Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss

I love these interviews. Have listened to almost every single one. These guys are great and they ask all the best questions and get the true stories.

What a smart, clever approach the business of Hollywood. Noah and Dan are terrific hosts who do a fanastic job of teasing our reply meaningful stuff from hard-working guests. For writers, listening to these tales of stumbles and failure will help normalize our perspective on this industry and even inspire. Dan and Noah have tapped into a much needed set of stories‹.

There are a lot of (great!) podcasts out there about screenwriting, but none presents a more clear-eyed vision of the pitfalls inherent in this industry as this one does. Noah and Dan have a charming relationship, with Noah constantly covering for Dan’s lack of knowledge and expertise, a fact obscured by Dan’s winning accent which gives the appearance of erudition. But the guests are the true heroes here, many rehashing deeply painful moments from their professional and artistic paths, so aspirers like myself can go into the battlefield clear eyed as possible. Thanks to all the players for this wonderful podcast. May it last forever.

As someone who has worked as a movie and TV writer for the better part of two decades, this podcast is as close as it gets to living the life of a writer in Hollywood. With their insightful questions and ability to really listen, Noah and Dan have a way of getting their amazing guests to talk not only about their greatest successes, but to be open and vulnerable about their biggest failures. This business is a marathon, not a sprint. There are so many ups and downs. This podcast lets the rest of us know that we are not alone.