Podcast
Living To Write
Hosted by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson · EN
Join screenwriters Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson as they dive into conversations with accomplished writers, exploring their creative processes, triumphs, challenges, and insights. Discover behind-the-scenes stories from your favourite films and TV shows, discussing how initial drafts evolve into the final product with advice from those who LIVE TO WRITE. Presented in collaboration with David Kirkpatrick, founder of Story Summit. This podcast features candid, unfiltered discussions with genuine individuals.
Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Jeremy Robbins
2w ago00:48:54Tap to summarizeHe wrote a screenplay his reps didn’t even know about. Five years later, his movie is on Netflix, starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton.Screenwriter Jeremy Robbins sits down with Brian and Bailey for a deep dive into how that all happened, how he navigates the film and television industries, and why he writes.How did Jeremy become a writer? What does he think about working in writers’ rooms versus writing alone? Why does he focus on spec screenplays even with other deals on the table? How does a script started during the pandemic make it to Netflix? What did a 2021 spot on The Black List end up meaning for him years later?And what can close-up magic possibly teach us about effective pitching?Jeremy has plenty to share about why he wrote his action survival thriller Apex, and how the screenplay evolved before reaching the screen.Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson
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Chandler Levack
4w ago00:50:31Tap to summarizeCanadian writer-director Chandler Levack sits down with Brian and Bailey for a deep dive into how and why she writes.How did her music journalism experiences inform her screenwriting? How did she make her first film without a studio deal? How does she deconstruct her favourite screenplays when building her own scenes? Why are rom-com tropes so worthy of our love and respect? How do filmmaking careers really get started these days? Why was she so excited to get a call from Adam Sandler?And how could her parents boost her career by faking an illness?With both of her newest projects dropping the very same day—Mile End Kicks in theaters, and Roommates on Netflix—Chandler has plenty to share, and she doesn’t hold back.Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson
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Brian McElhaney & Nick Kocher (BriTANicK)
Apr 801:01:18Tap to summarizeBrian McElhaney and Nick Kocher of BriTANicK fame sit down with Brian and Bailey for a deep dive into how and why they write.How is their collaboration like an open romantic relationship? What were the writers’ rooms on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Saturday Night Live like? How can a detailed outline save your screenplay before you even start writing? How is effective pitching much more than just describing your project well? And what did they learn from their time in the director’s chairs?And why are Brian and Brian so happy about the spelling of their names?After over 18 years working together—and with their directorial debut Pizza Movie now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, and Over Your Dead Body hitting theaters April 24th—Brian and Nick have plenty to share.Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.
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Rachel Shukert
Feb 2400:54:57Tap to summarizeThis episode features Rachel Shukert, showrunner behind The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix) and executive producer on The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu), charting her fascinatingly unconventional path from New York memoirist and playwright to Hollywood showrunner.Is television overstaffed right now? What’s the best way to get yourself into a writers’ room? How should writers think about the anxieties that both propel them and get in the way?Brian and Bailey discuss all this and more with Rachel, including what she learned from her first chaotic writers’ room, what it was really like producing GLOW alongside Jenji Kohan, and how she has kept building her television career through Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu) and most recently The 'Burbs (Peacock).Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson1IoJcK62EnPRcPNjz7YgLinks mentioned in this episode:Everything Is Going To Be Great by Rachel Shukert https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Going-Great-Underfunded-Overexposed/dp/0061782351Have You No Shame? by Rachel Shukert https://www.amazon.com/Have-You-No-Shame-Regrettable/dp/0345498615
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James Eason-Garcia
Nov 1100:49:55Tap to summarizeImagine writing for an animated Disney series. Now, imagine being invited to write for the Star Wars universe. And imagine that leading you to the Marvel universe.And now, imagine your audience is preschoolers!In this episode of Living To Write, Brian and Bailey talk with James Eason-Garcia, who has done all this and more.His behind-the-scenes stories are fun and enlightening, and his industry and craft advice applies to far more than just animation and writing for kids.Join us to hear everything from how the industry works to how to fine-tune your portfolio to get the attention your writing deserves.And along the way, James even shares his strategy for storing 30,000 comic books!Produced by Bailey Patterson and Brian Landwehr
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Paul Schrader
Sep 2300:35:03Tap to summarizePaul Schrader wrote classics like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ, directed American Gigolo, Affliction and First Reformed, documented the history of the transcendental style of film, and he’s still hard at work telling stories with impact.In this special episode, we present his engaging Story Summit VIP Guest Lecture, recorded shortly after the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where he premiered his latest feature, Oh, Canada.Hear how a strict Calvinist upbringing devoid of cinema led to Paul picking up the mantle of the transcendental style of filmmaking, and how he utilizes metaphor to draw audiences into his stories without all the handholding.If you care about meaningful cinema with lasting impact, or simply want to hear what Taxi Driver is actually all about, don’t miss this episode.Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson
Transcribe →Dan Gregor & Doug Mand
Aug 1901:01:32Tap to summarizeBrian and Bailey chat with The Naked Gun (2025) screenwriters Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.Comedy ain’t easy. And neither is the job of continuing the beloved Naked Gun franchise with a new chapter that honors the spirit of Lt. Frank Drebin without feeling stuck in the past.But that is exactly what Dan Gregor and Doug Mand have accomplished, and they are here to discuss why and how they do what they do, the lessons learned from years of partnership, and what it takes to keep audiences laughing in a new era.Their journey from the improv comedy scene to How I Met Your Mother, from Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers to The Naked Gun, is a colorful one. So tune in for all that, plus their thoughts on comedy writing in the age of YouTube, and why even in Hollywood a good script is never truly dead.This episode is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.
Transcribe →David Paul Kirkpatrick - Part 2
Jul 1500:46:54Tap to summarizeBrian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson conclude their two-part conversation with former president of Paramount Motion Picture Group, David Paul Kirkpatrick.As the man who greenlit some of the most iconic films in cinematic history, David knows not only how the Hollywood machine works, but why it sometimes doesn’t.Why do so few people in the studio system actually read scripts? Why does strong coverage matter more than you think? What does it take to get a studio project across the finish line? And what really happens when a movie falls apart?Plus, why did Michael Jackson shed tears over lunch with David? And is Steven Spielberg truly the mensch the world believes he is?With a remarkable career, a writer’s heart, and a mentor’s wisdom, David brings both insight and irresistible Hollywood tales in one of the most revealing conversations we’ve ever had.This podcast is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.
Transcribe →David Paul Kirkpatrick - Part 1
Jul 100:52:17Tap to summarizeOn the latest episode of the Living to Write, Brian and Bailey chat with Story Summit founder and former Paramount Pictures studio executive David Paul Kirkpatrick in Part 1 of an unforgettable conversation.Throughout his illustrious career as president of the Motion Picture Group and head of production at both Disney and Touchstone, David helped bring to life some of the most iconic and influential films and franchises of all time, including — Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Friday the 13th, Top Gun, Ghost, The Hunt for Red October, Witness, Reds — and a Living to Write favorite — Can’t Buy Me Love.His remarkable history, combined with talents as both a writer himself and mentor to many, makes David just the man to share some of the most insightful advice and outrageous Hollywood-insider stories you’ll ever hear.What’s it like to be a studio executive? What does it take to actually greenlight a film—and what quietly kills it?Tune in to Part 1 to find out what really happens behind the curtain. And yes... He names names.This podcast is produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.
Transcribe →Peter Hastings
Mar 25, 202500:59:57Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Living to Write, Brian and Bailey sit down with Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning writer/director Peter Hastings.With Dog Man now out in the world, Peter discusses why he writes, how improv led him to screenwriting, what it was like working with Steven Spielberg on Animaniacs, and how writing is like music for him. Plus, a look at the projects that shaped his career and what keeps him coming back to the blank page.Support for this episode comes from Story Summit.This podcast is produced by Bailey Patterson and Brian Landwehr.
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