We Interrupt This Broadcast

• 017: Deep Dive with Corey Mandell: The Craft of Screenwriting and Why It Matters

  In this episode, Julie Eckersley sits down with world-renowned writing teacher and story consultant Corey Mandell, whose students include Oscar winners and leading showrunners. Known for his groundbreaking approach to screenwriting, Corey unpacks why formulas are failing today’s writers and what you need to do instead.Whether you're a screenwriter, producer, or development executive, this episode is a masterclass in how to write truly original and emotionally resonant stories that sell, and why so many talented writers fail to break through.---Listen to this episode if you are interested in:The two levels of a great screen story.Why formulas fail, and how to avoid them.Talent is not a gift, it’s a muscle.Creative integration: the core of Corey Mandell's screenwriting method, and how to develop both your "hammer" and your "straw"Story design vs. plotting, and how to deliver an emotional experience for your audienceWhy your relationship with writing mattersThe new reality of the global screen industryA bold idea to improve the industry---Follow Corey and his work:Website & free resources: https://coreymandell.net/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreymandellworkshops/ X: https://x.com/coreymandell Facebook: Corey Mandell Professional Screenwriting Courses: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063888732536 Resource:The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle: https://www.amazon.com.au/Talent-Code-Greatness-born-grown/dp/1847943047/ ---This Deep Dive interview is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠⁠.If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and we’d love you to forward this episode to a friend!---Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weinterruptpodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weinterruptpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/105338177/

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• 016: Deep Dive with Jessie Hughes: You Should be Using AI to Enhance Your Creative Work

  In this episode we talk to Jessie Hughes, Senior Creative Technologist at Leonardo.Ai. Jessie is an internationally-recognised new media artist, technologist, scholar and screenwriter, her works having exhibited most notably at Sundance, SXSW, Cannes and the Tate Modern. In her role at Leonardo.Ai, she has been instrumental in leading global education, evangelism, community engagement, and industry-wide adoption for one of the world’s fastest-growing generative AI platforms. Jessie talks about the ways generative AI can play a role in the future of the screen industry, and why she’s particularly excited for emerging creatives and the Australian screen industry.Listen to this episode if you are interested in:The ways generative AI is being used on current productionsWhy Australia is leading the way with AI from a technology perspectiveHow creative experience is the key to creating great AI contentWhy collaboration still leads to better outcomesThe ways democratisation of creativity allows more diverse voices to be heardWhat you should do if you want to upskill with AI toolsBonus: Pair this episode with an AI Cheat Sheet put together by Scott Dickson from Bold Digital Media.The cheat sheet is a look at a variety of AI tools that may help speed up tasks, reduce costs, and unlock new creative possibilities across different points of the production process.https://www.bolddigitalmedia.com.au/aitoolspdf Scott Dickson works with creative teams to explore practical ways AI tools can support production workflows without giving up any creativity.Follow his work:www.linkedin.com/in/thatscottdicksonbolddigitalmedia.com.au Follow Jessie and her work:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-hughes-050138b1Leonardo.ai: https://leonardo.ai/Announcement: Google’s Veo 3 on Leonardo.AiLeonardo.Ai Training:Leonardo LearnCreating Detailed Concept Designs for PresentationsCreating Cinematic Storyboards with AICreating Concept Art and Posters for Your Film⁠How to Ideate with Flow State⁠⁠How to Use Flow State⁠Other Links & Presentations:Top 50 Women in AI: Leonardo.Ai News | Forbes ArticleLeonardo.Ai at AWS Sydney SummitLeonardo.Ai at Canva Create 2025Meta Festival 2025 — Jessie Hughes, Leonardo.AiEmerging Media Programming AI Toolkit Series: Leonardo.aiFlow Issue No 01: Agency Storyboarding & Development Edition Spill Issue No. 01: Advertising & Marketing EditionLeonardo 104: Transform Your Business with Leonardo for TeamsThis Deep Dive interview is hosted by ⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠, and proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠.If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and we’d love you to forward this episode to a friend!

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• 015 - June 2025 News Round-Up: Short Film Funding, Google's Veo 3 & More…

  In this episode of We Interrupt This Broadcast, Julie and Kirsty wrap up this month's industry news, from short film funding and Screen Australia's new guidelines to Google's Veo 3.Plus: International news, Screenwest increases its PDV Offset, Creative Australia's new website, and more screen industry news from around the country...00:00 Intro00:38 Short films, microbudget features & safety concerns03:24 Screen Australia's new short film guidelines06:17 Screen Well hosts wellbeing roundtables06:37 Creative Australia releases new website07:33 Google launches Veo 311:01 Mr Beast hits 400 million subscribers11:35 Mountainhead's streamlined production process13:08 Screenwest increases PDV rebate13:48 Ausfilm leads Australian contingent at Annecy14:16 What we've been watching15:50 What’s in production around the country17:04 Upcoming Industry Events 19:09 Remembering Liz Tomkins20:02 Acknowledgement of CountryLinks to further info:We Interrupt This Broadcast on social media:LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTubeShort Film FundingPrevious episode: Melanie Rowland and FlunkSA's Film Lab: New Voices initiative & its films: Monolith & Lesbian Space PrincessRobert Rodriguez book - Rebel Without a CrewScreen Australia Webinars - New GuidelinesNarrative - with Louise GoughDocumentary - with Richard HuddlestonCreative Workplaces New websiteAI & Google's Veo 3Official pageExample AI generated videosClayton Jacobson's perfume adOpinion: The film industry is about to get Blockbuster'd by AI and nobody sees it comingLeonardo AI Scott Dickson - Bold Digital MediaWant to sponsor We Interrupt This Broadcast?Reach out to [email protected]. Beast hits 400 million subscribersMountainhead's production process: Hollywood Reporter | IndiewireNews in BriefScreenwest increases PDV rebate to 20%Stan extends multi-year partnership with Sony Pictures TelevisionStan to present at Content LondonAusfilm leads an Annecy contingentWhat We're WatchingThe Survivors | Bring Her Back | Hacks | Sunday Too Far AwaySAFC 50th anniversary screeningIn Production:Tenzing | ⁠Gnomes | Play Dead⁠⁠Screen Australia Upcoming Productions⁠ | ⁠IF In Production⁠Simtrav behind the scenes footage from The SurvivorsUpcoming EventsScreenworks Regional to Global | Australians in Film Future Vision Summit | AFTRS Digital Futures SummitVale Liz TomkinsWIFT Announcement If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple or give us 5 stars on Spotify to help us spread the word.Plus: don’t forget to stop by ⁠our Instagram⁠ on Wednesday evening (the day after each episode is released) to join the conversation in our Stories.We Interrupt This Broadcast is hosted by ⁠⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Kirsty Stark⁠⁠⁠.This episode is proudly brought to you by ⁠CrewHQ⁠ & ⁠Expanding Media⁠.

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• 014 - Deep Dive with Sam Cable: What Games Can Teach Us About Audience Experience

  In this episode we talk to Writer and Game Director Sam Cable. Sam specialises in bringing humanity and emotion into games. She is Co-Founder and Game Director of Spoonful of Wonder. Their debut game - Copycat - won Best International Game at the SEA Game Awards in 2024.Sam talks about how to create an emotional connection when building the story for a game. She discusses scripting for games and using branching narratives, as well as new trends in gaming and how audiences can impact games.Listen to this episode if you are interested in:Creating emotional connections in gaming.What a branching narrative is, and how to build player agency.How to intertwine storytelling with game mechanics.The growing role of the writer in gaming and how screenwriters can transfer their skills.A unique proposal that looks at mental health and interactive storytelling.Follow Sam Cable and her work:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthacableCompany: https://spoonfulofwonder.comCopycat:Trailer: https://youtu.be/QfODF74EPzITwitter/X: https://x.com/GameCopycatInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/copycat.game/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@copycat.indie.gameYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CopycatGameDevlogSteam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1622350/Copycat/This Deep Dive interview is hosted by ⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠, and proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠.If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and we’d love you to forward this episode to a friend!

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• 013 - Deep Dive with Ally Morgan: What I Learnt About Storytelling from TikTok

  Julie chats with emerging screen talent Ally Morgan, creator of the 15-part TikTok musical series Girl Crush. Originally envisioned as a TV series, Girl Crush became a groundbreaking short-form series that reached and resonated with queer audiences online.Ally opens up about how she greenlit herself, the creative and logistical pivot from television to TikTok, and what the project taught her about episodic structure, vertical storytelling, and building an audience from scratch in the digital age.Listen to this episode if you’re interested in:Why Girl Crush pivoted from long-form TV to a 15-part TikTok musical seriesHow Ally mastered writing hooks and sustaining story over one-minute episodesThe creative constraints—and unexpected freedoms—of vertical storytellingLessons in crafting for short-form platforms, from writing to visual styleHow to cultivate a micro-niche audience instead of chasing viral fameMarketing strategies that actually worked (and what didn’t)Why authentic, unpolished content often outperforms glossy production on TikTokThe power of starting today—even without a green lightWhat every production company can learn from creators like AllyTop Takeaways:Start early and start raw — audiences value authenticity over polishEvery second counts — grab attention in under 1 second on TikTokCraft still matters — shorter doesn't mean easier, it means sharperFind your people — lean into specificity to build a loyal audienceMarketing is not optional — plan content and community alongside storyGo cross-platform — TikTok is powerful, but don't skip Instagram and YouTube ShortsWatch Girl Crush:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlcrushseriesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlcrushseries/Trailer: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3WdAt9PfPx/Connect with Ally Morgan:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allymorgan1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allykmorgan/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@allykaymorganWebsite: https://allymorgan.squarespace.com/---This Deep Dive interview is hosted by ⁠⁠Julie Eckersley⁠⁠⁠, and proudly brought to you by ⁠⁠CrewHQ⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Expanding Media⁠⁠.If you’re enjoying the podcast, please leave a rating on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and we’d love you to forward this episode to a friend!

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