In this brand new episode, Smish welcomes back Scott Barkan (aka @Barky), a Philadelphia based screenwriter who has written two produced screenplays with writing partner, Greg Zehentner. Together they wrote I’M JUST FUCKING WITH YOU, produced by Blumhouse & Hulu, and BLEED. Scott walks us through his career as a writer, from meeting his writing partner, starting a production company, to developing their newest script, THE SUN ALWAYS SETS IN THE WEST with Lionsgate & Danny’s McBride’s company, Rough House Pictures.  They discuss how Scott & Greg found success from pivoting from ..read more

It’s a double feature! This time our host Smish has two guests, Nastasha Baron and Corr Pearce. But you know them as @TellOneStory and @TheGuyWhoIsAlwaysAtCrafty on the Screenwriters Network discord. This screenwriting duo also doubles as producers for 3branes Entertainment and have partnered in producing films such as Blackburn and the television movie Washed Away. Nastasha and Corr discuss the pros and cons of working with a co-writer, writing for Hallmark and Lifetime, and how to elevate your projects while checking the right boxes. They give invaluable advice on how working in production a ..read more

It’s a super special Bonus Episode! The Screenwriters Network hosts its first ever Professional Roundtable and we are bringing you the entire thing for an exclusive podcast episode. The roundtable focuses on concept selection & exploration! Our very own Moderator and Hit List Screenwriter Mark Mazur (@nqm) hosts a powerhouse of professional writers who share priceless information with our server members and now you our podcast listeners! The Lineup (Real name followed by Discord username): Alex D. Reid (@Alex (Drenched Goat)) - A screenwriter from Northern Ireland, he won the 2019 Austin F ..read more

In this episode, Smish interviews screenwriter and director Nabil Chowdhary, who walks us through the process of what it’s like to get on the Black List and have the #1 script on the Hit List. Nabil’s feature Pod was not only included on these coveted lists, but it also was the overall winner of the Screencraft Sci-fi contest, and that is what really set things in motion. Nabil tells all, from coming up with the initial concept for Pod to gaining representation because of it! He talks about how he used IMDb to research managers, the three key people he shares scripts with for feedback, plus gi ..read more

In this episode, smish meets with Andy Erikson  -- @Gigawatt -- a real jack of all trades. Andy is known for her recurring role as Marguerite Honeywell on Scream Queens, as well as placing third on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Andy is also a prolific screenwriter who recently placed as finalist in the Walt Disney television writing program. Her screenplays have made it to the second round at the Austin Film Festival and the Sundance episodic lab. Get Hype! Andy gives the inside scoop about how she got started writing and how she approaches starting a new idea. Andy reveals all about the Wal ..read more

A brand spanking new special episode has arrived! In this episode Smish discusses the selection process for the first annual Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition with Fred Pelzer (aka @National2080), a moderator of the Screenwriters Network discord server and a reader for the contest. They go into great detail about the judgment process for selecting the 100 Quarter-Finalists and let a lot of great screenwriting advice slip along the way. If you want to know what separates a great horror short screenplay from a good one, this episode is for you! Smish and Fred discuss: What Separ ..read more

This month our host Smish meets Screenwriter Logan Martin -- @KingDefault -- the writer of the polarizing script MEAT. Logan talks about getting the coveted impressive rating on review blog site Scriptshadow and how it led to him getting signed by Good Fear and having his script optioned by Assemble Media. He has been featured on the Black List, The Blood List, and his first feature finished in the top 20% of the Nicholl fellowship. Logan gives great insight on how to block out the haters and to be fearless when sharing your writing! MEAT was a polarizing script, and Logan goes deep into the s ..read more

This month Smish meets screenwriter Chris Hicks - - @WriteChrisWrite -- who coined the phrase “you can’t polish a turd until you shit it out”. Words to live by! Chris talks about everything from optioning over a dozen short scripts to going viral on the nosleep subreddit. He is an Austin Film Festival semi-finalist and is featured on the 2018 SMISH LIST. Smish and Chris discuss: Titlepalooza - (4:02) Optioning Shorts - (6:45) Nosleep subreddit (11:47) Austin Film Festival (27:57) AFF server meetup (36:27) Picking a Genre (41:37) Join the Discord ServerInteract with over 5000 screenwriters ar ..read more

This month Smish meets screenwriter Alex Reid - @Alex (Grachamoncha) - who recently won at the Austin Film Festival. Alex talks about his approach to writing, winning at the AFF and what’s next for him. And the one piece of advice Smish gave him in his winning script! Smish and Alex discuss: How to conduct yourself professionally online (3:15) How Alex wrote his AFF-winning script (7:57) Alex’s approach to writing consistently (8:40) Snagging a manager (17:57) What general meetings are and what he’s doing to prep for them (23:03) Screenwriters Network Discord Server Meetup at AFF (30:23) Joi ..read more

In this episode, Smish interviews Ezra W. Nachman (aka @whinefields), staff writer on NBC’s MANIFEST. They talk about Ezra’s journey to becoming a writer, from his parent’s aspirations for him to be a lawyer, to not being allowed to watch movies or TV as a child. Ezra discusses how his time at USC Film School led to his first job as a writer’s PA and ultimately placing in contests & fellowships. Smish & Ezra discuss the trajectory of his career, becoming a staff writer, and the effects the pandemic has had on a writer’s room. Ezra breaks down the positions on a show, and best of all, s ..read more