Ben Blacker

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.