May 4, 2025 • 26 mins
Sandy takes you with her as we discover a private beach in Malibu's beautiful Point Dume area to discuss Elli Mae McNulty, an actor turned screenwriter who allegedly exploits California’s tenancy laws to turn casual stays into protracted eviction wars. When asked to leave the premises, this English Rose transforms into a nasty piece of work. You wouldn’t want to have tea with this woman at separate restaurants. Quoting Vanity Fair writers, Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, “Sure, let a neighbor use the guest room for a few nights. What could go wrong?”
Executive Producer Kristin Overn
Executive Producer Sandy Adomaitis
Producer Terry Sampson
Music by Ethan Stoller
Vanity Fair Article by BRADLEY HOPE AND TOM WRIGHT.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
Hello, my name is SandyAdamidis, the social media
director for the PageInternational Screenwriting
Awards and your host for theWriters Hangout, a podcast that
celebrates the many Frominspiration to the first draft,
revising, getting the projectmade, and everything in between.
(00:32):
We'll talk to the best and thebrightest in the entertainment
industry, and create a spacewhere you can hang out, learn
from the pros, and have fun.
Hey, rudders and friends, it'sSandy coming to you from Studio
City.
the jewel of the San FernandoValley on this cloudy night with
(00:52):
a waxing crescent moon anex-boyfriend once told me he was
going to lasso the moon for me.
I hadn't seen it was a wonderfullife and thought he was a poet.
On today's episode, I want totell you the story of actor and
screenwriter Ellie Mae McNulty,who had been using California
tenant friendly rental laws tolive rent free and bully Malibu
(01:16):
residence.
Let's set the stage cameraaction back in September of
2021.
On a beautiful day in Malibu.
I say beautiful because it isMalibu and statistically
weather-wise, it's a good shot.
It was indeed a beautiful day.
Ellie Mae McNulty ran into her.
(01:39):
Next roommate, victim easy.
Mark paycheck.
Pray.
65-year-old artists and cancerpatient living in the point,
doom area of Malibu.
Eldon Marin, he never saw whatwas about to happen next A
(02:01):
little bit about Ellie Mae.
We have this information aboutEllie Mae because Eldon the
victim in this story has asister named.
Mindy Marin and Mindy is acasting director.
She did Claire in Present Dangeramongst many other movies, Mindy
felt.
Hinky about Ellie Mae.
The first time her brother evenmentioned her on the phone And
(02:26):
when everything went crazy withEllie Mae, Mindy had her
brother's back and she did aHerculean job of protecting him.
Mindy, there should be adocumentary about you and Ellie
and I think you should produceit.
So here is the information Mindydug up via a Vanity Fair article
(02:48):
entitled The Squatter of PointDoom by Bradley Hope and Tom
Wright.
I am not gonna read the entirearticle and I'm gonna do a
little paraphrasing, but Ihighly recommend you read it.
I'll put a link into the shownotes.
Ellie Mae was born in 1975 andgrew up in Oxhey Hall, an area
(03:11):
near London, where Henry VIIIonce had a hunting lodge.
Oh, Henry, how predictable herfather, a communications
consultant named John McNulty,had been a director of menza,
the British based organizationfor people with high IQs.
(03:33):
But he reportedly resigned amida scandal over expenses.
Hmm.
What's that saying about theacorn?
He denied Acorn or Apple?
He denied.
Well, if I was, if I was inMensa, I would know.
He denied wrongdoing and nocharges were filed.
(03:57):
McNulty attended private schoolwhere she fell in love with the
theater after a trip to see theTaming of the Shrew.
My first theater experience wasMadame Butterfly.
It was confusing.
(04:18):
Why do you take a bunch ofschool kids to see a woman die
by suicide on stage?
What, what were the what?
What were they thinking whenthey.
Took a bunch of Impressionalschool kids on a bus.
I think my first big bus trip tosee a play about a woman who
(04:39):
dies by suicide on stage.
Okay, let's go on.
After high school, McNulty movedto London to pursue her dream of
becoming an actor while taking aseries of jobs in related fields
to pay the bills.
According to her LinkedInprofile, she built props and
painted sets for the BBC workedfor Ridley Scott's commercial
(05:02):
production company and became aprojectionist at a movie
theater.
Then, like many aspiring Britishactors, she tried her luck in
the US in 1995.
She enrolled as a painting andsculpture student at the Art
Students League of New York,according to her LinkedIn page.
(05:25):
Then got a foot in the door onBroadway As a production
assistant with wait until Dark,A play remembered.
If at all For QuentinTarantino's Wooden performance.
Hmm.
wait until dark.
I remember the movie, uh, thewoman was Blind, bad Guys.
(05:47):
Were, breaking into herapartment and she used her
blindness to outwit the badguys.
Maybe that was on Broadway.
I'm sure it was.
Audrey Hepburn.
I'm thinking Audrey Hepburn.
I don't know.
I would look that up, but let'scontinue.
Outgoing and vivacious.
(06:08):
McNulty got to know the rightpeople Or so she claimed
Tarantino taught her New Yorkslang during rehearsals.
According to her LinkedIn, and atop Broadway producer hired her
as a script reader providingfeedback on new plays.
She also began to hone heracting skills.
(06:30):
in 1998, she auditioned for thenew group theaters off-Broadway,
production of a British playcalled the Fastest Clock in the
Universe, and landed a leadingrole as a streetwise 17-year-old
Londoner.
According to one person involvedin the production, McNulty
struggled during rehearsals andclashed with the female
(06:51):
director.
She spent several hundreddollars on a pair of shoes to
wear on stage, according to theone person involved in the
production.
Then burst into tears when shewas told that the company didn't
have the money to pay for suchan expense.
But she was cute and sexy, theperson said, and with coaching
(07:14):
was able to pull off the role.
Okay, come on guys.
In her defense, she did a coupleof green things on her first
job.
Man, did I do some pretty stupidthings on my first jobs, and
this was her first play.
(07:34):
She didn't study theater oracting.
One of the first things thathappened to me, during an improv
class.
it could have been the veryfirst time I was on a stage My
teacher yelled at me Sandy, facethe audience.
You can tell you haven't had anacting class now.
(07:56):
I haven't been on stage in along time, but whenever I am, I
face forward the theater.
It is not kind.
Reviewing the show from the NewYork Times critic, Peter Marks
called McNulty a real find, andshe possessed a wicked cackle
(08:19):
that pitches upward into therange of a dog herring And a
kind of pluck that helps explainwhy the British triumph in two
World Wars, Her career he wroteis No Doubt in Ascendance.
(08:39):
This episode of The Writer'sHangout is brought to you by
podcast, the podcast for peoplewho want to launch, grow, and
monetize.
A successful podcast writershave you.
Ever thought about starting apodcast?
Do you even know where to start?
If you said no?
I was just like you.
Back in 2022 when the writershangout started.
(09:03):
Now why does 2022 ring a bellfor you?
Oh yeah, we were in a pandemic,which meant none of my
incredibly talented friendscould drop by and help me
brainstorm what to do.
I cried a lot of tears andfrustration before that first
episode was launched.
(09:23):
Do you hear me?
GarageBand?
I wish I had Podcast Craft backthen.
Podcast Craft takes you fromnovice podcaster to Confident
Broadcaster.
They'll teach you how to startand grow successful podcast in
their easy to follow sessions.
You can findpodCraft@podcraft.net, or
(09:44):
anywhere you get your podcasts.
Back to the show.
After the Times review, SamCohen, one of the city's top
talent agents, took McNulty toMichael's, the Midtown Power
Lunch spot, and signed her up,said the person involved in the
(10:05):
performance.
He said I was going to be agreat artist.
McNulty wrote on Instagram inJanuary, 2024.
Now remember, this play was,ooh, I think 20 years prior.
McNulty said Cohen set her upwith an audition for the female
lead opposite Nicholas Cage inMartin Scorsese's Next film
(10:27):
Bring Out the Dead.
At the audition, Ellen LewisScorsese's, longtime casting
director, asked how with solittle experience, she managed
to secure Cohen as an agent.
McNulty wrote in the Instagrampost before she even let me
read, do my work.
(10:47):
I was intimidated and simplysaid quietly.
He came to see me in my firstlead role in a play with the new
group.
In the end, the role in bringingout the dead went to Patricia
Arquette Conan soon dropped her.
Says the person involved in theperformance.
McNulty.
Got a job reviewing screenplaysFor Ben Baron Holtz, a Hollywood
(11:11):
producer according to her resumeand continued to audition for
acting parts.
In 2023, she landed a minor rolein the Sweet Life, a low budget
film about a bartender who fallsin love with two brothers.
From there, things seemed tounravel.
She married a British fashiondesigner based in New York, but
(11:34):
soon divorced him.
She held down jobs for only ayear at a time.
According to her LinkedIn page,The film failed to propel her
acting career.
and so in 2004, she headed toLos Angeles, still hoping to
break into show business now onthe cusp of her thirties.
(11:54):
Her new dream apparently was tomake it not so much as an actor.
but as a screenwriter, okay, I'mskipping ahead in the article.
Okay.
Still hoping to break intoHollywood.
McNulty sought to cultivaterelationships with powerful
figures.
(12:15):
She met the director DavidLynch, at a museum event and
began practicing transcendentalmeditation through his
foundation, according to herInstagram.
But McNulty has on occasionoversold her career as a
screenwriter and overstated herrelationship with celebrities.
which mostly amounted to passingencounters and photo
(12:40):
opportunities.
She claimed in one email to alandlord that Mike Voy, the
legendary producer involved inone, flew over the Cuckoos Nest,
was paying her for a script shewas writing, and that was a
mirage.
Michael Lee Peterson, vicePresident of Development at Mevo
(13:01):
Company, Phoenix.
Pictures recalls taking one callfrom McNulty years ago, but says
they had no plans to work withher.
In reality, McNulty appeared tobe struggling.
McNulty rented an extra bedroomfrom a writer and filmmaker
named Jason Gertz and anotherroommate.
(13:22):
At first McNulty was sweet andseemingly innocent.
Gertz recalls she failed to paythe security deposit or any
rent, but she said a relativewould be sending her money soon.
She soon moved in without payinganything upfront.
Gert says, but then it went onand on and she kept avoiding us
(13:46):
and it became pretty obvious twomonths in that this was a scam.
Gerbert says she told him to hisface that she wasn't going to
pay or leave.
I've been here, and this iswhere I live now.
Ger recalls her saying, By thistime, according to LA Records,
(14:08):
McNulty had been involved in atleast four tenancy lawsuits.
Some of the lawsuits are sealed,but at least one eviction case
was dismissed by the judge.
The law, it seemed.
Was in her favor.
Gert contacted everyone he couldfind on her Facebook page and
(14:31):
began collecting stories in oneMcNulty had alleged staying at
her yoga teacher's house withoutpaying rent.
She didn't pay for classeseither.
It was claimed, but continue toshow up for them.
All the same when confronted herbubbly persona would evaporate.
(14:52):
Gerbert says, although aneviction can take months in
California, there are ways tospeed up the process.
One is to get a judge to issue acivil harassment restraining
order, which allows the policeto intervene.
Even then Ger was told the LAPDis not permitted To forcefully
(15:14):
remove a residence.
I might have to take umbrage.
I think I've always wanted touse that word umbrage cause I
just witnessed a tenant beingremoved forcefully.
That's a whole other story.
Okay.
(15:34):
Gervis was told the LAPD is notpermitted to forcefully remove a
resident.
Instead, they have to persuadethe tenant to leave the home, at
which point the landlord canthen lock the person out.
That's what happened to McNulty.
According to Gert, the policeasked her to step outside to
(15:56):
discuss the civil disobedienceruling he had secured.
And once she came outside of herown volition and she was
basically with the officer, hewouldn't let her go back inside.
Gert said, Gerbert.
Ravo McNulty moved on to a widowin her eighties who was looking
to rent out a room in her SantaMonica bungalow.
(16:20):
It was a cute house with a smallgarden surrounded by trees and
flowers.
The details of the lawsuit thewidows brought against McNulty
are sealed according to thesource with knowledge of the
situation.
The widow was so emotionallydistraught by the ongoing legal
action that she agreed to payMcNulty tens of thousands of
(16:45):
dollars to leave her house.
By then it's possible.
Los Angeles, the scene of somany legal battles was losing
its luster for McNulty.
Or maybe she wanted to move toeven nicer surroundings.
so set a course for point doom.
according to Wikipedia.
(17:05):
you need a gate key to get tothe private beach where Ellie
Mae and Eldon meet.
now if you have a PhD in SoCalbeaches, you could push back and
say, there are no privatebeaches in Cali.
and I've got a bridge inBrooklyn, I would like to sell
to you To help me explain what abeach key is.
(17:27):
I went to a real estate sitethinking it would have a
succinct explanation, and thesite is Malibu luxury.
Realty.
No beach in Malibu is private.
However, decades ago, owners inPoint Doom were subdividing
(17:48):
their large lots and sellingthem.
To put a halt to this, the Cityof Malibu cut a deal Their offer
restricted the owner's right tosubdivision properties on point
doom, and in return, grantedproperty owners deeded access to
private easements leading to thebeach.
(18:11):
This was done on a street bystreet basis and some did not
accept what makes the beach sospecial.
Most importantly, privacy,public access points to the east
and west are far enough.
To deter most beach goers fromwalking around various points
(18:34):
and rocks.
sometimes too hazardous totraverse, depending on the tide
and swell.
Okay, time out.
I have a traversing the Tide andswell story, but that's a Laguna
Beach story involving Eve Plumand Steve Laue.
(18:56):
So I'm gonna wait for anotherepisode to tell my.
Swell and tide story Whichbrings us back to that beautiful
day on the beach at Point Dune,where Ellie Mae ran into Eldon,
the two chatted, and Elliementioned she was an actor,
(19:17):
turned screenwriter Eldon, anartist, was again, battling
cancer and he was alsostruggling because of the chemo.
Oh my god.
Chemo.
Anyone, anyone who has struggledthrough chemo, watched someone
who go through chemo, it'shorrible.
(19:37):
And Eldon was depressed and hebegan to see Ellie not only at
the beach but around town andthey would stop and talk.
And this went on for a fewmonths and he really enjoyed
their conversations.
Okay.
We all know what's coming next,right guys?
(19:57):
But Alden's defense, we haveEllie Mae's number already, but
you're right.
It's exactly what you think.
Ellie Mae told Elden she waslooking for a place to stay for
a few days while waiting for hernext place to be available.
Eldon invited Ellie Mae to staywith him until her new place was
(20:19):
ready.
According to Vanity Fair, butdays turned into months and the
polite and kind guest Elden hadwelcome, turned, rude, and
demanding, Ellie Mae usedElgin's credit cards and flushed
cloth napkins down the toilet,clogging the pipes.
She asked for$20,000 to leave.
(20:41):
This was all too much for poorEldon who suffered a breakdown
and was hospitalized.
while Eldon was hospitalized,Ellie Mae changed the luxe on
the condo.
You see, California lawstipulates that.
Guess even those who don't payrent like Ellie Mae can be
(21:05):
considered tenants.
now after.
Elden was locked out of hisapartment.
His sister Mindy vowed to fightEllie Mae in court.
Yes, Mindy, I love this part ofthe story.
I love that Elden who was sickand had to be hospitalized.
(21:27):
Had this person in his corner,Now, Mindy did bring Ellie Mae
to court in 2022, and finally ajudge ordered Ellie Mae to
vacate Elgin's apartment.
I'm so happy for them.
Now, it doesn't end therebecause of, some paperwork that
(21:51):
Ellie Mae filed, she made amistake and left contact
information regarding the nextperson that she had signed up to
Scam, and Mindy contacted thatperson and made sure that Ellie
Mae wasn't able to scam thatperson.
This is such a sad, strange LAHollywood showbiz real estate
(22:13):
story, and nobody has them likeLos Angeles.
I've told you many true crimestories about writers.
None of them have been alive andcurrent on social media.
The only other one I can thinkof was Grey's Anatomy writer
Elizabeth Finch, who fakedcancer, but she went dark after
(22:36):
her scandal, And I did look upEllie Mae and You're gonna hate
me for this.
I, I have a weakness because Isaw Ellie Mae with her cats on
Instagram and the fact that shekept something besides herself
alive.
(22:58):
Makes me find her more humanthan I might have because of the
horrible things she's done.
I'm not excusing her.
you know, I'm not backing thiswoman up.
I just, I'm just putting it outthere.
It feels different to see her onInstagram with a cat.
(23:21):
Now this is making me think ofsomething else.
I worked somewhere where therewas a huge scandal.
Where the writer showrunner hasnever come back.
I was not part of the creativeside.
I was part of a different sideand I remember how I felt about
(23:42):
the kids.
I loved, The kids, you knowwhat?
That's another story.
let's make a note and we shalltalk about that.
I also looked her up on Twitterand she hasn't posted since
November 7th, 2019, and shewrote Cheers.
Friends coming back home,prayers.
(24:03):
Answered.
Grateful for all your goodvibes, prayers and love, Malibu.
Strong.
Thank you.
Faith.
Exo, exo, exo, heart, smileyface.
Smiley face, smiley, face withheart, eyes.
also.
There's a gif, that's how Ipronounce it.
It's two peanuts characters.
(24:24):
It's of the lesser known, butrecently become kind of a little
icon.
Emily.
she's the dancing girl in thepurple dress, and the boy next
to her is known now, justrecently as the proto running
man now, this is just myopinion, but I think Emily, that
(24:46):
character, the girl in thepurple dress reminds Ellie Mae
of herself, and that's just myopinion.
You know what could have been?
Also what happened in Malibu in2019?
Well, in Malibu in 2019, we hadthe devastating Woolsey fire
causing widespread destruction.
(25:08):
it led to evacuation orders forresidents and resulted in
significant property damage.
So by posting this in November.
Was Ellie Mae killing a bunch ofbirds with one hot massage
stone?
This message is vague.
(25:29):
Does it mean she was going backhome to Malibu because she was
evacuated?
It leads people to think, ohyeah, Ellie Mae, she has a home
here, and while she's quirky,she belongs here.
I'll let her stay in my guesthouse another week.
And that's a wrap for theWriter's Hangout.
(25:50):
Thanks so much for listening.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasetake a moment to leave us a
review on Apple Podcasts.
Your positive feedback will helpus keep the show going so we can
continue bringing you morefuture episodes.
Remember, keep writing.
The world needs your stories.
The Writers Hangout is sponsoredby the Page International
(26:10):
Screenwriting Awards, withexecutive producer Kristen
Overn, producer Sandy Adamides,and myself, Terry Sampson.
And our music is composed byEthan Stoller.
Hello, my name is SandyAdamidis, the social media
director for the PageInternational Screenwriting
Awards and your host for theWriters Hangout, a podcast that
celebrates the many Frominspiration to the first draft,
revising, getting the projectmade, and everything in between.
(00:32):
We'll talk to the best and thebrightest in the entertainment
industry, and create a spacewhere you can hang out, learn
from the pros, and have fun.
Hey, rudders and friends, it'sSandy coming to you from Studio
City.
the jewel of the San FernandoValley on this cloudy night with
(00:52):
a waxing crescent moon anex-boyfriend once told me he was
going to lasso the moon for me.
I hadn't seen it was a wonderfullife and thought he was a poet.
On today's episode, I want totell you the story of actor and
screenwriter Ellie Mae McNulty,who had been using California
tenant friendly rental laws tolive rent free and bully Malibu
(01:16):
residence.
Let's set the stage cameraaction back in September of
2021.
On a beautiful day in Malibu.
I say beautiful because it isMalibu and statistically
weather-wise, it's a good shot.
It was indeed a beautiful day.
Ellie Mae McNulty ran into her.
(01:39):
Next roommate, victim easy.
Mark paycheck.
Pray.
65-year-old artists and cancerpatient living in the point,
doom area of Malibu.
Eldon Marin, he never saw whatwas about to happen next A
(02:01):
little bit about Ellie Mae.
We have this information aboutEllie Mae because Eldon the
victim in this story has asister named.
Mindy Marin and Mindy is acasting director.
She did Claire in Present Dangeramongst many other movies, Mindy
felt.
Hinky about Ellie Mae.
The first time her brother evenmentioned her on the phone And
(02:26):
when everything went crazy withEllie Mae, Mindy had her
brother's back and she did aHerculean job of protecting him.
Mindy, there should be adocumentary about you and Ellie
and I think you should produceit.
So here is the information Mindydug up via a Vanity Fair article
(02:48):
entitled The Squatter of PointDoom by Bradley Hope and Tom
Wright.
I am not gonna read the entirearticle and I'm gonna do a
little paraphrasing, but Ihighly recommend you read it.
I'll put a link into the shownotes.
Ellie Mae was born in 1975 andgrew up in Oxhey Hall, an area
(03:11):
near London, where Henry VIIIonce had a hunting lodge.
Oh, Henry, how predictable herfather, a communications
consultant named John McNulty,had been a director of menza,
the British based organizationfor people with high IQs.
(03:33):
But he reportedly resigned amida scandal over expenses.
Hmm.
What's that saying about theacorn?
He denied Acorn or Apple?
He denied.
Well, if I was, if I was inMensa, I would know.
He denied wrongdoing and nocharges were filed.
(03:57):
McNulty attended private schoolwhere she fell in love with the
theater after a trip to see theTaming of the Shrew.
My first theater experience wasMadame Butterfly.
It was confusing.
(04:18):
Why do you take a bunch ofschool kids to see a woman die
by suicide on stage?
What, what were the what?
What were they thinking whenthey.
Took a bunch of Impressionalschool kids on a bus.
I think my first big bus trip tosee a play about a woman who
(04:39):
dies by suicide on stage.
Okay, let's go on.
After high school, McNulty movedto London to pursue her dream of
becoming an actor while taking aseries of jobs in related fields
to pay the bills.
According to her LinkedInprofile, she built props and
painted sets for the BBC workedfor Ridley Scott's commercial
(05:02):
production company and became aprojectionist at a movie
theater.
Then, like many aspiring Britishactors, she tried her luck in
the US in 1995.
She enrolled as a painting andsculpture student at the Art
Students League of New York,according to her LinkedIn page.
(05:25):
Then got a foot in the door onBroadway As a production
assistant with wait until Dark,A play remembered.
If at all For QuentinTarantino's Wooden performance.
Hmm.
wait until dark.
I remember the movie, uh, thewoman was Blind, bad Guys.
(05:47):
Were, breaking into herapartment and she used her
blindness to outwit the badguys.
Maybe that was on Broadway.
I'm sure it was.
Audrey Hepburn.
I'm thinking Audrey Hepburn.
I don't know.
I would look that up, but let'scontinue.
Outgoing and vivacious.
(06:08):
McNulty got to know the rightpeople Or so she claimed
Tarantino taught her New Yorkslang during rehearsals.
According to her LinkedIn, and atop Broadway producer hired her
as a script reader providingfeedback on new plays.
She also began to hone heracting skills.
(06:30):
in 1998, she auditioned for thenew group theaters off-Broadway,
production of a British playcalled the Fastest Clock in the
Universe, and landed a leadingrole as a streetwise 17-year-old
Londoner.
According to one person involvedin the production, McNulty
struggled during rehearsals andclashed with the female
(06:51):
director.
She spent several hundreddollars on a pair of shoes to
wear on stage, according to theone person involved in the
production.
Then burst into tears when shewas told that the company didn't
have the money to pay for suchan expense.
But she was cute and sexy, theperson said, and with coaching
(07:14):
was able to pull off the role.
Okay, come on guys.
In her defense, she did a coupleof green things on her first
job.
Man, did I do some pretty stupidthings on my first jobs, and
this was her first play.
(07:34):
She didn't study theater oracting.
One of the first things thathappened to me, during an improv
class.
it could have been the veryfirst time I was on a stage My
teacher yelled at me Sandy, facethe audience.
You can tell you haven't had anacting class now.
(07:56):
I haven't been on stage in along time, but whenever I am, I
face forward the theater.
It is not kind.
Reviewing the show from the NewYork Times critic, Peter Marks
called McNulty a real find, andshe possessed a wicked cackle
(08:19):
that pitches upward into therange of a dog herring And a
kind of pluck that helps explainwhy the British triumph in two
World Wars, Her career he wroteis No Doubt in Ascendance.
(08:39):
This episode of The Writer'sHangout is brought to you by
podcast, the podcast for peoplewho want to launch, grow, and
monetize.
A successful podcast writershave you.
Ever thought about starting apodcast?
Do you even know where to start?
If you said no?
I was just like you.
Back in 2022 when the writershangout started.
(09:03):
Now why does 2022 ring a bellfor you?
Oh yeah, we were in a pandemic,which meant none of my
incredibly talented friendscould drop by and help me
brainstorm what to do.
I cried a lot of tears andfrustration before that first
episode was launched.
(09:23):
Do you hear me?
GarageBand?
I wish I had Podcast Craft backthen.
Podcast Craft takes you fromnovice podcaster to Confident
Broadcaster.
They'll teach you how to startand grow successful podcast in
their easy to follow sessions.
You can findpodCraft@podcraft.net, or
(09:44):
anywhere you get your podcasts.
Back to the show.
After the Times review, SamCohen, one of the city's top
talent agents, took McNulty toMichael's, the Midtown Power
Lunch spot, and signed her up,said the person involved in the
(10:05):
performance.
He said I was going to be agreat artist.
McNulty wrote on Instagram inJanuary, 2024.
Now remember, this play was,ooh, I think 20 years prior.
McNulty said Cohen set her upwith an audition for the female
lead opposite Nicholas Cage inMartin Scorsese's Next film
(10:27):
Bring Out the Dead.
At the audition, Ellen LewisScorsese's, longtime casting
director, asked how with solittle experience, she managed
to secure Cohen as an agent.
McNulty wrote in the Instagrampost before she even let me
read, do my work.
(10:47):
I was intimidated and simplysaid quietly.
He came to see me in my firstlead role in a play with the new
group.
In the end, the role in bringingout the dead went to Patricia
Arquette Conan soon dropped her.
Says the person involved in theperformance.
McNulty.
Got a job reviewing screenplaysFor Ben Baron Holtz, a Hollywood
(11:11):
producer according to her resumeand continued to audition for
acting parts.
In 2023, she landed a minor rolein the Sweet Life, a low budget
film about a bartender who fallsin love with two brothers.
From there, things seemed tounravel.
She married a British fashiondesigner based in New York, but
(11:34):
soon divorced him.
She held down jobs for only ayear at a time.
According to her LinkedIn page,The film failed to propel her
acting career.
and so in 2004, she headed toLos Angeles, still hoping to
break into show business now onthe cusp of her thirties.
(11:54):
Her new dream apparently was tomake it not so much as an actor.
but as a screenwriter, okay, I'mskipping ahead in the article.
Okay.
Still hoping to break intoHollywood.
McNulty sought to cultivaterelationships with powerful
figures.
(12:15):
She met the director DavidLynch, at a museum event and
began practicing transcendentalmeditation through his
foundation, according to herInstagram.
But McNulty has on occasionoversold her career as a
screenwriter and overstated herrelationship with celebrities.
which mostly amounted to passingencounters and photo
(12:40):
opportunities.
She claimed in one email to alandlord that Mike Voy, the
legendary producer involved inone, flew over the Cuckoos Nest,
was paying her for a script shewas writing, and that was a
mirage.
Michael Lee Peterson, vicePresident of Development at Mevo
(13:01):
Company, Phoenix.
Pictures recalls taking one callfrom McNulty years ago, but says
they had no plans to work withher.
In reality, McNulty appeared tobe struggling.
McNulty rented an extra bedroomfrom a writer and filmmaker
named Jason Gertz and anotherroommate.
(13:22):
At first McNulty was sweet andseemingly innocent.
Gertz recalls she failed to paythe security deposit or any
rent, but she said a relativewould be sending her money soon.
She soon moved in without payinganything upfront.
Gert says, but then it went onand on and she kept avoiding us
(13:46):
and it became pretty obvious twomonths in that this was a scam.
Gerbert says she told him to hisface that she wasn't going to
pay or leave.
I've been here, and this iswhere I live now.
Ger recalls her saying, By thistime, according to LA Records,
(14:08):
McNulty had been involved in atleast four tenancy lawsuits.
Some of the lawsuits are sealed,but at least one eviction case
was dismissed by the judge.
The law, it seemed.
Was in her favor.
Gert contacted everyone he couldfind on her Facebook page and
(14:31):
began collecting stories in oneMcNulty had alleged staying at
her yoga teacher's house withoutpaying rent.
She didn't pay for classeseither.
It was claimed, but continue toshow up for them.
All the same when confronted herbubbly persona would evaporate.
(14:52):
Gerbert says, although aneviction can take months in
California, there are ways tospeed up the process.
One is to get a judge to issue acivil harassment restraining
order, which allows the policeto intervene.
Even then Ger was told the LAPDis not permitted To forcefully
(15:14):
remove a residence.
I might have to take umbrage.
I think I've always wanted touse that word umbrage cause I
just witnessed a tenant beingremoved forcefully.
That's a whole other story.
Okay.
(15:34):
Gervis was told the LAPD is notpermitted to forcefully remove a
resident.
Instead, they have to persuadethe tenant to leave the home, at
which point the landlord canthen lock the person out.
That's what happened to McNulty.
According to Gert, the policeasked her to step outside to
(15:56):
discuss the civil disobedienceruling he had secured.
And once she came outside of herown volition and she was
basically with the officer, hewouldn't let her go back inside.
Gert said, Gerbert.
Ravo McNulty moved on to a widowin her eighties who was looking
to rent out a room in her SantaMonica bungalow.
(16:20):
It was a cute house with a smallgarden surrounded by trees and
flowers.
The details of the lawsuit thewidows brought against McNulty
are sealed according to thesource with knowledge of the
situation.
The widow was so emotionallydistraught by the ongoing legal
action that she agreed to payMcNulty tens of thousands of
(16:45):
dollars to leave her house.
By then it's possible.
Los Angeles, the scene of somany legal battles was losing
its luster for McNulty.
Or maybe she wanted to move toeven nicer surroundings.
so set a course for point doom.
according to Wikipedia.
(17:05):
you need a gate key to get tothe private beach where Ellie
Mae and Eldon meet.
now if you have a PhD in SoCalbeaches, you could push back and
say, there are no privatebeaches in Cali.
and I've got a bridge inBrooklyn, I would like to sell
to you To help me explain what abeach key is.
(17:27):
I went to a real estate sitethinking it would have a
succinct explanation, and thesite is Malibu luxury.
Realty.
No beach in Malibu is private.
However, decades ago, owners inPoint Doom were subdividing
(17:48):
their large lots and sellingthem.
To put a halt to this, the Cityof Malibu cut a deal Their offer
restricted the owner's right tosubdivision properties on point
doom, and in return, grantedproperty owners deeded access to
private easements leading to thebeach.
(18:11):
This was done on a street bystreet basis and some did not
accept what makes the beach sospecial.
Most importantly, privacy,public access points to the east
and west are far enough.
To deter most beach goers fromwalking around various points
(18:34):
and rocks.
sometimes too hazardous totraverse, depending on the tide
and swell.
Okay, time out.
I have a traversing the Tide andswell story, but that's a Laguna
Beach story involving Eve Plumand Steve Laue.
(18:56):
So I'm gonna wait for anotherepisode to tell my.
Swell and tide story Whichbrings us back to that beautiful
day on the beach at Point Dune,where Ellie Mae ran into Eldon,
the two chatted, and Elliementioned she was an actor,
(19:17):
turned screenwriter Eldon, anartist, was again, battling
cancer and he was alsostruggling because of the chemo.
Oh my god.
Chemo.
Anyone, anyone who has struggledthrough chemo, watched someone
who go through chemo, it'shorrible.
(19:37):
And Eldon was depressed and hebegan to see Ellie not only at
the beach but around town andthey would stop and talk.
And this went on for a fewmonths and he really enjoyed
their conversations.
Okay.
We all know what's coming next,right guys?
(19:57):
But Alden's defense, we haveEllie Mae's number already, but
you're right.
It's exactly what you think.
Ellie Mae told Elden she waslooking for a place to stay for
a few days while waiting for hernext place to be available.
Eldon invited Ellie Mae to staywith him until her new place was
(20:19):
ready.
According to Vanity Fair, butdays turned into months and the
polite and kind guest Elden hadwelcome, turned, rude, and
demanding, Ellie Mae usedElgin's credit cards and flushed
cloth napkins down the toilet,clogging the pipes.
She asked for$20,000 to leave.
(20:41):
This was all too much for poorEldon who suffered a breakdown
and was hospitalized.
while Eldon was hospitalized,Ellie Mae changed the luxe on
the condo.
You see, California lawstipulates that.
Guess even those who don't payrent like Ellie Mae can be
(21:05):
considered tenants.
now after.
Elden was locked out of hisapartment.
His sister Mindy vowed to fightEllie Mae in court.
Yes, Mindy, I love this part ofthe story.
I love that Elden who was sickand had to be hospitalized.
(21:27):
Had this person in his corner,Now, Mindy did bring Ellie Mae
to court in 2022, and finally ajudge ordered Ellie Mae to
vacate Elgin's apartment.
I'm so happy for them.
Now, it doesn't end therebecause of, some paperwork that
(21:51):
Ellie Mae filed, she made amistake and left contact
information regarding the nextperson that she had signed up to
Scam, and Mindy contacted thatperson and made sure that Ellie
Mae wasn't able to scam thatperson.
This is such a sad, strange LAHollywood showbiz real estate
(22:13):
story, and nobody has them likeLos Angeles.
I've told you many true crimestories about writers.
None of them have been alive andcurrent on social media.
The only other one I can thinkof was Grey's Anatomy writer
Elizabeth Finch, who fakedcancer, but she went dark after
(22:36):
her scandal, And I did look upEllie Mae and You're gonna hate
me for this.
I, I have a weakness because Isaw Ellie Mae with her cats on
Instagram and the fact that shekept something besides herself
alive.
(22:58):
Makes me find her more humanthan I might have because of the
horrible things she's done.
I'm not excusing her.
you know, I'm not backing thiswoman up.
I just, I'm just putting it outthere.
It feels different to see her onInstagram with a cat.
(23:21):
Now this is making me think ofsomething else.
I worked somewhere where therewas a huge scandal.
Where the writer showrunner hasnever come back.
I was not part of the creativeside.
I was part of a different sideand I remember how I felt about
(23:42):
the kids.
I loved, The kids, you knowwhat?
That's another story.
let's make a note and we shalltalk about that.
I also looked her up on Twitterand she hasn't posted since
November 7th, 2019, and shewrote Cheers.
Friends coming back home,prayers.
(24:03):
Answered.
Grateful for all your goodvibes, prayers and love, Malibu.
Strong.
Thank you.
Faith.
Exo, exo, exo, heart, smileyface.
Smiley face, smiley, face withheart, eyes.
also.
There's a gif, that's how Ipronounce it.
It's two peanuts characters.
(24:24):
It's of the lesser known, butrecently become kind of a little
icon.
Emily.
she's the dancing girl in thepurple dress, and the boy next
to her is known now, justrecently as the proto running
man now, this is just myopinion, but I think Emily, that
(24:46):
character, the girl in thepurple dress reminds Ellie Mae
of herself, and that's just myopinion.
You know what could have been?
Also what happened in Malibu in2019?
Well, in Malibu in 2019, we hadthe devastating Woolsey fire
causing widespread destruction.
(25:08):
it led to evacuation orders forresidents and resulted in
significant property damage.
So by posting this in November.
Was Ellie Mae killing a bunch ofbirds with one hot massage
stone?
This message is vague.
(25:29):
Does it mean she was going backhome to Malibu because she was
evacuated?
It leads people to think, ohyeah, Ellie Mae, she has a home
here, and while she's quirky,she belongs here.
I'll let her stay in my guesthouse another week.
And that's a wrap for theWriter's Hangout.
(25:50):
Thanks so much for listening.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasetake a moment to leave us a
review on Apple Podcasts.
Your positive feedback will helpus keep the show going so we can
continue bringing you morefuture episodes.
Remember, keep writing.
The world needs your stories.
The Writers Hangout is sponsoredby the Page International
(26:10):
Screenwriting Awards, withexecutive producer Kristen
Overn, producer Sandy Adamides,and myself, Terry Sampson.
And our music is composed byEthan Stoller.
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