Scriptnotes Podcast John August and Craig Mazin

John moderates Breaking the Stigma, a panel on addiction and mental health with guests Gemma Baker (creator of CBS’s Mom), Dr. Corey Waller (specialist in pain, addiction and emergency medicine), Dr. Holly Daniels (specialist in eating disorders and mental health issues), and journalist Zachary Siegel.
We discuss how addiction and mental health issues are portrayed in film and TV, more authentic ways of telling these stories, and how writers and creators can take care of their own mental health.
In our bonus segment for premium members, Drew joins John to talk about the etiquette of thank you notes and follow-up emails.
Links:
Episode 412 – Transcript Hollywood, Health & Society – USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center Eighth Grade 6 Balloons Motivational Interviewing Narcan Gemma Baker Dr. Holly Daniels Dr. Corey Waller on Twitter Zachary Siegel on Substack and Twitter Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!) This episode was originally produced by Megana Rao. Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

 

John and Craig investigate their anxiety and ask, why is the future so hard to predict right now? They discuss everything from what’s going at OpenAi, the upcoming elections, a new service that uses AI to generate script coverage, and muse about how to move forward in a time of unprecedented uncertainty.
We also follow up with two listeners who wrote in for advice, and answer new questions on composite characters, being inspired by reddit, and how to maintain a long running D&D group.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig freestyle the introduction to the upcoming Scriptnotes Book.
Links:
The Strange $55 Million Saga of a Netflix Series You’ll Never See by John Carreyrou for the New York Times Digital background actors in Disney’s Prom Pact Sacking, revolt, return: how crisis at OpenAI over Sam Altman unfolded by Dan Milmo for The Guardian Alex Edelman: Just for Us Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Alex Winder (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

John welcomes Jesse David Fox (Comedy Book, Good One) and Greg Iwinski (Last Week Tonight, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) to “explain the joke” and discuss how comedy works.
They explore everything from harnessing your comedic voice, building a career in comedy, the importance of diversity in late night, to fundamental questions about the art form: How do jokes work? Is laughter always the primary goal of a comedy? Do you need to put your work online? How has the algorithm changed our consumption of comedy? And where does comedy go from here?
In our bonus segment for premium members, Greg, Jesse and John talk about their shared love for The Simpsons. What makes it so funny, and how has it shaped a generation of comedy nerds?
Links:
Greg Iwinski on Twitter and Instagram Jesse David Fox on Instagram and Twitter Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work by Jesse David Fox Good One: Podcast About Jokes by Jesse David Fox Julia on MAX The Great Stewardess Rebellion by Nell McShane Wulfhart Everything You Want (ft. MUNA) – Matt Rogers, from his album Have You Heard of Christmas? Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Jonathan Petkau (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

John offers a host of career-focused insights as he tackles our overflowing mailbag to answer as many listener questions as he can.
What’s the best way to keep track of shower thoughts? How do you build a good creative workplace? How do you disclose your past wrongs to a future employer? What is Appendix A? And who picks up the tab at a coffee meeting?
In our bonus segment for premium members, bells are ringing as John and newlywed Drew discuss what makes a wedding work.
Links:
Oppenheimer: The Official Screenplay by Christopher Nolan WGA Appendix A An Extremely Detailed Map of New York City Neighborhoods by Larry Buchanan, Josh Katz, Rumsey Taylor and Eve Washington for the New York Times TFI Photo Lab in Danvers, MA Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Nico Mansy (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

 

After 118 days on strike, SAG-AFTRA has a tentative deal with the AMPTP. John and Drew look through the details of the agreement to see what gains the actors union was able to make on streaming, self-tapes, performance capture, AI protections, and residuals. What are the current effects of this agreement? And what’s next for organized labor in Hollywood?
Links:
SAG-AFTRA Summary of 2023 Tentative Agreement SAG-AFTRA 2023 TV/Theatrical Contracts Hub John on Twitter, Instagram and Mastodon Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.

John and Craig host an in-depth look at the 1987 classic, The Princess Bride, recorded live at the WGA Theatre in 2019.
They discuss how the “abridged” structure brings us only the best parts of the story and what this means for the characters and world. From the frame story to the myth of the Dread Pirate Roberts, The Princess Bride shaped decades of screenwriters but would be inconceivable to produce today.
In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig discuss William Goldman’s famous (and often misapplied) quote abut Hollywood: “Nobody knows anything.”
Links:
Episode 386 – The Princess Bride Episode 221 – Nobody Knows Anything (including what this quote means) The Princess Bride The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman The Dread Pirate Roberts The Bechdel Test Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Cole Parzenn (send us yours!) This episode was originally produced by Megan McDonnell. Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at ask@johnaugust.com
You can download the episode here.