Sandy tells the strange story of Netflix reportedly paying director Carl Rinsch $55 million for a sci-fi series that he failed to complete and spent most of the money on crypto investments, five Rolls Royces, and a $380K watch. Now, Carl Rinsch is demanding an additional payment of $14 million from Netflix. Research for the story includes: The New York Times article by John Carreyrou entitled, The Strange $55 Million Saga of a Netflix Series You’ll Never See https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/22/business/carl-rinsch-netflix-conquest.html Wikipedia IMDB THE WRAP article by Mike Roe entitled Netfl ..read more

In this rewind episode, we talk with Kristin Overn, the Founder and Executive Director of the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards competition. Kristin began her film career as a producer's assistant and script reader at companies like Davis Entertainment, Bonneville Worldwide, and 20th Century Fox. Since then, she has consulted, collaborated, and developed screenplays with dozens of writers, producers, and production companies. Kristin also has extensive experience in production and has served as a producer, line producer, and UPM on various independent features, original sitcom pilots, an ..read more

After watching "Quiet On Set," the Max documentary about allegations against producer Dan Schneider, who is accused of creating a toxic work environment on his Nickelodeon shows and engaging in inappropriate behavior, Sandy can't stop thinking about it. It reminds her of the story she shared with you in Episode 86, about her time writing for ABC/Disney's RECCES entitled "Harassed and Pitching," a Humanities Prize-nominated script. The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT. Executive Producer Kristin Overn Producer Sandy Adomaitis Producer Terry Sampson Music by ..read more

Sandy and Terry delve into the latest plagiarism controversy. The Alexander Payne-directed film The Holdovers didn’t win for the Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Oscars, but Da’Vine Joy Randolph did take home the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film is highly regarded by critics and audiences alike. In early March 2024, reporter Tatiana Siegel at Variety published a report on allegations made by Simon Stephenson, a screenwriter who worked on films such as Luca and Paddington 2. In a 33-page document, Simon claims that The Holdovers, written by David Hemingson, was transpos ..read more

Sandy and Terry delve into 4 impactful quotes by screenwriter, producer and director, John Hughes. One of the most successful and influential filmmakers in Hollywood history, John has helped launch the careers of Andrew McCarthy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Macaulay Culkin, Judd Nelson, and John Candy. The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT. Executive Producer Kristin Overn Producer Sandy Adomaitis Producer Terry Sampson Music by Ethan Stoller Contact us at the writershangoutpodcast@gmail.com ..read more

Sandy hangs out with the award-winning actress, musician, and screenwriter Lucy Walsh.  When Lucy was seventeen, she was given sixty-three of the love letters her Grandfather Dale wrote her Grandmother Wanda while he was in World War II. A dozen years later, life-changing events compelled Lucy to fly from Los Angeles to tiny Newman, Illinois, to spend three days talking with Wanda, which ended up being their final conversations. Lucy transformed her journey into a masterclass on humanity, chronicled in her new book Remember Me As Human: What Three Final Days with My Grandmother Wanda Tau ..read more

Terry recently received a phone call from a childhood friend who asked for help. The friend, has a friend, who was offered a huge deal for something they had written, and would Terry get him up to speed on "Hollywood" deal making. However, as Terry spoke with the friend, he began to suspect that the whole thing might be a scam. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem. Scammers often prey on vulnerable artists, especially screenwriters, by making false promises to them. The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HANGOUT. Executive Producer Kristin Overn Producer Sandy A ..read more

Terry recently received a phone call from a childhood friend who asked for help. The friend, has a friend, who was offered a huge deal for something they had written, and would Terry get him up to speed on "Hollywood" deal making. However, as Terry spoke with the friend, he began to suspect that the whole thing might be a scam. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem. Scammers often prey on vulnerable artists, especially screenwriters, by making false promises to them ..read more

We are thrilled to have a special guest, Stan Zimmerman, who is a renowned film and television writer. He has been nominated for two WGA Awards for Best Comedy Episodic Writing for his work on The Golden Girls and Roseanne. Stan talks about his new book, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+girls+stan+zimmerman&crid=2D56CM0FL6JH2&sprefix=stan+zimmer%2Caps%2C415&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_11  We loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in writing for television or what happens behind the scenes.   The PAGE International Screen ..read more

We are honored to have special guest Stan Zimmerman, a film and television writer nominated for two WGA Awards for Best Comedy Episodic Writing on The Golden Girls and Roseanne.  Stan talks about his new book, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+girls+stan+zimmerman&crid=2D56CM0FL6JH2&sprefix=stan+zimmer%2Caps%2C415&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_11  We loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in writing for television or what happens behind the scenes.   The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards sponsors the WRITERS' HAN ..read more