Blacklisted

Chris Hill

Blacklisted is a podcast where we delve into the minds of the talented writers who have been featured on the annual Black List - a prestigious list of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood, as voted on by industry professionals. Each episode, we talk to a screenwriter about their first screenplay that placed on the coveted list; the journey it took to get there, and the subsequent impact the achievement had on their career. You can subscribe to our premium feed of extended episodes here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/chillfilms/subscribe

  1. 31 Aug

    Alex Convery

    ​Visit the new Stan Store @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stan.store/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Subscribe to our extended interviews on Spotify ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Before he was writing Air for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Alex Convery was chasing his own guy on the sidelines of college football. In this episode, Convery breaks down Bag Man, his 2018 Black List script about a college football fixer navigating star quarterbacks, blue-chip recruits, and the NCAA agent closing in on him — a world Convery mined for a script unlike anything else on the market that year. We talk about how he found the "bag man" as a character nobody had put at the center of a movie before, how the script's momentum landed him UTA representation off a spec, and what it's like following up a Black List debut with an even bigger swing (his Stan Lee biopic Excelsior! made the list a year later). Convery gets into structure, research, and the instinct for finding a true story's most cinematic entry point — the same instinct that would eventually lead him to Sonny Vaccaro and Air. Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex Convery on ⁠Instagram⁠ and X Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠X⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses. Useful links: Alex Convery Interview (Air) - Act Two Podcast Alex Convery Interview (Air) - The Hollywood Hang 'Air' To Get Theatrical Release - Deadline 'Air' Package Picked Up By Amazon-MGM - THR Bag Man - ScriptShadow Review Excelsior! - ScriptShadow Review Alex In His Own Words - L.A. Times Alex On What Made Air Rise - Final Draft

  2. 24 Aug

    Kelly Marcel

    ​Visit the new Stan Store @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stan.store/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Subscribe to our extended interviews on Spotify ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Before Fifty Shades of Grey, before Venom, Kelly Marcel wrote a spec about a two-week standoff between Walt Disney and P.L. Travers, and it landed on the 2011 Black List. This week on Blacklisted, Kelly joins me to talk about turning one of Disney's most closely guarded pieces of company history into Saving Mr. Banks. We also get into her leap from Terra Nova to features, and why she still believes in writing the script nobody asked for. And yes, saying 'no' to Stephen Spielberg... Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kelly Marcel⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, X and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses. Useful links: Disney Acquiring 'Saving Mr. Banks' - Deadline Kelly Marcel Interview - Go Into The Story Saving Mr. Banks (Script Review) - ScriptShadow Emma Thompson Interview - Variety Movie Structure Analysis - Helping Writers Become Authors

  3. 10 Aug

    Kat Wood

    ​Visit the new Stan Store @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stan.store/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Subscribe to our extended interviews on Spotify ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This week on Blacklisted, we're joined by screenwriter Kat Wood, whose spec script Ruby made the 2020 Black List and sold to Amazon Studios and 87North in a competitive situation. Kat's path here is its own story - she started as a BBC broadcast journalist in the UK before breaking into Hollywood with sci-fi specs Envoy and Genus, both of which sold to Amy Pascal's Pascal Pictures. We dig into how Ruby took a familiar genre - the assassin thriller - and found a fresh way in, the process of getting a female-led action spec noticed in a crowded market, and her meteoric start directing Maggie Gyllenhaal in a short film on Venice Beach! If you're working on a genre spec and wondering how to make a familiar premise feel new, this one's for you. Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Kat Wood⁠ on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠X⁠ Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses. Useful links: Fantastic Four - Trailer Jameson Short Film - Home (8 mins) Ruby Spec Sale - Deadline David Boxerbaum Talks About Ruby Sale - Into The Story Ruby Review - Scriptshadow Envoy Spec Sale - Deadline Genus Spec Sale - Deadline Pete Spec Sale - Deadline Kat Wood Signs With Range Media Partners - Variety

  4. 3 Aug

    Todd Bartels & Lou Howe

    ​Visit the new Stan Store @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stan.store/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Subscribe to our extended interviews on Spotify ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This week we're joined by writing partners Lou Howe and Todd Bartels, whose Dolly Parton origin story Dumb Blonde landed on the 2022 Black List - and whose next collaboration just got a lot bigger. Their Anthony Bourdain feature Tony, directed by Matt Johnson and starring Dominic Sessa, hits theaters from A24 this week, and we get into what it actually looks like to go from a beloved-but-unproduced script to a movie in theaters. We trace their partnership all the way back to high school, where the two met and first started acting before they ever thought about writing together professionally. From there we dig into the mechanics of co-writing - how they split scenes, fight for lines and banish widows - plus the very different challenges of cracking a music-icon origin story versus a pre-fame character study of a guy everyone thinks they already know. If you've ever wondered what a writing partnership actually looks like day-to-day, this one's for you. Guest: ⁠⁠⁠Todd Bartels on Instagram and X Lou Howe on ⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and X Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses. Useful links: Tony - A24 Trailer Tony - Official Website Tony - THR Review Tony - Cast Conversation (YouTube)

  5. 27 Jul

    Liz Hannah

    Visit the new Stan Store @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠stan.store/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our extended interviews on Spotify ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. What does it look like when a spec script becomes a Spielberg film? Ask Liz Hannah. In 2016, Hannah — a first-time feature writer who'd spent four years in development before switching to the page — wrote a script about The Washington Post's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers. She wrote it because the story of Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, was one she couldn't shake. Her best-case scenario was getting an agent. Instead, the script placed second on the 2016 Black List, landed at Amy Pascal's desk, and sold the day after Pascal read it. Weeks later, Steven Spielberg called. Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks followed. We get into what drew her to Graham's story in the first place, how she found a personal way in to such a monumental piece of American history, and how she defied ‘one in a million’ odds to get her first movie made by Steven Spielberg. Guest: ⁠⁠Liz Hannah⁠ on Instagram⁠ Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses. Useful links: The Making of The Post - YouTube Liz's Writing Office Set-Up - Variety Episode Link - Post producer, Trevor White Episode Link - Post producer, Allan Mandelbaum Liz Hannah Interview - The Washington Post Overall Deal with Sony TV - Deadline 'The God of the Woods' - Mini-Series Press Release

  6. 29 Jun

    Allison Lee

    Visit the new Stan Store @ stan.store/blacklistedSubscribe to our extended interviews on Spotify here. In our season three premiere, we speak to screenwriter Allison Lee, whose biopic Oh Yoko! landed on the 2025 Black List, the annual survey of Hollywood's best unproduced screenplays. The script traces Yoko Ono's path from her birth in war-torn Tokyo to her emergence as a groundbreaking modern artist in New York, before her life is upended by a whirlwind romance with John Lennon that would brand her as the "witch" who broke up the Beatles in the eyes of the public. Lee, who has also adapted Maurene Goo's novel Throwback and developed projects for Netflix Animation, Amazon, and AMC, talks candidly about the personal stakes of the project — including writing an outline for the script without telling her own representatives, drawn to a story she "just couldn't let go" of despite the complicated rights landscape surrounding the Beatles' legacy. Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Allison Lee on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠X⁠ Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠storyandplot.com/blacklisted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses. Useful links: Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind - Special Exhibition @ The BroadWhy We Write: Allison LeeBlack List 2025 - The Hollywood ReporterAllison Lee: Film Independent⁠Allison Lee: Sundance AdvisorAllison Lee - Creative Screenwriting Interview

  7. 13 Apr ·  Bonus

    T.J. Fixman

    What does it take to write one of the biggest movies in Netflix history — from scratch? This week, we sit down with screenwriter T.J. Fixman, the man behind Carry-On — the Christmas action thriller that broke Netflix records, racked up over 172 million views, and sparked a genuine cultural debate: is this the new Die Hard? Before he was writing Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman into one of the most-watched original films on the planet, Fixman was crafting narratives for video games — most notably the beloved Ratchet & Clank franchise. So how does a game writer crack Hollywood's most coveted genre: the contained, high-concept, race-against-the-clock thriller? We also talk about the Die Hard question, building a villain you never quite see, writing Christmas into the DNA of an action film without making it a gimmick — and what's coming next with his new project The Seventh Man. If you've ever stared at a blank page wondering how a single high-concept idea becomes a global phenomenon, this one's for you. Useful Links: Carry-On on Netflix Most Popular Movies on Netflix - Carry-On at #3 Seventh Man sells to United Artists - Variety

    T.J. Fixman

  8. 6 Apr ·  Bonus

    David Boxerbaum

    In this bonus episode, host Chris Hill sits down with David Boxerbaum, partner at Verve Talent & Literary Agency and one of the most respected literary agents working in the spec script market today. Named to The Hollywood Reporter's "Next Generation 35 Under 35" at just 26 years old, Boxerbaum has built his reputation on landing six-and seven-figure spec sales for his clients — and he's not done yet. Useful Links: 'Don't Go In The Water' sells to Universal - Deadline Chris Pine to star in Netflix survival thriller 'Yeti' Python Thriller Spec 'Crush' sells to 20th - Deadline Skydance buys short story 'Drift' for $2M+ 'Cola Wars' Pitch sells to Sony - Deadline Apatow and Spielberg attached to 'Cola Wars' - Deadline Veteran lit agent joins Verve - Variety

    David Boxerbaum
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Trailer

Hosts & Guests

About

Blacklisted is a podcast where we delve into the minds of the talented writers who have been featured on the annual Black List - a prestigious list of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood, as voted on by industry professionals. Each episode, we talk to a screenwriter about their first screenplay that placed on the coveted list; the journey it took to get there, and the subsequent impact the achievement had on their career. You can subscribe to our premium feed of extended episodes here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/chillfilms/subscribe

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Hill
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    75
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Chris Hill
  • Show Website
    Blacklisted

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