Usc School Of Cinematic Arts Conversations With... Speakers Series Podcast

Warren Bell is a twenty-year veteran of the sitcom business. His lengthy list of credits as a writer, producer and showrunner includes "Coach," "Ellen," "The PJs" and "According to Jim." He also has written or co-written seventeen network pilots, the most recent being "Home Game" for CBS.

USC Film School graduate Gabe Sachs is part of the Sachs-Judah writing-producing team. From early in his career, he started working with Judd Apatow as writer-producer on Sick In The Head, Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared. He and Judah continued in TV on Just Shoot Me and Life As We Know It, which they also created. After creating the new 90210, Sachs and Judah were asked to come on to write Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. Sachs and Judah are currently working on four features, including Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2.

Melissa Rosenberg is one of the most successful female screenwriters of all time. Her screenplays for Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse have helped the franchise to grosses of over $1b. A trained dancer, Rosenberg launched her screenwriting career with Step Up. In TV, Rosenberg has written for The O.C, Ally McBeal, Party of Five, Boston Public, The Outer Limits & Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. She has recently completed the fourth season as both head writer and executive producer on Dexter. Rosenberg is a graduate of the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.

James Vanderbilt graduated from USC in 1999, with his first script sale coming two days before graduation. By 2003 three of his screenplays had been made into films: Basic, starring John Travolta and Sam Jackson, The Rundown, starring the Rock, and Darkness Falls. In 2007 his screenplay of Zodiac received widespread critical acclaim. His adaptation of The Losers was released in theatres on April 23. He is currently working on the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise.

Stephen J Cannell is a television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor. He has scripted more than 450 episodes and produced or executive produced over 1,500 episodes of network TV. Despite suffering from dyslexia, Cannell has created or co-created nearly 40 television series including The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street and The Commish. He is a producer on the 2010 movie The A Team.

Eric Roth has nearly 40 years of screenwriting experience, in which time he has been rewarded with a WGA Award, a Humanitas Prize and an Academy Award. His extensive credits include Forrest Gump, The Postman, The Horse Whisperer, The Insider, Ali, Munich, The Good Shepherd and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Eric's currently working on Gump & Co, a follow up to Forrest Gump, as well as a reuniting with David Fincher in adapting the BBC TV series, House of Cards. He is an MFA graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where he won the prestigious Samuel Goldwyn Screenwriting Award.

All SCA Alumni, All working writers... Paul Foley: The Jetsons, Curious George, Scooby Doo 3. Doug Miro: The Great Raid, The Uninvited, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Sharky's Machine (2012). Scott Murphy: Angel, My Own Worst Enemy and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

In 1998 Scott Neustadter was hired to work in the story department of Robert De Niro's Tribeca Productions, first as story editor, then as Director of Development. Neustadter and his writing partner, Michael H. Weber, have sold projects to Sony, Warner Bros, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and Fox Searchlight, including the semi-autobiographical (500) Days of Summer and not-at-all-autobiographical Pink Panther 2.

Pamela Ribon was a producer on Mind of Mencia and Executive Story Editor on Samantha Who. She is currently developing a pilot for a major studio. Her novels include Why Girls Are Weird, Why Moms Are Weird and the upcoming Going In Circles.

Over the past thirteen years, Susco has penned and sold over forty scripts and pitches. He has written for a variety of acclaimed directors and producers. His first film, The Grudge, was produced by legendary director Sam Raimi and grossed almost $200 million worldwide in its theatrical release.

Susannah Grant wrote Erin Brockovich and received Academy Award, BAFTA and WGA nominations for Best Original Screenplay. A recipient of a 1992 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, her other credits include Ever After, In Her Shoe and Catch and Release, which she also directed. Grant was interviewed by Sean Wolfson for the "Conversations With..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Ronald D. Moore co-created Battlestar Galactica with David Eick and executive produced it throughout its four-season run. He has written, produced and run shows such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Carnivale. His feature credits include the Star Trek films Generations and First Contact. Among his future projects are a prequel to The Thing and the television series Virtuality and Caprica. Moore was interviewed by Sean Wolfson for the "Conversations With..." speaker series hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Jonathan Levine wrote and directed The Wackness which won the Audience Awards at the Sundance and LA Film Festivals. He also directed All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and has projects in development with Sony Pictures and others. Levine was interviewed by Sean Wolfson for the "Conversations With..." speaker series hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Pamela Pettler began her career in television and has gone on to write Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Monster House and the upcoming 9. She currently has projects in the works with Robert Zemeckis, Ridley Scott and others. Pettler was interviewed by Sean Wolfson as a featured guest at the "Conversations With ..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Vince Gilligan is the creator of AMC's Breaking Bad and was an executive producer on The X-Files for which he wrote 30 episodes and received two Golden Globe awards and three Emmy nominations. His feature credits include Wilder Napalm, Home Fries and Hancock. Gilligan was interviewed by Sean Wolfson as a featured guest at the "Conversations With..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Peter Buchman Blurb: Peter Buchman wrote Che, the epic biopic of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, for Steven Soderbergh, His other credits include Jurassic Park III and Eragon. Buchman was interviewed by Sean Wolfson as a featured guest at the "Conversations With ..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Mark & Michael Polish wrote and produced Twin Falls Idaho, Jackpot, Northfork and The Astronaut Farmer. In addition to writing, Michael directed and Mark starred in these films. Under their Prohibition Pictures banner, they will release Manure and Stay Cool in 2009. The Polish Brothers were interviewed by Sean Wolfson for the "Conversations With..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Stuart Beattie wrote Collateral and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl on spec, and has since gone on to write Derailed, 30 Days of Night, Australia and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Beattie was a featured guest at the "Conversations With..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Karey Kirkpatrick is the writer of Chicken Run, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Spiderwick Chronicles and many other films. He co-wrote and -directed Over the Hedge, and made his live-action directorial debut with NoWhereLand. A USC alumnus, Kirkpatrick was a featured guest at the "Conversations With..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.

Nicholas Meyer has written and/or directed Star Treks II, IV and VI, as well as Time After Time, Sommersby, The Human Stain, Elegy and The Seven-per-cent Solution, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He has also received Emmy nominations for The Night That Panicked America and The Odyssey. Meyer was a featured guest at the "Conversations With ..." speaker series, hosted by the Writing Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode in the USC School of Cinematic Arts podcast series.