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116 – Tawnya Bhattacharya, Founder of Script Anatomy

This week, host Gray Jones interviews Tawnya Bhattacharya, founder of the #1 TV writing school in the USA, Script Anatomy. 

Please watch Tawnya’s original interview from June 2013 (episode 078) to find out about her background, how she teamed up with Ali Laventhol (interviewed in episode 115), and how and why she started Script Anatomy.

TAWNYA BHATTACHARYA BIOGRAPHY:

Tawnya Benavides Bhattacharya is the Founder & CEO of Script Anatomy and currently the Co-Executive Producer of Apple’s “Salsa.”

A screenwriting teacher for the past 15 years, Bhattacharya launched Script Anatomy in 2011 just as her career was taking off. Her objective: to use her experience of breaking into the TV industry and building a career to help other writers do the same.

She created a unique writing curriculum with trademark tools for development, writing and rewriting, which have helped hundreds of writers get a job writing for TV, find representation, or sell pilots, screenplays and novels. 

As a guest instructor, Tawnya has brought the Script Anatomy method to the Disney | ABC Writing Program, The WGA Foundations, WGFestival, the Austin Film Festival, the Producer’s Guild (PGA) Power of Diversity Workshop, Hugo House in Seattle, the Willamette Writers Conference, Stage 32, The International Screenwriters Association, TV Writers Fund and the CineStory TV Writers Retreat in Idyllwild. Her column “Your TV Guide“ can be read in Script Magazine. She’s also been a guest on several podcasts, including Scripts & Scribes, Sell Your Screenplay, The TV Writer Podcast, and On the Page.

Bhattacharya and her writing partner, Ali Laventhol, are Co-Executive Producers and prior to Apple’s Salsa, she and her writing partner have written on “Ginny & Georgia” (Netflix), “A Million Little Things” (ABC), “Famous in Love” (Freeform), “The Night Shift” (NBC), “Perception” (TNT), “The Client List” (Lifetime) and “Fairly Legal” (USA). They’ve sold pilots to eOne, Lionsgate and MGM and been hired to do rewrites for Legendary. They are currently writing a movie for Ozy Media and Lifetime based on Trump’s “Zero Tolerance” policy and family separation at the border.

They are former NBC Writers on the Verge fellows, and were semi-finalists for the ABC Disney Fellowship before getting a job that took them out of the running. Bhattacharya was also a FOX Writer’s Intensive fellow. The team is repped by Industry Entertainment and Morris Yorn and UTA.

Bhattacharya, an alumnus of Cornish College of the Arts Conservatory, studied acting and playwriting, and interned with playwright, Marie Irene Fornes and New City Theater in Seattle. She has performed in Seattle, Chicago, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and LA.

INDEX TO THE EPISODE:

2:14 – Interview start, intro
3:22 – Why she feels Script Anatomy is the #1 TV writing school in America.
7:08 – The value of current working writers doing the teaching. Talks about some of her teachers and the courses they teach.
12:24 – Theory vs practical, how there is a huge system teaching theory, but Script Anatomy teaches practical tools. Tawnya expands on their method.
26:36 – Explain why they teach a lot about how to develop projects. Tawnya tells about some of the tools they use, particularly around theme.
34:58 – The successes of Script Anatomy alumni.
41:22 – The community outside the classes.
44:42 – Sponsor break – visit sponsors avgearguy.com & drivingfootage.com.
45:52 – Script Anatomy’s offerings in 2021.
50:24 – Where should someone start?
54:59 – Other workshops, and weekend festival they’re planning.
58:45 – Tawnya tells how to navigate their website, and script consultation services they provide.
1:02:36 – How should someone prepare for one of Script Anatomy’s classes, so they can hit the ground running?
1:05:57 – Her recommended writing books.
1:09:55 – What will set people up for success in 2021?
1:13:03 – Conclusion

Follow Tawnya on Twitter: @tbhattacharya

Visit Script Anatomy on the web: scriptanatomy.com

Follow Script Anatomy on Twitter: @scriptanatomy

Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.

You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.

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115 – Ali Laventhol (Ginny & Georgia, A Million Little Things)

This week, host Gray Jones interviews Ali Laventhol, most recently co-executive producer on ‘Ginny & Georgia‘ with her writing partner Tawnya Bhattacharya of Script Anatomy.

Ali Laventhol Biography

Ali Laventhol got her start in show business working on movies like ‘National Treasure: Book of Secrets,’ ‘Terminator: Salvation‘ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.’ Only not as a writer. She was a visual effects compositor for features, commercials and music videos before making the leap to her original love: writing.

Teaming up with Tawnya Bhattacharya and together attending the NBC Writers on the Verge writing fellowship led to staff gigs on shows like ‘A Million Little Things,’ ‘Famous In Love,’ ‘Perception,’ and ‘The Client List.’ Most recently the duo have been Co-Executive Producers for ‘Ginny & Georgia‘ at Netflix and ‘Salsa’ at Apple.

A former competitive equestrian and certified massage therapist, Ali currently teaches TV writing at Script Anatomy. Her free time is generally spent playing in local tennis leagues or with her rescue mutt, Mavis, who has her extremely well trained.

INDEX TO THE EPISODE:

0:04 – Intro, special discounts for podcast listeners – 15% off photo & video scanning/importing at avgearguy.com, and 20% off 9-angle driving plates at drivingfootage.com.
3:41 – Interview start, Ali’s background in visual effects.
10:22 – How she made the career transition into writing.
11:50 – Building a writing partnership with Tawnya Bhattacharya, after meeting her at Writers Boot Camp in 2005.
13:57 – How they got into NBC’s Writers on the Verge, and their experience in the writing fellowship, including getting representation and their first job. Discussion about being in a writing partnership.
19:30 – Her experience on their first staff job, ‘Fairly Legal.’
22:08 – Signposts of their subsequent 8 year successful run, going from one show to another.
25:07 – Discussing producer responsibilities, like visiting set, casting, etc.
27:35 – Their more recent projects, discussing different showrunning styles.
30:40 – Co-executive producing on ‘Ginny & Georgia’ and their most recent project for AppleTV, which was primarily developed over Zoom in a mini-room format.
33:43 – Script tips based on her wealth of experience reading scripts, and coaching and teaching through Script Anatomy.
36:51 – What Script Anatomy offers writers.
39:55 – The most common advice she gives newer writers.
46:37 – Do you really need to go to film school?
48:09 – What does she wish she had known at the start of her career, that she knows now: how different each showrunner is.
49:52 – What helps to get through the harder times?
51:13 – End of interview, how to connect with her.

Follow Ali on Twitter: @AliLaventhol.

You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Buying Final Draft screenwriting software? Use this link to support the podcast: tinyurl.com/BuyFinalDraft.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.

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112 – Elaine Loh (Gossip Girl, Dynasty)

This week, host Gray Jones interviews Elaine Loh, TV writer on the new “Gossip Girl” and “Dynasty,” and also award-winning film writer/director and actor.

Elaine Loh Biography

Elaine recently wrote on the new “Gossip Girl” reboot for HBO Max and is now writing on “Dynasty” for The CW. She is humbled to be a fellow in the HBO Writers Program, as well as to have been named on the coveted Young & Hungry List and as one of the Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch by the International Screenwriters Association. She has had scripts place in the world-renowned PAGE Awards (Silver Prize), Austin Film Festival (3 times), Final Draft Big Break (Top Ten), Tracking Board Launch Pad (Top 50), the ISA (Grand Prize), and the second round of the Sundance Episodic Lab (twice).

Elaine is also a director and her short form series “DOXXED” won Best Short Comedy at Catalyst (formerly itvfest), Best Achievement at Raindance, and a Telly Award (find out more at www.doxxed-series.com). She won the Grand Prize and Audience Vote at the NewFilmmakers LA On Location Project ($60k in cash and prizes) and scored an honorable mention in the Justin Lin/NBCUniversal Interpretations short film contest. She has also directed two short films that screened at Academy-qualifying festivals.

On a personal note, Elaine was born in Singapore, grew up in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and then moved to Massachusetts. She studied Psychology and Math at Brown University, does not speak any Chinese, loves Wendy’s junior bacon cheeseburgers, and can solve a Rubik’s cube in less than two minutes.

INDEX TO THE EPISODE:

1:03 – Interview start; her background, studying psychology and math at Brown, and how she pivoted into acting.
3:30 – When she started writing, and why.
4:04 – Her filmmaking and writing before TV, including placing and being recognized in many competitions. Why she considers competitions so important.
7:39 – How she developed as a writer, going a less traditional route into the industry.
12:45 – Compares Gossip Girl and Dynasty, how they helped prepare her to write a script.

14:14 – Sponsor break – visit drivingfootage.com for 4K 9-angle driving plates for TV & film, and podcast viewers get 10% off photo/video scanning and importing at avgearguy.com. 

15:21 – Getting into and going through the HBO writing fellowship.
18:45 – Getting staffed on Gossip Girl.
20:07 – Being in the writers room for the first time.
22:59 – The pandemic hit, but she was able to land a job on Dynasty. How that show has been different.
25:00 – How her acting experience, and writing directing films has helped her as a TV writer.
27:48 – On developing for TV.
31:45 – Her volunteer work, and what it means to her. 
32:21 – Advice to greener writers, especially when asking someone to read your script.
44:05 – Not giving up.
47:30 – On her award winning web series (www.doxxed-series.com), and how it was great training in telling episodic stories, and in the future, how to run a show.

Elaine runs a political advocacy group that encourages greater civic engagement and raises money for charities. Check it out at www.operationchecksandbalances.org.

Visit Elaine’s website at www.ElaineLoh.com and follow her on Twitter: @ThatElaineLoh.

You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.

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110 – Greta Heinemann (NCIS: New Orleans, NBC’s Good Girls)

This week, host Gray Jones interviews Greta Heinemann, a TV/film writer who grew up on the Bavarian/Austrian border, and overcame language and immigration barriers to break in to Hollywood.

Greta Heinemann Biography:

Greta Heinemann grew up at the Bavarian-Austrian border and raised herself watching an abundance of German-dubbed US TV shows by day, and action movies by night. Greta has since learned how to speak English and fought hard to immigrate to the US to pursue her dreams of becoming a screenwriter. She currently serves as Supervising Producer on NBC’s “Good Girls,” has a show in development at HBO-Max and is in development on a feature film with David Leitch’s 87North and Amblin Partners.

Greta also developed the Writer’s Wright – The Writer’s Wright is an all-in-one productivity coach, career planner, journal, and notebook specifically developed to help aspiring and working writers structure their careers and lives just as thoroughly as their stories. Find more hours in the day. Make goals and deadlines less intimidating. Inspire. Stay sane, and always drive your story forward. 

Find out more at writerswrightjournal.com.

INDEX TO THE EPISODE:

1:40 – Interview start, with her beginnings near the Bavarian/Austrian border, living alone from the age of 11, and learning English by watching TV.
6:48 – How she immigrated to the US… sent 200 applications for internships, and only one was answered. Eventually found an LGBTQ-friendly production company, but had to go back and forth to Germany for 2 years before she got sponsored on a special skills work visa.
14:39 – Got green card — was finally able to apply for writing fellowships, and also became an intern writing coverage.
17:53 – Got into Humanitas New Voices fellowship, and then the CBS Writers Mentoring Program in the same year, and describes the differences between the programs (plus how the TV Writer Podcast helped her get in!).
29:04 – Discusses representation, and why she changed a few times.
32:06 – Staffing on “NCIS: New Orleans” from her first showrunner meeting (and what led up to that), and how she learned the ropes.
46:18 – How after 4 years she left to develop shows.
49:11 – Staffing on NBC’s “Good Girls.”
52:13 – Sponsor break. Visit drivingfootage.com for 4K 9-angle driving plates, or avgearguy.com for laptop rentals, and scanning/importing of photos, tapes, documents and more.
53:12 – More about writing NBC’s “Good Girls.”
56:42 – Her current feature film project and pilot for HBO.
1:02:32 – Where she sees herself in 5-10 years, and her least and most favorite parts about TV writing.
1:08:45 – Advice to greener writers.
1:15:27 – What does she know now that she wishes she had known when she started out.

Follow Greta on Twitter: @GretaHeinemann

You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.

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109 – Priyanka Mattoo – How to Find a Hollywood Mentor During Lockdown

This week, host Gray Jones interviews Priyanka Mattoo, a writer/filmmaker and former UTA & WME agent who shares how to find a Hollywood mentor during lockdown.

Priyanka Mattoo Biography:

Priyanka is a writer and filmmaker in Los Angeles.
She was formerly an agent at UTA and WME, as well as Jack Black’s partner at their production company, Electric Dynamite. Priyanka is the co-founder of EARIOS, a women-led podcast network, and co-hosts its critically-acclaimed beauty/wellness podcast, “Foxy Browns.”

Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vulture, and The Hairpin, and her film work in festivals from Sundance to Cannes. She was raised in India, England, and Saudi Arabia before moving to the U.S. in high school, and holds degrees in Italian and Law from the University of Michigan.

Priyanka now lives in Venice (California) with her husband and kids.

INDEX TO THE EPISODE:

1:43 – Interview start
3:10 – Her back story, a wild ride! Studied law, and ended up at UTA, where she found she had a talent for it and rose up quickly.
8:01 – Found she wasn’t fulfilled, and something was missing — partnered with Jack Black to build a TV production company. Sold 40 pitches while she was at that company.
9:33 – Had a yearning to write and direct her own projects, and after making her first short film, felt she found her niche. Also sold a TV pilot version of it.
12:10 – About her female-focused podcast network, and the podcast she hosts.
15:05 – Discussing her excellent industry-related column on Vulture.
18:48 – Sponsor break – drivingfootage.com and avgearguy.com.
19:46 – Finding a mentor during lockdown.
20:59 – Are there exceptions to her advice about not doing cold contact? Having a touch point, or referral. Building a lateral network.
25:44 – Very important to use this time to hone craft and produce material – write scripts, try shooting a short film or podcast.
30:25 – Don’t talk about yourself. Ask questions, offer help, make other people’s lives better. Never ask for a mentor — let them notice and ask you.
33:50 – How to ask without asking. How to be the person they want to mentor. Don’t gossip or slander. Read a lot, and live a life outside of TV. Be relentlessly pleasant… to everyone, at every level. Listen, notice needs and find a way to meet them.
42:42 – Your online presence during lockdown. What to do and not to do.
49:22 – Using SideTime to reach out to established industry people for a fee.

Follow Priyanka on Twitter: @naanking

Visit Priyanka’s website: primattoo.com

You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.

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107 – Jami O’Brien (Creator / Showrunner of N0S4A2)

This week, host Gray Jones interviews Jami O’Brien, creator & showrunner of “N0S4A2” on AMC.

This episode is sponsored by Pilar Alessandra of onthepage.tv. Pilar is offering TV Writer Podcast listeners a 10% discount on any of her services. To get your 10% off, reach out to her directly and tell her Gray sent you!

In this episode, Jami has great tips for the writers room, improving your writing, winning in interviews, adapting pre-existing material, and general career advice.

Jami O’Brien Bio:

Jami O’Brien created and showruns “NOS4A2” for AMC. Previously, she’s written for “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Hell on Wheels,” “Big Love,” and “Flesh and Bone,” which was nominated for a Writer’s Guild Award. Jami has an MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama.

INDEX TO THE EPISODE:

1:06 – Interview start, mention her show “N0S4A2.”

2:00 – Her back story – writing as a kid, Yale playwriting, and eventually moving to LA because of a friend who was a TV writer.

5:18 – Her first LA job, assisting a manager, learning about the industry.

7:11 – When she first started trying to write for TV, got a writing assistant job thanks to one of her Yale professors who was a show runner. Resisted writing a spec, but when she finally did, got good traction from it and landed an agent. Still did not get staffed right away, but after several interviews she was staffed on “Lie To Me.”

12:38 – What it was like to finally write on staff.

14:10 – Talks about her next couple of shows, “The Deep End,” “Big Love,” and a longer stint on “Hell on Wheels.” Describes great lessons she learned from the showrunners and another writer who was a mentor, which helped her scripts to be rewritten less and less.

19:32 – Sponsor break.

20:37 – How she got an overall deal at AMC, got attached to the “N0S4A2” project, and was co-EP on “Fear the Walking Dead.”

23:06 – Her process in how she adapted the book “N0S4A2” into a series, and doing a mini writer’s room.

25:53 – Being a part of the Showrunner Training Program.

30:39 – What it was like to build a staff and run a show for the first time. Some discussion about mini writers rooms.

34:28 – What is she looking for when she interviews new writers? Looking for a voice, a point of view, and something unique. Must stand out from the bulk of scripts which are pretty good.

37:19 – What she looks for in interviews.

38:17 – Where her show is at with respect to Coronavirus.

39:13 – How she feels about the current TV landscape.

41:06 – Advice to younger self.

42:52 – Mistakes she sees newer writers making.

Follow Jami on Twitter: @jami_obrien

You can help with the ongoing costs of bringing these weekly podcasts to you by becoming a patron of the podcast – for as little as 25¢ per episode! There are many reward levels. CLICK HERE to find out more.

Buy Gray’s book for only $4.99! Look for it on Amazon – How To Break In To TV Writing: Insider Interviews.

Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.

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