Loved reading this and getting a bit of insight to the industry. I was reminded of Michael Palin's diaries, whose years are also often filled with writing, waiting and discussing.
I love this overview. Waiting around seems to be a universal game. I used to wonder about those long gaps people have on IMDB and I thought they had not 'done' anything for years, but in fact the years in between were spent doing all the things you have been writing about and getting rejected or being unlucky a lot. Oh the grind!
In the spirit of not waiting around for someone to give me a job or a task I started my own Substack recently. It's a way of making me work at a constant pace as I am not (yet) as busy as you are, but also I love the format of short scenes - it's been very useful when it comes down to working on projects I have going.
Congrats on the baby news! And thanks for sharing all of this. I find it fascinating. How does anything get made--ever?? Let's hope 2026 is full of less waiting!
Thanks for sharing this in such great detail! I’m starting out as a screenwriter, lost a lot of momentum w the pandemic and strikes, and I honestly don’t know what’s going on lol this was really helpful to read. Best of luck in the new year!
This was awesome to read! A great perspective/reminder to always be working on multiple things at once, too. I’m someone who does not come from a traditional film/tv background (my education + career up until this point has been in political communications), but now I’m trying to chase a very different dream as a screenwriter. So I always appreciate you demystifying the process. Most importantly, it’s so encouraging to see your journey and your optimism. A lot of people my social media feeds lately have been creators struggling and (rightfully) complaining, which is just really discouraging and depressing. So thank you.
One particularly dumb series of questions as a true outsider: who is the “we” here? Are you working for an actual company churning out all these projects and getting paid through an employer, or does a “working screenwriter” still mean you are living from the paycheck to paycheck of each individual project, more like a freelancer? If that’s the case, how do you stretch each one/get health insurance?
I hope these questions don’t require a response long enough to warrant its own post lol—I’m grateful for your work/insights regardless!! Congrats on a killer 2025!
Loved reading this and getting a bit of insight to the industry. I was reminded of Michael Palin's diaries, whose years are also often filled with writing, waiting and discussing.
Wishing you a great 2026!
I love this overview. Waiting around seems to be a universal game. I used to wonder about those long gaps people have on IMDB and I thought they had not 'done' anything for years, but in fact the years in between were spent doing all the things you have been writing about and getting rejected or being unlucky a lot. Oh the grind!
In the spirit of not waiting around for someone to give me a job or a task I started my own Substack recently. It's a way of making me work at a constant pace as I am not (yet) as busy as you are, but also I love the format of short scenes - it's been very useful when it comes down to working on projects I have going.
https://substack.com/@listankovic?
Congrats on the baby news! And thanks for sharing all of this. I find it fascinating. How does anything get made--ever?? Let's hope 2026 is full of less waiting!
Thanks for sharing this in such great detail! I’m starting out as a screenwriter, lost a lot of momentum w the pandemic and strikes, and I honestly don’t know what’s going on lol this was really helpful to read. Best of luck in the new year!
Always good to remember William Goldman’s very wise thoghts on Hollywood: “Nobody knows anything.” Best of luck this year to you too!
This was a fantastic and informative read! Thanks for taking the time to put this together for us!
Oh thanks for sharing!!
This was a super interesting (and helpful) read. Really appreciate the candor. And congrats on the impending parenthood!
Thank you for reading, and especially thank you for the congrats on the really important news!!
I found this so insightful and engaging as an indie film producer and aspiring writer/director! Thanks for sharing!! Would love to read the “dead’s”….
I always look forward to reading this every year. It always delivers! Looking forward to watching "In the Blink of an Eye." And congrats on the baby!
Oh thank you so much Zach! Really nice to hear! We're excited!!
This was awesome to read! A great perspective/reminder to always be working on multiple things at once, too. I’m someone who does not come from a traditional film/tv background (my education + career up until this point has been in political communications), but now I’m trying to chase a very different dream as a screenwriter. So I always appreciate you demystifying the process. Most importantly, it’s so encouraging to see your journey and your optimism. A lot of people my social media feeds lately have been creators struggling and (rightfully) complaining, which is just really discouraging and depressing. So thank you.
One particularly dumb series of questions as a true outsider: who is the “we” here? Are you working for an actual company churning out all these projects and getting paid through an employer, or does a “working screenwriter” still mean you are living from the paycheck to paycheck of each individual project, more like a freelancer? If that’s the case, how do you stretch each one/get health insurance?
I hope these questions don’t require a response long enough to warrant its own post lol—I’m grateful for your work/insights regardless!! Congrats on a killer 2025!
Always love and appreciate these year end wrap ups! Congrats to you and Emma on the biggest news!! So exciting!