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Liz Feldman on ‘Dead to Me,’ a funny show about grief Jun 07, 2019

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A week after TV writer Liz Feldman lost a family member unexpectedly and found out her fertility treatment had failed again, she took a meeting with some producers, having been told she didn’t need to come with ideas. So she was immersed in loss and blindsided when she was asked for ideas after all. A seasoned improvisor, Feldman delivered. That quick pitch turned into the Netflix series ‘Dead to Me,’ a funny show about grief.

Reginald Hudlin on his Clarence Avant documentary ‘The Black Godfather’ May 31, 2019

Show notes

You may have never heard of Clarence Avant, but this enigmatic manager, producer and record executive has touched the lives of a wide array of people you have heard of: Bill Withers, Hank Aaron, Barack Obama. Director Reginald Hudlin tells us about his new Netflix documentary ‘The Black Godfather,’ which profiles the now 88-year-old Clarence Avant, the ultimate unseen mover in music, movies, politics and more.

Jemele Hill on leaving ESPN and beginning a new chapter in her career May 27, 2019

Show notes

This week, Jemele Hill tells us about her years at ESPN, where she had a good career until she drew the wrath of the White House by tweeting that Trump is a white supremacist. She thought she was stating the obvious, but eventually, Trump tweeted about her. Jemele Hill tells us about her tumultuous final year at ESPN, becoming a "walking think piece," and what happened next: producing, podcasting and more.

Revisiting Bing Liu on his film, ‘Minding the Gap,’ now a Peabody winner May 17, 2019

Show notes

Growing up in Rockford, Illinois, Bing Liu was obsessed with making skateboarding videos with his friends. Over the course of more than a decade, one of those mini-movies morphed into a feature-length documentary, ‘Minding the Gap.’ This week, as the film is being honored with a Peabody award, we’re revisiting Matt Holzman’s conversation with Liu.

Showrunners on TV staffing season without agents May 10, 2019

Show notes

It’s TV staffing season: when writers look for jobs. But this year, writers have fired their agents in their battle over packaging fees. Still, showrunners Mike Royce and Valentina Garza say the seats in the writers rooms will be filled. They tell us about building a writing staff without agents, and Royce gives us an update on 'One Day at a Time.'

Dan Taberski on his new podcast ‘Running from COPS’ May 03, 2019

Show notes

As a follow-up to his podcasts about exercise guru Richard Simmons and then Y2K, Dan Taberski set out to investigate the darker aspects of the long-running show ‘Cops.’ Taberski tells us about making ‘Running from COPS,’ the product of an 18-month deep-dive into in the show. Turns out, if you live in a town where it films, ‘Cops’ might come for you whether you’re a bad boy or not.

Sally Wainwright on her new HBO-BBC series ‘Gentleman Jack’ Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

Growing up, Sally Wainwright visited Shibden Hall, a historic house and park in West Yorkshire. But she wasn’t taught much about Anne Lister, who had lived there in the 19th century. Years later, Wainwright learned that Lister was truly ahead of her time: a businesswoman and a gay-marriage pioneer. Wainwright tells us about ‘Gentleman Jack,’ her new HBO-BBC series based on the extraordinary life of Lister.

Ryan O’Connell's new Netflix comedy series is ‘Special’ Apr 20, 2019

Show notes

For years, Ryan O’Connell was in the closet: not because he’s gay, which he is, but because he was ashamed of having cerebral palsy. His cover? He’d been hit by a car--which was true. But eventually, that lie took a toll. O'Connell wrote a book about it, and now, with his Netflix show ‘Special,’ O’Connell is out in a big way. He tells us about the 4-year struggle to find a home for his autobiographical comedy.

Participant Media's Elise Pearlstein on the documentary boom Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

Elise Pearlstein has dedicated her life to non-fiction film, first as award-winning producer, and since 2013, as SVP of Documentary at Participant Media. Her career in docs wasn’t always a foregone conclusion--she used to keep lists of other jobs she could do--but now says there's no place she'd rather be. She talks to Matt Holzman about an industry in transition and some of Participant's newest projects.

Stephen Falk on 'You're the Worst,' the FXX rom-com with a twist Apr 05, 2019

Show notes

Stephen Falk thought he had gotten his big break in 2012, when NBC picked up his series ‘Next Caller.’ But after he’d shot just 4 episodes, NBC pulled the plug. He vowed for his next project, he'd write what he wanted. That would be the dark rom-com, ‘You’re the Worst’--it just wrapped its final season on FXX. Falk talks about the road to making ‘You’re the Worst,’ which critics concur is actually the best.

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