The Writers Panel with Ben Blacker

Executive producer Matt Thompson and co-producer Casey Willis, both of whom have been with show creator Adam Reed since Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo, discuss how Archer is written and produced, the increasing quality of the animation, working with FX, working from Atlanta, Georgia, the “Archer Vice” detour, and what's planned for season 6, currently on air.

Direct download: nwp179_archer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

The showrunner of Fox's hit Empire and the creator of Showtime's The L Word, Ilene Chaiken talks about the similarities between these shows, her years as a development executive for Aaron Spelling, how the Empire room tries to be true to the voices of creators Danny Strong and Lee Daniels, writing characters over time, and the joys of Cookie.

Direct download: nwp178_ilene_chaikin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Jeff Greenstein & Jeff Strauss (season 1; later work includes co-creating Partners), Alexa Junge (seasons 1-5; later work includes Grace and Frankie [with Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman]; United States of Tara; Once and Again), and Adam Chase (seasons 1-6; post-Friends work includes The Crazy Ones; Mom; creating Clone) discuss the earliest days of the ground-breaking sitcom from participating in the punch-up the pilot script with creators Marta Kauffman, David Crane, and Kevin Bright, to getting hired for the writing staff, mining their lives for stories, the long hours, the democracy of the room, arguments, jokes, and lots more. 

PLUS: Enormous thanks to Rhett Miller (Old 97's), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), and Kate Micucci (Garfunkel and Oates) on their musical contributions to this week's show. They are SO GOOD.

 

Direct download: nwp177_friends.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

CBS's Bryan Seabury, Sony's Chris Parnell, and Caitlin Foito of ABC Studios take you inside the TV pitching and selling process from another perspective. Their candid conversation covers how decisions are made, what works in pitching and selling, the shifting marketplace, and how the best advice is to make the TV you want to see.

Direct download: nwp176_execs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

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