587 episodes

The definitive insider's guide to our current golden age of television, Ben Blacker's The Writers Panel is an ever expanding anthology of live convention panels and intimate in-studio interviews with the writers, producers, and show runners responsible for all the shows you can't stop watching. Over the course of nearly 500 episodes and counting, The Writers Panel has sat across from guests such as Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (Key and Peele), Liz Meriwether (New Girl), and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) to talk about the art and business of creating great television.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Writers Panel Ben Blacker

    • TV & Film
    • 4.6 • 743 Ratings

The definitive insider's guide to our current golden age of television, Ben Blacker's The Writers Panel is an ever expanding anthology of live convention panels and intimate in-studio interviews with the writers, producers, and show runners responsible for all the shows you can't stop watching. Over the course of nearly 500 episodes and counting, The Writers Panel has sat across from guests such as Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (Key and Peele), Liz Meriwether (New Girl), and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) to talk about the art and business of creating great television.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Robert Rodat (Those About to Die; Saving Private Ryan)

    Robert Rodat (Those About to Die; Saving Private Ryan)

    Robert Rodat (Those About to Die; Saving Private Ryan) discusses the parallels of his ancient Roman series to today's politics, his grueling rewriting process, the "heart and soul" of Saving Private Ryan, the three levels of conflict, and more.
    THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
    Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 47 min
    Anna Fishko (Orphan Black: Echoes)

    Anna Fishko (Orphan Black: Echoes)

    Anna Fishko (creator/showrunner, Orphan Black: Echoes; Fear the Walking Dead) discusses showrunning as a three-person job, hiring people she can trust, her writing superpower, the evolution of the series, and more.
    THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
    Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 39 min
    Jordan Morris (Youth Group)

    Jordan Morris (Youth Group)

    Jordan Morris (Jordan Jesse Go!) talks about his new graphic novel, Youth Group, out this week. It's a funny and charming horror-comedy about teenage exorcists in the 1990s.
    Order your copy now: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250789235/youth-group
    THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
    Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 33 min
    David Koepp (Jurassic Park; Spider-man; Mission Impossible)

    David Koepp (Jurassic Park; Spider-man; Mission Impossible)

    Jurassic Park, Spider-man, Mission: Impossible, Carlito's Way, Indiana Jones, Bad Influence, Kimi, Snake Eyes, Panic Room, Presence, Black Bag, and even more. We're lucky to have David Koepp on today's episode.
    Want to participate in a writing workshop this summer with Ben Blacker and some terrific writers? Go from idea to first draft or get a rewrite into fighting shape? Email NerdistWriters@gmail.com
    Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.
    The June 30 show at the Elysian Theater features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife).
    The cast includes: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Jonathan Tucker (Kingdom; Westworld), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts) and more to be announced!
    Get live or video-on-demand tickets here.
    THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
    Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 4 min
    Quinn Shephard and Samir Mehta (Under the Bridge)

    Quinn Shephard and Samir Mehta (Under the Bridge)

    Under the Bridge creator Quinn Shephard (writer/director, Not Okay) and showrunner Samir Mehta (Narcos; Fear the Walking Dead) discuss couching emotional story in mystery plot, finding the universal in the specific, the Sopranos as children and as comedy, writing from the heart, reading to hire a room, and lots more.
    Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.
    The June 30 show at the Elysian Theater features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife).
    The cast includes: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts) and more to be announced!
    Get live or video-on-demand tickets here.
    THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
    Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 40 min
    The Big Cigar's Janine Sherman Barois and Jim Hecht

    The Big Cigar's Janine Sherman Barois and Jim Hecht

    The Big Cigar's Janine Sherman Barois (Claws; Criminal Minds) and Jim Hecht (Winning Time; Ice Age) discuss the responsibility of telling true stories, how The Big Cigar isn't just a biopic, working on multiple projects, the state of the industry, and more.
    Come see Dead Pilots Society on Sunday, June 30, 2-4pm PT at the Elysian Theater in LA! In Dead Pilots Society scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve.
    The June 30 show at the Elysian Theater features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife).
    The cast includes: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts) and more to be announced!
    Get live or video-on-demand tickets here.
    THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.
    Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 37 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
743 Ratings

743 Ratings

Jimmy_Crow ,

A treasure trove of writing lessons

This show has been around for over a decade and has insights on every aspect of television writing. If you are looking to get ahead in the industry do yourself a favor and dig through the episodes, filled with insights from working writers.

KaylaDonDada ,

Great show

Ben Blacker is a great interviewer. He knows what to ask and how to ask it. He makes his guests open up gets the most out of each interview. This podcast is engaging and enriching. Such a worthwhile way to spend your time if you’re an extremely focused writer. Thank you for the wealth of knowledge in each episode!

allnicknamesaretakenmarinel ,

I’ve basically binged all episodes

I love this podcast! It’s a real peak inside the curtain of what writers lives are really like in Hollywood. Ive been slowly binging all episodes for the past year taking notes and building some scripts. This has been a great support and fun listen!!

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