Podcasts by samandjimgotohollywoods Podcast

NEW PODCAST: "The Writer's Room with Sam and Jim" from 2021-02-27T21:50:29

Okay, it took 6 years since that last post, but we finally got around to podcasting again.  But we chose a new format: inviting aspiring writers to bring their ideas into a virtual writers' room...

Our 5 Year Mission from 2014-03-01T17:01:39

Someday we really will do another round of these podcasts.  The technology has become so much simpler and easier than it was back when we started. 

For now, a quick update on our status. ...

Where has the time gone? from 2011-06-14T21:39:56

Let's call this time lapse "the lost years" and leave it at that.

What happened?  We're the proverbial dogs who ca...

Show #44: The New TV World Order from 2008-10-03T03:30

Where the #@$% have we been?! 
...

Show #43: Discrimination from 2008-06-11T00:12

Ageism?  Sexism?  Racism?

That's the big listener mail topic this time.  There's more mail, of course, and the inevitable career update (hint: ...

Show #42: Between Scenes from 2008-05-15T23:04

That's a good time for things to happen in a screenplay.

In real life, though, it's a good time to do a podcast.  While we're waiting for, well, any...

Show #41: In The Mix from 2008-04-17T20:36

That's what they call it when you're up for a staff job...

...but they haven't called your name yet.  A little career update and lots of listener Q&...

Show #40: Three Years Old from 2008-04-02T01:26

Three years of podcasting, forty shows in the can...

and finally, we listen to our audience.  This episode:  listener mail, and some overview on wha...

Show #39: Ding, Dong, the Strike is Dead from 2008-02-12T02:02

At long last, the WGA strike is over. 

What does it mean for the future of Hollywood?  More importantly, what does it mean for us?

Show #38: Showrunners in Training? from 2008-01-11T00:29

TV is in BIG trouble.

We applied for a WGA program to train future showrunners -- and damned if they didn't accept us...

Show #37: Writing, the Future, and You from 2007-12-16T22:36

The WGA strike is all about the Internet... 

Why?  Because it's the future -- for all of us.  An inside take on what's going on and our thoughts ab...

Show #36: Striking Out from 2007-12-05T01:26

Still walking and waiting...

An update from the picket lines, some thoughts on the latest contract offer, Sam's mom is finally impressed, and a shou...

Show #35: WGA On Strike! from 2007-11-06T20:11

The second installment of our strike series.

The deadline passed.  Now we're on the picket lines.  The latest updates, and why you shouldn't even th...

Show #34: Strike! from 2007-10-24T00:16

The Stephen King pilot is turned in...

...just in time for a strike.  What it all looks like through the smoke as California burns...


Listen

Show #33: Careful What You Wish For from 2007-09-18T20:40

...You might get another podcast

Or, in our case, find yourself pondering more career options than you ever expected.  Each with complications you n...

Show #32: The Room from 2007-03-22T02:34

A nice place to visit...

...which is good, cause we sorta live there.  Further reflections on this whole "being on staff" experience as we write our...

Show #31: We're On Staff from 2007-01-21T21:21

Finally!

Reflections on finally getting to the place we set out to reach so long ago:  the writers' room.

Show #30: the Tipping Point from 2006-12-15T20:49

Our journey enters a new phase...

...or so we hope.  This is a big (and much-delayed) update on developments in our career -- and our personal battles with our own hearts and minds.

Show #29: Agents from 2006-10-27T21:29

Do you need one?

Of course.  But when?  And why?  Just what DO they do?

Show #28: Pitching Stephen King from 2006-10-04T22:24

His book sold a million copies...

but can we sell one TV show based on it?  Months of hard work are put to the test as we start making the rounds to...

Show #27: Good to Great from 2006-08-24T21:05

Moving your story to the next level...

it ain't easy, but it has to be done.  We've got a few thougths for you that might help, and, as always, a ca...

Show #26: Breaking in and Cracking Up from 2006-08-10T21:01

Perseverance is the key...

...to getting through the door in Hollywood, despite the rejections.  But getting in isn't the end:  you still have to fi...

Show #25: The Pitch from 2006-06-07T20:07

Talk is cheap...

but getting people to listen means investing in your idea. You need to take your time, groom your message and learn to spend your w...

Show 24: A Cry for Help from 2006-05-27T20:07

Yes, it's "A Very Special Episode."

No, Sam hasn't gone suicidal on us.  But instead of talking Hollywood, we're asking for your help.  We're plotti...

Show 23: Sam is Half Empty from 2006-05-20T01:33

...and Jim is Half Full

We wish we were talking about a glass, not our uncertain job prospects.  It's staffing season in Hollywood, and there's lots...

Show #22: One Fine Day from 2006-04-13T01:24

Friday April 7th

From a big studio meeting to our first gig on a panel of experts, it was one helluva ride...

Show #21: Hollywood Friends from 2006-03-30T01:07

Is the whole idea a contradiction?

Can you trust anyone out here, or is jaded cynicism all there is?

Show #20: The Moment of Truth from 2006-03-15T20:47

It's showtime

After all these years, we've finally got the whole package for the first time. We've written our scripts. We have our team in place. Staffing season is coming...

Show #19: Are you good enough? from 2006-02-17T03:36

Or are you just deluded?

How can you tell? We risked it all to come to Hollywood -- but was that really a smart move? Is facing an American Idol style train wreck the only way t...

Show #18: When Reality Attacks! from 2006-02-07T00:01

Reality TV messed up our career

...but became a full-time gig for our friend Dan. So what's it like writing shows that "don't have writers?" And just how fascinating are th...

Show #17: ABC speaks! from 2006-02-01T23:49

The verdict is in...

...But what is it? And what have we been sentenced to?

Show #16: Living in Limbo from 2006-01-23T06:00

Is our pilot dead?

Or will the ABC grant clemency? What do we write next? Where does our next paycheck come from? How will we clothe our children? What's for lunch? So many ques...

Show #15: Too Rich and Too Thin from 2006-01-20T04:18

...TV people and TV plots, that is...

A little news on the pilot front, then we address the class struggle on your TV set -- the one that isn't happening. Rich people are BORING! H...

Show #14: Collaborating from 2006-01-07T00:17

You'll never write alone

At least, not once your script is sold. No script is too good to need notes. Lots and lots of notes...

Show #13: The Emotional Roller Coaster from 2005-11-05T01:22

Hollywood is quite a ride...

...and there's no shortcut to the front of the line. Well, not for us mortals...

Our apologies for the long delay with this one.

Show #12: SOLD! from 2005-09-02T23:44

Our TV pitch finds a buyer...

What more is there to say? A lot, actually...

Show #11: Voices in our Heads from 2005-08-02T23:49

...and on the page

We've got some career updates first, and then we tackle a tricky question: what the hell is "voice" in a script?

Show #10: The Good Fight from 2005-07-22T20:54

Bring on the body bags..

...'cause there's a war of ideas going on, and the casualties are piling up.

Show #9: Smiles and Bullshit and Fears, oh my! from 2005-07-20T20:13

You can count on 'em when you pitch

A good meeting is about more than picking the right mineral water.

Show #8: Scribble, scribble, scribble... from 2005-06-24T01:52

What makes a writer?

Writing, of course. And you'd better love the painful, frustrating act of creating for its own sake, 'cause that's what it's all about.

Show #7: It's the Character, Stupid from 2005-06-16T20:15

It's crunch time

The networks start buying TV ideas in a couple weeks and we're feverishly pumping out more pitches. Which begs the question: what makes a show really work?

Show #6: Pain and Hope from 2005-05-19T22:53

There's always a ray of hope...

...but it's usually shining down through a sewer grate.

Show #5: The life and death of a great idea from 2005-05-07T02:05

So you think you've got a great idea for a movie?

So did we...

Show #4: Wanna buy a TV series? from 2005-04-14T01:28

Okay, we're all caught up on how we got here.

Backstory volume 1: From Minnesota to L.A. from 2005-04-14T01:27

The first of 3 podcasts about giving up our old lives to become writers in Hollywood.

Backstory volume 2: The wonderful world of Disney from 2005-04-14T01:26

The second of 3 podcasts about giving up our old lives to become writers in Hollywood.

Backstory volume 3: What, we can get paid for this? from 2005-04-14T01:24

The last episode in our "how we got here" series.