She was just five years old when she read the Little House on the Prairie books that made her want to tell stories. Today, she’s the screenwriter and showrunner taking us back into that world.

Screenwriter/showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Housemaid, The Housemaid 2, The Boys, Archive 81) sits down with Brian and Bailey to discuss why she writes, how she writes, and how the entertainment business really works.

How did an old-school VHS camcorder teach her plenty about storytelling? How did writing screenplay coverage nudge her into a screenwriting career of her own? How did she turn the things she enjoyed most into commercial successes? How did she adapt the bestselling novel The Housemaid by treating it as “a personal horror story”?

And how is “genre writing” perhaps not quite what people think it is?

Rebecca has plenty to say about crafting the tension of The Housemaid, landing the project of her childhood dreams, and the world-building secrets that make a 150-year-old story feel like it’s about us, right now.

Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson.

After leaving the world of advertising for life as a writer, countless publishers passed on his novel before he finally heard the unexpected yes that changed everything.

Screenwriter David J. Rosen sits down with Brian and Bailey to discuss why he writes, how he writes, the path that got him where he is, and the practices that keep him there.

How did a panicky moment at a Snapple sales meeting push him toward writing? When are screenwriters maybe better off not knowing the rules? Can a thriller be funny without spoiling the stakes? Why would he ever tell himself to “just write it badly?”

And what might be more important than talent and luck when it comes to your screenwriting career?

David has plenty to say about how his Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed series made it to Apple TV, and why you may want to focus on getting your screenplay done, instead of making it perfect.

Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson

His 2015 Fantastic Four screenplay was rewritten by so many other writers that eventually just three words of his remained. Today he’s the sole screenwriter on Mortal Kombat II, and already tackling the sequel.

Screenwriter Jeremy Slater sits down with Brian and Bailey to discuss why he writes, how he writes, and what other writers would do well to keep in mind on their own journeys.

How does a kid too scared to take a bath after watching Jaws end up writing for Marvel and DC? Why should screenwriters be careful about considering themselves “artists”? What keeps him returning to the page even when the goalposts keep moving? How does he cap off his writing each day by setting himself up for success the next morning? What are Hollywood “round table” meetings all about, and how do they work?

And why does he say screenplays are primarily “promotional documents”?

Jeremy has plenty to say about how his Mortal Kombat II made it to theaters, how he makes sure he’s a screenwriter people want to work with, and how he keeps it that way.

Produced by Brian Landwehr and Bailey Patterson