American Screenwriter Podcast: Recent Episodes
David Mckenna
David McKenna, renowned screenwriter of American History X, Blow, SWAT and Embattled, breaks down what it to takes to be a successful TV and screenwriter in today's Hollywood. From how to write your first screenplay, to how to get an agent, how to navigate the entertainment industry and how to find long term success in Hollywood, David answers your questions and covers it all. Using humorous anecdotes from his real life war stories both on and off set, he draws on his more than 25 years' experience to share his lessons learned from his triumphs and failures in the film industry.
It’s all about the idea, baby.
Dave talks strategy and tactics in Episode 2. He discusses in detail how to take your great freakin’ idea, properly develop it, and prep it into a future script that sells and makes bank, bro!
Always the hypocrite, Dave preaches discipline in attacking this great idea and says he always knows he’s ready to go to script when his entire household hates his guts.
Thankfully, this episode is under 25 minutes!
Episode 1-Maiden Voyage Notes
In his first episode, and quite possibly his last, Dave confesses that the only reason he’s doing this podcast is because he’s tired of having coffee with cousins of former roommates who are trying to break into Hollywood.
He also discusses the most common question asked of him, how he became a screenwriter, and how this decision permanently changed the world for the worse.
Dave promises to be an open book with his career spanning almost 30 years—but do we really want all that stuff stuck in our heads? Lastly, Dave hates people who blab for 90 minutes on these suckers so he says his weekly episodes will thankfully only be 20-25 minutes, covering four different quadrants—Strategies and Tactics of screenwriting, the Industry, “Storytime with Dave” and a Q&A with listeners at the end of every month.
That is, if he has any listeners.