Episode 90: Greg Mottola, "Confess, Fletch"
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Release Date: 09/16/2022
Episode 119: Laura Eason on "Three Women"
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host Anya Epstein is joined by Laura Eason to discuss gaining confidence as a first-time showrunner, the art of adaptation and collaboration, hiring diverse writers to give life to diverse characters, navigating delicate topics with the nuance that they require and much more. Laura Eason is a screenwriter, showrunner, executive producer and playwright. She began her television writing career as a staff writer for four seasons of House of Cards, for which she received both an Emmy nomination for Drama Series and a Writers Guild Award nomination for Writing in a Drama Series. After...
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Episode 118: Gabe Sherman on writing "The Apprentice"
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host Greg Iwinski sits down with Gabe Sherman to talk about Gabe’s path from New York real estate journalist, to writing a book about Roger Ailes, to writing a movie about one of the most famous people on earth: Donald Trump. Gabe Sherman is a journalist, author and screenwriter known for writing The Loudest Voice in the Room, the 2014 bestselling biography of Fox News president Roger Ailes. As a journalist his work has appeared in publications like The New York Times, The New Republic, The New York Observer and GQ. He previously served as national affairs editor at New York magazine and...
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Episode 117: Making the News with MSNBC Union's Amy Hooker & Andrew Joyce
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host Zhubin Parang talks to MSNBC Union members Amy Hooker and Andrew Joyce about staying flexible in the challenging newsroom environment, how to handle an election season where unprecedented events happen weekly, and winning a strong union contract that helps them do both of those things as effectively as possible. Amy Hooker has worked as an associate producer on MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes since 2018. Andrew Joyce is a segment producer with at MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show and Alex Wagner Tonight, with over a decade of experience in journalism. Amy and Andrew both served on the...
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Episode 116: Writing Children's TV with Geri Cole and Bob Mittenthal
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host Susan Kim sits down with children’s television writers Geri Cole and Bob Mittenthal to discuss balancing entertainment and education in children's storytelling, embracing restrictions – from budget limitations to writing for puppets — in creative ways, the ongoing fight for union coverage in animation, and more. Geri Cole is a full-time staff writer and lead interactive narrative designer for Sesame Street, co-chair of the WGAE Black Writers Salon, she's won five Daytime Emmys, a Writers Guild Award, a Producers Guild Award, and an NAACP Image Award. Geri also hosted seasons...
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Episode 115: Writing Slate's Acclaimed Podcasts
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host Katie Rich sits down with Sophie Summergrad, Christina Cauterucci and Madeline Ducharme — three of the journalists and producers behind Slate's "Slow Burn" and other acclaimed podcasts — to discuss their paths into journalism, the process of turning an idea into a critically acclaimed podcast, how a strong union contract gives you the freedom – and time – to do the things you care about, and much more. Sophie Summergrad is a producer at Slate currently working on season 10 of "Slow Burn". Before that, she worked on "Slow Burn" seasons 3 through 9, as well as the narrative podcast...
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Episode 114: Late Night Writers Roundtable
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host Liz Hynes, a WGAE Council member and writer for LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, moderates a conversation with writers from some of your favorite late night comedy series about their experiences and insights from the world of late-night comedy writing. The panelists include late night writers Molly McNearney (JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!), Dan Amira (THE DAILY SHOW), Felipe Torres Medina (LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT) and Jenny Hagel (LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS). --- Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out . Read...
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Episode 113: Amy Schumer (Life & Beth) and John Hoffman (Only Murders in the Building)
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
John Hoffman and Amy Schumer sit down to talk about the joys and challenges of leaning into the personal in your writing, the importance of finding the right collaborators, confronting the hardest parts of life with both vulnerability and confidence, and much more. John Hoffman is the co-creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed and award-winning comedy-drama mystery series Only Murders in the Building. Amy Schumer is a writer, actor, director and producer known for creating and starring in the sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, writing and starring in the 2015 comedy film...
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Episode 112: Meredith Scardino (Girls5Eva) & Paula Pell (Saturday Night Live)
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Acclaimed comedy writers Meredith Scardino and Paula Pell sit down together for a conversation about their journeys to WGAE membership, their journeys to the WGAE office, how producing differs from other positions in the writers room, the importance of both deadlines and procrastination in the creative process and much more. Meredith Scardino is a screenwriter, showrunner and producer who has written for multiple TV comedies, including The Colbert Report, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Mr. Mayor. Most recently, she created and is the showrunner of the Peacock/Netflix musical comedy series...
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Episode 111: Nonfiction TV Roundtable with Chinisha Scott, Gautam Singhani and Sarah Katz
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host and WGAE Nonfiction Women of Color Caucus Chair Chinisha Scott talks with WGAE members Gautam Singhani and Sarah Katz, who both recently worked at the nonfiction television production company Story Syndicate. Story Syndicate is one of the latest nonfiction television shops to join the Writers Guild of America East and they are currently negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement. This week, we focus on nonfiction television, lovingly described as the Wild West. Chinisha, Gautam and Sarah discuss advocating for the truth, both in nonfiction production and the labor...
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Episode 110: Ron Nyswaner, "Fellow Travelers"
OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East
Host T Cooper is joined by Ron Nyswaner to discuss having the confidence to push Hollywood's boundaries, staying flexible during the unpredictable reality of being on a TV set, telling authentic LGBTQ+ stories without always centering suffering, and more. Ron Nyswaner is the 2024 recipient of the WGA East’s Walter Bernstein Award, and creator of the Showtime series Fellow Travelers. He is known for his feature screenplays, including Smithereens, Philadelphia, and My Policeman. He is also known as a writer and producer of the Showtime series Ray Donovan and Homeland. Over the course of his...
info_outlineHost Greg Iwinski talks to Greg Mottola about leaning into the absurdity of the everyday, bringing a 70s-era whodunnit into the 21st century, our rediscovered love of murder mysteries, and much more.
Writer and director Greg Mottola began his career with his 1996 indie dramedy film THE DAYTRIPPERS, for which he received a Golden Camera nomination at the Cannes Film Festival for best first feature film. He then went on to direct the hit 2007 coming-of-age comedy SUPERBAD, then wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2009 film ADVENTURELAND, which earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay. Since then, he has gone on to direct other film projects like PAUL and KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES.
Mottola has also directed episodes of several hit television series, including the pilots of FX’s DAVE and HBO’s THE NEWSROOM, as well as episodes of the THE COMEBACK, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, UNDECLARED, and THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS.
He most recently wrote and directed the crime comedy film CONFESS, FLETCH, which is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Gregory Mcdonald and a reboot of the hit 1980s series starring Chevy Chase.
CONFESS, FLETCH stars Jon Hamm as the roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch, who becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for a stolen art collection. The only way to prove his innocence? Find out which of the long list of suspects is the culprit - from the eccentric art dealer and a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor and Fletch’s Italian girlfriend. Crime, in fact, has never been this disorganized.
The film will be released simultaneously in limited theaters and on paid digital streaming platforms on Friday, September 16, and will be available to stream on Showtime starting October 28.
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