samandjimgotohollywood's Podcast

I may be a bit biased, because I'm sort of an aspiring screenwriter myself. I don't think people with no desire towards screenwriting will be as entertained by this podcast. But if you are, you probably will have a ball listening to these guys provide great insight into this much-overshadowed world. Since they've both written sitcoms themselves, they each have a sharp, witty sense of humor and I always find myself cracking up when listening to their podcasts. I'm sure there are people out there who feel that writing a screenplay is easy as 1-2-3. Sam and Jim prove that it's not. There were certain episodes where they mentioned certain elements of screenwriting that made a light bulb shine brightly in my head. For example, one of them said the key to writing a character is "What would you find about this person if you were to meet him/her at a party?" Another "Eureka!" moment was when they said your screenplay should have a certain style to it, rather just writing stage directions like "He walks to end of the room." The style of the screenplay should fit the tone of the film.

This is a fantastic podcasts. Sam and Jim are funny and self-deprecating and honest and real. The process they describe is excruciating yet they tell it with levity and heart. Very entertaining and informative.

Balancing enthusiasm with caution, Sam and Jim walk any aspiring screenwriter through a frank and often disheartening preview of the years between "I'd like to be a writer" and any modicum of actual success. In spite of the often-disheartening subject matter, the podcast is brimming with humor, the occasional triumph, and multiple years worth of fantastic advice, warnings, and, in the end, encouragement to the prospective author.

I'm so glad to had stumbled across this podcast. It's a great resource for screenwriters who want to know what it's like to take that next step and go to hollywood.