Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss
Behind the glitz and glamor, Hollywood can be brutal. For every success, there are many more rejections and failures. Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss explores that world and each week a new guest will talk about dealing with rejection, failure and adversity in the entertainment industry. Writer Noah Evslin and podcaster Dan Rutstein ask the questions.
Episodes
146 episodes
Take 141 - Arika Lisanne Mittman, Writer, Showrunner, Timeless, La Brea, The Irrational
We talk to The Irrational Showrunner Arika Lisanne Mittman.She talks about her ten years as an assistant, finally getting her break and what she learned along the way.We discuss the rise and fall of network television, what the industry...
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Season 3
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Episode 41
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48:29
Take 140 - Showrunner Joe Wilson, The Equalizer
We talk to Equalizer showrunner Joe Wilson.In one of our most candid episodes so far, he talks about his journey from East Cleveland to Hollywood, the tough days at the start and even sleeping in his car.He explains how he got his...
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Season 3
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Episode 40
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47:17
Take 139 - Co-Creators Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, On Call
It's always fun we have two guests on, particularly when they are talking about Wolf Productions first go at a streaming platform.We talk to showrunner Tim Walsh and co-creator Elliot Wolf about their new show On Call, making the most of...
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Season 3
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Episode 39
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52:45
Take 138 - Showrunner, Writer Sally Bradford Mckenna, Will & Grace, Laid
We talk to Sally Bradford Mckenna, co-showrunner of the new Peacock show Laid.She explains how she first got her break, reluctantly, on Will & Grace, how her father's career helped shaped hers and why every show needs two showrunners...
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Season 3
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Episode 38
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47:24
Take 137 - Showrunner JJ Bailey, The Hunting Party
We talk to showrunner JJ Bailey.He talks about his new show The Hunting Party, finding a new angle for a procedural and the excitement of getting a new network show on air.We hear about the complexity of the showrunner role, learn...
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Season 3
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Episode 37
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42:38
Take 136 - Writer Matthew Aldrich, Coco, Cleaner
We're back after our New Year and fire break and have a great oe, Coco and Cleaner writer Matthew Aldrich.He talks about the power of spec scripts, why he never celebrates his wins and the pressure and intensity of working with Pixar.
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Season 3
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Episode 36
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47:17
Take 135 - Executive and Producer Sue Naegle, Day of the Jackal, Game of Thrones
We talk to former HBO President and now producer Sue Naegle.A fascinating insight from the top of Hollywood about how Game of Thrones nearly didn’t get made, working with Eddie Redmayne and the art of saying no.Sue talks about producing...
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Season 3
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Episode 35
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44:41
Take 134 - Writer and Showrunner Kevin Abbott, Roseanne, Golden Girls, Happy’s Place
We talk to comedy writing legend Kevin Abbott.He talks about the drinking, drugs and smoking of his first comedy rooms, how he got his break in the business and working through the night.Pitching while an exec was peeing, why writers ar...
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Season 3
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Episode 34
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50:12
Take 133 - Producer Michael Costigan, Brokeback Mountain, Based on a True Story
We talk to the magnificent Michael Costigan, producer of such hits as Brokeback Mountain, Robin Hood and Hit Man, among many others joins the show.He talks about his new TV series Based on a True Story, his transition from movies to the sma...
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Season 3
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Episode 33
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41:53
Take 132 - Showrunner Frank Cardea, NCIS, Crazy Like a Fox, Shogun
What an episode!We talk to TV legend Frank Cardea about his decades in the business.He tells us about his move from accountancy to producing, the extraordinary longevity of his writing partnership and working on more than 400 episodes o...
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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53:19
Take 131 - Writer and Showrunner Michael Rauch, Beautiful People, Royal Pains
We talk to Michael Rauch. He starts with an extraordinary film school firing, then a late-night 'show being un-picked up' call and how he recovered from those early career setbacks.He tells us about his casting frustrations, managing multip...
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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46:03
Take 130 - Writer and Showrunner Mark Goffman, West Wing, Sleepy Hollow, Bull, Irrational
We talk to the fascinating Mark Goffman.He tells us about swapping real Government speech writing at the State Department for writing on the West Wing, some extraordinary career luck and ventriloqism documentaries.Mark talks about the i...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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40:34
Take 129 - John Wirth Part Two!
We weren’t finished with John Wirth, so he comes back for more.This time we talk leadership style, drinking too much soda and the use of the red pen.John talks about being blunt, some more failure stories and even more advice.
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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55:20
Take 128 - Showrunner and Writer John Wirth, Dark Winds, Nash Bridges
We speak to the legendary John Wirth.He talks about a Hollywood career so long that he can't even remember all of the shows he has run, the shows he has been fired from and arguing with actors who hadn't won Emmys.He talks about managin...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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1:15:07
Take 127 - Writer, Showrunner, Memoirist SJ Hodges, The Player, Uneven Ground
We talk to the extraordinary SJ Hodges.She talks about changing her name to a gender neutral one to get read, jumping from staff writer straight to show runner and what she learned from managing a literal car crash on The Player.Then SJ...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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1:50:47
Take 126 - Writer Gary Whitta, The Book of Eli, Rogue One
The podcast is back for the second half of season three and we have a cracker.Gary Whitta, writer of Book of Eli and Rogue One gives an extraordinary interview about his transition from video game editor to writer, working on Star Wars and ...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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1:08:41
We're back!
After a long mid-season break, we are back up with the second half of Season Three of Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss.Noah and Dan talk about what they have been up to the last few weeks - Noah's show got cancelled! - and we thank our lo...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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54:16
Take 125 - Writer, Producer, Director Ed Zwick, Shakespeare in Love, Blood Diamond, the Last Samurai
Our first Oscar winner!For the last episode before our mid-season break we have Ed Swick on the show.He talks about his new book - Hits, Flops and Other Illusions.And we talk winning Oscars, writing truthful books about Hollywood an...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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52:23
Take 124 - Showrunner, Director Jim Mickle, Sweet Tooth
We talk to the fascinating Jim Mickle.He tells us about this start in independent movies, taking a break during the strike and the upcoming final season of Sweet Tooth.He explains how he got in to tv, becoming a showrunner and suffering...
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Season 3
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Episode 24
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42:16
Take 123 - Showrunner, writer Emily Fox, Hindsight, Watchful Eye, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
We talk to the fascinating Emily Fox who tells us about getting fired, trying to stuff a large chair into a car in the rain while in tears and the importance of connection in a writing room during a pandemic.She tells us about her shows get...
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Season 3
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Episode 23
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51:19
Take 122 - Writer, Producer, Showrunner Wendy West, Law and Order SVU, Dexter, FBI: Most Wanted
We talk to Emmy-nominated writer and producer Wendy West.She talks about researching murder, her love of morgues and being the only woman in the room early in her career.Wendy talks about mentoring young female writers, supporting veter...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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44:10
Take 121 - Producer, Director, Showrunner Eddie Schmidt, Good One: A Show About Jokes
We talk to Oscar and Emmy award nominee Eddie Schmidt.He talks about being comedy adjacent, his time in an improv troupe and how he moved into the showrunning part of Hollywood.We discuss leadership style, the fun of working in comedy a...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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40:10
Take 120 - Comedian Ray Ellin
In a slightly different style of episode we talk to comedian Ray Ellin.We discuss how social media has changed comedy, hear some magnificent failure anecdotes from comedy clubs and bars and talk through the process of creating comedy.Ra...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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55:54
Take 119 - Writers and Producers Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, The Fighter, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
We talk to Oscar-nominated writing partners Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, They talk about their fight to get the Fighter written, battling both the mob and Hollywood, the joy of an Oscar nomination and the slog of the promotional campa...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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39:41
Take 118 - Writer Tom Vaughan, Winchester, The Haunting of the Queen Mary
We talk to screenwriter Tom Vaughan who opens up about his Hollywood journey.He talks about his early career, the arrogance and refusal to take notes even from Disney and the mistakes he made.He talks candidly about being 'a drunk', how...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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46:29