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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 Jan 09, 2022
Sunday Jan 09, 2022
This week, learn about how to break in to both comic writing and TV writing, as host Gray Jones interviews TV & comic writer Jay Faerber.
Originally from rural Pennsylvania, Jay Faerber grew up on a steady diet of comic books, detective novels, and cop shows. After writing and drawing his own comics throughout high school, Jay started getting work from Marvel and DC in the late 90s, writing such titles as “Generation X,” “New Warriors,” and “Titans.”
Craving more creative freedom, Jay turned his attention to Image Comics, where he created the superhero soap opera series “Noble Causes,” which ran for over 40 issues. He also co-created numerous other series, including “Dynamo 5,” "Near Death,” “Copperhead,” and “Elsewhere.”
In 2010, Jay was accepted into the Warner Bros TV Writers Workshop, and after completing that program, he landed a staff writer job on the CW series, “Ringer,” starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. After “Ringer” was cancelled, Jay was staffed on another CW series, “Star-Crossed.” He then wrote on all three seasons of the CBS summer series, “Zoo," and was most recently a writer/producer on the last two seasons of the CW series “Supergirl.”
In a special section at the beginning of the podcast, Jay answers pressing fan questions related to the last season and series finale of "Supergirl," as well as other viewer-submitted questions.
Jay lives in Burbank with his wife and son.
Follow Jay on Twitter: @JayFaerber
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Sunday Jan 02, 2022
Sunday Jan 02, 2022
His Grandfather was in the original Our Gang comedies... This week, host Gray Jones interviews comedy writer and Script Anatomy instructor Aaron Vaccaro.
Aaron Vaccaro bio:
He grew up in the San Fernando Valley (the non-porny part) and was always enamored by the entertainment industry, inspired by his grandfather, who starred in the original "Our Gang" comedies. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Film Studies, Aaron set out to become a television writer. He scored several Writers’ Assistant stints – on "24," "Ghost Whisperer," "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "Wilfred," and "Mike & Molly." After being chosen as one of the NBC’s Writers on the Verge, Aaron has gone on to write for "Mike & Molly" and "Superior Donuts," both on CBS, "Team Kaylie" on Netflix, and most recently "Drama Club" on Nickelodeon.
He has developed projects with Netflix, Disney, Universal Cable Productions, Viola Davis’ production company, and once sold a feature entitled "Sasquatch vs. The Abominable Snowman," which is every bit as insane as it sounds.
Aaron now has an M.F.A. in Screenwriting and has taught screenwriting courses at AFI, UCSB, CSUN, LA Valley College and now Script Anatomy.
Follow Aaron on Twitter: @HairyPizzaBagel
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
Tuesday Dec 21, 2021
From Alaska to the CIA to being the funny drama guy... this week host Gray Jones interviews TV writer and Script Anatomy instructor Zach Ayers.
Zach Ayers is a versatile TV writer who has found his stride as the funny guy in a drama room. Although before his TV career, Zach spent five years in a deadly-serious job at the Central Intelligence Agency. There he wrote and produced top-secret training films that taught US intelligence officers how to do their job well and survive doing it. He knows all the scary stuff. Which, in retrospect, Zach finds hilarious.
Recently, Zach wrote and produced the bio-series "American Soul" (BET). Other credits include "Siren" (Freeform), "State of Affairs" (NBC) and "A.N.T. Farm" (Disney). He’s also developed and sold several TV projects of his own across genres and formats. Zach's one of those oddball writers who actually loves to pitch.
Zach's an alumnus of the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, Second City and Ithaca College. He grew up in rural, working-class Alaska, learning how to drive a forklift before he learned how to drive a car. But now he’s 100% city kid, living with his family and his cat Balki on the eastside of Los Angeles. He still does his own yardwork.
Follow Zach on Twitter: @ZachTellsLies
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Monday Dec 13, 2021
Monday Dec 13, 2021
This week, host Gray Jones interviews screen & TV writer career coach Lee Jessup, who recently published the book Getting It Write: An Insider's Guide to a Screenwriting Career.
Lee Jessup is a career coach for professional and emerging screenwriters, a twice-published, best-selling author, who has served as consultant for Universal’s Writers Program, NBC International, and Final Draft’s Big Break contest. Lee’s clients include writers who have major spec, pilot and pitch sales under their belts, staffed TV writers, TV writing program fellows, writers named to The Hit List, The Blood List, The Young & Hungry List and The Black List, major contest winners, as well as writers just beginning to chart their professional course.
Lee is the author of Breaking In: Tales From The Screenwriting Trenches (Focal Press) And Getting It Write: An Insider’s Guide To A Screenwriting Career (MWP). Just click on the links to buy these excellent books on Amazon!
Her professional background includes a stint as a working screenwriter, a development executive, and the director of ScriptShark.com. Lee has appeared in countless screenwriting conferences and panels domestically, abroad, and online, and has been the interview subject of countless podcasts. Never too far from the industry, She resides in Los Angeles with her family.
Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeZJessup
Visit Lee's website: leejessup.com
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Sasha Feiler is the only funny person to ever come out of Siberia, and you’ll have to take her word for it since Siberia is the last place you’d want to visit! This week, host Gray Jones interviews comedy writer, performer & Script Anatomy instructor Sasha Feiler.
She fled Siberia and came to New York at nineteen with $40 in her pocket. At some point, after her paperwork got messed up, she became an illegal immigrant. Which was super fun (it wasn’t).
She graduated Brooklyn College on a full Presidential Scholarship with an MFA in Television Production and worked as an editor and producer at CNN. She quickly realized there weren’t a lot of laughs at CNN so she quit and moved to Los Angeles where she started performing and writing on improv and sketch teams at UCB, iO West and Second City.
A Script Anatomy alum—check out her testimonial video about Structure lab—she has written for "Robot Chicken" (Adult Swim) and was a fellow at The Colony, A3 (formerly Abrams) Agency’s incubator for emerging writers. The execs at The Colony attached themselves as Producers to her pilot "Queen Bitch" about a socially challenged dog trainer.
Sasha currently hosts a comedy podcast "Shut Up I Love It," competes in dog agility with her Champion Entlebucher Spoon and makes hospital visits with her therapy other Entlebucher Shark. These days, she rarely visits Siberia, using the lame excuse of “Once it’s below 72 degrees, I’m dead.”
She is repped by Bellevue Management, you can find her on IG @shutupiloveit1, or on Twitter at @shutupiloveit1.
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
He wrote the book on directing great TV... literally! This week, host Gray Jones interviews veteran TV director Dan Attias, who has worked on such hit shows as "The Boys," "The Walking Dead," "Homeland," "House," "Lost," "The Sopranos," and dozens more.
Dan Attias has worked as a director in the film and television industry for 37 years. As a director of series television he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards for his comedy directing.
Dan continues to work on some of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed American television shows, including "Homeland," "The Americans," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Billions," and "The Boys." Previously he has directed "The Sopranos," "The Wire," "Six Feet Under," "True Blood," "Entourage," "The Killing," "The Walking Dead," "True Detective," "Ray Donovan," "Bloodline," "Friday Night Lights," "Northern Exposure," "House," "Lost," "Alias," among many others.
Dan's first professional directing assignment was the feature film, Stephen King’s "Silver Bullet," produced by Dino DeLaurentiis. He started his career studying acting, then worked as an assistant director on "E.T. The Extraterrestrial," "Airplane!," "One From the Heart" and several other feature films.
Dan has taught acting and directing workshops in the United States, and has appeared as a guest speaker at festivals in Italy, Brazil, Greece, Mexico and Canada. Before working in the film and television industry, Dan was enrolled in a Ph.D. program in English literature at U.C.L.A., then transferred to the Theater Arts Department where he earned an M.F.A. in film production.
Gray gives a high recommendation to his new book, Directing Great Television. CLICK HERE to buy it and support the podcast (currently $5 off on Amazon).
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
What if you get a non-writing job in the industry, and then thrive in that job... how do you break in to the entry level in TV writing? Find out this week, as host Gray Jones interviews Script Anatomy instructor Jim Galasso.
Jim Galasso spent his formative years obsessed with writing plays, making short movies and watching Eddie Murphy and the "Rocky" franchise on loop. His love of storytelling led to writing for the local newspaper (The Connecticut Post), and later for a nightly news show, "Up To The Minute" on CBS.
After graduating from Northeastern University, Jim moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting. He worked in reality and documentaries at World of Wonder Productions, eventually becoming Head of Development, composing an endless stream of show proposals. But his desire was always scripted TV, and eventually Jim landed at Lost (ABC). He started as Writers' PA, was promoted to Writers' Assistant, then bumped to Staff Writer on the Emmy award winning show's final season.
Jim has since written for Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) and the sci-fi family series Beyond (Freeform). He has also done uncredited rewrites on pilots and worked on series treatments. Jim writes pilots spanning many genres, from sci-fi to political thrillers, with the special focus on character interaction and sharp dialogue. Look hard enough and you'll even see the Eddie Murphy and Rocky influences. Or at least get a montage with a fresh synthesizer beat.
Jim tells us all about the two courses he currently teaches at Script Anatomy - the TV Structure Lab and the TV Pilot Lab (which is coming up February 1st). These fill up fast, so if they interest you, book early!
Follow Jim on Twitter: @JGJR22
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
No more reverse engineering! Former development exec Kelly Edwards lifts the veil, and tells you exactly how to get the studio to say 'yes' to your pitch in her new book, The Executive Chair.
Kelly Edwards Biography
Veteran producer and creative executive Kelly Edwards has worked at every major studio in Hollywood. After years as a feature exec on the Sony and Disney lots, Edwards eventually shifted her focus to television, where she served as a development exec at both Fox and UPN.
After producing a drama series for Paramount, she moved on to NBCUniversal, where she oversaw diversity for their twenty networks. Edwards spent her final stint as an exec creating HBO’s emerging artists programs.
Edwards holds a B.A. in Theater from Vassar and an MFA in Writing for Film and Television from Emerson College. She has been a Sundance Episodic Lab fellow and was recently staffed on the new Fox drama "Our Kind Of People." Her new book "The Executive Chair: A Writer’s Guide To TV Series Development," was released October 12th.
Buy it here to support the podcast: The Executive Chair.
Follow Kelly on Twitter: @kellyedwards_co.
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
We are constantly told to "pick a lane." But what if our creativity is stifled by only doing one thing? Is it possible to make a living as a multi-hyphenate? This week, host Gray Jones interviews Meg Messmer to find out.
Meg Messmer grew up in a small town in Michigan, and without knowing anyone in the business, worked her way up with sheer grit and determination, as an actor, working in development, and as a talent manager, earning six figures despite being an active mom.
But she found a passion for producing and creating projects that she could act in. That led to co-creating, self-producing and showrunning the intellectual dark comedy web series "Intersection," shot in Atlanta, with a full writers room.
Learn more about Meg at her website, megmessmer.com. Follow her on Instagram at @megmessmer and on Twitter at @MeganMessmer. CLICK HERE to learn more about her Facebook group "The Multi-Hyphenate Creative Community."
Photo credit: Jordana Dale.
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Jeff Vlaming is 30 year veteran television writer and producer, whose almost uninterrupted string of hit shows has included "Northern Exposure," "The X-Files," SyFy's "Battlestar Galactica," "NCIS," "Numb3rs," "Fringe," "Teen Wolf," "Hannibal," "Outcast," "The 100" and "Debris."
How did he have such a long string of success? According to Jeff, he broke every rule, and never stopped writing.
Abridged Biography via Wikipedia:
Vlaming came to Los Angeles, California from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he had worked as an advertising art director. In 1992, he sold a freelance script to the CBS series "Northern Exposure" (then in its third season), and joined the writing staff the following season.
In 1994, Vlaming moved to the USA series "Weird Science," where he wrote 13 episodes.
In Fall 1995, he joined the writing staff for the third season of the FOX drama "The X-Files." From there, he wrote on the last season of ABC's "Lois & Clark," and the WB series "Rescue 77."
Vlaming was a writer-producer on the FOX series "Keen Eddie" and CBS's "NCIS," followed by USA's American remake of the English crime drama "Touching Evil."
After writing three scripts for SyFy's "Battlestar Galactica," Vlaming joined the CW series "Reaper" as a supervising producer for its two-year stint.
In 2009, he joined the second season of the FOX series "Fringe" as a writer and supervising producer.
His freelance episode of "Stargate: Universe," "Human" received a Gemini Award for series star Robert Carlyle. In 2011, Vlaming was on MTV's re-imagining of "Teen Wolf" as a Co-executive producer and writer.
After two seasons as a co-executive producer on the NBC series "Hannibal," Vlaming was a co-executive producer on the Cinemax series "Outcast" based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman (creator of "The Walking Dead.")
Jeff Vlaming was a writer and executive producer for the final three seasons of the Jason Rothenberg CW series "The 100" and is currently a writer and executive producer on JH Wyman's NBC series "Debris."
Vlaming was also part of the writing/creative team behind Microsoft's Xbox One game "Quantum Break".
He maintains, or tries to, a stream of daily doodles, some related to his TV work, on Twitter at @jvlamingwriter.
Visit primary sponsor Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com
Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.
You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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 previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.