As the TV business continues to rapidly evolve, Liz and Sarah have decided to embrace an “oh, what the hell” attitude when it comes to development. If they love a project and want to do it, they’re going to do it — because at this point it’s impossible to judge what will or won’t have a chance for success. In The Craft (& Fain), they branch out from the writing craft to discuss color correction, a process that has a big impact on how a show looks and feels. In Hits & Bombs, they give a Hit to the WGA and especially to the WGA Negotiating Committee. Then they have a Bomb for all the recent rain in LA. This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from a listener — use rubbing alcohol to remove old dry erase marker. Finally, this week Liz recommends a beautiful new book — Finding The Words by Colin Campbell.
Latest Episodes
Episode 306: No Now Doesn’t Mean No Forever
Liz and Sarah talk about how a recent conversation about a former development project reminded them that “no now doesn’t mean no forever.” In Take A Hike, Liz discusses why you might want to do your own version of her Fryman 50. Then they answer a question from The Mailroom about whether they’ve ever written for a show they didn’t like — and if so how did they handle it? This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from Sarah’s recent purchase: Try an electric car. Finally, Sarah recommends Shrinking on Apply TV+.
Episode 305: Our Essential Tools & Put A Number On It
Liz and Sarah share what tools they consider essential for their job as TV writers. On the list? Final Draft, Google Docs, dry erase board tiles, the reMarkable Tablet, and more. In A Day In The Life, they run through what a typical day is during development. This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from Liz’s mom: Put a number on it. Finally, Liz recommends Season Two of Sex/Life on Netflix.
Episode 304: Liz Vows To Be Positive (No Matter What)
Liz tells Sarah she realized that she’s been going on endless rants about the state of TV writers in Hollywood — and she’s vowing to stop! From now on, Liz is going to be positive and try to manifest good things. Will it work? Keep listening to find out! In Take A Hike, Sarah shares how her wood burning stove has helped her see that little things can be big things. Then, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah reveal what they’ve learned about scenes that are particularly hard to write. This week’s Hollywood Hack is an old favorite: Say “fuck” in a meeting. Finally, Sarah recommends one of her favorite stores in Ojai — Cercana.
Episode 303: Why We Should All HUSSLUP
Liz and Sarah talk to H Schuster about her plan to democratize and diversify access to the entertainment industry. The mission of H’s new company HUSSLUP is to transform Hollywood’s old clique with one click. Then, in The Mailroom, Liz and Sarah answer a question about TV writer Elisabeth Finch who notoriously lied her way up the ladder on hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Vampire Diaries. This week’s Hollywood Hack will make working out more fun: Fitness Dice. Finally, Liz has three podcast recommendations — Two T’s In A Pod, Bachelor Party, and A Little Bit Culty.
Episode 302: First Draft Difficulty & Setting Aside Worry
Liz and Sarah are deep into the first draft of the pilot they’re writing — and discovering all over again how hard it is to write a pilot. Creating something out of nothing is never easy! In Take A Hike, Liz talks about how she decided to set aside worry during her recent glamping trip. The result? She was fully present and had an amazing time. Next, in Take Two, Liz and Sarah share more ways to listen to Audio books. This week’s Hollywood Hack will improve your bedtime routine: the Peryton Sleep Headphones Wireless, Bluetooth Sports Headphones. And finally Sarah recommends the iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso from Starbucks.