Screenwriters' Rant Room
This is the Official Podcas for "Hilliard Guess' SCREENWRITERS' RANT ROOM!" Our host is Hilliard Guess, a WGAw writer, director, TV/Film producer and most recently, the former Director of Development at Blue Monday Prods (now executive producer of Amazon's upcoming CROSS: AFTER HOURS series). Hilliard does one-on-one interviews with guests or rotating co-hosts stop by to drop industry bombs in this unfiltered, hilarious podcast series that delivers nuthin’ but REAL TALK… from REAL working writers! SUBSCRIBE, SHARE, 5 STAR RATE! Screenwritersrantroom.com Our motto: “Keep it GAME all day!"
Episodes
This week - Hilliard chops it up with powerhouse Executive Producers LEAH BENAVIDES RODRIGUEZ & CARLITO RODRIGUEZ (CROSS, THE DROP: A SNOWFALL SAGA, WASHINGTON BLACK, and more) for a no-holds-barred conversation about surviving, thriving, and making moves in the Hollywood trenches!
We're talking TWO HOURS OF PURE GAME for writers at every level! From the art of writing teams and breaking story in writers' roo...
🔥Season Premiere🔥
Hilliard sat down with writers' Rich Scott, Brooke Baltimore and Minquell Ramone for a super fun, informative episode for TV/Film writers who are just getting their start, to those who are vets. So much industry game dropped in this one.
SUBSCRIBE if you’re serious about writing for TV/Film, leveling up your craft, and staying tapped into the real game from working industry pros.
PRODUCTS (T-SHIRTS/HOOD...
BONUS EP!
In its inaugural year, Anthology IO Short Film Festival is not holding back any punches. With its premiere event in Los Angeles on March 28th, 2026.
THE TV WRITERS’ HUSTLE: ROOMS, PITCHES & STAFFING
Breaking into television isn’t just about writing a great script — it’s about understanding the hustle behind the scenes. In this candid panel, working TV/Film writers (Hilliard Guess, Tash ...
🔥In this finale episode of the season🔥 Hilliard and guest co-host writer-director Gregg Simon sat down with Showrunner-creator-director-author QUINTON PEEPLES in a super informative, 2-hour, nothing but game episode for any writer who wants to write and produce network TV.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Getting that first job and keeping it, writing TV movies and thriving through quality, why your interests help you to write your spec pil...
🔥In this episode🔥Hilliard sat down with actor, writer, producer, director ALONA TAL - star on the hit series CROSS on Amazon Prime. We talked about all sides of her skills, directing, shadowing, using your instincts, her amazing work on other network TV shows like Fire Country, drawing creativity from your tribe, how she landed the role of Det. Kayla Craig on CROSS, grueling screen tests, the logistics of shooting on location, te...
In this BONUS ep - Hilliard sat down with FIA PERERA writer-director-producer of the new coming-of-age feature film he produced with Ryan Lacen, Janice Bergere and Tyler Musikanth on Cape Cod called MERMAID!
We talked all about producing the film from script-to-screen: development, rewrites, shooting the POC short film first, financing the feature film outside the box, crewing up a diverse crew, casting, using your resources to gain...
In this episode, writer-producer Hilliard Guess and guest co-host actor-writer-prod-dir Dalila Ali Rajah sit down for an educational conversation (we do talk a bit of politics in this one - FYI), with actor/writer/coach and 2026 NAACP Image Award nominee ADAM DAVENPORT, recognized in the Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism category for his essay examining Audra McDonald’s 2025 Tony Awards performance of &ld...
In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-host TV/Film writer Saeed Crumpler sit down with actor/writer/director/producer JOHNNY RAY GILL who is currently starring as Bobby Trey on Amazon's hit series CROSS!
We talk about his role on Cross and his incredible relationship with showrunner Ben Watkins, working with the cast and crew, making choices as an actor, writing and directing award-winning films, his new music/art project, the type...
In the spirit of GORDON PARK and PAUL ROBESON, J. David Shanks prides himself on being the contemporary renaissance man. He’s a writer, producer, and actor with aspirations of adding to his hyphenated list of industry skill sets, Director for feature films and television series.
David is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. He received his MFA in Producing for Film, Television, ...
In this episode Hilliard sits down in a super informative conversation with writer, producer, author, publisher, manager James “Uncle James” Moorer and TV/Film writer, playwright, actor Lekethia Dalcoe to talk about writing our favorite genres and why, writing hybrid Horror, Sci-fi, Supernatural and Action, why genre is important to us, rules of the world and how they work, themes in genre films and tv and so much more!
...
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH
In this episode, Hilliard and guest co-hosts (award-winning playwright, tv writer, actress) Lekethia Dalcoe and (tv/film writer, actor) Rich Scott sit down for a hilarious conversation talking about “some” of our favorite Oscar picks and why we love them, as well as how we use “theme” in our writing, getting in where we fit in, and so much more!
💥SUBSCRIBE💥 if you’re serious a...
In this episode, Hilliard talks to five awesome, diverse, talented TV writers from the popular MENTORSHIP MATTERS WRITERS PROGRAM: Rich Scott, Renee Cunningham, Stephen Nolly, Mahalia Latortue-Pridgett and Joshua B. Kazemi! Tune in and listen to these amazing writers journeys.
HIGHLIGHTS: The current climate in Hollywood and how to maneuver it, writing genre and comedy, how to pitch yourself, the writers' room, the future of Hollyw...
In this episode , Hilliard and guest co-host episodic dir/producer Lisa France sat down with Brendan Foley series creator, writer, executive producer of the hit series SHERLOCK AND DAUGHTER on CW/HBO!
Some highlights: We talked about this journey as a journalist and writer, the differences between working in the UK/Europe as a series creator and working in America, working on smaller budgets and how to get the biggest bang, co-prod...
In this 2026 premiere episode -- Hilliard sits down with some of his favorite Fans and Mentees of the podcast — writer’s -- Dijorn & Trinea Moss, Rich Scott, Rich Redlo, Minquell Ramone, Jade Hunter Alexandriia, Brooke Baltimore, Anich D’Jae, Jacques Buckingham and Aaron Beauchamp. We had a laugh out loud, impactful discussion, rotating guests, talking about the difficult year of 2025, everyone's plans to do d...
In this season finale, end of the year episode, Hilliard's joined by close friends award-winning director/producer Carl Seaton, TV/Film writer Saeed Crumpler and Executive Producer Tracy Grant to talk about their plans and goals in the New Year and ways writers and filmmakers can think outside the box to grow their careers, businesses and health by making the best kinds of lifestyle changes for themselves!
💥SUBSCRIBE💥 if you&rsquo...
In this ep, Hilliard interviews director/producer TREY HALEY the President/Partner at Tri Destined Studios where he is responsible for the implementation of all productions within the company. Toward the end of the ep, Kareem Grimes actor/star on the hit series ALL AMERICAN dropped in to hang with us to give Trey his flowers.
Trey, a passionate filmmaker with a diverse breadth and sensibility, has directed and produced a variety of ...
In this episode, Hilliard and actor/writer/activist Dalila Ali Rajah sit down for a fun conversation with writer/activists Katie Mathewson & Y. Shireen Razack to talk about their amazing journey up the rung as TV writers and their activism on (TTIE) and diversity committees at the WGAW!
KATIE MATHEWSON
Katie Mathewson is an Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning screenwriter/producer who has been working with her writing partne...
In this episode Hilliard and guest co-host writer/director Gregg Simon sat down for almost two hours with DANIEL PEARLE Executive Producer of Netflix's number one thriller called THE BEAST IN ME starring Claire Daines and Matthew Rhys.
Daniel Pearle is an American playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been produced and developed at Lincoln Center Theater, London’s Old Vic, The Vineyard, Ars Nova, and at regional theaters...
PLEASE EXCUSE THE SOUND
Step inside the Micheaux Film Festival and the real writers’ room panel! In this unfiltered, pull-no-punches live podcast taping, veteran writer/producer Hilliard Guess (Deadly Class, CROSS: After Hours) and award-winning actor/director Denzel Whitaker (Black Panther, Great Debaters), and his acclaimed short film Brand New (ALLBLK / AMC) team up to expose the truth behind the Hollywood curtain.
From nav...
In this episode - Hilliard, TV/Film writer SAEED CRUMPLER, and comedy/drama writer RICH SCOTT talk about how the global economic downturn could affect the entertainment industry, and what writers can do to protect themselves financially and creatively.
What You’ll Learn:
How and why artists fight back by starting their own labels and production companies
Survival is Key
"Make Money Sexy Again"
What should Emerging writers wr...
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