Onwriting: A Podcast Of The Wga East

OnWriting presents the second in a series of four live recordings of OnWriting in honor of Women's History Month, presented by the WGAE Women's Salon. In each episode, we’re speaking with women screenwriters whose latest projects center on women’s stories. For the second installment in the series, Geri speaks with Banban Cheng & Sasie Sealy — co-writers of LUCKY GRANDMA. Banban Cheng is a writer and filmmaker who spent her childhood performing Chinese stand-up comedy in Houston, Texas. Since then, she’s traded the stage for writing and directing movies. Her screenplay TROUBLE TO THE HERD was the winner of the 2019 AsianCinevision SAG-AFTRA Screenplay Award and was a finalist at the 2019 Nashville Film Festival. She won the 2019 AsianCinevision SAG-AFTRA Screenplay Award for her screenplay TROUBLE TO THE HERD, was awarded NYU’s Wasserman Prize for Filmmaking for her short film TEN & TWO, and received the Sloan Foundation feature screenplay award for her gothic drama SUGAR WATER. She is also the Creativ

OnWriting presents the first in a series of four live recordings of OnWriting in honor of Women's History Month, presented by the WGAE Women's Salon. In each episode, we’re speaking with women screenwriters whose latest projects center on women’s stories. For the first of these Women's History Month episodes, Geri speaks with Emerald Fennell — writer and director of the dark  PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. Emerald Fennell is an actress, writer, and director. As an actor, she’s known for starring in the BBC period drama series CALL THE MIDWIFE, as well as her role as Camilla Shand in the third season of the Netflix period drama THE CROWN. She also served as the KILLING EVE showrunner during its second season – for which she earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Her latest project is the Writers Guild Award-nominated black comedy thriller PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Emerald's feature film debut as both writer and director – follows Cassie (Carey Mulligan), who everyone said was a promising you

OnWriting presents three live-taped episodes of OnWriting celebrating Black History Month, presented by the WGAE Black Writers Salon. In each installment, two co-chairs of the WGAE Black Writers Salon—OnWriting’s own Geri Cole and Rashidi Hendrix—speak with Black screenwriters who have each written amazing films about Black icons in history. For the third & final installment of the series, Geri and Rashidi speak with Shaka King, co-writer and director of JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH. Shaka King is a screenwriter, director, and producer. His debut feature film, NEWLYWEEDS, premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Someone to Watch Award at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards. He then cowrote and directed the short film MULIGNANS, with which he and cowriter Kristan Sprague competed in the USA Narrative Short Film Program at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and for which they received the Nantucket Film Festival Screenwriting Award. He also co-wrote and directed the 2017 short film LA

OnWriting presents three live-taped episodes of OnWriting celebrating Black History Month, presented by the WGAE Black Writers Salon. In each installment, two co-chairs of the WGAE Black Writers Salon—OnWriting’s own Geri Cole and Rashidi Hendrix—speak with Black screenwriters who have each written amazing films about Black icons in history. For the second installment in the series, Geri speaks to Suzan-Lori Parks — Pulitzer prize-winning playwright and screenwriter of the new Hulu feature film, THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY. Suzan-Lori Parks was encouraged to take up playwriting by her then-college professor, James Baldwin. In 2002, she became the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Topdog/Underdog. She also wrote the screenplays for the Spike Lee-directed 1996 film GIRL 6, the 2004 adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, and the 2019 film adaptation of Richard Wright’s NATIVE SON. She is also a recipient of the MacArthur Foundatio

OnWriting presents three live-taped episodes of OnWriting celebrating Black History Month, presented by the WGAE Black Writers Salon. In each installment, two co-chairs of the WGAE Black Writers Salon—OnWriting’s own Geri Cole and Rashidi Hendrix—speak with Black screenwriters who have each written amazing films about Black icons in history. To kick things off, we’re joined by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and the screenwriter of MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, which is currently available to stream on Netflix. Ruben Santiago-Hudson is a versatile talent who — in addition to his many acting credits in projects like BILLIONS and THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS — wrote the award-winning stage play for LACKAWANNA BLUES as well as its Emmy and Writers Guild Award-nominated TV film adaptation. MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is an adaptation of the August Wilson play of the same name. The film, set in 1920s Chicago, follows a recording session where tensions rise between mother of blues Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), and her ambitious

Geri is joined by award-winning screenwriter Lena Waithe – creator of and writer on the BET comedy series TWENTIES – about never pandering to an audience, how the series A DIFFERENT WORLD influences her work, and how success can come in small doses. Lena Waithe is a screenwriter, producer, and actress known for her Emmy Award-winning writing on MASTER OF NONE, as well as for creating the Showtime drama series THE CHI and writing the screenplay for the 2019 film QUEEN & SLIM. Her latest project, TWENTIES, follows a young screenwriter and her best friends as they pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. The BET series premiered in March 2020 and was renewed for a second season in June. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow the Guild on social media: Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Geri and Terence Nance — creator, writer, director, and co-star of the new HBO Late Night series RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS — talk about the trauma in - and of - making art, how his writing takes place before he opens Final Draft, and how we can find success by looking in each other's faces. Terrence Nance is a writer, director, actor, and musician. His 2012 feature film AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY premiered at Sundance and received a Gotham Independent Film Award. He was the recipient of a 2014 Guggenheim fellowship for his work. His latest project is the HBO late-night sketch comedy series RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS - a fluid, stream-of-consciousness response to the contemporary American mediascape. Each episode features a handful of interconnected vignettes which showcase an ensemble cast of emerging and established talent. The show is a mix of verité documentary, musical performances, surrealist melodrama and humorous animation. Nance and his collaborators weave together such themes as ancestral trauma, h

Geri talks to writer and director Aaron Sorkin about spending 15 years writing his latest film, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7; why intention and obstacle are the backbones of every good story; and how his career is kind of like being struck by lightning… if being struck by lightning were a good thing. Aaron Sorkin is the Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Writers Guild Award-winning writer behind myriad films, television series, and plays including THE WEST WING, THE NEWSROOM, the play A FEW GOOD MEN (and its 1992 film adaptation), MONEYBALL, MOLLY’S GAME—which he also directed, and THE SOCIAL NETWORK. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, written and directed by Sorkin, is based on the infamous 1969 trial of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the countercultural protests in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The film was released in the fall of 2020 and is available to stream on Netlfix. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.

Geri speaks to Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, and Peter Baynham—cowriters of BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM—about why they decided to revisit the iconic character, how intense it was to film that now infamous Rudy Giuliani scene, and the reality of filming in very dangerous situations. Sacha Baron Cohen is best known for his portrayal of bawdy and raucous fictional satirical characters such as Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard and Admiral General Aladeen.  Sacha and his cowriters and frequent collaborators Anthony Hines and Peter Baynham have featured these characters in a number of films and television series, including ALI G INDAHOUSE, THE 11 O’CLOCK SHOW, BRÜNO, THE DICTATOR, and BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN, the latter of which was nominated for the 2006 Writers Guild and Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. Their latest collaboration, BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM, follows the titular Borat Sagdiyev after his release from a stint in prison for b

Geri chats with Sofia Coppola—writer, director, and producer of ON THE ROCKS—about how her writing process has changed over the years, how family dynamics helped shape her work, and why it's so important to trust your instincts. Sofia Coppola’s career as a writer and director began with her 1999 film THE VIRGIN SUICIDES. Since then, Sofia has written and directed films like THE BEGUILED, THE BLING RING, MARIE ANTOINETTE, and LOST IN TRANSLATION. Her script for LOST IN TRANSLATION received the 2004 Writers Guild and Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay. Her latest feature, ON THE ROCKS, tells story of young New York-based author and married mother-of-two, Laura, who has become suspicious that her career-driven husband may be having an affair with a coworker—a speculation encouraged by her caddish, bon vivant father. The film was released in October 2020, and is available to stream on Apple TV+. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/ -- Follow the Guild on social

Geri Cole hosts the third installment of the OnWriting Guide to Crafting Scripted Podcasts. In Parts One & Two, Kaitlin Fontana spoke with podcast writers and producers about the industry’s business side: what the market looks like, how to break in, and how to protect yourself once you’re there; and about the creative side of the industry: from recruiting talent, to necessary skill sets, to creative satisfactions, and beyond. Now, in Part Three, Geri is joined by three guests—Lissette Alvarez, Matt Klinman, and Lowell Peterson—to talk about the WGA Audio Alliance a new initiative from the Writers Guild of America, East which aims to establish and improve the standards and rights for writers in the scripted podcast industry. To learn more, visit wgaeast.org/WGAAudio or follow @WGAAudio on Twitter. About the Guests Lisette Alvarez is the owner of Stormfire Productions, an independent podcast production company. They are the writer, producer, and lead actor of the urban fantasy audio drama KALILA STORMFIRE'S

Geri speaks with acclaimed screenwriter, dramatist, and director Julie Taymor—co-writer and director of the new biopic THE GLORIAS—about her approach to storytelling, how projects can be shaped by limitations, how established creators like her still have to fight to get films like THE GLORIAS made, how travel has been the best education, and much more. Celebrated for her work on stage and screen, Julie Taymor’s writing and directing credits include the 2002 Frida Kahlo biopic, FRIDA; the Beatles jukebox musical, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE; and one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time, THE LION KING, which received three Drama Desk and two Tony Awards in 1998. Her latest project, THE GLORIAS, is a biography of feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Julie and co-writer Sarah Ruhl adapted the screenplay from Gloria Steinem's memoir, My Life on the Road. The film was released on September 30, 2020, and is available to stream on Amazon Prime. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriti

Emmy Award-winning writer Cord Jefferson joins Geri to talk about his experiences in the writers’ rooms for two of the most prestigious series currently on television, writing about race and extreme privilege, why staying in your lane is an antiquated idea, and more. Cord Jefferson was a journalist at Gawker from 2012 until 2014, when he joined the writing staff of the Starz sitcom SURVIVOR’S REMORSE. Since then, he has gone on to write for television series like THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, THE GOOD PLACE, SUCCESSION, and WATCHMEN. At the 72nd Annual Writers Guild Awards, the writers of WATCHMEN and SUCCESSION won the awards for New Series and Dramatic Series categories, respectively. Cord also received an Emmy Award for co-writing the sixth episode of WATCHMEN, “This Extraordinary Being.” He is currently developing a TV series about Gawker alongside the site’s former Editor-in-Chief, Max Reed. Season 7 of OnWriting is hosted by Geri Cole, a writer and performer based in New York City. She is current

Geri is joined by documentarians Mike Wiser and Michael Kirk—the writer-producers of the FRONTLINE special “The Choice 2020: Trump vs Biden”—to discuss making documentaries that are hard-hitting but nonpartisan; their impressive catalogue of Frontline specials, which have examined everything from the Mueller report to Mitch McConnell’s takeover of the Supreme Court; the absurd timelines they work off of for all of their projects, and more. Michael Kirk was the original senior producer of Frontline from its inception in 1983 until the fall of 1987, when he created his own production company, the Kirk Documentary Group. He has produced more than 200 national television programs, and has won four Peabody Awards, four duPont-Columbia Awards, two George Polk Awards, 16 Emmy Awards, and 12 Writers Guild of America Awards for his work. Mike Wiser has worked on more than 30 films for Frontline since joining the Kirk Documentary Group in 2003. His work as a writer and producer reporting on national security, foreign a

Geri talks to Amber Ruffin—writer and on-air talent for LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS and the creator and host of the forthcoming NBC Peacock talk series THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW—about the process of writing two shows concurrently, how she crafts jokes out of movie clichés, how wearing MC Hammer pants can teach you to be fearless in a writers room, and much more. Amber Ruffin is a writer and comedian who has written for LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS since its inception. As a writer for LATE NIGHT, she was the first Black woman to write for a late-night network talk show in the U.S., and has also appeared in several of the show's popular segments, such as "Amber Says What?" and "Jokes Seth Can't Tell". In 2018, she hosted the 70th annual Writers Guild Awards New York ceremony, and in 2019, she wrote for the first season of the HBO sketch comedy show A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW. Her new series, THE AMBER RUFFIN SHOW, is a levity- and comedy-focused late-night talk show created by and starring Amber, with her fellow LATE

Season 7 host Geri Cole speaks with Oscar- and Writers Guild Award-winning screenwriter and director Charlie Kaufman about his latest film, how his writing is shaped by fear, finding meaning in his films, the benefits of walking, and much more. Charlie Kaufman is a critically acclaimed screenwriter and director. His writing credits include ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND—for which he received the Academy, Writers Guild, and BAFTA Awards for Best Original Screenplay—as well as BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and ADAPTATION, both of which earned him a BAFTA Award and nominations for the Writers Guild and Academy Awards in their respective screenplay categories. Three of his screenplays were included in the WGA's "101 Greatest Screenplays" project in 2005. Kaufman's feature directorial debut was the 2008 film SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK. His latest project, the Neftlix psychological drama I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, is based on the 2016 novel by Iain Reid. The film is narrated by the unnamed girlfriend of Jake as the new

Kaitlin speaks with writer Katori Hall – the creator and showrunner of the Starz drama series P-VALLEY – about the show's journey from theater to TV, the showrunner as changemaker, how creating a show is like climbing a pole, and much more. Katori Hall is an acclaimed playwright whose stage credits include Hurt Village; Tina; and The Mountaintop – a fictionalized account of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last night alive, for which she received the 2010 Olivier Award for Best Play. P-VALLEY is an adaptation of Katori's play Pussy Valley. The series centers on a strip club in the "Dirty Delta" of Mississippi and the people whose lives—and secrets—revolve around it. The show premiered on Starz in July 2020, and was recently renewed for a second season. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin is joined by Kristen Bartlett and Mike Drucker—the Emmy-nominated and Writers Guild Award-winning co-head writers of FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE—to talk about the challenges of writing comedy remotely, how they're taking more creative chances with material and the benefits and responsibilities of being co-head writers of a late night show in 2020. Before their time on the Full Frontal writing staff, Kristen Bartlett wrote on two seasons of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, while Mike Drucker wrote on THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON and BILL NYE SAVES THE WORLD. FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE is a late-night talk and news satire show starring former Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee, and is now in its fifth season on TBS. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on social media:Twitter: @OnWritingWGAE | @WGAEast Facebook: /WGAEast Instagram: @WGAEast

Kaitlin chats with Ramy Youssef—the writer, creator, Golden Globe-winning star, and frequent director of the Hulu comedy series RAMY—about the importance of representation in crafting his show, what was in his head when he won his Golden Globe, and why if you're going to be weird you have to earn it. Ramy Youssef kicked off his industry career as a co-star in the Nick at Nite comedy SEE DAD RUN, where he shadowed the writers' room. Since then, he's had a recurring role on USA Network's MR ROBOT and an HBO stand-up special. His latest project, RAMY, drops us into the day-to-day life of Ramy Hassan, a millennial Muslim living in New Jersey who's trying to navigate faith, family and being a first generation immigrant while also waiting in the murky waters of sex, love and trying to be good. Seasons 1 and 2 of the series are now streaming on Hulu, and the show was recently renewed for a 3rd season. -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @Kaitli

Kaitlin is joined remotely by Tony McNamara—the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning screenwriter and writer-creator of the satirical Hulu series THE GREAT—to discuss The Great's journey from theater to television, how smart women take on the status quo, and why the show's depiction of sex is so refreshing. Tony McNamara wrote a number of critically acclaimed films and TV series in his native Australia before receiving international attention - as well as an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA win - as the screenwriter for the 2018 period piece/black comedy THE FAVOURITE. His latest project, THE GREAT, is loosely based on the life and times of Russian monarch Catherine the Great. The series, which stars Elle Fanning is the titular Catherine, and Nicholas Hoult as her caddish husband Emperor Peter, is available to stream on Hulu, and was just renewed for a second season.  -- Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews:www.onwriting.org/-- Follow Kaitlin on Twitter: @KaitlinFontana Follow the Guild on soci