Living To Write

The Runner screenplay was good enough to make the 2023 Black List. It was also, as its director puts it, unmakeable: a car chase at night, in the rain, through Los Angeles, with a mudslide shutting down the 101. Screenwriters Miles Hubley and Tommy White, along with director Scott Waugh ( Need for Speed ), sit down with Brian and Bailey to discuss Runner (Angel Studios, starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson), the eleven-year road to their first produced feature, and what happened along the way. What are the two kinds of screenwriting, and how does the second make everything besides the dialogue irrelevant? How do you write a chase scene through a city you’ve never set foot in? What happens when Owen Wilson pictures his character as a bon vivant in a Panama hat? What do you say when your director pitches an ending you can’t bear, but your star loves it? And how could the best thing for a screenwriter be finally having a boss ? It’s a first-ever podcast appearance for Miles and Tommy, and Scott is right there to make sure it doesn’t go to their heads. All three have plenty to say about egos, trust, over-writing, and why the only script worth writing is the one that feels true. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

Two seventeen-year-olds with mutual crushes egged one another into trying out for their college sketch groups. A few years later, their Yale graduation speech went viral, and made them the youngest writers in the history of The Tonight Show. Writing partners, showrunners, and married couple Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold sit down with Brian and Bailey to discuss the second season of Adults (FX), the leap from writing sketches to running their own series, and why every emerging comedy writer needs to find their people. How does the pace of late night TV make every writer a baby showrunner? Why would anyone walk away from The Tonight Show with nothing new lined up? How do you keep a Gen Z slang from expiring before new episodes even air? What happens when you pitch “live-action Big Mouth for your twenties” to Nick Kroll’s face? And why might the skills it takes to produce comedy be diametrically opposed to the ones it takes to write it? Rebecca and Ben have plenty to say about trust, voice, and staying ready for your lucky break, and how Adults grew from a friend group's inside jokes into a series all its own. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

A moment of snorkeling panic deep in a Tulum cenote became a joke between friends before it became the inspiration for a shark movie that made the 2019 Black List. Screenwriters Aja Gabel and MJ Wesner and writer/director Jeff Wadlow sit down with Brian and Bailey to discuss The Devil’s Mouth (Amazon Prime Video), its seven-year journey getting to the screen, and what it takes to build a lasting career in show business. How do you write a shark movie with a predator already right there within the friend group? What sort of things might a director change when tackling a project they didn’t write? What’s the difference between selling a script and having a career? How do you pitch a project you haven’t written yet? And how do your particular writing talents make you unique but not special? Jeff, Aja and MJ have plenty to say about what changed, what stayed the same, and how they made it all fit together as The Devil’s Mouth moved along from idea to screenplay to production to the screen. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

She was just five years old when she read the Little House on the Prairie books that made her want to tell stories. Today, she’s the screenwriter and showrunner taking us back into that world. Screenwriter/showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Housemaid, The Housemaid 2, The Boys, Archive 81) sits down with Brian and Bailey to discuss why she writes, how she writes, and how the entertainment business really works. How did an old-school VHS camcorder teach her plenty about storytelling? How did writing screenplay coverage nudge her into a screenwriting career of her own? How did she turn the things she enjoyed most into commercial successes? How did she adapt the bestselling novel The Housemaid by treating it as “a personal horror story”? And how is “genre writing” perhaps not quite what people think it is? Rebecca has plenty to say about crafting the tension of The Housemaid , landing the project of her childhood dreams, and the world-building secrets that make a 150-year-old story feel like it’s about us, right now. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

After leaving the world of advertising for life as a writer, countless publishers passed on his novel before he finally heard the unexpected yes that changed everything. Screenwriter David J. Rosen sits down with Brian and Bailey to discuss why he writes, how he writes, the path that got him where he is, and the practices that keep him there. How did a panicky moment at a Snapple sales meeting push him toward writing? When are screenwriters maybe better off not knowing the rules? Can a thriller be funny without spoiling the stakes? Why would he ever tell himself to “just write it badly?” And what might be more important than talent and luck when it comes to your screenwriting career? David has plenty to say about how his Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed series made it to Apple TV, and why you may want to focus on getting your screenplay done , instead of making it perfect. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson

His 2015 Fantastic Four screenplay was rewritten by so many other writers that eventually just three words of his remained. Today he’s the sole screenwriter on Mortal Kombat II, and already tackling the sequel. Screenwriter Jeremy Slater sits down with Brian and Bailey to discuss why he writes, how he writes, and what other writers would do well to keep in mind on their own journeys. How does a kid too scared to take a bath after watching Jaws end up writing for Marvel and DC? Why should screenwriters be careful about considering themselves “artists”? What keeps him returning to the page even when the goalposts keep moving? How does he cap off his writing each day by setting himself up for success the next morning? What are Hollywood “round table” meetings all about, and how do they work? And why does he say screenplays are primarily “promotional documents”? Jeremy has plenty to say about how his Mortal Kombat II made it to theaters, how he makes sure he’s a screenwriter people want to work with, and how he keeps it that way. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson

He wrote a screenplay his reps didn’t even know about. Five years later, his movie is on Netflix, starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton. Screenwriter Jeremy Robbins sits down with Brian and Bailey for a deep dive into how that all happened, how he navigates the film and television industries, and why he writes. How did Jeremy become a writer? What does he think about working in writers’ rooms versus writing alone? Why does he focus on spec screenplays even with other deals on the table? How does a script started during the pandemic make it to Netflix? What did a 2021 spot on The Black List end up meaning for him years later? And what can close-up magic possibly teach us about effective pitching? Jeremy has plenty to share about why he wrote his action survival thriller Apex , and how the screenplay evolved before reaching the screen. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson

Canadian writer-director Chandler Levack sits down with Brian and Bailey for a deep dive into how and why she writes. How did her music journalism experiences inform her screenwriting? How did she make her first film without a studio deal? How does she deconstruct her favourite screenplays when building her own scenes? Why are rom-com tropes so worthy of our love and respect? How do filmmaking careers really get started these days? Why was she so excited to get a call from Adam Sandler? And how could her parents boost her career by faking an illness? With both of her newest projects dropping the very same day— Mile End Kicks in theaters, and Roommates on Netflix—Chandler has plenty to share, and she doesn’t hold back. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson

Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher of BriTANicK fame sit down with Brian and Bailey for a deep dive into how and why they write. How is their collaboration like an open romantic relationship? What were the writers’ rooms on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Saturday Night Live like? How can a detailed outline save your screenplay before you even start writing? How is effective pitching much more than just describing your project well? And what did they learn from their time in the director’s chairs? And why are Brian and Brian so happy about the spelling of their names? After over 18 years working together—and with their directorial debut Pizza Movie now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, and Over Your Dead Body hitting theaters April 24th—Brian and Nick have plenty to share. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

This episode features Rachel Shukert, showrunner behind The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix) and executive producer on The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) , charting her fascinatingly unconventional path from New York memoirist and playwright to Hollywood showrunner. Is television overstaffed right now? What’s the best way to get yourself into a writers’ room? How should writers think about the anxieties that both propel them and get in the way? Brian and Bailey discuss all this and more with Rachel, including what she learned from her first chaotic writers’ room, what it was really like producing GLOW alongside Jenji Kohan, and how she has kept building her television career through Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu) and most recently The 'Burbs (Peacock) . Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson 1IoJcK62EnPRcPNjz7Yg Links mentioned in this episode: Everything Is Going To Be Great by Rachel Shukert https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Going-Great-Underfunded-Overexposed/dp/0061782351 Have You No Shame? by Rachel Shukert https://www.amazon.com/Have-You-No-Shame-Regrettable/dp/0345498615

Imagine writing for an animated Disney series. Now, imagine being invited to write for the Star Wars universe. And imagine that leading you to the Marvel universe. And now, imagine your audience is preschoolers! In this episode of Living To Write, Brian and Bailey talk with James Eason-Garcia, who has done all this and more. His behind-the-scenes stories are fun and enlightening, and his industry and craft advice applies to far more than just animation and writing for kids. Join us to hear everything from how the industry works to how to fine-tune your portfolio to get the attention your writing deserves. And along the way, James even shares his strategy for storing 30,000 comic books! Produced by Bailey Patterson and Brian Landwehr

Paul Schrader wrote classics like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ, directed American Gigolo, Affliction and First Reformed, documented the history of the transcendental style of film, and he’s still hard at work telling stories with impact. In this special episode, we present his engaging Story Summit VIP Guest Lecture, recorded shortly after the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where he premiered his latest feature, Oh, Canada . Hear how a strict Calvinist upbringing devoid of cinema led to Paul picking up the mantle of the transcendental style of filmmaking, and how he utilizes metaphor to draw audiences into his stories without all the handholding. If you care about meaningful cinema with lasting impact, or simply want to hear what Taxi Driver is actually all about, don’t miss this episode. Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson

Brian and Bailey chat with The Naked Gun (2025) screenwriters Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. Comedy ain’t easy. And neither is the job of continuing the beloved Naked Gun franchise with a new chapter that honors the spirit of Lt. Frank Drebin without feeling stuck in the past. But that is exactly what Dan Gregor and Doug Mand have accomplished, and they are here to discuss why and how they do what they do, the lessons learned from years of partnership, and what it takes to keep audiences laughing in a new era. Their journey from the improv comedy scene to How I Met Your Mother , from Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers to The Naked Gun , is a colorful one. So tune in for all that, plus their thoughts on comedy writing in the age of YouTube, and why even in Hollywood a good script is never truly dead. This episode is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson conclude their two-part conversation with former president of Paramount Motion Picture Group, David Paul Kirkpatrick. As the man who greenlit some of the most iconic films in cinematic history, David knows not only how the Hollywood machine works, but why it sometimes doesn’t. Why do so few people in the studio system actually read scripts? Why does strong coverage matter more than you think? What does it take to get a studio project across the finish line? And what really happens when a movie falls apart? Plus, why did Michael Jackson shed tears over lunch with David? And is Steven Spielberg truly the mensch the world believes he is? With a remarkable career, a writer’s heart, and a mentor’s wisdom, David brings both insight and irresistible Hollywood tales in one of the most revealing conversations we’ve ever had. This podcast is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

On the latest episode of the Living to Write , Brian and Bailey chat with Story Summit founder and former Paramount Pictures studio executive David Paul Kirkpatrick in Part 1 of an unforgettable conversation. Throughout his illustrious career as president of the Motion Picture Group and head of production at both Disney and Touchstone, David helped bring to life some of the most iconic and influential films and franchises of all time, including — Indiana Jones , Star Trek , Friday the 13th , Top Gun , Ghost , The Hunt for Red October , Witness , Reds — and a Living to Write favorite — Can’t Buy Me Love . His remarkable history, combined with talents as both a writer himself and mentor to many, makes David just the man to share some of the most insightful advice and outrageous Hollywood-insider stories you’ll ever hear. What’s it like to be a studio executive? What does it take to actually greenlight a film—and what quietly kills it? Tune in to Part 1 to find out what really happens behind the curtain. And yes... He names names. This podcast is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

On this episode of Living to Write, Brian and Bailey sit down with Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning writer/director Peter Hastings. With Dog Man now out in the world, Peter discusses why he writes, how improv led him to screenwriting, what it was like working with Steven Spielberg on Animaniacs, and how writing is like music for him. Plus, a look at the projects that shaped his career and what keeps him coming back to the blank page. Support for this episode comes from Story Summit. This podcast is produced by Bailey Patterson and Brian Landwehr.

This time on Living to Write, writer/director Drew Hancock, fresh off his feature debut Companion, joins us to talk about why he writes, how he made the leap to directing his first film, why story is everything, and how he keeps imposter syndrome from slowing him down. Support for this episode comes from Story Summit . This episode is produced by Brian Landwehr & Bailey Patterson.

Lucky there’s a Patrick Meighan guy! Join us as we chat with Family Guy writer Patrick Meighan on the show's 25th anniversary. Patrick shares insights into keeping the Griffin family fresh, balancing irreverence with heart, and his journey from intern to guy who writes the show. For more visit: Story Summit This episode of Living To Write is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

What do you do when you’ve got no credits, no connections, and no clue? TV writer Michael Jamin (King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead) figured it out. On this episode of Living to Write, Michael stops by to talk writing, running a show, and how he broke into the industry with zero experience. We dig into how building a social media following helped launch his debut book, A Paper Orchestra , and the one thing he wishes he’d known before getting started. Produced by Brian Landwehr & Bailey Patterson.

Ever wondered what it’s like to send Nicolas Cage on a quest for a stolen truffle pig or craft a post-apocalyptic studio blockbuster? Writer and director Michael Sarnoski is here to share all the details on how he blends subtle darkness with authentic humane connection. Join us as Michael takes us through the writing process of "Pig" and "A Quiet Place: Day One," working on a studio franchise, vomit drafts, finding his unique voice on the page, and advice to emerging writers. Plus, we tackle his next project, which stars Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer. A Quiet Place: Day One is now available to rent or buy on VOD. Pig (2021) For more visit: Story Summit This podcast is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.