Emerging: How to Eventually Make it in Film & TV

BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Joe Barton, creator of Black Doves, The Lazarus Project and the upcoming Amadeus (among so many others) is back with us to answer the all-important Last Call. So what's the best and worst writing advice he's ever received? What's the first story he ever wrote? And why does he love Love Actually so much?And if you didn't catch our even fuller chat with Joe, all about his emerging journey, from when and how he signed with his agent, to how he found success writing movies like The Ritual and shows like Giri-Haji, listen back! It's genuinely a great chat. 📬 Get In Touch:Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram: @theemergingpodBen is @bmlrobinsMartin is @bananabreadfilmTray is @ByTrayepps✨ Support the Show:If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).

This is a fun one - we convinced BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Joe Barton, creator of Black Doves, Giri/Haji and Sky's upcoming Amadeus (among so many others) to join us for a chat about his own emerging journey!From his first few jobs on McFly's long forgotten vampire movie and a MySpace original series (yes, MySpace once made TV), to how he signed with his agent, his experiences in LA, and how his work on films like The Ritual hit differently to writing for TV, there're A LOT of great insights from Joe's career buried in here. Join us later in the week for his answers to The Last Call too... With thanks again to Joe for joining us the night before the Black Doves Season 2 shoot kicked off(!), if you want to follow his career and support a plucky young upstart, he's @joebarton_ on Instagram, and his new show AMADEUS lands on Sky on 21st December. 📬 Get In Touch:Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram: @theemergingpodBen is @bmlrobinsMartin is @bananabreadfilmTray is @ByTrayepps✨ Support the Show:If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).

A special bonus chat this week - inspiring producer, filmmaker, production co-ordinator and all-round multi-hyphenate Sonia Wargacka sits down with Ben to talk about her very new, very different talent agency Powerhouse and how she hopes to change the world of agenting for the better. If you want to follow Sonia's progress, she's @leaveitwithsonia on Instagram, and her agency is @this.is.powerhouse!📬 Get In Touch:Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram: @theemergingpodBen is @bmlrobinsMartin is @bananabreadfilmTray is @ByTrayepps✨ Support the Show:If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).

One of our favourite parts of every guest episode is The Last 10, (ironically) 12 quickfire questions that help us get to know other writers on a far more personal level. So it felt only fair that we take the challenge ourselves too.As a bit of a disclaimer, this episode was recorded way back in March 2025, just as the show was starting to take shape, so we might sound a little more youthful / a little less jaded. Or the opposite, listen and find out!And here are the fabled Last 10 questions if you want to try them at home yourself:1. **What was the first story you ever wrote?**2. **What film or TV show made you say, "I want to be a writer"?**3. **What’s the best and worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?**4. **What’s a common mistake you see emerging writers make?**5. **If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice when starting out, what would it be?**6. **What’s the most life-changing film or TV show you’ve ever watched?** 7. **What’s the worst film or TV show you secretly love?** 8. **What’s a film or TV show that perfectly captures how you feel about life?** 9. **What film haven’t you seen that you tell everyone that you have?**10. **If you could erase one film or TV show from existence, what would it be and why?**11. **If your life were a film, what would it be called and who would direct it?** 12. **What does ‘making it’ as a writer mean to you?**Why not send us your answers as a voice note!📬 Get In Touch:Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram: @theemergingpodBen is @bmlrobinsMartin is @bananabreadfilmTray is @ByTrayepps✨ Support the Show:If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).

Get ready for a total masterclass in putting yourself out there and getting noticed from this week's guest - actor turned writer turned screenwriting influencer Rachel Flynn. A Bronze Page Award winner, Rachel's a credited TV writer, a celebrated playwright and part of the core creative team behind two made-for-TV features too. So naturally Martin's incredibly jealous. As you'll know if you've seen her Instagram Reels and/or TikToks, Rachel's not only very experienced and knowledgable about the industry, but a big ol' laugh too, so this proved to be a very fun (even longer than normal) chat covering everything from social media, to organising your time, and even a bit of smutty Chicago-based fan fiction. Enjoy!As always, if you want to follow Rachel's career (and see more of that wicked screenwriting based content), she's @rflynn7 on Instagram. 📬 Get In Touch:Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram: @theemergingpodBen is @bmlrobinsMartin is @bananabreadfilmTray is @ByTrayepps✨ Support the Show:If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).

In ironically our most dis-organised record to date (Martin had a Diet Coke with lunch and... well, don't drink caffeine kids), we're talking about the many varied spreadsheets and programs that we use to keep our heads together. Because if you don't have a system for tracking all those half-finished scripts, competition deadlines, notes from producers, and random people we met at various networking events that we swear we’ll email back, the chaos might just swallow you whole. So here comes some exciting organisation chat - digital rolodexes, project slates, contact matrixes, not a stone unturned. How do *you* stay organised? 📬 Get In Touch:Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram: @theemergingpodBen is @bmlrobinsMartin is @bananabreadfilmTray is @ByTrayepps✨ Support the Show:If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).