film grads vs. non-traditional film schools? - What advice would be useful for the Class of 2026? KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/nosetpath

So you've been rejected from USC SCA (or USC altogether) - what have people done in the past to overcome this and either eventually land a spot as a Trojan, or carve a path toward a film career without it? BREAKDOWN: 0:00 - Intro/Context 3:00 - Episode Outline 3:56 - A note about the appeal process!! (FAQ) 6:24 - For parents!!! 8:13 - My journey getting rejected from USC SCA: admission to USC but denied from SCA, adding a major in Annenberg, transferring into Cinema-Media Studies and eventually transferring into Film & Television Production 44:52 - Stories of successful people who were initially rejected from USC

Evan Iwata is a TV drama writer who recently sold his original high-concept crime procedural ON THE CLOCK to ABC with Lionsgate Television and Alexi Hawley’s Perfectman Pictures. He was previously a staff writer on the HBO Max sci-fi thriller SUBJECT TO CHANGE from J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, and has also developed a YA action-adventure series for DreamWorks Animation. He began his career in the writers room, working in support staff roles on series including Starz's OUTLANDER, CBS's CSI:CYBER and PURE GENIUS, and ABC's THE FIX and EMERGENCE. An alum of the Warner Bros. TV Writers’ Workshop and the USC School of Cinematic Arts.  Today we are getting into how Evan went from being rejected from USC film school to a WGA writer selling his own show, what it was like working directly with JJ Abrams ona series for HBO and the three typical expectations most writers have that are completely incorrect. BREAKDOWN: 13:46 – Evan’s work on a potential Dreamworks show18:26 – Pitch vs. pilot vs. series bible23:18 – How to get paid before you start writing the pilot28:41 – From Oshkosh to USC / underGRAD31:41 – Megan Niquette33:21 – Namrata34:11 – Evan McGahey, Monisha Dadlani, Ethan Welling41:41 – Signing with reps42:24 – Writers’ Assistant Program, Conrad Sun46:41 – Knowing when to add an agent to the team46:41 – Kat Reilly50:41 – Warner Bros. TV Writer Workshop + Covid51:26 – Jennifer Yale52:01 – Getting in the writers room on JJ Abrams show59:21 – Starting as support staff (CSI: Cyber, Outlander)1:06:11 – Wrong expectations as writers1:17:41 – Getting a WGA card1:18:11 – Adapting a true story from an article1:24:36 – TIME CAPSULE KEEP UP WITH EVAN: @iwhata KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath

RSVP FOR 3/11: Link in bio on IG @NoSetPathShow https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedN4zJwMFdQeR-NMkI6uaoXu8EoCdTLR4FhG7GNoDa68jdig/viewform?usp=header WATCH ANDREA'S GAMBIT: https://thempi.org/film/andreas-gambit/ KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath

RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedN4zJwMFdQeR-NMkI6uaoXu8EoCdTLR4FhG7GNoDa68jdig/viewform?usp=header3 KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath

We're talking talent rep tantrums, slapping "elevated" before genres, and the infamous "mayonnaise commercial." KEEP UP WITH MICHAEL: IG: @mkritter KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath

Faith Liu is a writer/director who has written feature films for Blumhouse, FilmNation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Disney. Her directorial debut short “Sundowning” is available online at CryptTV’s YouTube channel after a successful festival run. She was a member of the CAPE New Writers Fellowship and Christina Hodson and Margot Robbie’s Lucky Exports Pitch Program. Today we are getting into how Faith landed paid distribution for her short film, how she got connected with opportunities to write features for major studios in traditional Hollywood and what she thinks there is to gain from the film festival circuit.  EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 1:31 START 2:00 - Sundowning, Faith’s horror-with-a-heart proof of concept short now out on CryptTV 4:10 - Getting paid distribution for a short: CryptTV 6:07 - What to gain from film festivals (especially genre festivals) 13:20 - Winning the Wes Craven Award 16:44 - Going from screenwriter to writer-director 19:10 - Crowdfunding $40k for Sundowning 23:20 - Signing with Faith’s longtime manager Max Goldfarb 26:33 - First jobs in support staff on writers rooms of “Warrior” and “Better Call Saul” 29:59 - Caren Dulles?  33:50 - CAPE (Coalition for Asian Pacific in Entertainment) New Writers Program & how to pitch yourself in 3 minutes 42:15 - Getting connected with writing for multiple Hollywood studios & landing Open Writing Assignment pitches 48:10 - Getting into Margot Robbie’s Lucky Chap Pitch Program & women who write action 51:40 - Faith’s advice for screenwriters 54:14 - How living situation has impacted creativity  56:00 - What helped Faith persevere  59:04 - TIME CAPSULE

Veronica Powers is a SAG actress, singer, and USC Summa Cum Laude graduate who has transitioned from a child performer on Conan to a viral comedy star for creators like Content Machine and Adam W. A versatile multi-hyphenate, she also lends her voice to global Netflix hits and works as a professional coach for aspiring talent. In this episode, we discuss the profound life lessons she learned after losing her home in the Palisades fire and the specific DM strategies she used to land major roles in the digital space. BREAKDOWN: 11:28 - Veronica’s origins, from Old Hollywood grandmother to acting as a child 18:11 - What Veronica DM’d to get cast in Instagram comedy sketches 19:23 - IG as the modern day business card 20:38 - opportunities & negotiations over Instagram DMs 25:38 - creating your own social content 26:38 - leaning into being a multi-hyphenate 29:28 - pursuing music through voiceover/dubbing contacts & training 32:38 - should new actors go SAG? 39:07 - TIME CAPSULE KEEP UP WITH VERONICA: IG: @officalvpowers | @confidencecoach101  KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:  All platforms: @NoSetPathShow    www.NoSetPathShow.com www.bio.site/NoSetPath

Austin Kolodney is the screenwriter of “Dead Man’s Wire,” based on a true story and directed by Gus Van Sant, in theaters January 2026. He was named one of Variety’s 2025 Screenwriters to Watch. A director as well as writer, Austin’s work has been featured across major platforms including Funny Or Die, Syfy, Audible, Almost Friday TV, and Comedy Central. His narrative shorts, Two Chairs, Not One and Kiwi, earned prestigious Vimeo Staff Pick honors. Today we get into why Austin walked twenty miles round trip across LA to meet with Werner Herzog; working at the LA Zoo after the industry was ravaged by strikes and the pandemic; how he put himself through USC film school after two years at a community college; and the things he had in place to make reps pursue him for professional relationships that have lasted.  SEE “DEAD MAN’S WIRE:” Limited Release 1/07/26 | Out Nationwide 1/16/26 KEEP UP WITH AUSTIN:  IG: @awwwwstin KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW:  All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.bio.site/NoSetPath ANDREA’S GAMBIT PREMIERE TICKETS: https://mpi.swoogo.com/andreasgambit-la-premiere/10598619

KEEP UP WITH BECCA: TikTok: @beccawmann Instagram: @becca__mann KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com bio.site/NoSetPath Last Year's Episode with Becca: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/47-new-years-resolutions-for-filmmakers-w-becca-mann/id1676370871?i=1000682375575

With the Oscars broadcast headed to YouTube, studios including Fox hiring Head of Creator Studio, and YouTube surpassing Netflix to become the most watched streamer on TVs - where are the jobs headed in an industry that seems to be scaling back? The good news: there is one accessible sector that's growing, and may be replacing the bottom of the pyramid of traditional media. Mentioned articles/books: THR "Hollywood Is Dying—42000 Jobs Gone in Just 2 Years": https://nofilmschool.com/entertainment-industry-crisis Wall Street Journal: "L.A.’s Entertainment Economy Is Looking Like a Disaster Movie" https://www.wsj.com/business/media/los-angeles-entertainment-economy-downturn-7879105c Deloitte digital media trends data: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/digital-media-trends-consumption-habits-survey/2025.html The Women Who Built Hollywood by Susan Goldman Rubin: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/recommended-books/?bookId=24944 Scott Galloway on Colin & Samir: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vNHGUPEVtJanMq6lXaxUr Dhar Mann: https://www.dharmann.com/about/ Kinigra Deon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9HvSOvNpFpjydzDkAQJCNw Try Guys on Colin & Samir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsvyA7O9hiY Michelle Khare on Colin & Samir 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TlPHtxsBIA Zach Justice on the Karat Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2t2vq1kqfphXVXTew72ZA9 THR - Taylor Lorenz: "How Hollywood Learned to Love Influencers" https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/hollywood-influencers-new-era-fame-1236400405/ The Town with Matt Belloni - Did Hollywood Ever Have a Chance Against YouTube? https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-town-with-matthew-belloni/2025/11/20/did-hollywood-ever-have-a-chance-against-youtube TV Upfronts Data: https://videoamp.com/press/tv-networks-embrace-their-aging-audience-with-a-new-mantra-age-doesnt-matter/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Tina Fey on Smartless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jc5ThwTxSM KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow www.NoSetPathShow.com www.bio.site/NoSetPath

KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShow bio.site/NoSetPath www.NoSetPathShow.com