The Writers Panel

Latest Episodes:

Sascha Penn (Power Book III) Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

Sascha Penn (creator/showrunner, Power Book III) discusses the value of non-industry experience to showrunning, the truth about reps, the storytelling muscle, advice for entering the business at this moment, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

Come see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Tropper (Your Friends and Neighbors) Apr 08, 2025

Show notes

Jonathan Tropper (creator, Your Friends and Neighbors, Banshee, Warrior) discusses writing a TV show closer in sensibility to his novels, the role of luck in a writing career, writing a non-action show, one key piece of advice about craft, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Veronica West (Surface) Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

Veronica West (creator of Surface, High Fidelity; Dexter: New Blood; Chicago Fire) discusses why she wrote Surface on spec, the elaborate pitch, working with actors, learning on the job, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abdullah Saeed (Deli Boys) Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

Abdullah Saeed (creator, Deli Boys) discusses diligence versus talent, his favorite part of the television-making process, the most important part of your sample script, embracing chaos, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drew Hancock (Companion) Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

Drew Hancock (writer/director, Companion) discusses being put in a box, tricks for directing on the page, writing from the perspective of a robot, why second drafts always suck, and lots more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katie O'Brien (The Z-Suite) Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Katie O'Brien (creator, The Z Suite; co-creator, Teachers; The Santa Clauses) discusses improv and showrunning, her post-Teachers struggle, optimism in the face of rejection, the bananas sample script she had to write, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Rudman (Nature Cat) Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

Adam Rudman (Carl the Collector; Nature Cat; Sesame Street) discusses pitching and selling pre-school series, the throughline in his shows, carrying on the traditions of Buster Keaton and Spongebob, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle Nader (Shifting Gears; Deli Boys) Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

Michelle Nader (showrunner of Shifting Gears and Deli Boys) discusses relationships with actors, including her "avatar" Kat Dennings, writing yourself out of your low points, how growing up in the mob prepared her for a career in television, and more.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

Come see The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

In our last episode of the year, journalists Joanna Robinson and Dave Gonzales, the authors of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, discuss making a living as a "pop culture pundit," mapping the story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the missing "DC vs Marvel" chapter, lessons the MCU might take from recent successes like Deadpool & Wolverine and Agatha All Along, what other franchises might learn from the MCU, what Kevin Feige really does, and what the MCU can teach writers.

THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.

SOCIALS:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, and Heath Corson Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

Heath Corson (Animal Kingdom; Batman: Assault on Arkham) discussing his new 4-issue comic, The Brood. Set in the “Minor Threats” universe, The Brood is a story about family, the patriarch of which happens to be a criminal mastermind.

Heath Corson talks about writing from a personal place, how good and evil don't apply to family dynamics, human moments in a comic book world, and more.

And after that, a recording from the Minor Threats universe panel from San Diego Comic Con in July 2024 featuring Minor Threats creators Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, and Scott Hepburn, writers Heath Corson (The Brood), Gail Simone (Secret Six; Batgirl), Kyle Starks (Barfly; Where Monsters Lie), and artists Ryan Browne (Barfly; Eight Billion Genies), and Soo Yee (The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos).