341 episodes

Veteran TV writers Liz Craft and Sarah Fain demystify Hollywood by making career and personal struggles universal. Friends since high school and writing partners for 17 years, Liz and Sarah have survived and thrived in Tinseltown’s male-dominated entertainment industry, guided by blind optimism and a Midwestern work ethic. Along the way they've learned a lot about kicking ass, kissing ass, and office yoga.

Happier in Hollywood The Onward Project

    • Business
    • 4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

Veteran TV writers Liz Craft and Sarah Fain demystify Hollywood by making career and personal struggles universal. Friends since high school and writing partners for 17 years, Liz and Sarah have survived and thrived in Tinseltown’s male-dominated entertainment industry, guided by blind optimism and a Midwestern work ethic. Along the way they've learned a lot about kicking ass, kissing ass, and office yoga.

    Ep. 333: Celebrating The End Of The WGA Strike!

    Ep. 333: Celebrating The End Of The WGA Strike!

    Liz and Sarah are ecstatic! The WGA strike is FINALLY coming to an end! They discuss how it feels to be on the other side of the battle, and what they’re looking forward to in the weeks and months to come. In Take A Hike, Sarah shares why she had a Gratitude Day, and Liz decides to have one too. Then they answer a Mailroom question about whether they get segment ideas from listeners. The answer? Yes! To illustrate the point, Liz and Sarah share a bunch of fantastic recommendations they recently got from the HIH Facebook group. This week’s Hollywood Hack is great for anyone who likes to eat eggs: the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker. Finally, Sarah recommends playing a few new word game from the New York Times — Connections.
    Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
    Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
    Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Side Hustle School, and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!

    LINKS:
    Dash Rapid Egg Cooker:
    Dash Rapid Egg Cooker | Perfect Eggs Every Timebydash.com
    Connections:
    Connections - Group words that share a common thread.nytimes.com

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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    • 27 min
    Ep. 332: Time To Pause And Reconnect

    Ep. 332: Time To Pause And Reconnect

    Liz and Sarah are halfway through a draft of their novel. Yay! They explain why they’ve decided to take a moment to pause and reconnect with the characters before they plow forward to the finish line. In The Mailroom, they answer a question about how to finish a pitch meeting. Then they have a WGA strike Hit and a WGA strike Bomb. This week’s Hollywood Hack is something Sarah discovered when she moved into her house in Ojai — fridge organizers. Finally, Liz recommends The Retrievals podcast.
    Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
    Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
    Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Side Hustle School, and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
    LINKS:
    Fridge drawers:
    OXO Good Grips Fridge Undershelf Drawer 14 in - for Deli Meat, Cheese, Produce and Moreamazon.com
    YouCopia RollOut Fridge Drawer 6", BPA-Free Clear Rolling Refrigerator Organizer Bin with Adjustable Dividers and Handles for Produce, Food, Meal and Snack Storageamazon.com
    The Retrievals podcast:
    The Retrievalsthisamericanlife.org
    Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 26 min
    Ep. 331: Turn A Chore Into A Pleasure & Set A New Goal

    Ep. 331: Turn A Chore Into A Pleasure & Set A New Goal

    As the WGA strike continues to drag on, Liz and Sarah each offer a Take A Hike idea to boost mental, physical, and spiritual health. Sarah’s suggestion? Turn a chore into a pleasure by using it as time to connect with someone. Meanwhile, Liz decided to set a new goal to distract herself from strike stress — she’s upped her Fryman 50 to Fryman 100! In the Mailroom, they answer a question about how to deal with financial instability as a writer. Then this week’s Hollywood Hack comes from a listener: bringfido.com. Finally, Sarah has a jigsaw puzzle recommendation - wooden puzzles from Liberty Puzzles.
    Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
    Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
    Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Side Hustle School, and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
    LINKS:
    Bringfido.com
    Liberty Puzzles:
    Wooden Jigsaw Puzzleslibertypuzzles.com
    Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 26 min
    Ep. 330: Running The Show With Jeff Melvoin

    Ep. 330: Running The Show With Jeff Melvoin

    Liz and Sarah talk to veteran showrunner Jeff Melvoin about his new book, Running The Show: Television From The Inside. What’s the biggest mistake first time showrunners make? How does he approach delegating? This book is essential reading for anyone who aspires to be a showrunner. This week’s Hollywood Hack is great for those looking to collaborate: Canva for Teams. Plus, Liz had a Celebrity Sighting — Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson! Finally, Liz recommends Mindhunter on Netflix. 
    Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
    Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
    Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Side Hustle School, and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!

    Running The Show: Television From The Inside:
    Running the Showamazon.com

    Canva for Teams:
    Canva for Teams - An all-in-one workplace design solutioncanva.com

    Mindhunter trailer:
    MINDHUNTER Trailer SEASON 1 (2017) Netflix Seriesyoutube.com

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 34 min
    Ep.329: A Johnny Cash Ranch Retreat & Getting Back On The Horse!

    Ep.329: A Johnny Cash Ranch Retreat & Getting Back On The Horse!

    Liz and Sarah discuss how the benefits of spending time together (actually in the same room for a whole day) led them to their big announcement: They’re hosting an HIH Retreat at the Johnny Cash Ranch in Ojai October 2–22! Email them at happierinhollywood@gmail.com for more details! In Take A Hike, they resolve to get back on the health horse now that summer is over. On the list? Hiking, eating well, writing, and meditation for Sarah. They also answer a Mailroom question about how they approach research. This week’s Hollywood Hack will transform your Zoom meetings: the Saiji Tablet Stand Holder. And finally, Sarah recommends Dan Harris’ Ten Percent Happier app. 
    Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
    Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
    Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Side Hustle School, and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
    LINKS:
    Johnny Cash Ranch:
    https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/step-inside-johnny-cashs-former-california-home
    Saiji Tablet Stand Holder:
    https://www.amazon.com/SAIJI-Adjustable-Rotating-Aluminum-Samsung/dp/B07GR37JY1/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=YJ7MUI5EREWD&keywords=saiji%2Btablet%2Bstand%2Bholder&qid=1693340076&sprefix=Saiji%2Btab%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
    Saiji Tablet Stand Pillow:
    https://www.amazon.com/Tablet-SAIJI-Adjustable-Flexible-Stand-Grey/dp/B09JK3WPKS/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=18CQO6NJYV300&keywords=saiji%2Btablet%2Bstand%2Bpillow&qid=1693340135&sprefix=saiji%2Btablet%2Bstand%2Bpillow%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
    Ten Percent Happier:
    https://www.tenpercent.com/

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 30 min
    Ep. 328: Summer 2023 Listener Questions!

    Ep. 328: Summer 2023 Listener Questions!

    As Summer 2023 winds down, Sarah and Liz are answering listener questions. What do they think will happen when the strike is over? Does Sarah refuse to cuddle any of Violet’s “icky” pets? Did Liz and Sarah have sleepovers with each other when they were younger? They discuss all this and so much more— including their upcoming HIH Retreat in Ojai! 
    Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
    Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
    Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
    Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Side Hustle School, and Everything Happens with Kate Bowler . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!

    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 26 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
2.3K Ratings

2.3K Ratings

boxysam ,

Excellent podcast

Thank you both for another year of excellent podcasts. I look forward to each episode. I am not a writer nor a show biz person but I truly enjoy hearing about your experiences and your friendship. I appreciate your life hacks, insights and humor. Hope the writers strike is over soon with the very best outcomes. I believe that this strike helps all of us in whatever industry we work! Thank you!

hippoforthewin ,

Super fun!

Love this podcast—it’s a fun mix of fluffy and getting to be a fly on the wall of the entertainment industry.

Tara - 12 ,

Love ❤️ the “Happier in Hollywood” podcast

I really enjoy this podcast because Liz & Sarah are very synchronized. They have many interesting details to share about the screen writers industry and even some personal stories. I like their planned segments, as well as hearing about their new book that they are writing together. One of my favorite episodes was the latest one on their
“Before I Die” pitch to CBS. It truly should be a series because the excitement would never end.

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