To celebrate the #BlackList2025 release, we're dropping a loaded bonus episode with Black List founder Franklin Leonard.

Twenty-one years after its inception, the Black List has become Hollywood's most influential survey of unproduced screenplays - launching careers, reshaping industry gatekeeping, and proving that meritocracy can be an engine for diversity. As the 2025 list drops, we sit down with founder Franklin Leonard for an unflinching conversation about what's changed, what hasn't, and what comes next.

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Franklin Leonard⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠BlueSky⁠ and ⁠⁠X⁠⁠

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Hill⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠I⁠nstagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠TikTok ⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Useful Links:

⁠Franklin on Substack⁠

⁠The Black List on Substack⁠

⁠The Annual Black List Archives⁠

Episode Sponsor:

Hit the link ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ for 10% off Story and Plot's pro digital screenwriting courses, MASTERING STRUCTURE and IDEA TO OUTLINE.

Trevor White of Star Thrower Productions talks about how he and his brother Tim have built their producing careers by working hands-on with screenwriters to develop their scripts, then using the Black List as a spotlight tool to get the industry buzzing and help package projects with the right talent - a strategy that's led to some serious hits including King Richard (2021), where Zach Baylin's script about Venus and Serena Williams' father landed Will Smith his Oscar, The Post (2017), teaming Liz Hannah's Pentagon Papers script with Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks, and their latest Black List project, the rom-dramedy Eternity (2025), which just premiered at TIFF.

White breaks down their writer-first approach, explaining how Star Thrower digs into the development trenches with screenwriters before strategically using the Black List to create buzz and attract directors and actors, turning promising scripts into actual movies that get made, while offering practical advice to aspiring writers about nailing character work, finding fresh takes on stories, and understanding how the right relationships and platforms can get your script from your laptop to the big screen.

Useful links:

Star Thrower Entertainment Website

Trailer for rom-dramedy Eternity

THR Interview with Tim and Trevor

Deadline Article about 'With the 8th Pick'

Film Courage Video Interview with Trevor

Get your copy of John's exceptional book here.

What if every story you've ever loved - from ancient myths to Marvel blockbusters, from Shakespeare to The Sopranos - follows the exact same blueprint?

Today we dive deep into John Yorke's revolutionary book "Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them," the UK's bestselling screenwriting text that's required reading for story enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Find this and other interviews on our new YouTube Channel.

Yorke, the mastermind behind British TV hits like Shameless, Life on Mars, and EastEnders, argues that storytelling isn't just an art - it's hardwired into human perception itself.

We explore his groundbreaking five-act structure, the neurological basis of narrative, and why understanding story structure can transform your writing from good to great.

Whether you're a seasoned screenwriter or just starting your storytelling journey, this episode will change how you see every story around you.

Guest Bio:

John Yorke is one of the most influential figures in British television drama. Former MD of Company Pictures where he Exec Produced Wolf Hall, he’s worked as both Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production, where he was responsible for commissioning and producing some of the most beloved shows in British TV history, including Hustle, Spooks, Casualty, Holby City, Bodies, and Sex Traffic.

His career began story-lining EastEnders during its first BAFTA-winning year, leading to a 14-year association that produced some of the biggest audiences in British television history.

As a commissioning editor and executive producer, he championed defining works like Life On Mars, The Street, Shameless, and Waterloo Road.

In 2005, he created the BBC Writers Academy, a year-long intensive training program that has produced a generation of successful television writers.

John Yorke is now Managing Director of both Angel Station and John Yorke Story, where he works as a drama producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of storytelling.

He consults on narrative advertising across all broadcasting platforms including podcasting, presents his own weekly radio show Opening Lines about classic books on BBC Radio 4, and is also Visiting Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

He lives in London but works as a story consultant worldwide.

Useful links:

BBC Writersroom Interview - John Yorke