Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss Noah Evslin and Dan Rutstein

Our first Oscar winner!For the last episode before our mid-season break we have Ed Swick on the show.He talks about his new book - Hits, Flops and Other Illusions.And we talk winning Oscars, writing truthful books about Hollywood and his extraordinary career.He tells us how the industry has changed, that films like the ones he made aren’t made anymore and a bit more about winning Oscars.Ed tells us about his motivation for making movies, his favourite industry moments and how writing his book...

We talk to the fascinating Jim Mickle.He tells us about this start in independent movies, taking a break during the strike and the upcoming final season of Sweet Tooth.He explains how he got in to tv, becoming a showrunner and suffering from imposter syndrome and working in New Zealand during a pandemic.Jim talks about how hard and tiring being a showrunner was, nearly working with Stallone and why he is pleased to have made slow progress at the beginning of his career.A really interesting di...

We talk to the fascinating Emily Fox who tells us about getting fired, trying to stuff a large chair into a car in the rain while in tears and the importance of connection in a writing room during a pandemic.She tells us about her shows getting cancelled due to a change of exec, being nice to people firing her and building bonds among colleagues.We talk the importance of support outside the industry, her cancellation radar and her ability to forget about failed projects.A fun and interesting ...

We talk to Emmy-nominated writer and producer Wendy West.She talks about researching murder, her love of morgues and being the only woman in the room early in her career.Wendy talks about mentoring young female writers, supporting veterans and what it's like to work in the Dick Wolf world.She explains her path to success, her love of crossovers and finding out her show is being cancelled by fax.A fascinating insight into procedural TV by one of the best to have done it.

We talk to Oscar and Emmy award nominee Eddie Schmidt.He talks about being comedy adjacent, his time in an improv troupe and how he moved into the showrunning part of Hollywood.We discuss leadership style, the fun of working in comedy and the demeaning comments of mean bosses.We talk about how to appreciate comedy, the complexities of navigating Hollywood and being able to speak truth to talent.A fun and insightful discussion about working and succeeding in the comedy part of Hollywood.

In a slightly different style of episode we talk to comedian Ray Ellin.We discuss how social media has changed comedy, hear some magnificent failure anecdotes from comedy clubs and bars and talk through the process of creating comedy.Ray talks us through his love of live standup, working in tv and why he made a podcast about Little House on the Prairie.We also cover cancel culture, Aruba and The Magic Castle.A fun and fascinating romp through entertainment through a different lens.