On The Page

Writer Lori Rosene-Gambino does not back down from adding social commentary into her fictional narratives. Hear what she has to say about her movie Anniversary, directed by Jan Komasa and starring Diane Lane.

Krista Knight discussed her work as a playwright, screenwriter, and new media artist, including scripting a ride for Tokyo Disneyland, adapting Trolls for DreamWorks/Music Theatre International, writing a stage musical with the late Jill Sobule and creating a VR puppet play during the Covid lockdown.

Writers Jake Emanuel and Willie Block talk about the “epic intimacy" they created for their fictional podcast Edge of Sleep which went on to become a book and television show.

Rae Benjamin (The Witcher, Sirens of the Deep) says she’s “inspired by stories and characters” and isn’t afraid to explore any medium to get there.

What happens when fire breaks out on the first day of your film shoot? Writer/director John W. Kim talks about that and other challenges that went into the writing, directing and producing of his independent film Reunion (currently in post-production).

Filmmaker Michelle Muldoon joins Pilar to talk about all of the ways your storytelling and creativity can be applied to other creative work that, in turn, helps fuel your script writing.

Producer Lauren Vilchik talks about the love and hard work it took to make the movie A Little Prayer, currently in theaters.

Writer and UCLA Professor Paul Chitlik talks about his newest book, The Screenwriting Sensei, which takes screenwriters from start to finish.

As she did with her mother, Pilar learns about her father through a series of “loglines” discussing the movie-worthy moments in his life.

This week’s writing wisdom is brought to you by the writer/producer of Speed, Broken Arrow, From The Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers, Sneaky Pete, Slow Horses, Silo and more! 

Actor / writer Stephanie Koenig (English Teacher, Lessons In Chemistry) talks about the jokes and ideas that inspired her to write and the confidence she has in creating her own content.

A real-life UFO sighting combined with knowledge of the addiction world helped to create the fictional independent movie Star People written and directed by filmmaker Adam Finberg. Here Adam talks about the story process for the movie and how it evolved from script to screen.

Film entrepreneur Gray Jones discusses the new platform Share which aims to split film profits with everyone involved - above and below the line.

Writer Melissa Cassera, who now has 14 Lifetime movies to her credit, discusses her businessperson’s approach to getting and keeping work and the need to stay “obsessed” as an artist.

Writers George N Koulouris and Will Amato talk about the fun and work that go into writing short, entertaining content for “vertical films.” 

Writer/producer David Simkins (Adventures in Babysitting, Charmed, Grimm, Blade, Roswell, Angel) talks about his start as a screenwriter and his evolving process of writing his “core story."

From development funds to film markets, Frederik Ehrhardt talks about what it’s like to write and produce in the United States and Europe.

The five writers selected for the 2025 CBS/Paramount Writers Mentoring Program talk about the craft and career lessons they’ve learned from the program and each other.

Bill Thompson discusses his exceptional arts non-profit Young Storytellers and the new report, Growing Pains, which centers around the concerns and tastes of Gen Alpha. 

From procedurals to features, writer David Loong (The Hunting Party) challenges himself to find the most creative way to tell a story. 

Pilar hijacks the Rock Solid Podcast listeners to curate a list of perfect songs from iconic movies.

Writer Troy Mann combines his Texas roots with his world travel and years of teaching experience to create genre scripts that are also intense morality tales.

Writer/director Josh Stolberg (Saw X, Spiral and Jigsaw) returns to talk about the July release of his next indi-horror movie Skillhouse.

Narrative and documentary filmmaker Oanh-Nhi Nguyen makes movies about her family, their past and the intergenerational experience. Here she talks about what she’s learned as a writer-director and how she makes sure that networking is a regular part of her process.

Award-winning documentary director Molly Bernstein discusses the process and narrative approach that went into researching, developing and directing her documentaries about Maus creator Art Spiegelman and magician Ricky Jay.

Screenwriter and major league baseball scout J.D. Elliby talks about the authenticity, character arcs, obstacles, and emotional moments that help create a great on-screen baseball story. 

Lenses, lighting, looks, and "oners.” What are the filming techniques that help tell the story beyond the page? Writer/director Jeremy Walton breaks it down for us. 

This episode was originally recorded in 2021 with director Philip Barantini, currently best known as the director of “Adolescence” a four-part series on Netflix. This episode focuses on his independent feature film Boiling Point, also shot in one take. Hear how he kept the camera moving while also telling a rich story of an intense night in a restaurant.

Up and comer Billy Zeinert talks about writing "smart popcorn," familiar stories with novel twists.

Married creative partners Joshua Dean and Jo Rochelle describe the shared teaching experiences that inspired the writing of the independent feature Dead Deer High and the adventures they encountered while making it. 

Writer/director Saraswathi (Vani) Buyyala talks about her journey from being a teenager in India to becoming the head of Rhythm and Hues Asia and eventually following her creative passions with her production company Dancing Atoms.

Pilar takes a moment to talk about the themes, triggers and ah-hah moments that work to create a strong act three in a feature film. Surprise announcement at the end of the episode!

Writer Craig T. Williams talks about his approach to making industry relationships, nailing interviews and about the fact that all of his opportunities, including his first writers room job, happened after the age of 50.

Pilar and her friends Brian Pope, Mike Musa and Alex Troxler get together for their annual discussion about the best screenplay and best adapted screenplay Oscar nominees.

Television writer Taylor Vaughn Lasley talks about her latest Peabody-award nominated project and the unique method of building story she teaches her students at Syracuse University's Newhouse School. 

On the Page “rising star" Tamar Feinkind has found stories from her dad, herself, her motherhood and her Jewish identity. Here, she talks about her projects, pitches and a pivotal name reclamation that helped change everything.

Political turmoil! Climate disasters! How can a comedy writer find the funny? Marc Warzecha, writer, comedian and director of The Sketch School, is here to help.

Writer Tiffany Bratcher worked her way up from writers PA to writer for the Amazon Prime series On Call and story editor for Chicago PD. Here she talks about writing procedural and half-hour drama, police ride-alongs and the need to always be pitching. 

Writer Jan Kimbrough discusses The Women’s List, a nonprofit spotlighting production-ready scripts by women writers.

Pilar and her husband Pat describe how their real life story felt like a movie story as they evacuated Los Angeles during the wildfires.