Charles Randolph, co-writer of The Big Short, drops by the Insider View Podcast to chat with host, Pete D'Alessandro about his background in aesthetic philosophy, working with Adam McKay and what makes credit default swaps such a fascinating film topic. 

 The Big Short is out in theaters now. 

Listen as Mark L. Smith, screenwriter of The Revenant, talks to Insider View host Pete D'Alessandro about everything from Colorado dude ranches to drafting screenplays before pitching. 

The Revenant is out in wide release today - January 8th, 2016!

Andrew Jenks, award-winning twenty-something American filmmaker, explains how to find the story in documentaries, and how the story often leads you to discover material you were never expecting. From the realities of nursing homes to  a young man fighting to get a wrongful conviction overturned, Jenks finds moving topics and uses his storytelling skills to craft unforgettable documentaries. In addition to his filmmaking, he is also the host of MTV's very popular documentary series World of Jenks. If all that work werent enough to keep him busy, he is the founder of the All-American High School Film Festival. The annual event was designed to inspire and educate young filmmakers from around the world and features judges such as Kristen Stewart, Morgan Spurlock, and Diablo Cody.

Final Draft sits down with WME's Christopher Lockhart and Benderspink's Daniel Vang  for a discussion about the life of a script. Many writers don't consider what happens after an executive reads a script and thinks it has potential to go to production. But the more you the screenwriter know about the process, the better you can prepare your script to be a part of it, and the better your odds of seeing your name in the credits.

Phillip Iscove, creator of hit TV series Sleepy Hollow, talks about his early days at film school in Toronto, working as an assistant at powerhouse agency UTA for eight years, and how Sleepy Hollow was not just his first sale: it also saved him from being kicked out of the country. Along the way he discusses the prevalence of genre stories on television, the challenges of working on such a large budget show, and what he looks for when hiring staff writers. 

A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Brian Duffield burst onto the screenwriting scene with his rom com spec 'Your Bridesmaid Is A Bitch', a Black List script that launched his career. Brian talks moving to Los Angeles after college, struggling to make himself known in Hollywood, and what it's like to write a script for a hit franchise.

Dean DeBlois, writer/director of such animated classics as Lilo and Stitch and the How To Train Your Dragon series, talks about how he got his start in animation, how to approach fantasy/adventure screenplays, and what it's like to write for a dragon. - 

Acclaimed novelist, playwright and screenwriter Anthony McCarten tells how it took him eight years to convince Stephen and Jane Hawking to give him the rights to their story, his "exaggerated desire" to express himself, and how "putting words into the mouth of the smartest guy on the planet" took an enormous leap of faith. - 

Frederick Mensch, founder of the online screenwriting database MovieBytes, can now add working screenwriter to his resume. His uncompromising screenplay, 'Nightingale', was recently made into a movie by HBO, starring Golden-Globe nominee David Oyelowo. 'Nightingale' is the first movie to be made from a script uploaded to the Black List, and has launched Mensch’s career many years after he began writing. Mensch discusses his long journey from film school to Hollywood, how to write a film with one character and one location, and the importance of writing a “splashy role” that will attract a movie star to your project.

Television writer Gennifer Hutchison has spent time in some of the most famous writers' rooms of recent years.  Her roles have spanned everything from producer’s assistant to supervising producer on the wildly popular and critically acclaimed Better Call Saul.

Comedian-screenwriter-actor Jim Jefferies bares all about his writing process, getting a series on the air, and killing off characters - even disabled ones.

Jason Dean Hall discusses what it was like to tell the story of Chris Kyle in 'American Sniper', a polarizing figure whose controversial and disturbing story broke box-office records. The writer's deeply personal connection to the story is filling the trades and garnering awards attention while, in a world far away from Hollywood, the trial for Kyle's tragic murder is taking place.

Professional script reader Kelly Boruff talks about the most important qualities your script should have, how to deal with the notes process, and what rules she likes to see broken on the page. 

James Vanderbilt talks about researching 'Truth,' the controversial courtroom drama detailing the 2004 CBS '60 Minutes' report that cost anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes their careers.

Final Draft chats with Jeannie Gaffigan about The Jim Gaffigan Show, her latest series with comedian husband Jim. Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan’s writing/producing credits include such shows as Mr. Universe, Obsessed, King Baby, Beyond the Pale, and My Boys. Now they are sharing their real and chaotic life with fans on the new TV Land series which explores one man’s struggle to find a balance between fatherhood, stand-up comedy and an insatiable appetite. Jeannie discusses her theater background, as well as her collaboration with husband Jim Gaffigan as they became a comedy power couple, and the challenges they faced while balancing a large family with a successful comedy career.

‘Black-ish’ co-showrunners, Kenya Barris and Jonathan Groff, discuss the road to creating hit shows Talented television creators Kenya Barris and Jonathan Groff have teamed up on the new hit ABC television show 'Black-ish'.

Nick Hornby talks about adapting ‘Brooklyn,’ the dramatic romance about an Irish immigrant (Saoire Ronan) who finds love and must choose between two countries.

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski walk us through their first meeting as students at USC, to their latest project, 'Big Eyes'.

Kay Cannon talks about her beginnings at Second City, what it was like to work in the Writer's Room of '30 Rock', her hit movie franchise 'Pitch Perfect', and the difference between writing for film and television.