Hilliard Guess' Screenwriters Rant Room

In this ep Hilliard does a one-on-one with lil' bro writer/actor/performer Jamil Akim O'Quinn and they talk about his amazing journey to the writers' room and some of the profound lessons learned producing his episode on the final season of NCIS LA ! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Jamil Akim O'Quinn on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/support

In this episode, Hilliard and Chris sit down with Jenny Frankfurt, founder of the Finish Line Script Competition, and its 2022 Social Impact award-winner, Alexandra Qin to discuss her potent script, THIRSTYGIRL, and the proof-of-concept short film she directed based on her feature script. Alexandra Qin is an award-winning screenwriter and independent filmmaker based in New York with a background in technology and social justice. She was born and raised in Paris, France to a half-French, half-Filipina mother and a Chinese father, and moved to the United States when she was 18 to study Computer Science at New York University.  Alexandra started writing her first screenplay, THIRSTYGIRL, in 2020. Since then, she has been the 2022 Page Awards Grand Prize Winner, a 2022 Nicholl Fellowship Semifinalist, the Winner of the 2021 Finish Line Social Impact screenplay competition, and has been selected as a 2023 Nostos Screenwriting Fellow. Her first short film, the proof-of-concept for the THIRSTYGIRL feature, was the w

In this episode Hilliard does a one-on-one with lil' sis, Aasha Davis - TV/Film actor most known for breakout roles in Friday Night Lights, South of Nowhere, Pariah and Drunk History. We talk a lot about her pivoting to indie producer with the hit digital series The Unwritten Rules and shared some of our tricks of the trade for filmmakers making the plunge into production and behind the camera! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Aasha Davis on Twitter and Instagram The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/support

In this episode, Hilliard chopped it up with (editor of the Rant Room), Director of Development, editor, producer Eric Harbin to talk about his journey from editor to development and the world of Reality Shows, how they work and how to sell and pitch them! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/support

In this ep Hilliard and Chris sat down with writer/director Joe Carroll to talk about his long journey from Tennessee, doing background and PA work, writing and directing short films and music videos, moving to LA and writing a "who done-it" novel 'Sinful Confessions'', becoming a Script Coordinator on some top shows (one of a few, rare black men chosen for the position), co-writing and directing a film for streaming and so much more! You can find out more info about Joe Carroll on his website www.JoeCarrollonline.com Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/messag

Support the Rant Room for $1/month In this episode, Hilliard and big bro, Executive Producer Geoffrey Thorne (Magnum P.I., POWER Book II GHOST, Black Panther: Quest, The Librarians and more) talk about some amazing topics: going from actor to writer, talking yourself into lanes, making projects out of nothing, I like it, you don't like it, who's your nemesis, the phrase "you'll never", your public perception, adding nuance to your characters and so much more! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Geoff Thorne:  https://spoutible.com/Thorne_Identity https://twitter.com/WintermanBooks https://spoutible.com/Winterman_Project https://www.youtube.com/@thewintermanproject geoffreythorne.com Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Tw

Support the Rant Room for $1/month In this episode, Hilliard, Chris and TV writer Amadou Diallo (Billions) talk about all kinds of screenwriting and writers' room goodies for y'all to sink your teeth into. Lots of industry game dropped! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/support

In this episode, Hilliard, Chris and writer Richard Scott talk about a lot of fun topics including: the WGA Strike, Structure & Procrastination, the all informing '80 - 20 Rule', British Actors and so much more! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Richard Scott on Instagram The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/support

In this episode, Hilliard, Chris and Lynelle talk about some of our favorite screenwriting techniques and spend some time talking about the first three episodes of the new HBO series THE LAST OF US! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Lynelle White on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/support

Hilliard & Chris sit down with writer/producer Ron McCants, who writes dramas that explore the human experience. His stories are often fueled by dark secrets and deep shames at the intersection of crime and family because his family’s full of addicts, pimps, prostitutes, murderers, CIA operatives, business owners, professional athletes, detectives and educators straight out of a Flannery O’Connor novel. He’s passionate about writing historical dramas that incorporate extensive research to tell emotional truths of characters and time periods he loves. Ron’s from a small town in Missouri where its chief exports are cotton and violence. He has 9 siblings and lucked out when Dartmouth College sent him a free application, and he began his odyssey. When you have 9 siblings and are from the corner of Nowhere and Nothing, your only goal when you leave home is to survive. That goal made Ron adventurous, unafraid and a well-rounded multitasker. While Ron received a B.A. in Engineering from Dartmouth College, the co

Support the Rant Room for $1/month Subscribe to THIN ICE -- Chris' Substack Newsletter In this episode, writer/producers Hilliard, Chris, Saeed Crumpler and Rah Johnson pick up where they left off in last weeks teaser episode, continuing their conversation on "Elements of Pitching", performance/voice, creative ways to get the biggest bang and hopefully - a sale, and so much more! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Tracy Grant on Twitter Saeed Crumpler on Twitter Rah Johnson on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.c

Support the Rant Room for $1/month In this episode, Hilliard, Chris and writers Saeed Crumpler and Rah Johnson talk about what it's like out there in the current climate to pitch tv and film, pitch decks, elements of a pitch that pop and lots of great gems dropped in this one y'all. You don't want to miss this one. Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Tracy Grant on Twitter Saeed Crumpler on Twitter Rah Johnson on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/screenwriters-rant-room/support

In this episode, Hilliard, Chris and Tracy Grant - Exec Producer of LACE on AllBlk - talk about producing network TV, keeping it on a budget, having an amazing team around you, production good and bad, a PA with the right attitude and so much more. We also talk about Will Smith's new film Emancipation and how (his Oscar mistake) will affect his award season on a film he probably deserves - at least a nomination... Then we go off on a rant on Social Media and Click Bait and some of the crazy stuff going on on those outlets from fans and sometimes, plain old haters. Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Tracy Grant on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @Thin

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you Rant Room Heads across the globe... In this episode, Hilliard, Chris, Lynelle and Juan Pablo Arias Munoz (Breakthrough Artist at BMP) talk about our favorite end of the year films and TV shows, directing shorts and episodic TV and some of our plans and goals for 2023! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Juan Pablo on Instagram The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/support

In this episode, Hilliard sat down with alumni - women from the 2023 Fox Writers Incubator Initiative Program: Drama writers Michelle Lesley Johnson, Nicole Jones-Dion and comedy writers Allison Jackson (shout out to HaJ who wasn't able to make it)... We talk about the groups different journeys to the program, how the initiative works: the submissions, the personal letter, staffing on shows, script coordinators duties and its importance of growth to becoming a future showrunner and so much more! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/message Supp

In this episode, Hilliard chats with the award-winning documentary filmmaker behind films like "Black and Missing" on HBO and has just dropped her new film "Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power" which is streaming on Apple, Amazon and soon on Peacock! We talk about making and producing documentary films, elements needed to get the best bang and production value, making the pivot to scripted and the  hurdles you have to overcome to reinvent yourself in another genre and so much more! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/screenwriters-rant-room/message Support

In this episode, Hilliard and emerging writer/dir Anthony Alyassyi sit down with lovely and beautiful writer/director/filmmaker Aitch Alberto who recently finished writing on DUSTER, a 1970s-set crime drama series from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan for HBO Max and Warner Brothers TV. She also served as a writer on AppleTV+'s critically acclaimed anthology series LITTLE AMERICA from Alan Yang, Kumail Nanjiani, and Emily V. Gordon. Aitch has adapted for film and directed the award-winning young adult novel, ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, with Lin-Manuel Miranda executive producing and Eva Longoria and stars Eugenio Derbez. The film premiered at TIFF 2022 and will be out in 2023. Aitch was just named as one of Variety's 10 directors to watch for 2022. In this don’t miss episode, some of the highlights we also talked about were -- being a fighter and putting down your dukes, leading with truth, breaking down stereotypes, navigating the film festival circuit, allowing yourself to have f

In this episode, Hilliard chopped it up with Blue Monday Productions – Breakthrough Artist Award Alumni -- Umar White and Kobie Kiambu. These two writer/filmmakers hail from D.C and Maryland and are following their dreams on their journey to become showrunners. We go deep into their intense media backgrounds, meeting at college, making films, Umar becoming an editor -- Kobie working his way up in post, and their desire to relocate to Hollywood and follow their passion. We go into how Umar moved to LA, quickly met showrunner Ben Watkins when he was on a panel and through some persistence, was encouraged to enter Ben’s Blue Monday Productions Breakthrough Artist Program. The program gives artists unfiltered access to the company for three months. Over those three months artists develop their talent while engrossing themselves in whatever part of the industry interests them… The partnership extends beyond the three months and continues to mentor and foster the artists by doing everything in their ability to acc

In this episode, Hilliard sat down with indie writer/producer Craig T. Williams while he's on his short trip to LA from NY -- they chopped it up about his journey, growing up in the Bronx New York, traveling the world, landing roles in indie films, producing over a hundred projects, using unorthodox methods of fundraising, hitting the festival circuit, realizing that sometimes you can make too many short films, selling yourself in showrunner meetings, building relationships on Clubhouse and so much more! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Connect with Us: Chris Derrick on Twitter Hilliard Guess on Twitter Red Wall Productions on Twitter and Website The Screenwriters Rant Room on Facebook Theme Song by @ThinkDeP --- Send in a voice message: htt

In this episode, Hilliard and Chris & Alex Derrick sat down with actor-writer-director Keith Powell (TOOFER on 30 Rock) to talk about his crazy journey growing up in Philly with a house filled with women, to acting/directing in theater in NY, to landing his career job on hit series 30 Rock for 7 years, to directing at least one short film a year and his amazing pivot to directing episodic television (Interview With a Vampire, Dickinson, A Holiday in Harlem etc) while continuing to land acting roles in major shows and films. We also talk a lot about Keith's directing for television, shadowing on set, expectations of the TV director, working on different kinds of shows, the director’s shooting schedule and so much more! Check out the ScreenWriterRR website at www.screenwritersrr.com for information, merch, or our Patreon! Support the show via the Patreon link. Remember support is love! We invest countless hours per week to deliver the actionable content that goes into this podcast. Conn