Ben Blacker

Los Angeles, United States

Host at The Writers Panel Podcast

Co-Host and Producer at Dead Pilots Society Podcast

Journalist at Freelance

Co-Host at The Thrilling Adventure Hour

Dormant. Find me at https://t.co/0d9bCbLLgM or better yet on Letterboxd.

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Articles

Episode 176: Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) Interview

2 days ago | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes Episode 176: Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) InterviewIn this month’s after-show interview, Andrew chats with Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) about their pilot How to Get Over Bryan Byers.
Episode 175: How To Get Over Bryan Byers Written by Ilana Peña & Anne Sundell

1 week ago | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes Episode 175: How To Get Over Bryan Byers Written by Ilana Peña & Anne SundellThis month on Dead Pilots Society, we’re bringing you How To Get Over Bryan Byers, a hilarious comedy pilot from Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian). The show follows two former enemies, Anna and Izzy, who become best friends after realizing they’ve both dated—and been dumped by—the same guy.
Austen Earl Interview | Maximum Fun

1 month ago | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes Episode 174: Austen Earl Interview (Letters to Beyoncé, Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together)In this after-show interview, Andrew talks with writer/producer Austen Earl about his pilot Letters to Beyoncé, inspired by his own mom. Austen shares how he went from a tiny town in Vermont to a Hollywood writing career—with a surprising assist from his athletic background.
Letters to Beyoncé | Maximum Fun

1 month ago | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes Episode 173: Letters to Beyoncé written by Austin Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together)In this episode of Dead Pilots Society, we bring you a heartfelt and hilarious pilot from Austin Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together, About My Father).
Camp Friends Written by Lauren Herstik

2 months ago | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes This month, we have a fantastic dead pilot, Camp Friends, written by Lauren Herstik. You may know Lauren as a writer on American Vandal and Pearson. Camp Friends is about best friends who spend every summer at Camp Widgen. This is their CIT (counselor-in-training) year, the last before becoming counselors, and the last chance to have the best summer ever.
Episode 163: Amy Reed (The Diary of a Future President) & Brendan Scannell Interview (The 14th Floor After Show)

Dec 25, 2024 | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes A happy holidays to you! Hopefully you’re wearing that Dead Pilots Society shirt you bought for yourself as a gift while listening to this episode! This is our interview with Amy and Brendan. In it you’ll hear an honest take about how hard it is to sell things and make a living in Hollywood these days.
Episode 162: The 14th Floor written by Amy Reed (The Diary of a Future President) & Brendan Scannell (Bonding)

Dec 20, 2024 | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes It’s the end of the year and we have a very special dead pilot for you! This is The 14th Floor written by Amy Reed (The Diary of a Future President) & Brendan Scannell (Bonding). It centers aroundan ambitious young executive at multinational McKenna Corp who gets hip-checked by her threatened CEO, and is then banished to the depths of the 14th floor, where a staff of castoffs collect checks doing absolutely nothing.
Episode 161: Bill Callahan Interview (Massholes After Show)

Nov 28, 2024 | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode, Andrew interviews Bill Callahan about his pilot Massholes. Bill has an impressive résumé, having worked on Spin City, 8 Simple Rules, Scrubs, Psych, American Housewife, and The Goldbergs. A former college athlete turned comedy writer, Bill shares his journey from football to comedy, starting in an agency mailroom and learning from legends like Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence.
Episode 160: Massholes written by Bill Callahan (Scrubs, Spin City)

Nov 21, 2024 | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes This month’s pilot is Massholes. It was set up at ABC and written by Bill Callahan (Scrubs, Spin City). Bill is a veteran comedy writer who’s worked on so many shows you know and love. This is a Friends-style ensemble pilot inspired by Bill’s group of friends from Massachusetts. To keep things authentic, we assembled an all-star cast of actors from the Boston area.
Episode 159: Al Madrigal & Chris Harris Interview (Mr. Macho After show)

Oct 31, 2024 | maximumfun.org | Ben Blacker

Episode notes Welcome to the after-show for Mr. Macho! Andrew and Al recount their unusual first meeting during a casting session for a show that came together under extraordinary circumstances. They discuss how close Al has come to getting his story on air as a half-hour comedy, as well as the ongoing challenges of Latino representation in TV comedy. Chris also shares his wisdom on guiding and helping sell this pilot as its supervisor.