Trevor White of Star Thrower Productions talks about how he and his brother Tim have built their producing careers by working hands-on with screenwriters to develop their scripts, then using the Black List as a spotlight tool to get the industry buzzing and help package projects with the right talent - a strategy that's led to some serious hits including King Richard (2021), where Zach Baylin's script about Venus and Serena Williams' father landed Will Smith his Oscar, The Post (2017), teaming Liz Hannah's Pentagon Papers script with Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks, and their latest Black List project, the rom-dramedy Eternity (2025), which just premiered at TIFF.
White breaks down their writer-first approach, explaining how Star Thrower digs into the development trenches with screenwriters before strategically using the Black List to create buzz and attract directors and actors, turning promising scripts into actual movies that get made, while offering practical advice to aspiring writers about nailing character work, finding fresh takes on stories, and understanding how the right relationships and platforms can get your script from your laptop to the big screen.
Useful links:
Star Thrower Entertainment Website
Trailer for rom-dramedy Eternity
THR Interview with Tim and Trevor
Deadline Article about 'With the 8th Pick'
Film Courage Video Interview with Trevor
Get your copy of John's exceptional book here.
What if every story you've ever loved - from ancient myths to Marvel blockbusters, from Shakespeare to The Sopranos - follows the exact same blueprint?
Today we dive deep into John Yorke's revolutionary book "Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them," the UK's bestselling screenwriting text that's required reading for story enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Find this and other interviews on our new YouTube Channel.
Yorke, the mastermind behind British TV hits like Shameless, Life on Mars, and EastEnders, argues that storytelling isn't just an art - it's hardwired into human perception itself.
We explore his groundbreaking five-act structure, the neurological basis of narrative, and why understanding story structure can transform your writing from good to great.
Whether you're a seasoned screenwriter or just starting your storytelling journey, this episode will change how you see every story around you.
Guest Bio:
John Yorke is one of the most influential figures in British television drama. Former MD of Company Pictures where he Exec Produced Wolf Hall, he’s worked as both Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production, where he was responsible for commissioning and producing some of the most beloved shows in British TV history, including Hustle, Spooks, Casualty, Holby City, Bodies, and Sex Traffic.
His career began story-lining EastEnders during its first BAFTA-winning year, leading to a 14-year association that produced some of the biggest audiences in British television history.
As a commissioning editor and executive producer, he championed defining works like Life On Mars, The Street, Shameless, and Waterloo Road.
In 2005, he created the BBC Writers Academy, a year-long intensive training program that has produced a generation of successful television writers.
John Yorke is now Managing Director of both Angel Station and John Yorke Story, where he works as a drama producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of storytelling.
He consults on narrative advertising across all broadcasting platforms including podcasting, presents his own weekly radio show Opening Lines about classic books on BBC Radio 4, and is also Visiting Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
He lives in London but works as a story consultant worldwide.
Useful links:
BBC Writersroom Interview - John Yorke
Hit the link here for 10% off Story and Plot's pro digital screenwriting courses, MASTERING STRUCTURE and IDEA TO OUTLINE.
Discover why 90% of screenplay sales hinge on two crucial elements - and it's not what most writers think. Professional screenwriter Tom Vaughan exposes the industry's best-kept structural secrets, including the game-changing 8-sequence method that outperforms traditional 3-act structure. Learn why the story-vs-plot distinction separates amateur scripts from professional ones, and discover how proper structure actually unleashes creativity instead of constraining it.
Tom Vaughan has written screenplays professionally for 28 years and taught the subject for 22.
He has written for, among others, Phoenix Pictures, TNT, MTV Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, ABC, NBC, CBS, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, Disney, and others. He has also developed screenplays for Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage, Barry Sonnenfeld, Chow-Yun Fat, Ruben Fleischer, David Gordon Green, and many more.
WINCHESTER, the film he co-wrote starring Helen Mirren and Sarah Snook, about the infamous Winchester Mystery House, opened nationwide in 2018 and his eighth film, THE HAUNTING OF THE QUEEN MARY was released in 2023.
One of his big life goals was to teach screenwriting at my beloved alma mater, The University of Houston.
Which he now does.
Check out the video of this interview on our new YouTube Channel.
Useful links:
Michael Arndt's incredible screenwriting videos
Trailer to Tom's recent film, WINCHESTER
Interview with playwright Edward Albee - Tom's teacher
In our season two finale, we speak to screenwriter Justin Kremer, who made history as the first writer to be signed via The Black List website just six weeks after its launch. Six weeks later, he landed on the annual Black List for his historical political biopic McCarthy, which chronicles the rise and fall of 1950s Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. The script explores McCarthy's tenure as the most visible face of Cold War-era fears about communist subversion in America, culminating in the televised Army-McCarthy hearings of spring 1954, where the senator's claims of communist infiltration in the U.S. Army ultimately led to his downfall.
Guest: Justin Kremer on Instagram, Letterboxd and X
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
Interview w/The Bitter Script Reader
This week on Blacklisted, we sit down with screenwriter Shea Mayo to dive into the bloody good journey of their spec script Crush on You - a love letter to '80s slasher films and ‘90s teen horror that caught Hollywood's attention and landed on the prestigious Black List in 2020.
Mayo breaks down how she channeled the iconic terror of Nightmare on Elm Street and other genre classics into a fresh, contemporary horror story.
Whether you're a screenwriter looking to break through, a horror fan curious about the genre's evolution, or just want to know what it takes to get Sydney Sweeney's attention, this episode delivers the goods. Plus, we'll discuss why the '80s slasher aesthetic continues to captivate modern audiences and how to write horror that bleeds off the page.
Guest: Shea Mayo on Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Today we're talking with Colin Bannon, a screenwriter who's made the prestigious Black List a record seven times with his genre-bending thrillers and survival horror scripts. We're diving into his breakthrough screenplay "The Interventionist," which landed on the 2018 Black List and follows a drug-addicted interventionist trying to help his own daughter, only to discover something far more sinister than addiction lurking beneath the surface.
Guest: Colin Bannon on Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
'Long Lost' - Short Story Sale
'Don't Look' - Short Story Sale
Multi-hyphenate talent Leah McKendrick joins us to dive deep into her romantic comedy screenplay Voicemails for Isabelle, which earned a coveted spot on the 2019 Black List. Now McKendrick is bringing her vision to life as the film's director, with Netflix set to release the project featuring Nick Robinson and Zoey Deutch in the leading roles.
Guest: Leah McKendrick on X and Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
Original Director (as discussed) - Deadline
Netflix Announcement - Leah now at the helm - Deadline
Universal Monster Movie - Deadline
Voicemails for Isabelle - Scriptshadow Review
In the sixth episode of season two, we're joined by writer David Lee Williams (or is it Hawk?) to discuss his 2022 Black List script Clementine — a high-octane thriller with the real-time propulsion of Run Lola Run, fueled by the visceral maternal energy of J.Lo's The Mother.
Guest: David L Williams on X and Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
'Forever Purge' Director to Helm Thriller 'Clementine'
Deadline Article on Director Attachment
Scriptshadow - 'Clementine' Review and Interview
Go Into The Story - David L Williams Interview w/Scott Myers
In the fifth episode of season two, we're joined by actor, writer and human rights activist, Alyssa Ross to talk about her Michael Phelps biopic, Resurfaced, which featured on the 2022 Black List.
Guest: Alyssa Ross on X and Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
TV Pilot Trailer - The Humanitarians
Alyssa's Website
Mentioned Article about Resurfaced on SwimSwam
In our fourth episode of season two, we're joined by spec king, Dan Kunka to discuss his 2014 Black List script, Yellowstone Falls - a 52-page script with minimal dialogue and few human characters.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a catastrophic event has stripped the humanity from most survivors, leaving them as mutated threats. At its core, it's the story of a mother wolf who becomes separated from her mate when their pack flees to safety. Now alone, she must defend her cubs from an oncoming swarm of these dehumanized creatures.
Guest: Dan Kunka on X, Instagram and BlueSky
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
Deadline - QED buys 'Yellowstone Falls'
In the third episode of season two, we're joined by former journalist Anna Klassen (Newsweek, The Daily Beast, BuzzFeed) to discuss her 2017 Black List script When Lightning Strikes — a coming-of-age story exploring the early life of J.K. Rowling, the novelist who conjured the magical world of Harry Potter.
Guest: Anna Klassen on X, Instagram and BlueSky
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
Final Draft - How Anna Klassen Turned Competition Wins into a Thriving Career
Canvas Rebel - Meet Anna Klassen
The Cosmophage - Anna Klassen
The Script Lab - Interview
Into The Script - Taking The Industry By Storm: An Interview with Screenwriter Anna Klassen
Shoutout LA - Meet Anna Klassen | Screenwriter
In our second episode of season two, we welcome Travis Braun to the podcast to discuss his 2022 Black List script, Dying For You. Travis made Black List history in December 2024, by becoming the first writer to top the list twice - and if that wasn't enough, he did it in successive years! Well done, TB.
Guest: Travis Braun on Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
Deadline - Travis Braun and Black List make history
Deadline - 'One Night Only' sells to Universal
Deadline - 'Bad Boy' package taken to EFM
In our Season 2 premiere, we welcome Elyse Hollander to discuss her 2016 Black List-topping script Blonde Ambition—a Madonna biopic chronicling the pop icon's rise through the sexism-fueled music industry of the early 1980s.
After selling to Universal with Michael De Luca producing, the project sparked massive controversy when Madonna herself took to social media to publicly denounce it.
For the first time, Elyse opens up about the media firestorm, the personal toll of being targeted by one of the world's biggest stars, and what it's really like when your breakthrough script becomes a lightning rod for public debate.
Guest: Elyse Hollander on Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and BlueSky
Visit storyandplot.com/blacklisted for a 10% discount on Tom Vaughan's fantastic screenwriting courses.
Useful links:
New York Times article on Madonna criticism
BBC fact-check Elyse's screenplay
THR article on Madonna controversy
Deadline article on Madonna reaction
People - 'Madonna to write and direct her own biopic'
Madonna's Netflix limited series announcement
Maybe kindly buy our host a coffee
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Email us @ theblacklisted.pod@gmail.com
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Happy New Year! Let us be the first to welcome you to 2025!
Today we bring you a special - surprise - episode with screenwriting career coach, Lee Jessup.
May Lee provide you with inspiration to kickstart the new year as you stare at that fresh blank page - full of potential.
Take a Deeper Dive:
The script consultant that both our host and Crosby Selander have employed is Andrew Hilton who goes by the pseudonym:The Screenplay Mechanic.
His services can be accessed here.
Competition details for Script Pipeline can be found here.
Lee Jessup recently hosted the Final Draft Write On podcast, discussing the state of the industry for screenwriters with Bellevue manager, Jeff Portnoy.
Listen to the packed episode here.
Guest: Lee Jessup on Instagram and X
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram, X and BSky
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In our final bonus episode with lit managers of season one, we speak with producer Kate Sharp of Bellevue Productions.
Kate is the lit manager of season one guests: Alexandra Tran and Jessica Welsh.
Take a Deeper Dive:
Interesting article about the curious case of copyright as it applies to Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life - here.
The script we talk about that sold for $2M to MGM Amazon Studios was a spec by Nyad scribe, Julia Cox. Article link here.
After Kate and I spoke, another spec hit the market (Alignment) about the travails of AI - this time from an unknown, unrepped screenwriter - and sold for $1.25M (against $3.25M) to Fifth Season. Link to that story here.
Guest: Kate Sharp on Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram, X and BSky
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In our third of four bonus episodes with lit managers, we speak with genre aficionado Matthew Dartnell of Writ Large.
Matt is the lit manager of season one guest: Austin Everett.
Guest: Matt Dartnell on Instagram
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram, X and BSky
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In our second bonus episode with literary managers, we speak with the manager of our very own host, Chris Coggins, over at Heroes and Villains Entertainment.
Chris is the lit manager of season one guest: Noga Pnueli.
Guest: Chris Coggins on Instagram and X
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram, X and BSky
If you can, maybe kindly tip your host with a coffee
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In our first bonus episode, we speak with John Zaozirny - the founder and head of Bellevue Productions.
John is the literary manager of season one guests: Ian Shorr, Kevin Sheridan and Sophia Lopez.
Guest: John Zaozirny on X
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and X
If you can, maybe kindly tip your host with a coffee
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In our final episode of season one, we welcome Austin Everett to the pod to discuss his 2019 Black List adaptation of the 'grounded' sci-fi novel, The Traveler.
Guest: Austin Everett on Instagram
Based on the novella written by Joseph Eckert
'Impressive' Scriptshadow Review for The Traveler
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and X
Season Sponsors:
Scrivener - Download the Outliner here
Final Draft - Upgrade to Version 13 here
Download Full Version here
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In the penultimate episode of our first season, we welcome Jessica Welsh to the show to discuss her 2021 Black List Shania Twain music biopic, SHANIA!
Guest: Jessica Welsh on Instagram
Princeton Alumni Piece on Jessica
Host: Chris Hill on Instagram and X
Season Sponsors:
Scrivener - Download the Outliner here
Final Draft - Upgrade to Version 13 here
Download Full Version here
For Exclusive, Ad-Free Episodes, join us on Patreon
Or, maybe kindly buy our host a coffee
Follow us on X and Instagram
Email us @ theblacklisted.pod@gmail.com
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