The Blank Page: Recent Episodes
Nic Romolini
Creativity, neuroses, and where the two meet. An exploration of the creative fields, with a focus on screenwriting, and their complicated relationship with mental health.
Nic Romolini rants about the first year of his move from LA back to Philadelphia. The people are rude, the food is fattening, the drivers are crazy, no one has any boundaries.. and it's familiar and feels like home.
Nic rants about mosquitoes in Los Angeles, mushroom accounts on Instagram, the SOYBUFF Range Rover, peculiarities of LA drivers, the rainy season and wildfires and droughts.
Nic Romolini returns to talk about bread, bagels, and pizza in Los Angeles, with a particularly long and drawn-out rant about hoagies here and what is wrong with everyone in LA that they can’t figure out the proper way to make a very simple Italian hoagie (/sub/hero/whatever the fuck you wanna call it). Lots of good stuff about the high quality of Los Angeles friendships. He also makes more promises he probably won’t keep.
Tony Tallarico joins Nic Romolini for a wide-ranging conversation covering all of the following: editing, mental health, trauma responses from childhood influencing adulthood, hoarding, Tony’s aspirations, gatekeeping in the film industry, Walter Murch, never stopping learning new sh*t, TikTok editors, the decentralization of the film and tv industry, Gary V, Unreal Engine compositing, AI actors, AI wiping out humanity, dinosaurs, my parents’ lawyer Pasquale J. Tallarico, Italian-Americans, how America strips immigrants of their culture, vomiting Spaghetti-Os, being a dad, the miracle that neither one of us is dead, how my wife grounded me, dying from Cirrhosis, the gratification of starting to take good care of yourself, my spiking blood pressure, the problem with the word “deserve” and what might be a better choice, “lucky” vs “fortunate,” privilege, meditation, saunas, inflammation, strip clubs and bachelor parties, how most dudes suck, obsessing on what’s gonna go wrong, Mr. Rogers, men’s ability to discuss vulnerable and emotional subjects, masculinity, Chet Hanks, Catholicism, divorce, minimum wage, the French Revolution, how American citizens have been made to hate each other, Andor, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and if it’s better somewhere other than America.
Tony takes us out with a Mister Rogers song.
Tony on Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postmortem.mov
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@postmortem.mov
Tony’s website: http://www.tonytallarico.net
Nic Romolini tells a story about rodents in the garage, his landlord, housing in Los Angeles, and his dad’s war with the squirrels during Nic’s childhood (including sniping them out the second floor window of the house).
Nic Romolini rants about people complaining about the rain in LA, the success of wearing the “Italians Do It Better” shirt, and going to Wi Spa, the nude Korean spa, with his wife for her birthday. Social anxiety, awkward nudity, nearly fainting and possibly almost dying from the sweltering heat, and all of the dicks.
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Nic Romolini has a phone call with Jason Rodgers about life in Philadelphia, the value of leaving home and going to a big city and the merits of returning there, reminiscing about the 2000s, garage bands in basements in South Philly, trauma, ADHD, and more.
Jason’s website
Jason’s IG
Nic Romolini on IG
Nic Romolini talks about his acting career up to this point, auditions as a kid, ALMOST landing a leading role in Sleepers, the one and only time he ate at Olive Garden, his stints at business school at Penn State, pledging a fraternity, working for the guys at RevZilla in Philly, working as an editor in Los Angeles, cutting Bridegroom with Linda Bloodworth Thomason, going to acting class with David Faustino aka Bud Bundy, having panic attacks and racing out of improv classes, drinking and crying away the sadness, and how on earth he got from there to here, whatever here is now.
My favorite RevZilla episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkodkNJkhuk
Some FLIM sketches: https://www.youtube.com/ogflim
Hit me up for more! Follow @nromolini on Instagram. DM me!
Nic Romolini reads the comments, talks about the Pre-Taped Call-In Show from Mr. Show, and rants about the godforsaken duvet cover. Check it out and be sure to subscribe to the show.
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Mr Show - Pre-Taped Call-In Show
Nic Romolini rants about middle-aged white women driving eighty-thousand-dollar SUVs, abandonment, how no one calls me anymore, my friend Karl with a K, watching your kids grow up in the blink of an eye, the 48-hour Film Project in Philly in 2010, Locust Rendez-Vous, a lot of nostalgia, and how and why Bill Burr spontaneously generated out of the collective consciousness. Check it out and be sure to subscribe to the show. Follow @nromolini on Instagram
Nic Romolini rants about the pumpkin patch in Los Angeles, talking to my dad about the podcast, parenthood, making friends as an adult, Instagram, censorship, the OTHER Romolini, stinking rental cars up like garlic, A$AP Rocky, all the writing submission rejections, the Phillies, the neighbor WORKING FROM HOME, all these neuroses, and my deep fear of balding.
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Nic Romolini rants about the saga with this inguinal hernia surgery (and the other inguinal hernia!), October in Los Angeles, the comments section, panic attacks, chronic pain, scream-singing Nirvana, the pandemic, being a middle-aged man re-living his glory days, and the book he’s allegedly writing!
Nicolas Romolini rants about Italian-Americans in Los Angeles versus Philly and the northeast, Italian-American heritage month, the portrayal of Italian-Americans in film and tv, Jersey Shore, Don Jon, and Mario Bros. Oh, and a little taste of commentary on Christopher Columbus, capitalism, and cancel culture.
Follow @nromolini on Instagram.
Nicolas Romolini tells the story about the guy who crashed into his car in Echo Park, the insurance companies, the body shop, and the rental car company all involved in this five-month long saga to get the car repaired.
Nicolas Romolini rants about the neighbors (again!), ADHD (it’s trending!), reading his high school senior yearbook, comparing himself to people he went to college with, whether we ever really change, and essay submissions.
Nicolas Romolini goes off about social media addiction, existential dread, more about the neighbors(!), and considering hitting another dad with a putter at the mini golf course.
Nicolas Romolini rants and raves about possible mania, being a rapper and living in Kansas City, and an encounter with Nathan Fielder.
Nicolas Romolini rants and raves about being Italian-American, the neighbors, the guy from Philly who refuses to say hello, learning about the long game that is the writing world, and why on earth I'm doing what I'm doing.
Nicolas Romolini rants and raves about podcasting, writing, talking to the grocery store checkout clerk, and a lot of insecurities.
Nicolas Romolini rambles about essay writing, getting back into podcasting, going to a bar when you’re a middle-aged dad, and having a small bladder.
Writer/Director/Production Designer/Amazing Human Jena Serbu joins for a conversation about origins in Philly, alienation in LA, overcoming failure, doing the work, believing in the work, the evolution of scripts with collaborators, writing without budget in mind, and the time she convinced the Philadelphia Art Museum to let her film on their grounds for two free for two weeks. Jena is the writer and director of the 2017 film SMARTASS, available on streaming services.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam French joins for a conversation about anxiety, the indie filmmaking grind, his time in Afghanistan, being true to yourself, defining success and failure, long-form doc storytelling, therapy and showing up for life, how filmmaking rewards age and wisdom, honesty and being true to yourself as a storyteller, faith and letting go.
Writer, director, and editor Ricardo Ultreras joins Nic Romolini for a wide-ranging conversation about his roots, confidence, alienation, universal truth in writing, collaborating, how parenthood changes your goals and perspective, dropping out of film school, cultish theatre groups in LA, the power of saying “yes,” and finding that one single kernel of truth.
Comedian and writer Fred Belford joins for a hilarious conversation about his journey, successes, failures, selling shows, advice for someone early in their career, riling up David Schwimmer, working with Russell Brand, writing for the MTV Movie Awards, afternoon meetings at strip clubs, and setting off Brett Butler’s alarm system.
Writer-director Cat Rhinehart joins for a conversation about first films, writing from an honest place, daily routines, the importance of just doing, growing up Southern Baptist, avoiding comparing ourselves to others, The Artist’s Way, and more. Cat is known for the 2018 rom-com BRAND NEW OLD LOVE and the 2020 documentary WHAT'S EATING RALPHIE MAY.
Screenwriter Chris Hutton, known for WHEN THE STREETLIGHTS GO ON, discusses irrational confidence, overcoming blocks, how music informs writing, obsessing over every single line, screenwriting "rules" and how they're bullshit, writing partnerships, visualization, impending fatherhood, and more.
In the first episode of THE BLANK PAGE, writer Dan Shurley joins from Gainesville, Florida, as he is finishing up a master’s degree to discuss a range of topics including: writing, Los Angeles, academia, neuroses, masculinity, motivation, blue collar origins, feeling like you belong, pushing through doubt, knowing when to stop, and much more.