This show has been around for over a decade and has insights on every aspect of television writing. If you are looking to get ahead in the industry do yourself a favor and dig through the episodes, filled with insights from working writers.

Ben Blacker is a great interviewer. He knows what to ask and how to ask it. He makes his guests open up gets the most out of each interview. This podcast is engaging and enriching. Such a worthwhile way to spend your time if you’re an extremely focused writer. Thank you for the wealth of knowledge in each episode!

I love this podcast! It’s a real peak inside the curtain of what writers lives are really like in Hollywood. Ive been slowly binging all episodes for the past year taking notes and building some scripts. This has been a great support and fun listen!!

Great podcast on writing and gives fuel to those of us trying to do this for a living.

Obsessed with this podcast. Ben asks the most insightful questions, and facilitates funny, thoughtful, honest conversation. I also appreciate how he relates to the audience and shares his triumphs and frustrations with us. A must listen for emerging screenwriters…a tremendous resource!

Great show with interesting guests and questions that further the conversation.

One of my go-to screenwriting pods. Thank you for what you do

Best writing podcast, hands down. I’ve been working in entertainment for several years, in a “non-friendly” department for writers. My goal has always been to write and this podcast has taught me so much about the business and process of writing, the questions I should be asking, and ways I can start making things work for me while working in a different department.

This is the best screenwriting podcast hands down. I’m a senior in college, and I want to be a comedy writer. Right now, I’m working on building up a portfolio of features and pilots to send out for work. I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts for guidance, and this one is definitely my favorite (another good one is the WGA Podcast)! Most podcasts talking to writers don’t seem to be very useful because they are filled with empty conversation. However, the conversations and panels on this podcast are very well constructed to provide helpful advice for any aspiring writer. Many thanks, Ben Blacker!

While I understand the need for advertising to support this show, since the move to Forever Dog the ads have been really disruptive. They break into an episode mid sentence and when the show picks up again it isn’t at the exact spot as before. This is a shame when we’re listening to really great guests like Norman Lear. Please put the ads at the start and/or end of the show, and stop cutting off the guest

I’m not even a writer by trade but love this show. It’s so interesting to hear about the process and the shows and the BTS stories.

No one cares if you wrote an episode of Supernatural, Ben.

This podcast is such an incredible resource for anyone who aspires to one day write for TV. Thanks for all you do Ben!

When I first started listening to this podcast years ago, I became unable to not listen to it. If it wasn't playing, I was sleeping, writing, or finding the next episode I wanted. Of all the resources on the business and process of writing for television that I voraciously consumed when I first figured out that was a job people can have, this was the most useful and enjoyable. Ben Blacker is not only wonderfully funny but also a great writer, great interviewer, and (seemingly) great person. Listen to this podcast, and learn all of that (and so much more!) for yourself.

It is such a great listen if you’re curious about writing or trying to break into the industry! There are some really great invaluable lessons that will save you a lot of time along the way!

Love this podcast. I listen every week and have been listening for years. Finally got around to writing a review (sorry it took so long!). Ben Blacker (like the color, only more so) is a great host and asks excellent questions. I really appreciate this podcast and everyone who helps make it! Thank you!!! 💙

This used to be a great listen. In the last year it transitioned from a podcast about screenwriting and television to a podcast about witches. Dissapointing.

Really enjoyed this podcast.

As an aspiring TV writer, there's no greater podcast you can listen to. Really. Keep'em coming!

Ben Blacker and his Writer’s Panel guests have given me so much insight into this crazy business that I hope to be a part of one day. Even when I’m not familiar with a guest beforehand, I usually find that I’ve become a fan by the end of their discussion. And I think it’s especially cool that Ben writes comic books too!

Whenever I get down on myself for not writing I try to put on this show to remember how human each writer is and how we don’t have to be Hemingway. Love it!

I love the podcast but would love interviews with tv writers who didn’t get promoted from an assistant position but from writers who got staffed from another route - thanks!

As a screenwriter & TV writer I find this podcast invaluable. Ben asks the questions that we wish we could and I always gain some sort of insight from every episode. The podcast touches upon every topic a writer could hope for — meetings, writer’s process, TV room etiquette, the long arduous process of getting a film made, etc etc. An added bonus — I have found many TV shows and films I wouldn’t have watched had I not heard about them from this pod cast. Whether you are a veteran showrunner or an assistant trying to break into the writer’s industry, this podcast has something for every writer at every level!

It is enormously helpful to hear how so many writers approach the business of telling stories, and to be reassured that even for the most talented of writers and creators, it’s dogged persistance that’s required to work. Also, even the most basic reminders are always helpful.

I live in Omaha, Nebraska, but listening to this podcast makes me feel like I could work as a writer in Hollywood. Interviews with all your favorite people connected to all your favorite things. Fresh takes with people at every career stage. Always interesting, always insightful.

If you are a creative of any type, who has done any work in the practical version of your field you will be able to relate and connect to this show. I was a graphic designer for years, then I lost my sight. This show helped me so much in the time of me dealing with the loss. The realization that as a creative, I have not completely lost my ability to create even if my main tool was now gone. Oh, and, I couldn’t love Ben Blacker more as a host.

Are you in a job you hate where you can listen to podcasts all day? Do you love TV and movies?! Do you want to know more about the ones who create “how did you even think of this” moments? Do you want me to stop asking you seemingly open-ended questions but are really just leading questions?!? Great! Subscribe today!

I've worked on the development side of the industry and now transitioning to writing full-time, and this podcast is a fantastic resource. From the range of topics covered by guests who are experienced in all genres and mediums, to Ben's wonderful moderation, the episodes are fun and invaluable for any new writer.

I cannot believe it took me until about two weeks ago to stumble upon this podcast but all I can say is that you have a listener for life now! As an amateur TV writer (and professional TV addict) I am always excited to tune in to each episode to hear about people I worship and admire put together the pieces to create my favorite television shows. From talking about concepts, to pitching, to the first draft, to the filming—everything is insightful and helpful. I listen when I’m driving, when I’m cleaning, when I’m cooking, even sometimes in lieu of watching TV because I find it so entertaining to hear from these hilarious and intelligent writers! They always leave me inspired to write another episode of whatever I am working on. Also, nothing is more relieving to hear that even the most busy and successful show-runner can be doubtful about themselves and can struggle with their process. It feels good to know that I am not the only one, by any means. Thank you so much for this! Keep up the amazing work, Ben!

Quite possibly the best, the most informative, most engaging conversations on the art and crazy world of writing for tv and the like. Blacker does his homework, and investigates with all the right questions...

I started listening to this thinking it might be about writing books but the conversations about storytelling are great and the topic is universal

Great back stories, smartly done.

This is so helpful, I'm an aspiring television writer so hearing so many varying perspectives and so much advice from people who are succeeding in the field is invaluable!

This podcast is so inspiring to listen to and really good for creativity. Im a designer and I listen to podcasts while im working and this podcast gets me so hyped about the stuff I love, which really boots my mood and productivity. Gold.

Great guests and even better interviews

Great insights and usually great writers!

I'm a mid-list novelist, thinking about possibly dipping a toe into television, and I find this show to be a fascinating look into the industry. I wish we had something like this in the book business--most people in publishing are careful not to tell the whole story. Ben Blacker asks the questions we want answered, and his generous guests share their experiences with candor and charm. Thanks for having a diverse array of professionals on the show. I may never write for a children's animated show, for example, but it's fascinating finding out what it's like.

First rate podcast on writers in the entertainment medium. While mostly focusing on TV writers, the hosts do a great job covering other fields, from movies to TV to comics. The guests are wonderfully varied with great insights in the field. If you are interested in writing in anyway, this is a must listen.

Doing a good audio interview is its own skill -- and these guys have it. Entertaining, informative, and educational, every episode is worth listening to. I can't listen audiobooks (just not my thing), so these Nerdist podcasts are how I mentally survive big city driving.

Ben, I hope this gives you a pick-me-up as you say. I appreciate what you do. Just moved to L.A. and one day, mark my words, I will be on your podcast. Always inspired listening to you and to your guests.

Wonderful minus all the self congratulatory Hollywierd bath house bologna. Please wax each other off mic.

Over 500 chats with mostly television writers. One the select few podcasts to which every writer should subscribe.

My go to daily podcast- new and the archives! Thank you Ben for sharing all the insight from writers- it's GOLD!

I LOVE this podcast! As an avid TV watcher and reader of novels, I love good writing and enjoy hearing how the sausage is made. But what keeps me coming back and listening even to podcasts from writers whose shows I don't watch, is hearing about how the writers room works. It's fascinating hearing how a group of smart, creative people work together to create something larger than themselves.

Inspiring, thoughtful, and entertaining. Every podcast lives up to this and more! Well done and look forward to seeing new podcasts pop up in my daily alerts. Thank you! - Edward Giangrosso

Ben …. Love the Podcast, especially the brilliance of Barbara Hall and her POV .... i.e. recognize Everyone's job is the most difficult NO ONE ELSE has ever suggested this and it is so true! What dignity. The showrtunners she learned from would "shoot my words" from my script when I got the voice of the show accurately ..... how succinct again, no one else to my recollection stated the goal of staff writing so clearly ..... when I got to the end of this podcast I silently asked the Universe to please bring a stand alone Writers Panel podcast with just you & Barbara and alas, you traisped all the way to NYC (we can hear the traffic in the background) to bring listener's her direction, history etc. Thank you so much, grasshopper LOVE THE PODCAST!

I’m a lowly production assistant in TV at the moment but this podcast has opened up so many writer origin stories that I’ve started to see the commonalities in how they got to where they are and it’s given me so much hope that I’m not wasting my life. I’m not crying, YOU’RE CRYING. Anyway, check out this podcast if you have any interest in writing for TV professionally. It’ll save you time as you’ll also hear about roads that shouldn’t be taken. But more than anything, you’ll realize that failing is apart of the process and your ability to handle that and keep improving your writing is essentially the main ingredient here. Also, have an uncle who’s a famous entertainment person. That would be helpful.

This is my favorite podcast, listening activity and full-on inspiration. Ben Blacker does an outstanding job of asking what writers need and want to know. He expertly uncovers juicy and educational tips about the process, backstory, secrets and craft of television writers and their professional peers. The guy clearly loves and knows television and does a fine job of putting his ego and agenda aside for the greater good. Whether you’re an aspiring TV or screenwriter or simply a fan of the genre, this podcast consistently delivers valuable information and specific tools of the trade in an entertaining format. Yum.

My favorite podcast ever.

Ben identifies as a writer, but at some point he's going to have to admit he'a an incredible interviewer. He draws a great deal of honesty and information out of his guests, and this has become my favorite discussion on writing. Highly recommended.