OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East

In the final part of OnWriting's series on protecting free speech, journalists Sammie Smylie, Nitish Pahwa, Matt Shuham and join moderator and journalist Susan Rinkunas to discuss the escalating threats faced by journalists in the US, why it's so critical to fight back to protect journalism that informs the public and holds power accountable, and more.
Sammie Smylie is a state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago, a leader in the Civic News Guild with the WGAE, and a WGAE Council Member for Online Media.
Nitish Pahwa is a business and technology journalist at Slate, and a member of the WGAE Council representing Online Media.
Matt Shuham is a senior reporter at the HuffPost National Desk, helped organize the Talking Points Memo staff union with the WGAE, and currently a member of the HuffPost Union's bargaining committee.
Susan Rinkunas is co-founder of Autonomy News, a contributing writer at Jezebel, and an independent journalist covering politics, reproductive health, and abortion access. She is also a member of the WGAE Council, representing Online Media.
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Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting
Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast
OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

We're wrapping up 2025 with an OnWriting Screenwriter Roundtable, featuring David Koepp, Craig Brewer and Kirt Gunn. The three writers joined us to discuss the origins and process behind their latest projects, how they develop their ideas over time, and much more.
David Koepp is a writer and director known for writing the screenplays for films like Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, and Spider-Man, among many others. His most recent project is Black Bag, a mystery-thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh released in Spring 2025.
Craig Brewer is the writer and director of Song Sung Blue, a musical biopic about a Neil Diamond tribute band, based on the documentary of the same name. Before Song Sung Blue, he wrote and directed films like Hustle & Flow and wrote on seasons 4 & 5 of the hit television series Empire.
Kirt Gunn is a writer and director whose latest project is Roofman, co-written and directed by frequent collaborator Derek Cianfrance.
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Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting
Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast
OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

In part 2 of our series on protecting free speech, veteran late night television writers Josh Gondelman, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski and Sasha Stewart join us to discuss the eventful past few months in the world of late night, the current state of the genre, and how they think late night comedy might shift throughout the ongoing fight to protect free speech.
Josh Gondelman is a former late night writer for shows like Desus & Mero and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, a stand-up comedian and former WGAE Council Member. Liz Hynes is a writer on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, a former writers' assistant on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and a member of the WGAE Council.
Greg Iwinski is a writer known for his work on late night comedy shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Game Theory with Bomani Jones. He previously served on the WGAE Council.
Sasha Stewart is a writer whose credits include the late night comedy show The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, the comedy series Dying for Sex, and the documentary series Amend. She currently serves as the WGAE's Secretary-Treasurer.
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Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting
Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast
OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

In the first of a multi-part series on protecting free speech in media, public television writers Rupeshi Shah Bhat, June Thiele, Peter Miller and Jill Cozza-Turner discuss the state of public broadcasting in the face of ongoing threats like the loss of federal funding, and why it's so critical to fight back to protect both public broadcasting specifically and free speech overall.
Rupeshi Shah Bhat is a preschool TV writer who has written for PBS KIDS programs like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and is a member of the WGAE Animation Caucus.
Peter Miller is a Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker who has been working in the public television documentary industry for over 30 years, including for programs like American Experience.
June Thiele is a writer and actor known for their Emmy-nominated writing on the PBS KIDS program Molly of Denali.
Jill Cozza-Turner is a children's television writer who has spent over 20 years working in children's media. She is currently the head writer of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and has also written for Donkey Hodie.
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Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting
Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast
OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.

This week, WGAE AI Taskforce co-chairs Larry J. Cohen and Sarah Montana, and taskforce member A.M. Homes sit down for an OnWriting roundtable conversation about all things artificial intelligence: how we got to where we are today, the risks AI poses to workers, what the WGAE is doing to protect members from this technology, and more.
A.M. Homes is a writer whose credits include television series like Mr. Mercedes and The L Word. She is a former member of the WGAE Council and currently a member of the WGAE AI Taskforce.
Larry J. Cohen is a writer on the television series Berlin Station and Borgia. He currently serves on the WGAE Council and is the co-chair of the WGAE AI Taskforce.
Sarah Montana is the writer of Hallmark holiday movies like Rescuing Christmas. She's a WGAE Council member for the Film/TV/Streaming sector and is the second co-chair of the WGAE AI Taskforce.
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Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: wgaeast.org/onwriting
Follow the Guild on social media: @WGAEast
OnWriting is a production of the Writers Guild of America East. The show is produced by WGA East staff members Jason Gordon, Tiana Timmerberg, and Molly Beer. Production, editing, and mix by Giulia Hjort. Original music is by Taylor Bradshaw. Artwork is designed by Molly Beer.