550 - ALONA TAL - STAR ON CROSS

550 - ALONA TAL - STAR ON CROSS

Author: Hilliard Guess March 16, 2026 Duration: 1:38:45
Screenwriters' Rant Room
TvTV & FilmFilm

🔥In this episode🔥Hilliard sat down with actor, writer, producer, director ALONA TAL - star on the hit series CROSS on Amazon Prime. We talked about all sides of her skills, directing, shadowing, using your instincts, her amazing work on other network TV shows like Fire Country, drawing creativity from your tribe, how she landed the role of Det. Kayla Craig on CROSS, grueling screen tests, the logistics of shooting on location, techniques for memorizing lines, series regular expectations and demands, building relationships with Showrunner Ben Watkins and her cast & crew on CROSS and so much more!


💥SUBSCRIBE💥 if you’re serious about writing for TV/Film, leveling up your craft, and staying tapped into real game from working industry pros who KEEP IT GAME ALL DAY.


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Guest:

@alonatal


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ANTHOLOGY I.O. - SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - WRITERS PANEL!

Hilliard Guess, Tash Gray, Saeed Crumpler & Chris Derrick


In its inaugural year, Anthology IO Short Film Festival is not holding back any punches.  With its premiere event in Los Angeles on March 28th, 2026. 

The premiere event will be at the old Eastman Kodak building at Solotech Studios in Hollywood  screening the best of the best films in our festival.  Live music from The RIFT, a DJ, a red carpet step-and-repeat, glamour photoshoots,  along with food trucks, full bar, local vendors, games, raffle, and so much more!

DOORS OPEN AT 5:30PM. RED CARPET AT 6PM


Tickets are currently available on Eventbrite at the links below.

10% DISCOUNT TICKETS - CODE: RANTROOM10

https://www.studioio.la/anthology-io


Eventbrite Ticket Sales

Partiful Event Post

Anthology IO Festival Site

Film Freeway Site


DETAILS:

  • Date: Saturday, MARCH 28th, 2026
  • Venue: Solotech Studios @ The Eastman Kodak Building in Hollywood
    • Address: 6700 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038

Limited Parking Accessible at: 1017 N Las Palmas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038 


Ep Video: 

@GreggSimon

@JoshuaKazemi


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Our Motto: “Keep it GAME all day!”


Step inside a space where the polished veneer of Hollywood gets stripped away, replaced by the raw, unfiltered conversations happening behind the scenes. Screenwriters' Rant Room is guided by Hilliard Guess, a working WGA writer, director, and producer whose own path includes a role as Director of Development and now executive producing an Amazon series. He brings that grounded, insider perspective to every episode. Rather than rehearsed interviews, you’ll hear the kind of frank talk that happens after a long day on set or in a writers’ room. Hilliard sits down with guests or engages with rotating co-hosts, and together they drop what he aptly calls "industry bombs"-those unvarnished truths, frustrating anecdotes, and hard-won insights about writing, producing, and surviving in TV and film. The tone is as hilarious as it is candid, making the complex machinery of entertainment feel human and relatable. This isn't a lecture on structure; it's a living, breathing, and often laughing chronicle of the creative grind. For anyone curious about the real stories behind the screen, this podcast offers a front-row seat to the rants, revelations, and camaraderie that define a life in storytelling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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