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Glen Mazzara has produced, created and/or showran a litany of amazing projects. His impressive resume includes The Walking Dead (he showran seasons 2 and 3) and Damien, which he also created. But even Glen is the first to admit that there's a certain amount of luck that comes with getting the coveted greenlight. Navigating producers, networks, and the studio can be a complicated game of chess, but today, Glen breaks the game down with a refreshing amount of candor.

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As promised, here is part two of our writers' assistant dive. We chat with Anthony Musella, writer's assistant to Rodney Barnes, who's known for some of the most subversive shows and movies of the last 15 years, such as The Boondocks and Winning Time. Anthony dives deep into what it's like working in development with one of Hollywood's busiest creatives.

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To help support relief efforts related to the fires in LA, consider donating to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation: https://supportlafd.kindful.com/?campaign=1040812

Listen as former writers' assistants Maggie Gottlieb, Lauren Halberg, and Jonathan Hurwitz detail their experiences as writers' assistants. They answer the important questions like: how do you actually get a writers’ assistant job, how can you elegantly parlay that job into bigger opportunities, and... the Big Scary Question: can I pitch in the room?

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Clint Bentley, our guest on today's show, and his filmmaking partner Greg Kwedar, co-write and co-produce every feature film project they tackle, with one of them taking on the role of director. This wildly unique and successful partnership has led to one of the year's most beloved movies, "Sing Sing."

Today, Clint unpacks how he and Greg decided to tackle the project, how they involved the real life creators behind the program that inspired the movie, and - yes, this is true - how they managed to pay everyone on set the exact same day rate.

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Part 2 of our 2024 TSL guests answering the Three Big Questions: What brings you the most joy when it comes to writing? What pisses you off about writing? And what advice would you give your younger self?

Happy New Year!

:45 - Dave Holstein (Episode 196)

7:04 - Kelsey Mann (Episode 197)

12:40 - Meredith Scardino (Episode 198)

17:11 - Todd A. Kessler (Episode 199)

19:48 - Joey Slamon (Episode 200)

25:28 - Christopher Vogler (Episode 204)

31:29 - Nitza Wilon & Elizabeth Kaiden (Episode 207)

33:25 - Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky (Episode 209)

39:28 - Andy Breckman (Episode 210)

42:51 - Kelly O'Sullivan (Episode 211)

46:18 - Barbara Stepansky (Episode 212)

47:42 - Tate Hanyok and Alex Convery (Episode 213)

1:02:09 - Jon Huertas (Episode 214)

1:08:06 - Patton Oswalt (Episode 215)

1:11:15 - John Hoffman (Episode 216)

1:16:00 - Jenna Lamia (Episode 222)

1:20:40 - Sharon Horgan (Episode 225)

1:23:52 - Justin Kuritzkes (Episode 226)

1:27:25 - Susannah Grant (Episode 227)

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At the end of every episode, we ask our guests the Three Big Questions: What brings you the most joy when it comes to writing? What pisses you off about writing? What advice would you give to your younger self? Today's supercut captures the heartfelt answers from TSL guests over the past year.

Part 2, coming soon!

1:04 - Charlotte Stoudt (Ep 164)

7:24 - Tom McCarthy (Ep 169)

12:24 - Paco de Leon (Ep 172)

15:38 - Adam Grant (Ep 173)

26:04 - Jodie Foster (Ep 174)

31:22 - Michael Arndt (Ep 176)

34:16 - Celine Song (Ep 177)

41:12 - David Hemingson (Ep 178)

45:24 - Elizabeth Hargrave (Ep 180)

50:06 - Lloyd Taylor (Ep 181)

53:38 - Dave Mullins, Brad Booker, & Sean Ono Lennon (Ep 182)

1:09:43 - Jennifer Deaton (Ep 184)

1:17:38 - Cole Haddon (Ep 185)

1:22:43 - Jeff Melvoin (Ep 186)

1:26:28 - Debby Wolfe (Ep 187)

1:29:29 - Octavio Solis (Ep 188)

1:37:32 - Carole Kirschner (Ep 189)

1:42:34 - Navid McIlhargey (Ep 190)

1:47:00 - Linda Seger (Ep 191)

1:52:35 - Billy Mernit (Ep 194)

Many of Susannah Grant's movies are based on true stories, which, for a writer, often invites thorny questions about adaptation — What should I include? Is it essential that every detail I include happened verbatim? In answering these questions during today’s fascinating conversation, Susannah sheds light on an important reality: sometimes in fiction writing, there’s profound difference between truth and facts.

Justin Kuritzkes is having a good year. Two of his scripts, Challengers and Queer, were brought to life by world-renowned director Luca Guadagnino. Despite being about wildly different worlds, both scripts center complicated characters swirling in complicated romantic dynamics. Challengers, our focus of today's conversation, was born out of Justin's newfound interest in tennis, and a fascination with what might be happening off the court between players in an intimate sport. His script instantly attracted Zendaya’s attention, so it’s safe to say he did something right!

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Despite the BAFTA wins, Peabody Awards, and IFTA nominations, Sharon Horgan didn't really begin her writing career until her mid-30s, but her previous professional experiences have given her valuable ammo to write interesting, nuanced characters. Today we discuss how she reveals that nuance as she writes. Season two of Bad Sisters is available on Apple TV+ now.

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Thanks to AFF for welcoming us back this year for another Story Workshop, and a special thanks to Brittney, Jessica, and Adam for sharing their projects. If you'd like to reach Adam to discuss his cult-inspired TV show, you can reach him here: https://www.adambranson.com/contact

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As writers, we're aiming to create the most believably human characters we can, and one of the best ways to do this is to understand their psychology. Today, we're honored to welcome world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Dan Siegel to share how human beings form belief systems based on traumatic experiences in their developmental years, and what it takes for them to transform (a.k.a., the three-act journey of a feature).

GET DAN'S NEW BOOK HERE!