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Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman field a listener question about Free Work, the nemesis of all Screenwriters, and the particular bane of up-and-coming Screenwriters. They talk about their own experiences with Free Work early in their careers and now, how they dealt with them, how best to protect yourself against endless unpaid drafts, and what's realistic about Free Work and our careers as Screenwriters.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss the question we've all gotten from execs -- "Why you?" They discuss why they ask this question, what it means, and how best to answer it, including examples from real-life situations.    TWIW: Tasha just finished her spec adaptation of a book! What next? / Josh battles a coyote, and gets a new story idea / Has Tasha seen all the Oscar movies yet? / Tasha's new mantra: Just Do It!   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman sit down with editor Patrick Tuck (THE LOW DOWN, RESERVATION DOGS, CHAD POWERS) to discuss how writers' stories evolve in the editing room, lessons writers can learn from the post process, how writers can avoid common post pitfalls, and more!    Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist

Scott Glassgold, founder of management & production company Ground Control, has recently made waves in Hollywood for finding short stories on Reddit and turning them into high-profile sales for new writers. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman walk through that process with Scott and discuss the potential of the short story market for writers in any stage of their career.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist Music by 414Beg

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk 2026 Screenwriting goals and how to achieve them realistically. They discuss breaking screenwriting goals down into actionable steps, scheduling yourself, and other useful tips to stay on track this year.   TWIW: Tasha visited the Academy Museum over break / Tasha loved The Anaconda / Watching The Housemaid in a full theater made a big difference / A Spielberg book that could change your life!   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss how many of their 2025 Goals they achieved (spoiler alert: Josh beat Tasha), and what they can learn from their successes and failures going into 2026.    Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman discuss Final Draft blog by Ken Miyamoto, How to Plan Your Entire Screenwriting Year: A Month-by-Month Guide. They break down tasks for each month, discuss practical solutions to achieving those tasks, and why thinking about your year in these terms sets you up for success (and they maybe fangirl over Ken a little bit).    TWIW: Tasha got very different notes on a script from her manager and her writer's group, what should she do? / A studio exec with very interesting insight into writers vs. actors that we should learn from / Josh's pitch to an actress / Tasha's pitch to an author / Rob Reiner as an integral part of our Screenwriting education, RIP.    Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman chat about Tasha's newest season of Tomb Raider: the Legend of Lara Croft now on Netflix, how the idea for the season came together, and behind-the-scenes writing stories.    TWIW: The Blacklist 2025: Who's Who and trends Josh is seeing / Tasha went to a BAFTA Games Mixer and sweated profusely / If you can spot the reference to Tasha & Josh's favorite movies in S1 of The Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime, you win a prize! Hint: there are 2 references.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk through Final Draft's 5 Pieces of Advice to Tell a Compelling Tale and offer their own specifics on why and how these pieces of advice work in your writing.   TWIW: This month's Running Man Q&A Patreon Zoom / Netflix buying WB? / Tasha's show The Mighty Nein is #1 in the US, Canada & Europe! / Vince Gilligan is so damn good at creating character-driven concepts   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

This week, Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman talk about living outside LA, where Tasha’s pitch stands, and an overdue double-dose of “Are You Excited?” - covering both November and December.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman field a listener question and discuss the tips & tricks they use to get unstuck in their writing.   TWIW: Is The Hunger Games a perfect movie? / Returning to "the big paper" for a video game adaptation pitch.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Showrunner and co-host Tasha Huo's show premieres November 19 on Amazon Prime Video, and Josh makes her talk about it! Tasha reveals how she got the job adapting the Critical Role live D&D campaign, what the writing process was like to adapt something so massive and beloved, and what it was like working with the "nerdy ass voice actors" of Critical Role.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

We have a repost this week: Holidays are here, and it’s time to panic about what to get your reps. Freak out no more! Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman give some great gift ideas, and share some insider info from reps themselves on what gifts they are actually looking for this year.   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hollywood moves fast, and even the best careers can fade. Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman share ways to stay relevant as a screenwriter and keep your career thriving. Plus... TWIW!   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist 

Hosts Tasha Huo and Josh Hallman chat with horror writer and Friend of the Podcast, David Levinson (Welcome Home), about their favorite movie villains and how they were written to make a lasting impression.   TWIW: How do you manage the financial realities of being a spec writer? / What are Tasha, Josh and Dave dressing up as for Halloween??   Questions / Comments: [email protected] Edited by the GREAT Paul Lundquist