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PODCAST

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss

Noah Evslin and Dan Rutstein

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.

tv & film performing arts

All Episodes

43:17

I Still Know What You Did at Film School. Showrunner...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/10/01

What an episode!Legendary showrunner and show creator Trey Callaway joins us.He talks about a failed pitch leading to two huge successes, the letter from a dying man that reinspired him and the life and death of showrunners.Trey tells us about going from film school student to being at the front of the class, Coppola coming to his hometown and why he now writes for good.A magnificent episode with an incredible storyteller.

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43:20

Hollywood, Ending. Writing, tuberculosis and how many...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/09/24

We have the magnificent John Green on the show.The best-selling author talks about his new book Hollywood, Ending.He tells us why the long gap between novels, turning books into films and whether he enjoys writing.We talk books being turned into toilet paper, his love of soccer and his pursuit of non-fiction.John talks openly about anxiety, imposter syndrome and dealing with fame.

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25:56

Deepfakes and documentaries - Showrunner Ben Chanan,...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/09/03

We talk to British show creator Ben Chanan. The creator of The Capture talks about his transition from documentaries to scripted tv, carrying the idea around in his head for five years and how getting Covid nearly derailed a whole season.We discuss about the spy genesis of the series, British show vs American show creation and the access and experience of documentaries.Ben speaks honestly about his journey from editor to director to show creator and what he learned along the way.

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44:28

Take 156 - Showrunner Erica Messer, Criminal Minds...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/08/06

We have the excellent Erica Messer on the show.She tells her story of moving from temp to writer, the greats she learned from and how she got to work on some of the most iconic shows of our time.What she learned from being a bartender, the joy of studio lots and how she coped with working on a dark show like Criminal Minds and being a mother.A fun, informative and in-depth chat with someone whose been in some of Hollywood’s most iconic writing rooms.

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49:22

Take 155 - Executive producer, director Minkie Spiro,...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/07/09

We have the remarkable Minkie Spiro on the show. Heavily Emmy nominated for All Her Fault, she talks about her start in documentaries, the family disapproval of her career choices and what she learned on Holby City.We talk about being pissed on by rats and what that teaches you about life, she uses some great British phrases and we discuss award shows.We talk Downton Abbey, 3 Body Problem and show producing compared to directing.One of our funniest and most brightest episodes with a legend.

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44:44

Take 154 - Showrunner and Creator Craig Gerber, Sofia...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/05/22

A true fairytale today as we talk to Craig Gerber, creator of Disney princess shows galore.He tells us his fascinating tale of fairies that led him to create Sofia the First while stuck in a traffic jam, the joy of working at Disney and presentation and diversity in writing rooms.He talks about his early career struggles, creating the new Sofia the First: Royal Magic show and what next for his writing career.A heartwarming tale of success in Hollywood articulately told.

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47:54

Take 153 - Showrunners and Writers Kristin Robinson...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/05/14

We welcome the dynamic writing duo of Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson to the show.We talk about celebrating wins together, the mechanics of a writing pair and their new show It’s Not Like That.They tell us why they have a shared inbox, being mistaken for a couple couple and the changing dynamics of writing rooms.A deep dive into the world of writing partners navigating today’s TV landscape.

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41:54

Take 152 - Writer, producer, director Thom Harp, Home...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/04/17

What a nice man!We have Thom Harp on the show to talk movies, pitches and being nice.We talk persistence, writing what you know and getting the best out of your team.Thom describes the frustrations of years of pushing, how he made the most of the Covid opportunity by listening to sensible advice and the joy of working in a job you love.A really fun, informative and engaging chat.

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51:06

Take 151 - Showrunner, Writer Courtney Lilly,...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/04/10

We have the impressive Courtney Lilly on the show.He talks about the state of Hollywood, being in the same storm but a different boat and the luck it takes to succeed.We hear about his start as a journalist, showrunning on a show created by someone else and the importance of Morpheus.Why Black-ish was a success, talented actors over good writing and the importance and value of diversity.A fascinating and insightful interview full of self-reflection, nuggets of wisdom and candour.

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42:13

Take 150 - Writer, Director David Zucker - Airplane,...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/02/19

Episode 150 and we have a legend on. It’s David Zucker, he of The Naked Gun and Airplane fame. He is as funny and witty and irreverent as you would hope he would be.David tells us the story of how he got Airplane made, we talk about the puns of it all and why he doesn’t like the new Naked Gun movie.He talks about spoofs, his new project the Star of Malta and the self-confidence to move to Hollywood.We hear about when he was king of Hollywood, how they tricked the DGA into letting three of them

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48:18

Take 149 - Writer Gary Whitta, Rogue One, See you in...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2026/01/15

Rogue One writer Gary Whitta returns to the podcast and we talk…podcasts.The British writer explains why he decided he needed to make a scripted podcast, casting Jon Boyega and how bad Hollywood is at the moment.He talks us through where he sees the industry, the process of pitching this show and his views on taking notes.In his usual witty, sardonic style, we also cover advice for writers, the frustrations of projects falling apart and the joy of creating again.A very fun, irreverent and insightful

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46:52

Take 148 - Showrunner and Novelist Craig Thomas, How...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/12/11

The magical Craig Thomas returns to the podcast.The How I Met Your Mother co-creator comes on to talk about his heart-warming novel That’s Not How It Happened.Craig talks about why he wrote the book, disability in Hollywood and the tortuous process of writing a novel.He explains his personal journey with his son’s rare disability, why it was so important to write this book and how he used his tv writing skills to help finish the novel.A genuine, heartfelt and important episode about a passionate man

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39:59

Take 147 - Special Episode. Martyn Robertson and...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/09/06

We talk to filmmaker Martyn Robertson and sports surgeon Gordon Mackay about the inspiring feature doc Make it to Munich.In a crossover episode we talk Hollywood and whisky, pioneering surgeries and telling stories with heart.They explain how the extraordinary story of a young man’s courage to overcome life-changing injuries has ended up at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood - the adventures they had along the way and the importance of real life heroes.

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42:37

Take 146 - Director, Producer, Writer Nick Verso,...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/09/04

He was told he had no future in the entertainment business and yet Australian Nick Verso has gone on to have a stellar career.In this episode we talk about dealing with such raw rejection, how he found his place in the business and also the other early project that was turned down - and the apologies he has had about that since.We talk about why he started directing, how we got good at writing and managing the Australia-Los Angeles divide.A raw and candid episode from a smart and driven creator. And

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47:34

Take 145 - Story Editor (Head Writer) James...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/08/07

We talk to the incredible, passionate and enthusiastic James Eason-Garcia, co-EP of Ironman and his Awesome Friends.Noah and I geek out a little and cover both James' career while also asking superhero and Jedi questions of a man who has special access to both of those worlds.We talk about his journey from fan to working on these projects, the excitement of actually of walking through the doors of Disney to work and taking notes on established franchises.James talks about the state of the

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44:19

Take 144 - Showrunner, Writer Tony Ayres, The Slap,...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/06/19

We talked to Australian showrunner and writer Tony Ayres.He talks about his Netflix show The Survivors, comparing himself to others and the balance between commerce and art.We explore his Chinese-Australian roots, the benefits and disbenefits of being niche and how Australia sees Hollywood and Hollywood sees Australian.We also cover the changing language of Hollywood, how he has changed to adapt to the industry and the blessing and the curse of being attached to The Slap.

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47:07

Take 143 - Writer Daniel Casey, 10 Cloverfield Lane, F9

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/05/15

We bring on the fascinating Daniel Casey.He tells us his Hollywood origin story, giving up directing to get a script moving, his route to F9 and the excitement of working on a serious franchise.Daniel talks about the exciting of being on the set of a $250m movie, how nice Fast and Furious fans were and how close he came to running out of money and giving up.He talked about some huge projects - including a Batman film - that got away, directing short films and being told to kill himself on social

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47:34

Take 142 - Actor, Writer, Director, Author, Producer...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/05/08

We are delighted to have the legendary Eriq La Salle on the show.The talented actor, writer, producer, director and novelist joins us to talk about his illustrious career, the power of storytelling and his love of acting but not necessarily some of the business of acting.We talk about a writing rejection leading to acting, an acting rejection leading to directing and frustrations about pay disparity and inequality shaping his work as a producer.Eriq talks about his role as producing director on On

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48:29

Take 141 - Arika Lisanne Mittman, Writer, Showrunner,...

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/03/27

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 learned from the strike and whether she's any good at firing people (she's not!).Arika talks about her strengths and weaknesses as a showrunner, gives advice to those wanting to join the industry and the times she nearly got fired as a script co-ordinator.A

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47:17

Take 140 - Showrunner Joe Wilson, The Equalizer

Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss ·

2025/03/20

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 break, how he is treated when he goes home and what sort of showrunner he aspires to be.We talk cool Hollywood moments, his strengths and weaknesses and the show about bands he aspires to make.A gritty episode that explores all the areas Hollywood doesn’t normally talk

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164 results

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