Anthony King (Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat; Rooster; The Afterparty) discusses worldbuilding in the real world, what's too funny for reality, lessons learned from Jury Duty that are applicable to traditional script writing, how the game was nearly blown up, and more.

SUNDAY AUGUST 30, 8pm PT at the Lodge Room in LA and streaming live/on demand everywhere:

WGF RetroReads presents: Star Trek 60th Starring Noah Wyle as Captain James T. Kirk

Join Noah Wyle, along with Katherine LaNasa, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Shabana Azeez, and Ayesha Harris of The Pitt, and some surprise guests, for a celebration of 60 years of Star Trek. Hosted by the Writers Guild Foundation, which also celebrates its 60th anniversary, this special night will include remarks from people closely associated with the series, a performance of the first aired episode of Star Trek, “The Man Trap,” with live score, and an appearance by a Salt Vampire replica from the episode, on loan from the Star Trek Archive, Paramount.

This evening's show is in support of the Writers Guild Foundation’s Library and Archive, Writers’ Access Programs, and Veterans Writing Project. 

In-person tickets are sold out but you can catch the stream and watch on demand for two weeks!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA and streaming live/on demand everywhere:

Dead Pilots Society

In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.

The September 13 show features Life of the Party by Alex Herschlag (Broke; Will & Grace) and Demi-God by Katie Greenway (Welcome to Flatch; Tooned Out).

Starring: Al Madrigal (Lopez vs Lopez), Aaron Abrams (Clown in a Cornfield), Lucas Hazlett (Loot; American Princess), Bob Glouberman (The Shrink Next Door), Izzy Diaz (The Residence), and more to be announced!

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

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

Teacher and script consultant Pilar Alessandra is ending her inspiring and instructive podcast, On the Page, after 19 years and 1000 episodes. Ben Blacker administers Pilar's exit interview, discussing why she started the podcast, invaluable advice gleaned from the writers she's interviewed, the "drunk and naked" early episodes, how to write great dialogue, tips on pitching from her children, podcast as inadvertant autobiography, workflow, her favorite episodes, and more.

You can listen to On the Page wherever you get your podcasts, and visit onthepage.tv to find out about Pilar's classes and script consulting. She knows her stuff!

You can watch the No Notes script read show until August 2nd.

This is a new staged show in which great pilot scripts are adapted for the stage and performed by brilliant casts.

Starring Yvonne Orji (Insecure), Shabana Azeez (The Pitt), Molly Quinn (Castle), Justin Kirk (The Burbs; Weeds), Cooper Tomlinson (Obsessed), Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans), Langston Kerman (Insecure; The Boys), Jessica Garcia (On My Block), Logan Miller (Escape Room; Chicago Med), John Clarence Stewart (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist), Alex Song-Xia (Rick and Morty), Burl Moseley (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), and LaNisa Frederick (Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat).

STREAM IT TODAY

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

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

Cassie Pappas (showrunner, Lucky; Silo; Griselda) discusses shooting in Vegas, movies that inspired the tone of Lucky, the emotional guts of the show, getting weird with the writers, showrunning as a "creative team sport," whether or not you need to live in LA to work in TV, and more.

No Notes is Sunday July 19, 7pm, at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater in LA!

This is a new staged show in which great pilot scripts are adapted for the stage and performed by brilliant casts.

The July 19 show features two comedy scripts:

The Survivalists is by Kashana Cauley (The Great North; The Daily Show), based on her novel about a Brooklyn lawyer who falls in love with a coffee roaster/survivalist.

Suckers by Eden Dranger (Beavis & Butthead) & Daley Haggar (The Big Bang Theory) is about 20-something vampires.

Starring Yvonne Orji (Insecure), Shabana Azeez (The Pitt), Molly Quinn (Castle), Justin Kirk (The Burbs; Weeds), Cooper Tomlinson (Obsessed), Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans), Langston Kerman (Insecure; The Boys), Jessica Garcia (On My Block), Logan Miller (Escape Room; Chicago Med), Alex Song-Xia (Rick and Morty), Burl Moseley (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), and LaNisa Frederick (Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat).

GET TICKETS NOW

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

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

Ana Nogueira (Supergirl) discusses pitching open writing assignments, setting a reasonable goal, the Westerns that inspired Supergirl, the core of Kara Zor-El, her favorite brainwash, and lots more.

Dead Pilots Society returns live and on demand Sunday July 12, 3-5pm, at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.

The July 12 show features Weekly World News by Michael Colton & John Aboud (Home Economics) and Fangirl by Claudia Lonow (How to Live with Your Parents [for the Rest of Your Life]).

Cast includes: Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20), Alex Moffat (SNL; Bad Monkey), Rich Sommer (Mad Men), Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This), Isabella Roland (Dimension 20; Sex Lives of College Girls), Rekha Shankar (Dimension 20; Star Trek: Starfleet Academy), Fred Melamed (Barry), Zac Oyama (Dimension 20), Jessica Lowe (Minx), James Adomian (Krapopolis), Courtney Pauroso (Jackass Forever), and more.

GET TICKETS NOW

No Notes is Sunday July 19, 7pm, at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater in LA!

This is a new staged show in which great pilot scripts are adapted for the stage and performed by brilliant casts.

The July 19 show features two comedy scripts:

The Survivalists is by Kashana Cauley (The Great North; The Daily Show), based on her novel about a Brooklyn lawyer who falls in love with a coffee roaster/survivalist.

Suckers by Eden Dranger (Beavis & Butthead) & Daley Haggar (The Big Bang Theory) is about 20-something vampires.

Starring Molly Quinn (Castle), Justin Kirk (The Burbs; Weeds), Cooper Tomlinson (Obsessed), Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans), Sarunas Jackson (Insecure; Clipped), and more to be announced!

GET TICKETS NOW

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

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

Christine Boylan (Avatar: The Last Airbender; Poker Face) discusses running seasons 2 and 3, the Stoppard quote that taught her structure, the real world seeping into a fantasy series, her nerd credentials, season 2 as the Empire Strikes Back season, and more.

Dead Pilots Society returns live and on demand Sunday July 12, 3-5pm, at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.

The July 12 show features Weekly World News by Michael Colton & John Aboud (Home Economics) and Fangirl by Claudia Lonow (How to Live with Your Parents [for the Rest of Your Life]).

Cast includes:

Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20), Alex Moffat (SNL; Bad Monkey), Rich Sommer (Mad Men), Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This), Isabella Roland (Dimension 20; Sex Lives of College Girls), Rekha Shankar (Dimension 20; Star Trek: Starfleet Academy), Fred Melamed (Barry), Zac Oyama (Dimension 20), Jessica Lowe (Minx), James Adomian (Krapopolis), Courtney Pauroso (Jackass Forever), and more.

GET TICKETS NOW

No Notes is Sunday July 19, 7pm, at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater in LA!

This is a new staged show in which great pilot scripts are adapted for the stage and performed by brilliant casts.

The July 19 show features two comedy scripts:

The Survivalists is by Kashana Cauley (The Great North; The Daily Show), based on her novel about a Brooklyn lawyer who falls in love with a coffee roaster/survivalist.

Suckers by Eden Dranger (Beavis & Butthead) & Daley Haggar (The Big Bang Theory) is about 20-something vampires.

Starring Justin Kirk (The Burbs; Weeds), Cooper Tomlinson (Obsessed), Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans), Sarunas Jackson (Insecure; Clipped), and more to be announced!

GET TICKETS NOW

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

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

Owen Dennis (creator of Among Us and Infinity Train) discusses conveying tone, discovering theme, deconstructing tropes, dueling arcs, the line from Star Wars that unlocked everything, and more.

Dead Pilots Society returns live and on demand Sunday July 12, 3-5pm, at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.

The July 12 show features Weekly World News by Michael Colton & John Aboud (Home Economics) and Fangirl by Claudia Lonow (How to Live with Your Parents [for the Rest of Your Life]).

Cast includes:

Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20), Alex Moffat (SNL; Bad Monkey), Rich Sommer (Mad Men), Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This), Isabella Roland (Dimension 20; Sex Lives of College Girls), Rekha Shankar (Dimension 20; Star Trek: Starfleet Academy), Fred Melamed (Barry), Zac Oyama (Dimension 20), Jessica Lowe (Minx), James Adomian (Krapopolis), Courtney Pauroso (Jackass Forever), and more.

GET TICKETS NOW

No Notes is Sunday July 19, 7pm, at the Dynasty Typewriter Theater in LA!

This is a new staged show in which great pilot scripts are adapted for the stage and performed by brilliant casts.

The July 19 show features two comedy scripts:

The Survivalists is by Kashana Cauley (The Great North; The Daily Show), based on her novel about a Brooklyn lawyer who falls in love with a coffee roaster/survivalist.

Suckers by Eden Dranger (Beavis & Butthead) & Daley Haggar (The Big Bang Theory) is about 20-something vampires.

Starring Justin Kirk (The Burbs; Weeds), Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans), Sarunas Jackson (Insecure; Clipped), and more to be announced!

GET TICKETS NOW

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

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

Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson (creators, It's Not Like That; Parenthood; Off Campus) discuss telling emotionally driven stories, resurrecting a decade-old pilot as their new show, how the writers' strike benefited the show, how they run their room, and more.

Check out SPECTACULAR, a staged reading of a new pilot by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker & Liz Hara about the making of the disastrous Spider-man musical. Starring Ben Feldman (Superstore), Randall Park (WandaVision), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Succession), Mireille Enos (For All Mankind), Iman Vellani (Miss Marvel), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), Amy Hill (Magnum PI), Demi Adejuyigbe (Dropout), Craig Cackowski (The Pitt), and more.

Get tickets to attend live on May 16 or watch on demand!

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

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

Comic book writer Matthew Rosenberg (If Destruction Be Our Lot...; 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank; Spawn) discusses co-writing with his brother, comics as a "dirtbag medium," the upcoming 4 Kids... film adaptation, story problems presented by an animatronic Abraham Lincoln, and lots more.

Check out SPECTACULAR, a staged reading of a new pilot by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker & Liz Hara about the making of the disastrous Spider-man musical. Starring Ben Feldman (Superstore), Randall Park (WandaVision), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Succession), Mireille Enos (For All Mankind), Iman Vellani (Miss Marvel), Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), Amy Hill (Magnum PI), Demi Adejuyigbe (Dropout), Craig Cackowski (The Pitt), and more.

Get tickets to attend live on May 16 or watch on demand!

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

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

Writer/director Chandler Levack (Mile End Kicks; Roommates; I Like Movies) discusses how her first script became her second movie, revisiting Mile End Kicks after shooting I Like Movies, loving stage directions, music in movies, and lots more.

Check out SPECTACULAR, a staged reading of a new pilot by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker & Liz Hara about the making of the disastrous Spider-man musical. Check out the Dynasty Typewriter Theater website for tickets. If they're not up yet, they will be soon!

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

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

Writers/directors Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher (Pizza Movie; Over Your Dead Body) discuss their comedy sketch roots as "BritaNick" and what that represents, writing scripts that wouldn't be made, editing themselves, how to interact with the people paying you to write, why Pizza Movie is the perfect BritaNick movie debut, and more.

Some fun events coming up!

On Sunday, April 19, 2-4pm, is a live Dead Pilots Society featuring scripts by Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island; The Other Two) and an adaptation of the Valley Heat podcast by its creator Christian Duguay (Mad TV). Cast includes Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth), Poppy Liu (Hacks), and stand-ups Beth Stelling, Matt Braunger, Chris Garcia, Demorge Brown, Kevin Camea, Emily Maya Mills, Mike O’Connell, and more!

Also on Sunday April 19, at 5pm, Ben Blacker is directing a very fun one-person show by actress Katherine Bourne Taylor. Bellingham Bay is for fans of classic WB and CW shows, warm Canadian TV romances, and people who live in their heads.

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

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

Writer/director BenDavid Grabinski (Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice; Scott Pilgrim Takes Off; Happily) discusses getting caught in the current of his career, runs of bad luck, runs of good luck, perseverance, tips for writing an easy-to-read script, making hamburgers, and more.

Some fun events coming up!

If you're in New Orleans this week, Ben is at the Overlook Film Festival on a panel called "Fear Factors: Alt-Horror Experiences" in which he'll discuss writing and producing The Thrilling Adventure Hour, his horror comic Hex Wives, and more! It's on Friday. April 10 at 2:30pm.

On Sunday, April 19, 2-4pm, is a live Dead Pilots Society featuring scripts by Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island; The Other Two) and an adaptation of the Valley Heat podcast by its creator Christian Duguay (Mad TV). Cast includes Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth), Poppy Liu (Hacks), and stand-ups Beth Stelling, Matt Braunger, Chris Garcia, Demorge Brown, Kevin Camea, Emily Maya Mills, Mike O’Connell, and more!

Also on Sunday April 19, at 5pm, Ben Blacker is directing a very fun one-person show by actress Katherine Bourne Taylor. Bellingham Bay is for fans of classic WB and CW shows, warm Canadian TV romances, and people who live in their heads.

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

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