267 | The Elevator Pitch + Austin Film Festival Prep Workshop (REBROADCAST)
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With the Austin Film Festival coming up next week, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes to help everyone attending get ready to share their stories!
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The Austin Film Festival is known for many things — but few are as legendary as its annual 90-Second Pitch Competition, where writers have just 90 seconds to share their stories. In Hollywood, we call that “the elevator pitch” — and it’s more essential than ever.
To unpack what makes a pitch truly land, we’re joined by an incredible lineup: TSL veteran and producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor, Austin Film Festival’s Screenplay Director Alyssa Alvarado, and five brave writers who step up to pitch their hearts out.
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266 | Emmy-Winner Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere) on the Myth of the “Big Break”
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Meg was already a fan of Jeff Hiller from his Emmy-winning performance in SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE, but after listening to his moving and hilarious memoir Actress of a Certain Age, she fell completely in love with his honesty, humor, and heart. She knew she had to have him on the show — and we were deeply honored when he said yes, fresh off his big Emmy win.
In this conversation, Jeff opens up about the myth of the “big break,” finding your authentic voice, navigating rejection with grace, and why it’s never too late to chase your dreams.
Check out Jeff's memoir HERE: goodreads.com/book/show/220902134-actress-of-a-certain-age
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265 | KPop Demon Hunters Directors: Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans on Balancing Heart, Humor & Music
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This week, we’re joined by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the writer-directors of KPOP DEMON HUNTERS, to unpack the craft behind one of the year's biggest movies.
From finding the emotional core of their story to shaping "Golden" into a late-breaking "I Want" song, Maggie and Chris share how they balanced friendship, romance, comedy, worldbuilding, and music all in one movie.
We also dive into the messy joy of writing in editorial, why tiny character moments like "Couch, Couch, Couch" carry so much weight, and how specificity in both music and story can unlock something universal.
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264 | Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, I Am Legend, Star Trek): Turning Writing Into a Job (and a Life)
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We’re thrilled to welcome Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman for a masterclass on making writing sustainable. For Akiva, the real “tragedy” is living in the anxious space between drafts. His cure? Treat writing like a job: set hours, clock out, and commit to the work.Akiva unpacks his process – why a first draft should feel like seduction, why knowing the ending matters, and the simple litmus test he applies to every scene: What do you want the audience to feel? We also explore his approach to dialogue that truly listens, “smuggling” personal truth into adaptations, and his no-nonsense stance on writer’s block: just lay more bricks.
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263 | Feature Film Story Engine Checklist: 8 Elements to Turn a Situation Into a Movie (REBROADCAST)
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STORY ENGINE. Two words we so often dread, but let's be honest: the engine of your story is what POWERS your movie. It's make, or break. And today, we break down eight elements to test whether or not you are on your way to a feature film story engine that will take you from fade in, to fade out!
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About The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna
Welcome to The Screenwriting Life, a podcast where Oscar-nominated writer Meg LeFauve and Emmy-nominated writer Lorien McKenna discuss not only the craft and business of Screenwriting, but also the emotional life: the ups and downs of being a creative, to remind you that you are not alone and to keep writing.
Listen to The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna, The Rest Is Entertainment and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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