In this session, we talk with novelist and screenwriter/showrunner Dennis Lehane. His
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Session #152 – WGT’s Annual Pilot Season Analysis – It’s a Wild, Wild Pilot Season
Are the broadcast networks just going through the motions this pilot season?
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Writers Group Therapy
Fighting Writer's Block and Other Literary Ailments
Welcome!
Welcome to the Writers Group Therapy website, your companion to the Writers Group Therapy Podcast. Subscribe here to keep up on our latest episodes, links to cool resources and share you writers block horror stories with us.
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Session #154 – Dennis Lehane – “Black Bird” Writer and Showrunner
In this session, we talk with novelist and screenwriter/showrunner Dennis Lehane. His award-winning novels and the film adaptations spawned major feature films such as “Shutter Island,” “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone.” The show’s he’s written for, “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire,” are always at the top of everyone’s “best written show” lists. We discuss his journey and his latest project, the true crime limited series on AppleTV+ “Black Bird” starring Taron Egerton.
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Session #153 – Interview with Maggie Cohn Showrunner of HBOMax’s “The Staircase”
This session, we have with us Maggie Cohn, one of the show runners and writers of The Staircase, the new HBOMax true crime series. Maggie won a Golden Globe for writing and producing American Crime Story: Versace and previously co-executive produced Narcos.
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Session #152 – WGT’s Annual Pilot Season Analysis – It’s a Wild, Wild Pilot Season
Are the broadcast networks just going through the motions this pilot season? With each having its own streamer, are we seeing the last days of the traditional pilot season? What does this mean for writers? And Tom remembers the days of Saturday morning cartoon pilot season.
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Session #151 – The Economics of Entertainment
Getting in, staying in and consuming entertainment all take a certain amount of resources. We discuss how to prioritize where you put your time, money and heart into the entertainment industry, both as an artist and as a consumer.
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Session #150 – “Heir of Memory & Shadow” – Kingdom Legacy Series Book #2
Our own Rachanee Lumayno takes the hot seat to discuss the release of “Heir of Memory & Shadow” Book #2 of the Kingdom Legacy YA Fantasy series. We discuss was it like writing a second book in a series, self-publishing and marketing the books and what’s next in the Kingdom.
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Session #149 – Writing for Games with David Bergantino
David Bergantino shares his 30 years of interactive storytelling with companies like Disney and Nickelodeon. David’s company, Cold Room Entertainment, recently released “Dying Light 2.” David is also a novelist with 11 novels, including the novelization of Wes Craven’s “New Nightmare.”
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Session #148 – Amazon closes MGM deal. What it means for screenwriters
Amazon has closed its deal to by MGM that it announced in May 2021. How will the purchase of the 98 year old studio impact Amazon Prime, Hollywood, consumers and, of course, writers.
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Session #147 – Interview with Lauryn Kahn – “Fresh” Screenwriter
In this session, we talk with Lauryn Kahn, the screenwriter of “Fresh,” the new indie thriller starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan that took Sundance by storm. The film, produced by Adam McKay (“The Other Guys,” “Step Brothers”) and Searchlight Pictures, was acquired by Hulu. SPOILER ALERT! This interview contains pretty much all the big spoilers. So go watch the movie first on Hulu.
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Session #146 – Interview with Paul Kalburgi – Writer and host of The Writer’s Toolkit book and podcast
Paul Kalburgi is a British screenwriter, playwright and TV producer, as well as author and podcast host of the book and podcast The Writer’s Toolkit. He discusses his journey as a writer, his process and the tools he uses in his craft.
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Session #145 – Interview with The Story Merchant Ken Atchity
This session, we have the multitalented Ken Atchity, a best-selling author, producer, literary manger, professor and editor who aptly goes by the moniker The Story Merchant. He got his B.A. at Georgetown, his Ph.D. at Yale. He was a tenured professor of comparative literature at Occidental College and a distinguished instructor at UCLA Writers program. He’s worked in publishing and filmmaking and is a member of the TV Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as the Producer’s Guild.
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