Best Dan Rutstein Podcasts (2025)

1
Take 143 - Writer Daniel Casey, 10 Cloverfield Lane, F9 47:07

1d ago47:07

47:07

We bring on the fascinating Daniel Casey. He tells us his Hollywood origin story, giving up directing to get a script moving, his route to F9 and the excitement of working on a serious franchise. Daniel talks about the exciting of being on the set of a $250m movie, how nice Fast and Furious fans were and how close he came to running out of money an…

1
Take 142 - Actor, Writer, Director, Author, Producer Eriq La Salle, Coming to America, On Call 47:34

8d ago47:34

47:34

We are delighted to have the legendary Eriq La Salle on the show. The talented actor, writer, producer, director and novelist joins us to talk about his illustrious career, the power of storytelling and his love of acting but not necessarily some of the business of acting. We talk about a writing rejection leading to acting, an acting rejection lea…

1
Take 141 - Arika Lisanne Mittman, Writer, Showrunner, Timeless, La Brea, The Irrational 48:29

2M ago48:29

48:29

We talk to The Irrational Showrunner Arika Lisanne Mittman. She talks about her ten years as an assistant, finally getting her break and what she learned along the way. We discuss the rise and fall of network television, what the industry learned from the strike and whether she's any good at firing people (she's not!). Arika talks about her strengt…

1
Take 140 - Showrunner Joe Wilson, The Equalizer 47:17

2M ago47:17

47:17

We talk to Equalizer showrunner Joe Wilson. In one of our most candid episodes so far, he talks about his journey from East Cleveland to Hollywood, the tough days at the start and even sleeping in his car. He explains how he got his break, how he is treated when he goes home and what sort of showrunner he aspires to be. We talk cool Hollywood momen…

1
Matchday 35 - Danny Stone, Orange County SC Head Coach 57:21

2M ago57:21

57:21

In a rare crossover episode, we combine American the Beautiful Game and United States of Dramerica and talk about football while drinking whisky. The guest is Danny Stone, head coach of Orange County Soccer Club. He drinks a Glenlivet 15 and we talk about the impact of the World Cup in America, his coaching strengths and weaknesses and his love for…

1
Take 139 - Co-Creators Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, On Call 52:45

2M ago52:45

52:45

It's always fun we have two guests on, particularly when they are talking about Wolf Productions first go at a streaming platform. We talk to showrunner Tim Walsh and co-creator Elliot Wolf about their new show On Call, making the most of the freedom of a streamer, whether the police in Long Beach still like them and how hard the industry is right …

1
Take 138 - Showrunner, Writer Sally Bradford Mckenna, Will & Grace, Laid 47:24

2M ago47:24

47:24

We talk to Sally Bradford Mckenna, co-showrunner of the new Peacock show Laid. She explains how she first got her break, reluctantly, on Will & Grace, how her father's career helped shaped hers and why every show needs two showrunners. She talks about the evolution of comedy writing, difficult rooms early in her career and being brought in to solve…

1
Take 137 - Showrunner JJ Bailey, The Hunting Party 42:38

3M ago42:38

42:38

We talk to showrunner JJ Bailey. He talks about his new show The Hunting Party, finding a new angle for a procedural and the excitement of getting a new network show on air. We hear about the complexity of the showrunner role, learning a way round a writers room and whether you should write about your hobbies. Great insight from a man who seems too…

1
Take 136 - Writer Matthew Aldrich, Coco, Cleaner 47:17

3M ago47:17

47:17

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 s…

1
Matchday 34 - Peter Moore, Liverpool and Santa Barbara Sky 39:27

4M ago39:27

39:27

We talk to the hugely impressive Peter Moore about his transition from CEO of the mighty Liverpool to founding Santa Barbara Sky in the USL Championship. He talks about the growth of opportunities in America, building a club from scratch and the importance of community whatever the size of the team. Peter explains why he and his wife wanted to unde…

1
Take 135 - Executive and Producer Sue Naegle, Day of the Jackal, Game of Thrones 44:41

5M ago44:41

44:41

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.…

1
Take 134 - Writer and Showrunner Kevin Abbott, Roseanne, Golden Girls, Happy’s Place 50:12

5M ago50:12

50:12

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 …

1
Take 133 - Producer Michael Costigan, Brokeback Mountain, Based on a True Story 41:53

6M ago41:53

41:53

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 p…

1
Take 132 - Showrunner Frank Cardea, NCIS, Crazy Like a Fox, Shogun 53:19

7M ago53:19

53:19

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 l…

1
Take 131 - Writer and Showrunner Michael Rauch, Beautiful People, Royal Pains 46:03

7M ago46:03

46:03

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.…

1
Take 130 - Writer and Showrunner Mark Goffman, West Wing, Sleepy Hollow, Bull, Irrational 40:34

8M ago40:34

40:34

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 impo…

1
Take 129 - John Wirth Part Two! 55:20

8M ago55:20

55:20

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.By John Wirth

1
Take 128 - Showrunner and Writer John Wirth, Dark Winds, Nash Bridges 1:15:07

8M ago1:15:07

1:15:07

We speak to the legendary John Wirth. He talks about a Hollywood career so long that he can't even remember all of the shows he has run, the shows he has been fired from and arguing with actors who hadn't won Emmys. He talks about managing upwards, 'run money' and an extraordinary argument with talent about trust. A remarkable episode with a remark…

1
Take 127 - Writer, Showrunner, Memoirist SJ Hodges, The Player, Uneven Ground 1:50:47

8M ago1:50:47

1:50:47

We talk to the extraordinary SJ Hodges. She talks about changing her name to a gender neutral one to get read, jumping from staff writer straight to show runner and what she learned from managing a literal car crash on The Player. Then SJ shares her personal journey of losing her husband to a brain tumour, what she did next and how she ended up bui…

1
Take 126 - Writer Gary Whitta, The Book of Eli, Rogue One 1:08:41

8M ago1:08:41

1:08:41

The podcast is back for the second half of season three and we have a cracker. Gary Whitta, writer of Book of Eli and Rogue One gives an extraordinary interview about his transition from video game editor to writer, working on Star Wars and his frustrations with Hollywood. He gves us an extraordinary pig analogy, talks about the excitement and pres…

1
We're back! 54:16

8M ago54:16

54:16

After a long mid-season break, we are back up with the second half of Season Three of Screaming into the Hollywood Abyss. Noah and Dan talk about what they have been up to the last few weeks - Noah's show got cancelled! - and we thank our long-term partner Scriptation and then introduce tomorrow's episode with Rogue One writer Gary Whitta. This tas…

1
Matchday 33 - Andrew Fox, Orange County SC defender and trivia legend 55:16

9M ago55:16

55:16

We talk to Andrew Fox, Orange County Soccer Club defender and legendary trivia figure. We talk about his unconventional journey to the USL, playing non-league in England, college scholarship in Texas, back to the English Football League before back to America. We also talk about his red card for Grimsby Town against Crystal Palace - the first playe…

1
Matchday 32 - Jim McCarthy, founder of Impresario Strategic Services 46:13

10M ago46:13

46:13

We talk to soccer ticketing consultant Jim McCarthy. We talk about why top football teams aren’t better at ticketing, the Messi and Caitlin Clark impacts in American sport and how Championship teams in England have their models wrong. We discuss stadium seating areas, why ticketing is important and how he has turned bagel knowledge to Goldstar tick…

1
Take 125 - Writer, Producer, Director Ed Zwick, Shakespeare in Love, Blood Diamond, the Last Samurai 52:23

12M ago52:23

52:23

Our first Oscar winner! For the last episode before our mid-season break we have Ed Swick on the show. He talks about his new book - Hits, Flops and Other Illusions. And we talk winning Oscars, writing truthful books about Hollywood and his extraordinary career. He tells us how the industry has changed, that films like the ones he made aren’t made …

1
Take 124 - Showrunner, Director Jim Mickle, Sweet Tooth 42:16

12M ago42:16

42:16

We talk to the fascinating Jim Mickle. He tells us about this start in independent movies, taking a break during the strike and the upcoming final season of Sweet Tooth. He explains how he got in to tv, becoming a showrunner and suffering from imposter syndrome and working in New Zealand during a pandemic. Jim talks about how hard and tiring being …

1
Take 123 - Showrunner, writer Emily Fox, Hindsight, Watchful Eye, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist 51:19

1y ago51:19

51:19

We talk to the fascinating Emily Fox who tells us about getting fired, trying to stuff a large chair into a car in the rain while in tears and the importance of connection in a writing room during a pandemic. She tells us about her shows getting cancelled due to a change of exec, being nice to people firing her and building bonds among colleagues. …

1
Take 122 - Writer, Producer, Showrunner Wendy West, Law and Order SVU, Dexter, FBI: Most Wanted 44:10

1y ago44:10

44:10

We talk to Emmy-nominated writer and producer Wendy West. She talks about researching murder, her love of morgues and being the only woman in the room early in her career. Wendy talks about mentoring young female writers, supporting veterans and what it's like to work in the Dick Wolf world. She explains her path to success, her love of crossovers …

1
Take 121 - Producer, Director, Showrunner Eddie Schmidt, Good One: A Show About Jokes 40:10

1y ago40:10

40:10

We talk to Oscar and Emmy award nominee Eddie Schmidt. He talks about being comedy adjacent, his time in an improv troupe and how he moved into the showrunning part of Hollywood. We discuss leadership style, the fun of working in comedy and the demeaning comments of mean bosses. We talk about how to appreciate comedy, the complexities of navigating…

1
Take 120 - Comedian Ray Ellin 55:54

1y ago55:54

55:54

In a slightly different style of episode we talk to comedian Ray Ellin. We discuss how social media has changed comedy, hear some magnificent failure anecdotes from comedy clubs and bars and talk through the process of creating comedy. Ray talks us through his love of live standup, working in tv and why he made a podcast about Little House on the P…

1
Take 119 - Writers and Producers Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, The Fighter, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare 39:41

1y ago39:41

39:41

We talk to Oscar-nominated writing partners Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, They talk about their fight to get the Fighter written, battling both the mob and Hollywood, the joy of an Oscar nomination and the slog of the promotional campaign. They talk about how they savour every moment of red carpets and parties, the importance of never giving up and…

1
Take 118 - Writer Tom Vaughan, Winchester, The Haunting of the Queen Mary 46:29

1y ago46:29

46:29

We talk to screenwriter Tom Vaughan who opens up about his Hollywood journey. He talks about his early career, the arrogance and refusal to take notes even from Disney and the mistakes he made. He talks candidly about being 'a drunk', how despite success he deservedly couldn't get people to work with him a second time and moving into teaching and t…

1
Take 117 - Director, Writer, Showrunner Matthew Carnahan, Dirt, House of Lies 41:02

1y ago41:02

41:02

We talk to the fascinating Matthew Carnahan. He tells us about his early work with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, why he didn't want to work in TV and how he broke in to that world. He talks passionately about choosing meaningful projects over money, the joys of a successful project and the anger at the death of that same project. Matt talks about…

1
Take 116 - Writer, producer, showrunner Ted Cohen, Friends, Veep, Succession 51:34

1y ago51:34

51:34

The One with 4-time Emmy winner Ted Cohen. We speak to Ted about his time on Friends, what’s it like to win an Emmy and how we coped after coming off Friends and spending ten years in the development wilderness. We talk about the switch from comedy to drama, writing for himself and getting on Veep. Then we hear about Succession, working on a game- …

1
Take 115 - Steven O’Neill, Head of Casting, Universal Content Productions 48:00

1+ y ago48:00

48:00

We talked to Head of Casting at Universal Content Productions, Steven O’Neill. He proudly talks about his work helping people achieve their dreams, how he fell in love with casting and what the pandemic did to change the process. He talks about how to deal with disagreements with showrunners, separating behaviour from performances and running into …

1
Take 114 - Writer and Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, Luke Cage, Creed II 54:03

1+ y ago54:03

54:03

We talk to legendary showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker. He talks about his journey from music journalist to writer, what he learned from the tough world of hip-hop and how he used those skills in Hollywood. Cheo talks about the similarities between running and writing, finding pockets of time to write and how screenwriting can be painful. He describes e…

1
Matchday 31 - Gareth Ainsworth, Wimbledon legend and manager 31:19

1+ y ago31:19

31:19

We talk to former flying winger Gareth Ainsworth about his playing and managerial career. He tells us about his literal baptism of fire at Wimbledon, what he learned there about culture and how he models himself on Diego Simeone. Gareth talks about his desire to manage in the US, the away dressing room at Accrington Stanley and why Ryan Reynolds ma…

1
Take 113 - Showrunner and Executive Producer Keith Geller, Wipeout, Fear Factor, Floor is Lava 40:54

1+ y ago40:54

40:54

We speak to Keith Geller who talks us through his unscripted journey. We talk game shows versus docu-follows, shrinking budgets and higher expectations and picking only proven formats. He talks about his journey from Shakespeare to Wipeout, the role of social media and the changing attitudes towards mental health and crises. Keith talks pitching ne…

1
Take 112 - Writer Daniel Kunka, 12 Rounds, Lift 48:26

1+ y ago48:26

48:26

We talk to the lovely Daniel Kunka, writer of Netflix number one movie Lift. We talk zombie apocalypses, impregnating wolves and the unlikely demise of a great script. He tells us about his 15 year gap between movies, writing for a female lead and ending up with Kevin Hart and how it feels to have the number one movie on a global steaming platform.…

1
Take 111 - Producers Marc Benardout, Hugh Broder - He Went That Way 48:57

1+ y ago48:57

48:57

Back from the winter break and we have another 'case study' episode of the podcast. We talk to Marc Benardout and Hugh Broder, producers of He Went That Way, a new movie out tomorrow. They talk about working with Jacob Elordi and Zach Quinto, about dealing with the death of their director but also Marc's son during production and the 19-year journe…

1
Take 110 - Showrunner Ashley Michel Hoban - Marco Polo, Girl from Plainville 47:13

1+ y ago47:13

47:13

We talk to the effervescent Ashley Michel Hoban. She talks about the excitement for her new show coming out today, her journey from assistant to showrunner and what she learned along the way. She tells about self belief, imposter syndrome and how’s she’s expecting to feel tomorrow morning after tonight’s Dr Death Season 2 premiere. Ashley discussed…

1
Matchday 30 - Simon Leslie, owner of Eastbourne Borough FC 31:19

1+ y ago31:19

31:19

We talk to entrepreneur Simon Leslie who took the plunge and bought himself a non-league team. He talks about transforming the business into a media company, bringing in celebrities and overcoming fan resistance. Simon explains why he’s in it for the long haul, changing the badge and firing the manager and trying to bring some aspects of American s…

1
Take 109 - Writer and Showrunner David Slack - Person of Interest, Law and Order, Teen Titans 42:48

1+ y ago42:48

42:48

We speak to the excellent David Slack. We talk about how an independent movie failure led him to Hollywood, the path from animation to live action and getting fired from Law and Order. David tells us about the shows that didn’t make it, claiming unemployment and some of the poor behaviour that has gone on in Hollywood. We also cover post-strike exe…

1
Take 108 - Producer, director, songwriter, writer Adam Anders, Glee, Rock of Ages, Journey to Bethlehem 47:39

1+ y ago47:39

47:39

The day before his new movie hits 3000 theaters in 38 countries, we talk to the talented Adam Anders. He tells us about his transition from a very successful music career with shows like Glee to his 17 year journey to writing, producing, directing and songwriting for a Christmas family musical called Journey to Bethlehem. Adam talks about being cre…

1
Take 107 - Producer, Writer, Illustrator David Kirschner, Hocus Pocus, An American Tail, Frailty, Chucky 49:31

1+ y ago49:31

49:31

Must. Listen. Episode. We have the legend that it David Kirschner. He talks getting his break designing an album cover for Neil Diamond, pitching Steven Spielberg at his July 4th party and Hocus Pocus going from abject failure to cult classic. David explains the story of Hocus Pocus taking years to make, bombing and leaving him in tears and then gr…

1
Take 106 - Writer and producer Jeremy Adams, Supernatural, Lego Scooby-Doo 42:55

1+ y ago42:55

42:55

We talk to Jeremy Adams about his life in animation. He tells us about the difficulties animated writers face, how they are treated compared to TV writers and how hard it is to break out of the mould. Jeremy tells us about his successes, the sacrifices his family had to make and the irony of creating great work for little pay and then watching mill…

1
Take 105 - Writer, actor, showrunner, director Deborah Pratt, Airwolf, Quantum Leap 42:55

1+ y ago42:55

42:55

We talk to the extraordinary Deborah Pratt. She tells us about how she got her break in Hollywood, her period of homelessness even after Quantum Leap and what she did to get her career back on track. Amazingly, we also cover a wide range of topics from Frank Sinatra to Airwolf to fan chat rooms. Deborah tells us about fighting against discriminatio…

1
Take 104 - EVP IP Management Jordan Moblo, Universal Studio Group 43:21

1+ y ago43:21

43:21

This season we seek to explore failure and rejection in different parts of Hollywood. We have Jordan Moblo, EVP IP Management and Creative Acquisitions of Universal Studio Group. He talks why he is plans to be an agent didn't work, the books that got away and how they try and treat the authors they work with. He explains how they set expectations f…

1
Take 103 - Executive, writer and showrunner Lisa Morales, Shameless, Two Sentence Horror Stories 36:25

1+ y ago36:25

36:25

We talk to the fantastic Lisa Morales. She tells us about crashing James Cameron's Hummer, her role as an executive and then giving that up to become a writer. She walks us through being fired for not being confident enough, imposter syndrome and rebuilding her confidence and her career. What she learned on her journey to being a showrunner, what s…

1
Take 102 - Writers Aaron and Jordan Kandell, Moana, Adrift 52:32

1+ y ago52:32

52:32

We have the the amazing ‘Jewaiian’ twins who tell us about writing Moana, their early failures and why poetry didn’t pay the bills. They talk about representation in native Hawaiian storytelling, being down to their last 12 dollars and the emotionally challenging story of the making of Adrift. The twins explain how they celebrate success, how they …

1
Take 101 - Showrunner Mike Scully, The Simpsons 49:26

1+ y ago49:26

49:26

Season 3 Premiere We have legendary Simpsons showrunner Mike Scully on the show. He talks about being pigeon-holed as ‘Cartoon Boy’, losing out on an Emmy to the Rugrats Passover special and writing jokes for $25 for Yakov Smirnoff. He tells us about being accused of being a UN Observer for being so quiet in a writing room, having a show cancelled …

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