We're back after our New Year and fire break and have a great oe, Coco and Cleaner writer Matthew Aldrich.

He talks about the power of spec scripts, why he never celebrates his wins and the pressure and intensity of working with Pixar.
He tells about sourcing ideas from news articles, how prior success has meant nothing for future success and the state of Hollywood today.

We also cover not living in LA, alternative pastry chef careers and why he feels so fortunate.

A great first episode of the year from a man with some amazing films under his belt.

We talk to former HBO President and now producer Sue Naegle.
A fascinating insight from the top of Hollywood about how Game of Thrones nearly didn’t get made, working with Eddie Redmayne and the art of saying no.
Sue talks about producing multiple shows at the same time, the projects that got away and the fear of where the next deal is coming from.
We also talk about Hollywood coming out of its dark times, the Day of the Jackal and what she learned being an agent.
Extraordinary insight from a varied and successful career.

We talk to comedy writing legend Kevin Abbott.
He talks about the drinking, drugs and smoking of his first comedy rooms, how he got his break in the business and working through the night.
Pitching while an exec was peeing, why writers are all miserable and the behaviours that are no longer acceptable.
Kevin explains that Hollywood is in its worst possible spot, why creatives are not valued and how the industry has changed to be so much more business than show.
A fascinating and hilarious discussion with a legend of the business.

We talk to the magnificent Michael Costigan, producer of such hits as Brokeback Mountain, Robin Hood and Hit Man, among many others joins the show.
He talks about his new TV series Based on a True Story, his transition from movies to the small screen and how hard it is to get anything made.
Michael explains his journey from terrible assistant, to producing seminal movies and compares adversity in film and television.
An honest and candid romp through Hollywood, with tales of the biggest directors and a genuine passion for every project he touches.

What an episode!
We talk to TV legend Frank Cardea about his decades in the business.
He tells us about his move from accountancy to producing, the extraordinary longevity of his writing partnership and working on more than 400 episodes of NCIS.
We hear some great examples of failure, some great examples of success and also some great examples of leadership.
A fascinating deepdive into one of Hollywood longest and most prodigious careers.

We talk to Michael Rauch. He starts with an extraordinary film school firing, then a late-night 'show being un-picked up' call and how he recovered from those early career setbacks.
He tells us about his casting frustrations, managing multiple projects, and what he learned from great showrunners.
An excellent episode full of brilliant anecdotes.

We talk to the fascinating Mark Goffman.
He tells us about swapping real Government speech writing at the State Department for writing on the West Wing, some extraordinary career luck and ventriloqism documentaries.
Mark talks about the importance of giving people a voice in a room, the importance of working with good people repeatedly and the importance of reflecting something of yourself in every show.
He talks about regret, where he derives his satisfaction in the writing process and he answers the question 'are your shows better in your head or on the screen'.
A fascinating interview with a brilliant creator.

We weren’t finished with John Wirth, so he comes back for more.
This time we talk leadership style, drinking too much soda and the use of the red pen.
John talks about being blunt, some more failure stories and even more advice.