Writer Experience

Zoe Whittall is the author of the Giller-shortlisted The Best Kind of People, the Lambda-winning Holding Still for As Long As Possible, and her debut, Bottle Rocket Hearts. She has published three collections of poetry: The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life, Precordial Thump, and The Emily Valentine Poems. Her writing has appeared in Granta, Cosmonauts Ave, The Believer, The Cut, The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail and more. She is also a Canadian Screen Award-winning TV and film writer, with credits on The Baroness Von Sketch Show, Schitt's Creek, Degrassi and others. Zoe’s newest novel, THE SPECTACULAR, is in stores now! https://www.amazon.com/Spectacular-Novel-Zoe-Whittall/dp/1524799416 https://twitter.com/zoewhittall

Originally released as Ep 82. L.L. McKinney is the author of the Nightmare-Verse books, an urban fantasy re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, starring a Black Alice, starting with the A BLADE SO BLACK trilogy (A Blade So Black, A Dream So Dark, A Crown so Cursed), and an upcoming graphic novel for DC Comics featuring Nubia, Wonder Woman’s twin sister. She's also an advocate for equality and inclusion in publishing and the creator of the hashtag #WhatWoCWritersHear. https://us.macmillan.com/series/thenightmareverse/ https://twitter.com/ElleOnWords

Robert is an award-winning journalist, television writer, and the bestselling author of many books, including supernatural and historical thrillers, The Night Crossing, The Romanov Cross, and The Einstein Prophecy (a #1 bestseller in the Amazon Kindle store). His latest book, the second and revised edition of "Robert's Rules of Writing: 111 Unconventional Lessons that Every Writer Needs to Know," released a few months ago, and his latest historical suspense novel, "The Haunting of HG Wells," was published last October. https://www.amazon.com/Roberts-Rules-Writing-Second-Unconventional/dp/1621537838/ref=asc_df_1621537838/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=533377895464&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7190103906615167768&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9073502&hvtargid=pla-1405510015858&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/Haunting-H-G-Wells-Novel-ebook/dp/B08133NVPK

Sara Nestor is a motion picture literary agent at Verve Talent and Literary Agency.

Originally released as Ep 10. Ed Brisson is a Marvel exclusive writer for Iron Fist, Old Man Logan, and Extermination. https://www.twitter.com/edbrisson

Dean Koontz is the author of eighty NewYork times bestsellers, fourteen of which were #1. His books have sold over five hundred million copies worldwide, a figure that increases by more than seventeen million copies per year, his work is published in thirty-eight languages, and The Times (of London) has called him a “literary juggler.” He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives in California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirits of their goldens, Trixie and Anna. Dean’s newest collection, NAMELESS: SEASON TWO, released on Amazon Original Stories on June 10, 2021. It’s available to read and listen free to Prime members as well as Kindle Unlimited subscribers. Readers can download each story individually to their Kindle or Kindle app, or get the whole collection with just one click. Stories are also available for non-members for $1.99, with the option to add digital audio for free. Dean's newest novel, QUICKSILVER, is releasing on July 19, 2022! https://www.amazon.co

Julio Anta is a writer based in New York City. Raised in Miami, in a Cuban and Colombian family, Julio strives to tell narratively rich stories about diverse and empowered Latinx characters for Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade readers. His debut comic book series, HOME, is out now, courtesy of Image Comics. Julio’s forthcoming work includes FRONTERA, a YA graphic novel from HarperAlley, and SI SE PUEDE, a non-fiction graphic novel from Ten Speed Press, releasing in Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 respectively.

Murr is a writer, executive producer, and actor, best known as "Murr" on the hit television show Impractical Jokers on truTV. Originally from Staten Island, he now lives in Princeton NJ with his wife and puppy. Darren Wearmouth is a bestselling author and co-author of many novels, including Critical Strike and Fast Forward. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Group and the British Science Fiction Association, and currently lives in Calgary, Alberta with his wife and daughter. Together, they are the co-authors of the international bestselling Awakened trilogy, the thriller Don’t Move, and their brand new book, THE STOWAWAY, just released and is in stores now! https://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Novel-James-Murray/dp/1250263654 https://twitter.com/jamessmurray https://twitter.com/darrenwearmouth

Originally released as Ep 39. Rodney Barnes is a Screenwriter and Producer who has written and produced The Boondocks, My Wife and Kids, Everybody Hates Chris, Those Who Can't, Marvel's Runaways, Starz' American Gods, Co-Executive Producer of Hulu's Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and Comic Book Writer of Lion Forge's Quincredible.

David Jimenez-Katsman and Katrina Escudero are managers and producers at Sugar23, a newly formed management group founded in 2017 by Academy Award®-winning manager-producer Michael Sugar.

Howard Kazanjian is a film producer whose career spans 50 years. He has collaborated with Hollywood legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Sam Peckinpah, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas, and worked on such classics as The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi. Howard was also Vice President of Lucasfilm, Ltd., and is a published non-fiction author. He is known for producing some of the most commercially and critically successful films of all time and for coming up with central ideas on those films. The new memoir about Howard’s life, HOWARD KAZANJIAN: A PRODUCER'S LIFE, written by J.W Rinzler, was just released on September 21st, and is in stores now! https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Kazanjian-Producers-J-Rinzler/dp/1951836189#:~:text=Howard%20Kazanjian%3A%20A%20Producer's%20Life%20Hardcover%20%E2%80%93%20September%2014%2C%202021

Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iconis are screenwriting partners and the co-writers of Five Feet Apart, The Curse of La Llorona, and the new Netflix film, NIGHTBOOKS, a live action feature film based on the book of the same name. The movie version of All This Time is currently in development and Mikki and Tobias have many more projects that are in the works. Mikki and Tobias have been on the show together before, and Mikki had also been on the show with Rachael Lippincott, who worked with Mikki on writing the novels for Five Feet Apart and All This Time. Mikki and Tobias' new film, NIGHTBOOKS, premiered on September 15th on Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/title/81002270 https://twitter.com/mikkidaughtry https://twitter.com/tobiasiaconis

Originally releaed as Ep 85. Lauren S. Hissrich is the Creator, Executive Producer, and Showrunner of the Netflix original series The Witcher, based on the book series Andrzej Sapkowski, which was recently reported as being the most in-demand TV show in the world. Previously, Lauren has written scripts for TV including The West Wing and Justice, as well as written and produced shows such as Parenthood, Do No Harm, Private Practice, Daredevil, The Defenders and The Umbrella Academy. https://twitter.com/LHissrich

Daniel Joshua Rubin is a multimedia writer and founder of Story 27 in Evanston, Illinois, a writing studio that provides consulting and education to storytellers in all media. He has written for television (NBC, the WB); new media (The Motley Fool, National Lampoon); and theater (with plays produced at Steppenwolf in Chicago, off-Broadway in NYC, and on the West End of London). He has taught dramatic writing at Loyola University in Chicago, and at the University of California, San Diego. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama, where he graduated with honors and a BS in Drama Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase. 27 Essential Principles of Story: Master the Secrets of Great Storytelling, from Shakespeare to South Park is in stores now! https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Principles-Story-Storytelling-Shakespeare/dp/1523507160 https://twitter.com/DanJoshuaRubin

Fin Kennedy is an award-winning playwright, teacher, and university tutor whose plays are regularly produced in the UK and abroad. He specializes in writing for youth and marginalized communities and also teaches, blogs, campaigns, fundraises and dramaturgs other writers, with a particular focus on young people’s projects in London’s East End. His plays include Protection, the hip-hop musical Locked In, and How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found (Sheffield Crucible, 2007), which won the Arts Council’s John Whiting Award, the first time in forty years that an unproduced script had won the award. In 2013, Fin joined Tamasha Theatre Company as co-Artistic Director. As well as writing plays, Fin also has many years of experience teaching playwriting. Whilst associate artist at Tamasha, he founded Schoolwrights, the UK’s first playwrights-in-schools training scheme. As artistic director, he has launched Tamasha Playwrights, a new agency of playwrights-for-hire, offering diverse role models for young people

Travis M. Andrews is an author and staff writer for the Washington Post's style section, where he covers internet, pop culture, and the ways we live now. Previously, he was an associate travel and culture editor for Southern Living and a contributing pop culture reporter for Mashable and The Week. He has also written for Time, Esquire, GQ, and the Atlantic, among others. He lives in Washington, D.C., where he acquiesces to the every wish of his puppy Stevie Nix and misses his native New Orleans. His new book, BECAUSE HE’S JEFF GOLDBLUM: THE MOVIES, MEMES, AND MEANING OF HOLLYWOOD'S MOST ENIGMATIC ACTOR released in May, 2021, and is in stores now! https://www.amazon.com/Because-Hes-Jeff-Goldblum-Hollywoods/dp/1524746037 https://twitter.com/travismandrews

For our 150th episode, we compiled the best advice from episodes 126-149 into one "Secrets of Writing" episode, with insights from‬ industry professionals for Star Wars, HBO, Netflix, etc.

Vincent Lin is a filmmaker and founder of Valiant Pictures, a production company based in New York City. He recently placed as a top 50 semifinalist in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship and he’s a judge for the NYU Purple List. Valiant Pictures is actively developing content from short films to feature films to episodic to commercial advertising.

Kevin and Matthew McManus are filmmakers and tv writers whose works include The Block Island Sound, American Vandal, Funeral Kings, Cobra Kai, 13 Cameras, and more. They write as a duo and are also brothers. The Block Island Sound released on Netflix on March 11, which they wrote, directed, and produced. https://www.netflix.com/title/81354464 https://twitter.com/KMcManusBros https://twitter.com/mattmcmanusbros

Mason Engel is a writer and filmmaker from Columbus, Indiana. Mason's short film, Amends, earned 3rd place in the Broadcast Education Association Film Festival and was accepted into the prestigious Hollywood Florida Film Festival. Mason is also very passionate about community involvement and has spoken at Hope Elementary School for Read Across America Day and the community Facebook channel, Celebrate Columbus. Here are some fun facts about Mason. ​He loves sci-fi, fantasy, and anything by Neil Gaiman He’s a Hufflepuff (and slowly learning to accept that) He went to Purdue but bleeds Carolina blue He was a math major (emphasis on "was") He LOVES independent bookstores ​Mason’s new short film, THE BOOKSTOUR, a 30 minute documentary and the story of his road trip to 50 indie bookstores in 50 days, is releasing in mid July to raise money for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. The Foundation is using 100% of the profits to help indie bookstores recover from the pandemic. https://www.thebookstourfilm.com http