With a wide variety of screenwriting podcasts available, there’s plenty of content for screenwriters to learn from.
You can learn the best of screenwriting with insightful success stories, or the worst by contemplating common mistakes and the downsides of being a writer. The best screenwriting podcasts allow you to look at real-world examples, typically by listening to professionals’ first-hand experiences.
Whether it’s at-length interviews with Hollywood big-hitters, quick how-to guides, or deep-dive discussions on screenplay techniques, there are screenwriting podcasts out there for every need.
It’s fair to say there’s a wealth of options and that this vast array of options can be overwhelming. So we’ve put together a selection of the best screenwriting podcasts to inform, entertain, educate and inspire writers.
Below is our list of the 25 best screenwriting podcasts for writers. There is a range of different types of content here, from interview format podcasts to more educational ones.
All are greatly useful for screenwriters to learn from though and overall a balance of listening to different kinds is typically the best way forward. These are in our opinion the best screenwriting podcasts (in non-hierarchical order).
A weekly podcast hosted by professional screenwriters John August (Big Fish, Corpse Bride) and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, The Last of Us), Scriptnotes provides great insight into the interests and habits of two working, very successful screenwriters.
There are discussions on a wide range of topics related to the process of screenwriting and interviews with some big names. There is even a segment critiquing scripts submitted by listeners. John August and Craig Mazin, two big-hitting screenwriters, have a lot of wisdom to impart. They almost act like screenwriting coaches, guiding a community of listening writers through the trickiest parts of the screenwriting process.
In this screenwriting podcast, host Al Horner interviews high calibre guests, such as Edgar Wright (Last Night in Soho, Baby Driver) and James Gunn (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy).
Script Apart focuses on subjects such as the first draft and the transition from script to screen. Writers look back at what worked in their own scripts, what didn’t, what changed and why. It’s a valuable resource, grounding big releases in the practicalities of what makes them work from a writing perspective.
Part of the Indie Film Hustle network, Bulletproof is another screenwriting podcast with top-tier guests, from Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) to Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Dune).
Alex Ferrari covers subjects such as the creative process, pitching for TV, and making money as a writer.
This screenwriting podcast analyses the tools and techniques that go into making a screenplay work. Made by Australian filmmakers Chas Fisher and Stu Willis, Draft Zero offers in-depth looks into the mechanics of visual storytelling.
They go in deep on specific examples, analysing what makes them work often from within the perspective of a particular screenwriting technique. For example, the choices and decisions made by characters.
Made by Final Draft, this podcast has screenwriters, showrunners and directors talk about success in the industry.
Subjects include breaking into the industry, running writers’ rooms, and adapting stories for the screen, with active industry talent like Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso) and Craig Brewer (Coming 2 America).
The Final Draft name attracts some star guests. But the focus on the craft of writing always keeps it centred.
Host Hudson Phillips talks about productivity in the creative process on this screenwriting podcast.
Instead of examining technical elements like writing techniques or story structure, ScriptBlast talks topics like work/life balance, the right mindset, and collaboration.
It serves up a good balance with many other screenwriting podcasts that primarily focus on craft. Here, the creative process behind writing is more at the forefront of discussion.
Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and Lorien McKenna (script supervisor on Up) offer insider expertise on the craft of writing for the screen. Providing practical advice, each episode is like a how-to guide filled with invaluable, inspiring insight, plus a dash of humor.
There’s a range of advice, from the work/life balance to more craft-based discussion. And it feels charismatically delivered. An informative but also enjoyable listen.
Script consultant Pilar Alessandra’s podcast aims to cover anything and everything related to screenwriting, with guests from across the industry.
Pilar asks interesting questions aiming to draw out important nuggets of information in an educational approach. It has quite a formal feel. But for writers seeking to learn the craft, this can sometimes be exactly what is needed.
This screenwriting podcast features interviews with writers and directors, such as Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi), on their creative processes. The Q&A offers informative and entertaining takes on the art of the screenplay and visual storytelling in general.
It’s more wide-ranging than other screenwriting podcasts in terms of the guests, with writers, directors and producers featuring. This makes it quite broad if you’re looking specifically for writing advice. But it’s also a great way of getting a slightly wider view of the industry.
A screenwriting podcast by Michael Tucker, creator of the Lessons from the Screenplay YouTube channel.
Beyond the Screenplay delves into a different film each episode, discussing storytelling techniques and how to apply this knowledge. They range from current to past releases and look into what makes the screenplay work. It’s a great in-depth look at specific work and brilliant for writers who want to geek out over some of the best screenplays out there.
With typically shorter episodes than most, this podcast is great for those looking for quick conversations with creators on their craft.
Made by the Austin Film Festival, On Story is another podcast with plenty of people worth listening to. Guests include the likes of David Benioff & D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones) and Daniel Myrick (Blair Witch Project).
It’s an imminently accessible podcast, with bitesize chunks of advice. You can see exactly what you’re getting in for just by looking at the list of episodes. And this makes it a great way of quickly mainlining advice and insight on a diverse range of topics from a diverse range of people.
While many of the podcasts here are geared towards film, The Writers Panel podcast is focused on TV. It styles itself as the “definitive insider’s guide to our current golden age of television”.
Ben Blacker is joined by industry pros in interviews and panels. Talking points include the media landscape, showbiz secrets, and creating for TV. It’s very industry-focused and less craft-focused. But this makes it just as equally as valuable for aspiring and working writers.
Screenwriter, playwright, producer and director, Jacob Krueger’s podcast discusses what can be learned by looking at the storytelling techniques employed in popular media.
From story structure in The Mandalorian to the use of action in Dexter, Write Your Screenplay aims to educate by examining practical examples.
This podcast provides a weekly chat with filmmaker Diane Bell that seeks to inspire and inform.
Diane covers creating characters, the experience of being a female artist, getting an agent, and many more subjects to do with working as a filmmaker and screenwriter. It’s a great way to get a boots to the ground perspective from a working filmmaker, providing insight into craft as well as the industry.
This podcast is, as the name suggests, all about finding success as a screenwriter.
Geoffrey D. Calhoun interviews professionals who have made it in the industry. He seeks to find out what approach they took to break through, sell their scripts, and write winning screenplays. He interviews a range of writers working in different genres, from sitcoms to sci-fi. In addition, there are also film analyses and breakdowns. It’s a wide-ranging podcast, with great insight into the practicalities of working as a screenwriter.
Created by a teacher of screenwriting, this podcast aims to be explicitly educational and seeks to address issues and common mistakes in writing a screenplay.
Providing both short-form lesson-like episodes as well as lengthier interviews, there’s a good mixture of content to learn from here – from episodes on specific elements of craft like subtext to interviews with industry professionals.
A screenwriting podcast offering insight and inspiration on the techniques of storytelling.
Hosts Adam and Josh dig into the creative process itself to talk about tools and tips. Notes on your Notes targets writers whose goal is “growing their projects and themselves”. This is an intimate deep dive into the creative process.
Diversity Hires focuses on the culture of screenwriting from a “distinctly Black point of view”.
Professional screenwriters Sherman Payne (Shameless, Scream) and Shukree Hassan Tilghman (Animal Kingdom, This Is Us) talk everything from craft to commerce to current events.
This podcast aims to provide in-depth observations on 21st century films.
A little more varied than most, 21st Rewrite uses three different episode formats. These are screenplay breakdowns, screenwriter interviews, and expert discussions about a specific film, both current and past. It’s a good way to get in-depth analysis on contemporary films, whilst perhaps not providing such a deep dive into screenwriting craft.
The Screenwriters Network Podcast is targeted specifically at emerging writers.
With discussions on topics such as screenwriting contests, festivals, and optioning scripts, writers yet to break through have the chance to learn from people who already have.
Produced for NPR’s KCRW, The Treatment consists of intimate interviews with influential members of the entertainment industry, such as David Chase (The Sopranos) and Sandra Oh.
Unlike some of the podcasts listed, The Treatment doesn’t offer a guide to screenwriting. Instead, it opts for talks with creatives about personal experiences and their relationship with their stories. It’s nonetheless a fascinating and valuable insight into the creative process, featuring revealing interviews with some of the industry’s finest.
OnWriting is the official screenwriting podcast of the Writers Guild of America East. Weekly instalments have media professionals discussing different aspects of their work: the process of writing, pitching an idea, creating characters, and more.
The interviews are typically with writers who are embedded in the industry and consequently have a vast range of experience – such as Jen Statsky (Broad City/The Good Place) and Danny Strong (Empire/Dopesick). It’s specific in this sense, giving tailored writing advice that is greatly illuminating for working and aspiring writers.
In this screenwriting podcast, host Carl Albert looks to “autopsy” screenplays in order to learn by example. He breaks down the writing of major films and TV series such as Midnight Mass and Parasite, incorporating storytelling theory and philosophies of filmmaking.
How I Wrote That is produced in association with the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting. Hosted by Khanisha Foster, this is a podcast specifically centered on women in writing.
You can access inspirational interviews with prestigious female screenwriters, such as Rachel Shukert (GLOW, Baby-Sitters Club), regarding their careers and advice for aspiring writers.
A screenwriting podcast that’s a little different from most listed here. This one is from the point-of-view of emergent writers who are ‘in the trenches’.
Hosts Rob Hagans and Kay Tuxford chat about the craft of screenwriting, covering more niche talking points such as writing by hand or writing for a low budget production.
This is a great way for aspiring screenwriters to connect with and feel like they are a part of a community. And it’s the perfect example of what the best screenwriting podcasts can offer – the opportunity to feel part of a bigger picture. You might be listening alone, but in doing so you are connecting to a thriving professional community.
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This article was written by David Ayres and edited by IS Staff.
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Thanks for including Draft Zero in this list!