On The Page

Pilar is joined by writer Melissa Cassera to discuss ways to create and show the emotional progression of on-screen characters.

Canadian writers Michelle Muldoon and Geordie Sabbagh talk about the daring steps they’ve taken to seek out contacts and make their own movies. 

Ashleigh Powell (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms; one of Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch) talks about her love of writing, genre, and world building.

David Matillo wrote seven unproduced scripts before his feature spec “Bare Knuckle” made the 2015 Blacklist. He discusses the projects he’s written since then and what he’s learned along the way. 

Manager/Producer Markus Goerg (Heroes and Villains Entertainment) describes a writer’s career as, “never boring, never easy and never a straight line."

Playwright / screenwriter Christy Hall (I Am Not OK With This on Netflix), discusses her approach to writing for the stage and screen.  

Organizer Tracy McCubbin, author of Making Space, Clutter Free, discusses ways to declutter your writing space and organize your writing time.

Author/ USC Professor Pamela Douglas discusses the changes to genre, structure and the international market addressed in the fourth edition of her classic book Writing the TV Drama Series.

Hilliard Guess, writer on Deadly Class, talks about asking for what you want, changing perception and his personal steps toward becoming the next J.J. Abrams.

Ryan O’ Connell talks about writing on Will and Grace and Awkward and discusses his upcoming Netflix series Special, inspired by his experiences as a gay man navigating the world with cerebral palsy.

Eight days. Thirteen states. Thirty drivers.  Pilar’s husband Pat Francis talks about his new documentary in which he traveled across country using only the ride-share service Lyft.

Kendra Jordan and Racquel Baker discuss the new B.E.T. show Boomerang and the way they find episodes and break story in the writers’ room.

Psychiatrist Laura Erickson-Schroth and general practitioner Justin Young are also writers who crave a more realistic depiction of the medical profession on screen.  Listen to their advice about myth vs. truth in the medical world.

Pilar and her friends Brian Pope, Mike Musa and Nancy Noever get together for their annual discussion/argument about the best screenplay and best adapted screenplay Oscar nominees.

Story analysts Mark Chandley (HBO), Holly Sklar (Warner Bros.) and Daniel Livnat (UTA) discuss their approach to reading and covering scripts and books for production companies, studios and agencies.

Writer / director Meredith Danluck discusses the thought and effort that went into her independent thriller State Like Sleep and her four-screen narrative film North of South, West of East. 

Stop working so hard!  In a quick tutorial, Pilar guides you through some lazy ways to brainstorm, outline and write your screenplay.

Jade Branion and Darren O’Hare made some fascinating life choices that influenced and energized their writing.

Kristin Overn, Executive Director of the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, talks about the world of writing competitions and provides insight into the ways judges read and evaluate scripts.

David Rabinowitz’s first feature-length script got the attention of Jordan Peele and was directed by Spike Lee.  He discusses the writing and pitching process and what he’s learned along the way.