Episode 10 - Meet our mentors - a special Nerdist Writers Panel crossover event!

Episode 10 - Meet our mentors - a special Nerdist Writers Panel crossover event!

Author: Children of Tendu May 5, 2014 Duration: 47:41

Part 1 of a special Nerdist Writers Panel/Children of Tendu event!

If you listen to Children of Tendu, you have heard the names "Rene Echevarria" and "Naren Shankar." Both are fantastic writers, both are veterans of the Star Trek: The Next Generation writers room, and both are important mentor figures to Jose and Javi.

In this first part of our interview with our mentors, we are aided by the indomitable Ben Blacker as Rene and Naren discuss the early days of their own career with a special focus on their relationship with Star Trek, it's showrunner Michael Piller, and how that series's culture helped them become both successful writers as well as successful mentors to otger writers.

And if you like part one, part two - featuring tons of useful advice from Rene, Naren, Jose and Javi on process and creativity - goes live Tuesday, may 6th, 2014 on the Nerdist industries website, under the aegis of the Nerdist Writers Panel - http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/nerdist-writers-panel/


Children of Tendu is a conversation between two working television writers who have seen it all from both sides of the writers' room table. Hosts Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Jose Molina aren't just names from your favorite show credits; they're seasoned veterans who have navigated the trenches of network TV, genre series, and long-running procedurals. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the real, unvarnished mechanics of building a career in this industry. You'll hear them dissect everything from landing that first staffing job and navigating studio politics to the craft of pitching and the personal resilience required to last for decades. Their advice is never theoretical-it's grounded in specific stories from their time on shows like "Lost," "Firefly," and "Law & Order: SVU." This podcast functions as a persistent, frank mentorship for anyone curious about how television gets made and how to find a place within it. The tone is direct, often funny, and always focused on actionable insight rather than glamour. For aspiring writers, producers, or anyone fascinated by the creative and business realities of TV, Grillo-Marxuach and Molina offer a rare, sustained look at the path in and the skills needed to stay. Tune in for a masterclass that only insiders can provide, where every conversation is built on hard-earned experience and a genuine desire to demystify the process.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Children of Tendu
Podcast Episodes
Episode 8 - Mo' Producers, Mo' Problems [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:46
Picking up from last week's topic - "What Do All Those Producer Credits Mean" Jose and Javi move from defining the role of the writer/producer on TV to giving practical examples of the work of the upper level producer wi…
Episode 7 - What Do All Those Producer Credits Mean? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38:01
The career path for a television writer is a long and winding road that leads to a producer credit - but what does it mean to be a writer who becomes a producer? Do writers who rise to producers still write? What do all…
Episode 6 - Special Guest Stars Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:11
In this very special episode of the Children of Tendu podcast, Jose and Javi welcome Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters: creators and shorunners of the beloved "Reaper," showrunners of "Resurrection" and executive producer…
Episode 5- Your First Script On Staff: Surrender Your Ego [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:20
What is it like to face the dread of the empty page... when you are doing it for pay and as part of the writing staff of a television series for the first time? In this thrill-packed episode, Jose and javi share the stor…
Episode 4 - The Writers' Room: How Do I Work This? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:05
The great unspoken truth of television writing is that - by and large - writers spend most of their time not at the keyboard, but in a conference room collaborating on stories with other writers. In this super-sized epis…
Episode 3 - Staffing Season [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:47
Once a year, every writer - and aspiring writer - in television takes part in what amounts to nothing less than a (metaphorical) all-city job fair... the period after the networks have picked up their new pilots, renewed…
Episode 2 - Agents - Who? Why? And How? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:17
Javi and Jose demistify one of the most misunderstood components of the entertainment business: agents. what they do and why they are crucial for a successful career in television is a little undertstood face of our work…
Episode 1 - Your first step into a much larger world [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:01
In this inaugural edition of the Children of Tendu Podcast, veteran television writer/producers Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The Middleman, Helix, Medium) and Jose Molina (Sleepy Hollow, Firefly, Haven, Castle, Dark Ang…
[not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
Welcome to the Children of Tendu podcast, featuring Jose Molina - writer and producer on shows including Firefly, Sleepy Hollow, Castle, Dark Angel, Terra Nova, Without a Trace, and Law & Order SVU - and Javier Grillo-Ma…