The Writers Panel

Ben Blacker

The definitive insider's guide to our current golden age of television, Ben Blacker's The Writers Panel is an ever expanding anthology of live convention panels and intimate in-studio interviews with the writers, producers, and show runners responsible for all the shows you can't stop watching. Over the course of nearly 500 episodes and counting, The Writers Panel has sat across from guests such as Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (Key and Peele), Liz Meriwether (New Girl), and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) to talk about the art and business of creating great television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1d ago

    Owen Dennis (Among Us)

    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.

    36 min

  2. May 13

    Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson (It's Not Like That)

    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.

    46 min

  3. May 5

    Matthew Rosenberg (If Destruction Be Our Lot...)

    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.

    44 min

  4. Apr 21

    Chandler Levack (Mile End Kicks)

    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.

    41 min

  5. Apr 14

    BritaNick (Pizza Movie)

    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.

    53 min

  6. Apr 7

    BenDavid Grabinski (Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice)

    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.

    53 min

  7. Mar 17

    Colby Day (In the Blink of an Eye)

    Colby Day (In the Blink of an Eye; Spaceman) discusses assurance in writing and business, learning by making, writing impossible-to-execute ideas, receiving notes, and more. A couple of fun shows coming up that you can attend in LA or stream from anywhere! On Saturday March 28, 8:30pm, and Sunday April 19, 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. Also 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). 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 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.

    44 min

  8. Mar 3

    Hello Sunshine's Lauren Neustadter

    Producer Lauren Neustadter, President of Film and Television at Hello Sunshine, discusses building a brand from the ground up, meeting a tumultuous marketplace with optimism, the best way to present your material to buyers, her love of reading and writers, 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 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.

    34 min
See All (645)

Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
71 Ratings

About

The definitive insider's guide to our current golden age of television, Ben Blacker's The Writers Panel is an ever expanding anthology of live convention panels and intimate in-studio interviews with the writers, producers, and show runners responsible for all the shows you can't stop watching. Over the course of nearly 500 episodes and counting, The Writers Panel has sat across from guests such as Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (Key and Peele), Liz Meriwether (New Girl), and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) to talk about the art and business of creating great television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Ben Blacker
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2026
  • Episodes
    645
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ben Blacker
  • Show Website
    The Writers Panel

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