The Social Screenwriters Podcast

Welcome to Episode 54! Very stoked to have screenwriter, Ellie Guzman on the pod! In this episode, we talk about Ellie's humble beginnings writing a comedy blog by day, and working in emergency rooms by night. The success of her blog later spawned into a full-blown TV writing career. We dive into her story of landing a rep, her writing process, and her now crossing into live-action (while still working in animation), and more! Hope you enjoy the episode! You can follow Ellie Guzman on IG and Threads at @ elliemariaguzman, on X at @ ellie_guzman Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ellie got her creative start in the 2010s by living a double life: running a successful comedy blog by day, and working in an emergency room by night (and also day). After realizing that writing made her feel more alive than literally watching someone's heart get restarted, she transitioned to the entertainment industry as a production assistant in animation, learned the ropes, and worked her way up to TV writer. Now she's written episodes for Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, Netflix, Peacock, Disney, Apple+, Mattel, and others, and has also developed studio IP for Dreamworks, SpinMaster, and others. She enjoys writing unhinged comedy in different mediums for all audiences, whether it's a kids 11 minute animated series or a live action adult half hour. She's repped at Sweater, speaks Spanish, and only cried once this week. FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIALS! TSSP on Instagram: / socialwriterpod TSSP on Twitter: https://x.com/SocialWriterPod TSSP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?.. . TSSP on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/socialwriter.. . FOLLOW ANDY ON SOCIALS Andy's Instagram: / andycompton_ Andy's Twitter: https://x.com/andycompton_ Andy on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@andycompton_ 0:00 - Intro to Ellie Guzman 14:23 - How Ellie Got Started in Screenwriting 23:37 - Ellie's Brand 25:08 - 3 Films/TV Shows that Inspired Her 30:49 - Landing a Rep 40:18 - Writing Routine 43:18 - Writing Process 48:39 - How Long to Write a 30-minute Pilot 53:32 - Ellie's Hobbies 59:13 - Ellie's Favorite Script 1:06:18 - Ellie's Advice for Screenwriters

Welcome to Episode 53! Very stoked to have screenwriter, director, editor, and 2021 Academy Nicholl Fellow, R.J. Daniel Hanna on the pod! In this episode, we talk about Daniel winning the Nicholl, his films SUCCUBUS (Starring Ron Perlman and Rosanna Arquette), and HARD MILES (Starring Matthew Modine and Sean Astin), his thoughts on screenwriting contests, and more! Hope you enjoy the episode! You can follow R.J. Daniel Hanna on IG at @ rjdanielhanna. Maybe it was growing up in Arkansas as a Canadian, or the summers in rural Ireland with his grandparents, but Daniel has always been drawn to out-of-place characters, strange environments, and the unique rhythms of how people talk. He just completed post on his horror film “Succubus,” starring Ron Perlman and Rosanna Arquette, to be released in 2024. Crossing over 500 screens in the U.S. and beginning its run in the U.K. is his feature “Hard Miles,” starring Golden Globe-winner Matthew Modine and Oscar-Nominee Sean Astin, which has won multiple awards and screened at prestigious festivals including Chicago International, Heartland Film Festival, and Cinequest. Prior to that, Daniel directed the true-story feature “Miss Virginia,” starring three-time Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba, Oscar-Nominee Aunjanue Ellis, and Vanessa Williams. The film was listed as a New York Times and USA Today Must-See Fall Movie, won the Audience Award at The Naples Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release, cable premiere on BET, and streaming deal with Netflix. As a writer, Daniel is a winner of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, as well as the Slamdance, ScriptPipeline, and Screencraft writing awards. He also explores storytelling as an editor, with ten features under his belt, including horror film “What Lies Below,” starring Mena Suvari, which hit #1 on Netflix, and “Supercell” starring Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche, and Skeet Ulrich, which hit #1 on Hulu. Daniel hopes to continue telling cinematic, character-driven stories long past the time any sane person would have retired. He lives on the east-side of L.A. with his excessively-vocal cat “Dottie.” FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIALS! TSSP on Instagram: / socialwriterpod TSSP on Twitter: https://x.com/SocialWriterPod TSSP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?.. . TSSP on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/socialwriter.. . FOLLOW ANDY ON SOCIALS Andy's Instagram: / andycompton_ Andy's Twitter: https://x.com/andycompton_ Andy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/andycompton... . CHAPTERS 0:00 - Intro 5:57 - Daniel's Bio 9:08 - Nicholl Fellowship 12:01 - How'd You Get Into Screenwriting? 13:52 - Contests 16:45 - Winning the Nicholl 25:33 - Describe Your Brand 27:39 - Specs vs Assignment Work 33:04 : Three Favorite Films or TV Shows? 37:02 - Breaking In 39:46 - Writing Routine / Process 50:48 - Daniel's Film, SUCCUBUS 51:48 - Daniel's Film, HARD MILES 52:33 - Directing Famous Actors 57:37 - New Ideas 1:02:01 - Brand New Draft 1:05:26 - Daniel's Hobbies Outside Writing 1:07:04 - Advice for Fellow Writers

Welcome to Episode 52! Very stoked to have screenwriter, director, producer, and editor, Jackie Mahoney on the pod! In this episode, we talk about her new short film, ALL THE BEST, starring Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (MODERN FAMILY), her screenwriting process, her beloved, LOST, and more! Hope you enjoy the episode! You can follow Jackie on IG at @jackiemahoney, and subscribe to her YouTube at ‪@digitalblueproductions‬ ! Jackie is a writer-director from Phoenix, Arizona currently based in the Greater New York City Area. A graduate of the London Film School's Master's in Screenwriting program, she has a skillset that spans writing, directing, producing, and editing. With a solid foundation in storytelling, Jackie is dedicated to creating compelling human stories using intentional filmmaking throughout every stage of the development process. Her short films have screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival, Cinequest, HollyShorts, and Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival. Most recently, Jackie's comedy pilot, Toxic, won The Art of Brooklyn Screenwriting Competition and was named one of Coverfly's Top 20 Comedy Pilots in December 2024. She has co-written with Gonzalo Maza (Gloria, Una Mujer Fantástica) and, in another life, worked as an advertising specialist for BuzzFeed and MediaStorm LLC. FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIALS! TSSP on Instagram: / socialwriterpod TSSP on Twitter: https://x.com/SocialWriterPod TSSP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?.. . TSSP on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/socialwriter.. . FOLLOW ANDY ON SOCIALS Andy's Instagram: @andycompton_ Andy's Twitter: https://x.com/andycompton_ Andy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/andycompton... .

Hey there, everybody! LIKE THE VIDEO AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL FOR MORE PODCAST CLIPS, FULL EPISODES, AND ANDY'S SHORT FILM STUFF! Welcome to Episode 51! Very stoked to have screenwriter and producer on the hit ABC series, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY, back on the show. In this episode, we talk about writing on Season 5 of Abbott, the ways in which her view of writing for television has evolved over these 5 seasons, and much more! Lots of great nuggets of wisdom in here for aspiring television writers. Hope you enjoy the episode! Joya McCrory is a comedy writer from Detroit who likes to tell sneakily heartfelt stories full of weird humor about identity and figuring out one’s place in the world. Joya is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she received a Summer Hopwood fiction award for her collection of short stories. She also studied screenwriting at UCLA. She is an alum of the 2021 Warner Bros. Television Workshop, where she was one of three comedy writers. She is currently a Writer/Producer on the award-winning show, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC). She would like it be known that she usually doesn’t refer to herself in the third person. Watch ABBOTT ELEMENTARY Wednesday nights on ABC, or the next day on Hulu! FOLLOW THE PODCAST ON SOCIALS! TSSP on Instagram: / socialwriterpod TSSP on Twitter: https://x.com/SocialWriterPod TSSP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... TSSP on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/socialwriter... FOLLOW ANDY ON SOCIALS Andy's Instagram: / andycompton_ Andy's Twitter: https://x.com/andycompton_ Andy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/andycompton....

VIDEO PODCAST AVAILABLE at YouTube.com/@AndyCompton! Please watch and subscribe to the channel for more video episodes! Hey there, everybody! Welcome to Episode 50! What an achievement! Very stoked to have screenwriter, director, producer, and actor, Luke Barnett back on the show. In this episode, we talk about his two most recent short films, THE CROSSING OVER EXPRESS, and OVATION. Both have been viral success stories covered in Variety, and released on Twitter. We talk all about his shorts, from conception to reception, and his strategy for releasing shorts on unconventional platforms. Hope you enjoy the episode! Luke Barnett is best known for "Faith Based", the satire of the Christian film industry he wrote and starred in opposite Jason Alexander, Lance Reddick, Margaret Cho, and Tanner Thomason. "Faith Based" was critically acclaimed, quickly reaching 94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and garnering a cult following. Before "Faith Based", Barnett spent nearly a decade behind the camera, with writing and producing credits that include the Angus Cloud thriller "Your Lucky Day", the Abigail Breslin horror-comedy Fear, Inc (Tribeca), Loitering with Intent (Sam Rockwell, Marisa Tomei), and an exhaustive amount of topical comedy content from his time with Will Ferrell's "Funny or Die". Barnett can next be seen in "Tapawingo" opposite Jon Heder, the Critic's Choice nominated "List of a Lifetime" with Shannen Doherty, "Tonic" with Lori Petty, and guest starring on shows like " For All Mankind" and "NCIS: Los Angeles".

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show, we have actor turned screenwriter, Kevin Sheridan. I've known of Kevin for awhile from Twitter but we hadn't interacted much until now. Just friends and fans from afar. It was great getting to talk to him and learn about his history as an actor, working on some huge shows of the 2000s, and then his more recent success as a screenwriter. Sheridan is a successful screenwriter whose scripts Colors of Authority and Backcountry appeared on the prestigious Black List in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Sheridan is known for his dedication to research and authentic storytelling. For his script Colors of Authority, which depicts police corruption, he conducted extensive research by doing ride-alongs with law enforcement and walking through prisons. His upcoming feature ELEVEN DAYS stars Taylor Kitsch and is being directed by Peter Landesman. Hope you all enjoy the episode! And don't forget to say something nice that Kevin said or something dumb that I said on socials! @SocialWriterPod on IG, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show, we have writer, actor, director, composer, editor, and singer/songwriter Steven Martini. I met Steven on Twitter and quickly realized, "OH MY GOD, THAT'S CADET ALEX STONE FROM MAJOR PAYNE!" I was a big fan in my childhood, so it was a thrill to meet Steven now, 30 years later. And it's been an interesting three decades for him as he's built himself a nice career as an indie filmmaker, even getting Martin Scorcese on his side. No, really--Scorcese EP'd his first two features. Steven has lived a life in the biz and we get into all of it. Steven Martini is a writer, actor, composer, editor, and singer/songwriter. His first break as an actor was as Cadet Alex J. Stone in Major Payne. He and his brother Derick Martini wrote the films Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire and Lymelife. Based on experiences from the Martinis' childhood, Lymelife won the FIPRESCI award at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, and premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Martini is also known for being the singer/songwriter for the Los Angeles–based band The Spaceship Martini. Hope you all enjoy the episode! And don't forget to say something nice that Steven said or something dumb that I said on socials! @SocialWriterPod on IG, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show, we have a returning guest, Edith Rodriguez. Edith and I first spoke on the pod right after we both landed our first managers in late 2021. Now, we're back and Edith has been in two different writer's rooms and shares her experience! Edith Rodriguez grew up between the sunny beaches of Puerto Rico and cold winters of Wisconsin. She learned early on that if you’re going to speak up in a big Caribbean family, you better be able to tell a good story. After years of leading corporate strategy, she left the business world and made the move to Los Angeles to pursue her passion of writing for television. She is a fellow of the Paramount TV Writers Program, Mentorship Matters, and The Gotham. She was most recently staffed on the upcoming 'Dexter: Resurrection' Showtime series and is currently a writer on Matlock Season 2 for CBS. Edith is represented by IAG. Hope you all enjoy the episode! And don't forget to say something nice that Edith said or something dumb that I said on socials! @SocialWriterPod on IG, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show we have a very special guest--literary manager at Epicenter, and one of my managers, Allard Cantor! New York City born, New Jersey bred, and University of Wisconsin educated, Allard Cantor started life as an envelope salesman in Manhattan before choosing to follow his passion for film and moving to Los Angeles. He attended the American Film Institute, where he received his MFA from their prestigious producing program. There, he discovered an aptitude for helping writers develop their material—a skill which, combined with his years of sales experience, led to an organic shift into management. In 2012, Allard met his partner Jarrod Murray, and EPICENTER was born.

Hey, there everybody! This is just an update episode on why I've been away, what I've been up to, and the future of the podcast. If you're reading this, thanks for sticking around through my absence! Life got busy. But, I'm excited to give an update on the pod.

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show we have a very special guest--screenwriter and founder of The Grey List, Brad M. Johnson! Brad M. Johnson is a writer and filmmaker based in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle. He’s a life-long storyteller who has recently returned from a 12-year detour into the world of corporate marketing to focus on his original loves — movies. As a storyteller, Brad specializes in genre stories about broken people, redemption, and the power of family, and his scripts have been recognized by Final Draft, The Black List, the Walt Disney Company, and MGM among others. In 2022, Brad launched The Grey List, an initiative to push back against ageism in the entertainment industry by curating a selection of production-ready feature and pilot scripts from writers over the age of 40. Brad also runs Daisy If You Do Productions, an indie-film production company. Their first film — and Brad’s first directorial effort, CHAT — was completed in 2023 and is currently making the rounds on the festival circuit. When he isn’t working on his next script or film, Brad spends his time watching curling (and hoping to one day join a team) and making bad puns that make his family’s eyes roll. Enjoy! Like and share on Twitter and Instagram, @SocialWriterPod

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show we have a very special guest--screenwriter, Jason Gruich! Jason is a current member and Captain of the Writers Guild of America, East. He has sold four original feature specs since 2017 to various production companies including a major spec sale to Warner Bros (New Line Cinema) with his first-person, crime-thriller COP CAM with Chris Bender attached to produce. Jason is a former, 21-year police veteran and has worked in all facets of law enforcement including K9, narcotics, investigations, and crime scene supervision. Jason writes original crime and action-thriller film and TV projects that are imbued with an uncanny sense of natural grit and realism, ensuring the read is a truly authentic experience. Born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to parents of Croatian descent, Jason’s writing is influenced by a lifetime love of movies, books, graphic novels, and music as well as an insatiable desire to make every page count. He is repped by Nick Leicht at Bright Leicht Content; legal at McKuin-Frankel-Whitehead. Enjoy!

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show we have a very special guest--screenwriter, Allison Jackson! Allison is a Los Angeles based screenwriter who writes funny shows about Black women in not-so-funny situations. Originally from a town of three thousand in Ohio, Jackson developed her love for screenwriting while working in China, and learned Mandarin by watching Chinese period dramas. She then attended the American Film Institute, where she studied screenwriting and developed her voice for writing nerdy, funny, Black characters. She has worked as a Writers’ Assistant for Amazon and as a showrunner’s assistant on an HBO comedy show. Her comedy pilot, “Enough,” was selected for the second round of the Sundance Episodic Lab, and her feature, “Believe the Hype,” was selected for the second round of the Sundance Development Track.. In this episode, we discuss her transition from journalism to screenwriting, living in China, attending AFI, working as a writer's assistant, making it into the 2022 Fox Writers Incubator, being staffed on CALL ME KAT, and more! I hope you enjoy this episode!

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show we have a very special guest--actor, producer, screenwriter, and director, Luke Barnett! Luke is a jack of all trades and most recently, it was his producing work that helped bring success to the feature film, YOUR LUCKY DAY, written and directed by Dan Brown, and starring the late Angus Cloud and Jessica Garza. The film reached the Top 4 on Netflix recently and is getting a ton of attention. In this episode, we discuss Luke's earliest screenwriting work writing sketches for comedy website Funny or Die, writing his feature film debut, his journey as an actor, producing YOUR LUCKY DAY, and more! I hope you enjoy this episode!

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show we have a very special guest--screenwriter and script clearance professional, Carley Aggromito! Carley is an Australia and Vancouver-based writer writing features while working in script clearances by day. In this episode, we discuss her writing, contest success, and the world of script clearances. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show we have a very special guest--screenwriter and filmmaker, Shruti Saran! Shruti has written in writer's rooms at Netflix and Amazon, and is currently ESE on Season 2 of SLIP on Roku! In this episode, she shares her personal experience with moving from Texas to LA to join her first writer's room and all the lessons she's learned since. I hope you enjoy this episode! Watch this episode over on YouTube if you'd like! Subscribe to my channel!

Hey there, everybody! Today's guest is cinematographer, Brett Pawlak! Brett was the DP of one of my all-time favorite films, SHORT TERM 12, in addition to a bunch of other incredible television and film credits. In the episode, we talk about how he got started with cameras, meeting frequent collaborator, writer/director, Destin Daniel Cretton, winning the Jury Prize for Short Filmmaking at Sundance with the SHORT TERM 12 short film, and more! Also, you can watch the full video podcast of this episode over on YouTube. Just search "The Social Screenwriters Podcast and you'll see my channel (Andy Compton). Please subscribe if you haven't! More video content to come this year. Say something nice on Twitter/Instagram and remember to tag us, @SocialWriterPod! If you'd like to support us with a donation, you can now do so by going to our Linktree in the bio of our Twitter or Instagram and click the Donate button. Anything helps! Thanks so much for the support, y'all. -Andy

Hey there, everybody! Doing something a little different on this episode--the screenwriter in the hot seat will be ME! With my good pal, Gabe Braxton, guest hosting. We talk about how I got into screenwriting, contest success, starting a screenwriting career from outside Hollywood, and more! Also, you can watch the full video podcast of this episode over on YouTube. Just search "The Social Screenwriters Podcast and you'll see my channel (Andy Compton). Please subscribe if you haven't! More video content to come this year. Say something nice on Twitter/Instagram and remember to tag us, @SocialWriterPod! If you'd like to support us with a donation, you can now do so by going to our Linktree in the bio of our Twitter or Instagram and click the Donate button. Anything helps! Thanks so much for the support, y'all. -Andy

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show, I'm talking to screenwriter, Leah Simmons, or as you may know her on Twitter, Leah From South Dakota! Leah is a screenwriter based in, you guessed it, South Dakota. She writes genre features and pilots and in this episode we discuss her feature film credit, VALENTINE CRUSH, her writing process, film festivals, and more! Give it a listen, like, follow, subscribe, say something nice on Twitter/Instagram and remember to tag us, @SocialWriterPod! If you'd like to support us with a donation, you can now do so by going to our Linktree in the bio of our Twitter or Instagram and click the Donate button. Anything helps! Thanks so much for the support, y'all. -Andy

Hey there, everybody! Today on the show, I'm talking to screenwriter, Brandi Sperry! Brandi is the screenwriter of the TV movie, TAKEN IN MONTANA, which premiered on Lifetime in September 2023. She a multi-genre writer who writes in both the TV and film formats. In the episode, she talks about her projects, her writing process, and a disdain for praise! Give it a listen, like, follow, subscribe, say something nice on Twitter/Instagram and remember to tag us, @SocialWriterPod! If you'd like to support us with a donation, you can now do so by going to our Linktree in the bio of our Twitter or Instagram and click the Donate button. Anything helps! Thanks so much for the support, y'all. -Andy