https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/martini-shot--7297167enTV & FilmCopyright Ricochethttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/313841e89615b56aa1ea9581fbb3262b.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/martini-shot--7297167Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:47:18 +0000RicochetRicochetfeeds@spreaker.comWhen you’re filming a movie or a television show, when it’s the last shot of the day, the first assistant director will call out, “This is the Martini Shot!” I call these stories “Martini Shots” because they’re exactly the kinds of stories we tell —...false1fd21579-3703-52c3-b86e-bf3430e810b3episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/forgiveness-that-s-all-there-is--74722071https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74722071Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:32:15 +0000RicochetRob Long talks about Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” — written as a graceful goodbye to Porter Wagoner when she left his show to go solo — as a way into the real question: how did Dolly stay beloved across a divided culture? He tracks the...715falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/free-to-pursue-other-opportunities--747008965ccd557e-8ba6-11f1-9ecc-f7db828abc5bThu, 30 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetLast week’s Martini Shot prompted a lot of very kind notes that read like eulogies for what is essentially a back-end redirect of an audio feed. In that spirit, Rob Long reflects on the many ways Hollywood tells you it’s over without ever quite saying...682falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/check-each-other-for-mustaches--74700961b428fada-854d-11f1-b24c-4bb5c48ed4f1Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetYears ago, a woman told Rob the greatest story he’d ever heard: Her doctor put her on testosterone cream — and then required her to attend weekly meetings with the other women who were also on it, so they could compare notes. Rob pitched it as a...510falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hugh-bonneville-rule--74700988cc88d274-7fc3-11f1-a760-b7e94df1bc6eWed, 15 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetJerry Lewis once blessed a nightclub audience by wishing them a life full of show business friends. Rob Long isn’t so sure that’s a blessing — show business friendship is a strange, contingent thing, built on projects that assemble and dissolve, sofas...560falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/21-seconds-or-less--74700812ce99cf7a-7a67-11f1-b64d-4fc51b7ca616Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long is in Tbilisi, a city he last saw 26 years ago when it was broke and hopeful and is now prosperous and — inconveniently — cozy with Vladimir Putin. Turns out streaming had the same trajectory: total freedom, total data and somehow the...481falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/set-it-down-and-walk-away--74700973cb9d47a8-757f-11f1-b3a9-23d3183d985fWed, 01 Jul 2026 19:05:00 +0000RicochetThe summer box office is having its best season since before the pandemic — and the first real hits weren’t the franchise machines, they were two cheap horror movies made by guys who started on YouTube. Naturally, the industry is busy reading the...573falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-greatness-of-james-burrows--74700789c578eb8e-6f67-11f1-9b77-3f35506db5b8Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long was 24 years old when he met James Burrows, one of the creators and executive producers of Cheers, where he had just been hired as a staff writer on a 10 week contract. It didn't take 10 weeks for him to realize just how brilliant Burrows...510falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-little-human-a-lot-robot--7470090253b9b558-69d3-11f1-840d-cfc20e5fcdf5Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long’s friend has a near-perfect system for staying in touch: a text every five weeks to the day, the wording on rotation, the calls auto-booked — friendship by tickler file, a little bit human and a lot robot. Naturally, Rob sets out to sabotage...607falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/magnificently-dated--74700968a8c59a92-6449-11f1-b798-6324d4d5ae2eWed, 10 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetClint Eastwood just turned 96 — older than the talkies, a man who’s been alive for every talking picture ever made. Which got Rob thinking about Dirty Harry and a 1952 thriller almost nobody remembers called The Sniper: same city, same crime, same...406falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/heads-up--74700787902f89b6-5968-11f1-8f15-a34859958601Wed, 27 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long is watching a Satyajit Ray film on Criterion while eating ice cream and staring at his phone — which means he is, essentially, just eating ice cream. Rob is a pro at keeping his head down. Writers do it at auditions, following along with...423falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fan-fiction-focus-group--74700783695b60a0-53c6-11f1-91d9-5726ef6c6c98Wed, 20 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long has a favorite story about network upfronts: a television network, unable to decide which of three pilots to schedule, flew all three casts to New York on the same plane, collected focus group results mid-flight, and met them at the gate —...672falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wait-hear-me-out--74700773071056c8-48de-11f1-82e0-776f615f14d9Wed, 06 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetIn Amsterdam last month, in front of a Dutch painting of a plump, nearly bald, angelic figure of indistinct gender, an old friend turned to Rob Long and said three words: “Hear me out.” It’s the great phrase that buys a few seconds of grace before you...497falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/premium-parking--74700979a2bd44d6-4330-11f1-a751-27a880bef545Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long remembers Radford Studios — the working lot in Studio City where the parking sheet promised “premium” spots that never quite existed, the guard who couldn’t understand why you’d skip the Leave It to Beaver street for the fifth floor of the...528falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sound-off--74700958d25c7b2e-3e05-11f1-bd8e-3f1aff5819bbWed, 22 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long is at a bar on a Monday night, pretending to pay attention to a conversation while secretly watching CBS’ The Neighborhood on a TV across the room, sound off. He predicts every beat of the episode anyway. A friend in the business says that’s...484falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/shut-up-and-listen--74700796033c8b22-389c-11f1-b532-bf84a1cf6431Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetThere’s a lesson Rob Long learned early in his television career: When an actor has a problem with the script, the smartest thing you can do is nothing. Don’t talk. Don’t fix. Don’t explain. Just listen — because sometimes that’s all anyone really needs.567falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/i-see-dead-shows--747007947fe40308-3306-11f1-b770-efe44d98ed17Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetThe TV comedy writers’ room has a reputation as a creative paradise — funny people, good lunches, great jokes. That reputation is not wrong. It just leaves out the part where everyone is being systematically destroyed. Rob Long makes the case that the...546falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/too-wordy--747009117623312c-2dde-11f1-abe2-1706fc9aaf82Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:21:00 +0000RicochetRob Long has spent 30-plus years in the television business telling other people what’s wrong with their scripts. But the tables can — and often do — turn. Rob’s seminary classmate doing his first open mic informed Rob that his joke suggestions are,...599falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/who-s-watching-the-bar--74700963bb0109ce-285f-11f1-b3ca-bb6fb112cebaWed, 25 Mar 2026 15:31:00 +0000RicochetEvery writing project hits the same wall: the neurotic feedback loop of details that don’t add up. Who’s watching the baby? Who’s watching the bar? Rob Long has been around long enough to remember the lost art of script research. You’d messenger your...591falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-monkey-s-paw-award--7470097863e71814-22f0-11f1-a509-ef4a57213200Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:32:00 +0000RicochetWe’re finally through Oscar season, which means it’s time to think about prestige, status and the difference between the awards you want and the awards you get. Rob Long has a People’s Choice Award obtained through what can only be described as...501falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hollywood-s-employed-unemployeds--747009698f33256c-1cdd-11f1-85c3-0b96b8a53afbWed, 11 Mar 2026 07:30:00 +0000RicochetA friend asked Rob Long for career advice at Zankou Chicken. Rob hates giving advice — especially career advice, which is mostly just autobiography dressed up as wisdom. But while his friend waited for an answer, Rob started thinking about a leather...592falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wake-up-dead-man-and-religion-on-screen--747008249c5ba9b4-173b-11f1-8106-97ea67992ba8Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:30:00 +0000RicochetWhether it was Sally Field as The Flying Nun or Julie Andrews playing a novitiate in The Sound of Music, audiences used to watch priests and nuns and ministers — unremarkably — as part of American life on screen. But that all went away, and Rob Long...772falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/my-dutch-boyhood--747008004a497f1a-1205-11f1-9ed6-53974e0d9b42Wed, 25 Feb 2026 08:30:00 +0000RicochetMichael Lynton, the former CEO of Sony Pictures, has a new book that tells the story of greenlighting the Seth Rogen comedy that provoked North Korea into hacking his studio. He traces it back to an awkward childhood in Holland and a lifelong need to...601falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/faith-is-so-hot-right-now--7470077984a9c85a-0769-11f1-892d-a716a3596fe9Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:50:00 +0000RicochetRob Long tries — unsuccessfully — to convince his Hollywood friends that seminary isn’t a branding exercise. His stint at Princeton, where he’s working towards a Masters in Divinity and ordination, has all the hallmarks of a great pilot. But according...539falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/catherine-o-hara-a-writer-s-dream--7470078187231468-0167-11f1-8e42-439d781509beWed, 04 Feb 2026 08:30:00 +0000RicochetThe late and irreplaceable Catherine O’Hara’s greatness lived in the microscopic choices — the mouthed lines, the half-beats, the emotions stacked on top of jokes — none of which were written down, and all of which made the comedy work. From Waiting...399falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/it-didn-t-matter-that-i-was-right--74700788d84664be-fcab-11f0-80e2-2ffe1f97d47cThu, 29 Jan 2026 00:45:00 +0000RicochetCorrecting others in public is an irresistible temptation — and almost always a mistake. Rob learned that lesson early, as a young writer on Cheers, when he pointed out that a character, a sort of ‘80s finance type, couldn’t actually be arrested for...602falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/what-happened-to-our-great-parties--747009663b1e90e2-f690-11f0-bce2-af4d8994b6fbWed, 21 Jan 2026 08:30:00 +0000RicochetAwards season is here, which means Hollywood is again awash in parties, cocktails and mocktails. And yet, somehow, none of it feels like much of a celebration. Rob Long remembers the best awards party he ever went to — the one no one planned — and...439falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/heated-rivalry-and-the-oldest-trick-in-showbiz--747008067b9d6f80-f10e-11f0-b80d-0f3dc59e0654Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:30:00 +0000RicochetHeated Rivalry, the horny hockey drama, employs a classic Hollywood formula: Sprinkle in some nudity, and suddenly the odds of your crapshoot becoming a hit improve. Like the perpetually packed “European-style” pool in Las Vegas, audiences are drawn...509falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/quibi-short-form-long-regrets--74700807e214b7b4-eb8c-11f0-b39d-dbc764241ccdWed, 07 Jan 2026 08:30:00 +0000RicochetThe easy thing to say about anything new in show business is, “Never gonna work.” In the case of Quibi — Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s short-form mobile streamer — plenty of people laughed, and they were right to. But did Quibi fail because it...445falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lucky-enough-to-have-too-much--74700804577a976e-db14-11f0-b76f-1f36ec8c5830Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:56:00 +0000RicochetAs Rob Long sits in his small New York City apartment surrounded by things — hard copies of old scripts, four umbrellas — he feels lucky to have it all. And in an industry where even modest success feels like a lottery ticket, Rob asks us to pause and...469falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/stop-waiting-for-hollywood-to-save-you--7470080372f4c35e-d57c-11f0-bf37-8b0e803119c6Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long once walked into a packed table read for a Paramount show airing on CBS, only to learn that Paramount had announced it was buying the network that very morning. Suddenly every exec who feared for their job materialized, bringing tension,...492falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-to-stay-in-the-game-when-the-axe-swings--74700832bbeae4d6-cffe-11f0-9ed7-eb6bf7cc7f11Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetWhen the axe swings in Hollywood today, there’s no cushy deal, no soft landing, no assistant guarding your Rolodex anymore like in the old days. You’re out — at least for the moment. But after the gate stops lifting for you, there is a way back in....607falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tao-of-bob-broder--74700923778f4c2c-bf65-11f0-9a7d-53c9960fa368Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetBob Broder — legendary agent, executive and showrunner-whisperer — saw Hollywood for what it was: a sprawling mosaic of chaos, ego and opportunity. As Rob Long remembers of Broder, who first represented him in the Cheers years, and who recently died...540falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/my-20-years-in-hollywood--74700986fb90b1ae-ba66-11f0-b3b6-bf9ddd310c1cWed, 05 Nov 2025 16:50:00 +0000RicochetA young hopeful recently asked Rob Long how to break into showbiz. His reply? “Bad timing — there’s no business left.” But for Rob, that’s also the fun part. When the old temples crumble, you get to build your own. Every Golden Age ends just as you...490falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-human-fly-the-kardashians--747008146bda38ce-aedf-11f0-ad7c-2fa84279663eWed, 22 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000RicochetIn 1923, to promote Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last!, the studio didn’t buy ads — it bought a spectacle. They hired Harry F. Young, “The Human Fly,” to scale a Manhattan hotel in honor of the film’s most famous stunt (you know the one). He made it about 10...477falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ellison-s-paramount-goes-to-the-dentist--74700822536a2b00-a980-11f0-8f7c-a75861c7debbWed, 15 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetWhen Rob Long was 18, a dentist said his wisdom teeth had to go. His father told him to hang up the phone: “The whole wisdom tooth thing is a scam.” Forty years later, Rob's fine — mostly. And now, watching David Ellison try to merge Paramount and...894falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/psychos-muggers-thieves-and-agents--747008367fca856e-8e05-11f0-9c49-738a5011b5d7Wed, 10 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetThose who lived in New York during the ’70s and ’80s knew to carry around “mugger money”: a small wad of bills kept handy on the assumption you’d eventually be mugged. While New York has improved since then, the concept of “mugger money” remains alive...486falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-school-hollywood-start-with-porky-s--747009762387c964-887a-11f0-aaae-53377ae22641Wed, 03 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetIn show business, “after the holiday” — Labor Day, that is — are the three magic words that make August a breeze and September feel like back to school. But for Rob Long, it actually does mean back to school, as he starts his second year in the Master...564falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bip-bip-bip-showbiz-s-lost-language--7470093364ea2b50-82d4-11f0-9e90-7300c469851cWed, 27 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetIndustry jargon once separated the insiders from the posers. Rob Long remembers a network president who tried to talk the talk — pitching a spinoff with a cheery “bip bip bip” and some magician-like hand gestures. Cue hours of mocking behind closed...499falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-ll-eat-lunch-in-this-town-again--7470085491364420-7d64-11f0-be38-b759a95cfb7eWed, 20 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetYears ago, a well-known comic actor hosted an ill-fated late-night show that was canceled halfway through its 13-week run. But rather than leave town under a cloud of immense failure, this guy went to lunch. According to Rob Long, it was “the bravest...667falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/here-s-what-new-paramount-should-really-do--74700820749099ee-77e0-11f0-bf31-efe62efe8b5dWed, 13 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long’s experience with Paramount goes back so far, he was there in the Gulf and Western days. He was there when Barry Diller fought Sumner Redstone for the company in 1994 for the company — and lost. He’s seen Viacom and CBS and everything in...467falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hollywood-vs-tiktok--747008175fa3b976-7281-11f0-b4bd-570d719bd3bbWed, 06 Aug 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetWalk up Madison Avenue, and there’s Hermès, Gucci and Tom Ford. Then, down in Soho is The RealReal, a luxury consignment store where you can find largely the same Gucci stripes, pebbled Hermes leather or giant Tom Ford zippers. The stuff is just a...524falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/no-one-knew-how-johnny-carson-voted--747008314a820f88-675b-11f0-91e7-475c451e9c2aWed, 23 Jul 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetStephen Colbert’s out, Greg Gutfeld’s in, and late-night TV is a shell of its former self. Rob Long breaks down what went wrong, why Johnny Carson wouldn’t survive 2025, and how Kimmel, Stewart, Meyers, and Oliver turned late-night into political...465falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-will-the-young-lions-finally-attack--74700970c9cf0ae0-61f5-11f0-97bb-5fb4d80152b5Wed, 16 Jul 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRecording from Botswana, Rob Long figured he was as far as he could get from the chaos of showbiz. But it turns out that the wild African plain is a lot like Hollywood. Directors? They’re the Cape buffalo: loud, bossy and always wearing a headset...453falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/never-talk-down-to-your-audience-even-when-they-have-terrible-taste--74700833ba6cd35e-5c8f-11f0-a92b-4756dc2d97c1Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetSome debates are nuanced. For Rob Long, this isn’t one of them: Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace is a disaster, from the pod racing to Jar Jar Binks. No amount of revisionist history can make George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel any less...441falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dumb-comedies-will-save-hollywood--74700935a50448b4-56e8-11f0-ab38-877621dda31eWed, 02 Jul 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetAs Rob marks a milestone birthday while traversing France, his thoughts drift — as they often do — from real life to showbiz. Gone are his days of being 24 years old, writing for 20 million viewers on Cheers. In their place: streaming “drops” that...513falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/what-keith-mcnally-can-teach-hollywood--747009244889cbb8-4c98-11f0-90d1-dfd3dc8489b9Wed, 18 Jun 2025 23:08:00 +0000RicochetKeith McNally isn’t in showbiz, but he might as well be. Whether you’re dining at Balthazar or, like Rob, a frequenter of Minetta Tavern, it’s all lights, noise and timing. The food matters, but it’s the vibe that keeps people coming back — and the...516falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cheers-art-of-the-norm-entrance--74700839168980c4-3b6b-11f0-b295-bbc92905f18dWed, 28 May 2025 16:12:00 +0000RicochetIf a joke falls flat, you’ve got two options: fiddle with the set-up or adjust the punchline. That’s comedy writing 101 — unless you had George Wendt. As Norm on Cheers, George’s timing, presence and even just how he walked into the bar got a laugh....427falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-missing-middle-zone-shows--747010102fa23150-35ee-11f0-b36c-b70b727beee3Wed, 21 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetThe best TV shows are like the best restaurants, says Rob Long: familiar, comforting, and just stylish enough. Not everything needs to be a tasting menu or guilty junk — sometimes you just want a steak, buttered broccoli, baked potato and a laugh. So...667falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/my-er-trip-to-grey-s-anatomy-gen-z--74700880143ed4fe-3071-11f0-a36d-9b6413c59d3cWed, 14 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetThis week, Rob wakes up spinning — literally — and ends up in the ER being evaluated by what appears to be the cast of Grey’s Anatomy: Gen Z. It wasn’t a stroke (spoiler), just vertigo, but that doesn’t stop Rob from noticing these physicians seemed...603falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-trickery-of-tariffs-incentives--747009400b2cc178-2af4-11f0-b733-83f4438487d3Wed, 07 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetAs President Trump involves himself in showbiz finances, Rob Long raises the problem of what happens when government gets involved in Hollywood spreadsheets: Everyone above the line gets a raise because A. money is fungible; and B. greed. And below...557falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/upfronts-auspices-half-truths--74700873f9206e6a-2582-11f0-953f-8fb63ca63235Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetTime was when networks would land a major star, with the next step finding a writer with “auspices” — an industry term for somebody proven, with a hit show already on air. The only issue? Those successful writers often couldn’t write. In spite of...667falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-leakiest-business--7470100579cea520-1ff9-11f0-9385-a3ecb84d8141Wed, 23 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetLike Rob Long’s old Subaru, show business is leaky and can emit a toxic cloud — but it works. That is, until Silicon Valley strides in and tries to plug up the holes with things like “ad-free offerings” and an “all-inclusive monthly price”. What the...622falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/just-buy-it-just-say-yes--74700838ca14a588-1af5-11f0-8d92-137f82f72700Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:05:00 +0000RicochetNo matter how successful you are, the pitching never ends. Even the most seasoned TV creator has been known to melt down in front of their G-Wagon when they can’t land a greenlight: “Why don’t they just say yes?” Silicon Valley tech giants thought...655falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bezos-divide--74700960cb05550e-1551-11f0-9dff-b7abb69ad0ceWed, 09 Apr 2025 15:00:00 +0000RicochetThere are two keys to making money in showbiz: make a hit, and make it easy to watch and find. In other words, make the experience more like shopping on Amazon. Easy is why kids are on YouTube, Rob Long is watching The Gilded Age in TikTok snippets...661falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/let-s-hold-an-ip-swap-meet--74700889ece9d1ae-09fd-11f0-b2c0-c3453a4a3662Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRob Long recently sold all the old junk from his house: airplane bottles of Dutch gin, a Yemeni incense burner, asparagus tongs and two boxes of computer cables, naturally. Refreshed and ready to begin a new chapter, Rob thinks studios need a similar...670falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-lineman-tiktok-tv-show--747008481cf6d1ee-0486-11f0-8d63-7bf56872113bWed, 19 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetLanguages other than English have special words for special situations (looking at you Germany and your fingerspitzenfühl). Now, Rob Long proposes a new local lexicon to help capture this particular moment now in the industry, a place...564falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-priest-walks-into-a-pitch-meeting--74700887f7707526-fee3-11ef-8ef4-cb3450332c04Wed, 12 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000RicochetMid-life, Rob Long has gone back to school. Princeton Theological Seminary has been a nice timeout from Hollywood — no profanity, shouting or the pressure to wrap up every meeting with a joke. But Rob is not ditching Hollywood. Instead he ponders...478falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/james-bond-s-new-corporate-suit--74700867a58058f6-f3ff-11ef-b19d-1fb5019f8e03Wed, 26 Feb 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetBrand extensions? Prequel? Janet Bond?? Rob Long bets meetings at Amazon are underway with those bullet points in a PowerPoint now that the franchise has been wrested away from its legendarily impossible owners, the Broccolis. Corporate-controlled and...726falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-garbageman-s-vanity-card--747008584e85e4a6-e380-11ef-847f-3b0feef526f3Wed, 05 Feb 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetOne of the problems facing showbiz right now: Too many production companies, private equity investors, and celebrity shingles — but not enough set-up projects. That’s why it’s worth remembering the actor-producer-garbageman Rob Long once hired, whose...533falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-guys-are-all-the-same--7470096590e43bae-ddf9-11ef-a0c0-03825df0230dWed, 29 Jan 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetNew streamers all want to be the place that gets it. They’ll say, “Come here and be creative! Give us your quirky, oddball stuff!” But before you know it, Rob Long finds they’re giving notes on the act break and telling writers to raise the stakes....724falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/craft-services-warning-signs--7470083584fccbda-d87c-11ef-bcb9-bf108dc0092fWed, 22 Jan 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetWhen the streets of L.A. and New York hummed with production, Rob Long would pass so many shoots that he’d zip through and stealthily swipe a coffee and pastry. Now, though, as production shrinks, artisanal donuts and Nespresso pods have given way to...574falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wanted-a-hollywood-happy-ending--747008521fad1666-d301-11ef-bd8b-f3fe77b91014Wed, 15 Jan 2025 08:30:00 +0000RicochetWhen tourists come to Manhattan, some check out “historical landmarks,” like the Sex and the City cupcake shop, where a bite of buttercream frosting can spark the fantasy of a romantic adventure in the Big Apple with best friends. Indeed, Rob...570falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/gelson-s-ralph-s-and-the-palisades--74700980649469f8-ce30-11ef-8f4d-1b7572a04a79Thu, 09 Jan 2025 02:21:00 +0000Ricochet“Gelson’s is gone.” That’s what Rob Long heard the TV newscaster say solemnly as he watched flames engulf the grocery store. Rob loved that now burned-down market off Sunset in the Palisades, now in the midst of catastrophic loss. All kinds of...714falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sharing-our-showbiz-luck--7470087036ed4538-bd05-11ef-8549-7bfafb26d6bbWed, 18 Dec 2024 08:30:00 +0000RicochetAs a 24-year-old aspiring screenwriter in L.A., Rob Long didn’t have the money or job prospects to purchase a $400 leather jacket. So, naturally, he did. As luck had it, Rob got his first job as a TV writer a few weeks later. And now, decades later —...549falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/luigi-mangione-murder-movies--74700921b88d644a-b780-11ef-83bf-9f2f28767e0dWed, 11 Dec 2024 08:30:00 +0000RicochetFrom the moment the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO hit the news until the arrest of suspect Luigi Mangione in a McDonald’s, every loudmouth had a theory about the killer and his motive. You see, whether it’s a murder case, the Middle East or...650falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hollywood-is-just-like-trump--747009534bf51e40-ab69-11ef-b662-0bf70c6210f6Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:10:00 +0000RicochetLook deeply into the eyes of many of the team surrounding Donald Trump and you might find the same hollow and exhausted looks ubiquitous on the faces of talent managers, agents and executives. You see, that’s because the past and future president is a...642falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/should-you-write-tv-with-friends-or-strangers--747008572d497c12-a1cc-11ef-84ee-2bcc18bbdbabWed, 13 Nov 2024 14:35:45 +0000RicochetA TV writers room can be a cranky, hostile place. Rob Long and his colleagues spend their days arguing over which story beats to keep, whose joke is funnier, and what to order for lunch. But is it better when that chaos happens with people you’ve...456falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/what-to-say-about-what-just-happened--747009956db0e4a2-9c13-11ef-8eba-a7ae962e62d9Wed, 06 Nov 2024 08:30:00 +0000RicochetThe next few weeks are going to be tough, a little bit like being force-fed goat cheese if you are Rob Long. So in this current toxic political environment, or really in any uncomfortable situation forced upon you, Rob has some simple advice. Use the...632falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/let-them-see-you-sweat--747009985062fe32-96df-11ef-972c-c38424e0111aWed, 30 Oct 2024 16:58:00 +0000RicochetThe Ankler recently launched The Ladder, a hub for early career entertainment professionals, which has Rob Long wondering one thing: What are these people thinking? Gone are the days where a 24-year-old like Rob could come to L.A. and months later be...628falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/i-m-working-on-a-cancer-comedy--74701022d9cfefce-90f7-11ef-953f-c7ed263b57b7Wed, 23 Oct 2024 07:30:00 +0000RicochetA normal person, when a friend tells them about their broke dad with cancer, think this is a sad story; this poor guy; how can I help? Not Rob Long. He latches on to the part of the story about the dad having to move in with his New-Age vegan daughter...516falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/botox-and-fillers--747009942ea4a3d8-8be8-11ef-9eea-57d424f9e716Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:04:40 +0000RicochetWe perform plastic surgery on a lot of things in Hollywood — even history. Say you’ve got an amazing true story about the highest-ranking woman in the mafia, as Rob Long once did, but you don’t know how many people she killed. Why not make it lots of...655falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sell-the-house--7470098568ffac78-85c9-11ef-ae3a-cbfeb0aa8936Wed, 09 Oct 2024 07:30:00 +0000RicochetLike many writers, Rob Long enjoys opining on writing more than actual writing. There’s no greater procrastination than, say, teaching a class on “maintaining focus.” Meanwhile, there are other writers at their computers, getting ideas out the door...523falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/indiana-smith-or-jones--747010019e13ac4c-805c-11ef-8e24-77f6578c6cffWed, 02 Oct 2024 07:30:00 +0000RicochetIndiana Smith didn’t sound quite right to Spielberg and Lucas, so they changed it to Indiana Jones — and the rest is history. You never know what’s going to work and what’s going to fail. Or why. That’s part of what makes notes, a pillar of Rob Long’s...601falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-must-answer-the-questions-about-feet--747010405705319a-7adf-11ef-b1e7-77070fbbf168Wed, 25 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetIt’s not easy being blunt in Hollywood, with a lot of time spent dancing around the truth. Is a network or studio actually interested in the pitch? How much money are they willing to pay? That’s why it’s worth remembering the fan letter an actress...524falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/tv-s-new-old-ideas--7470095523475038-7574-11ef-8dfd-d797d1e3fc95Wed, 18 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetWhen a fading comedian says they want new material, that's not what they want. What they want is “new old material,” meaning fresh jokes that sound like the ones they’ve already told. Hollywood today finds itself in the same predicament: needing new...557falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/but-how-does-this-affect-me--74700901137098d8-6ffa-11ef-a554-03ea41a51d20Wed, 11 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetRob Long has tried everything: Meditation, free writing, morning pages — all in an effort to be more present, to get out of reading trade headlines and reflexively wondering, But how does this benefit me? In an industry pathologically insular and...554falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-heartwarming-tax-id-number--74700875fbe720bc-6ad4-11ef-832a-fbad54ca192cWed, 04 Sep 2024 15:50:15 +0000RicochetWriting is a tough, lonely profession. One of its worse qualities: the payment structure, broken up into a zillion little pieces, withheld in full until the bitter end and altogether utterly unpredictable. The whole charade can make someone like Rob...658falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-juicy-backstage-stuff--74701032bc557d88-64ba-11ef-b208-3f9540d8c9c8Wed, 28 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetWhen tourists trek to Hollywood for their summer vacations, they want a look at the glamour they see onscreen. Instead they get Hollywood Boulevard, and filthy Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in a fist-fight. Yet when the tourists disappear and the...694falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hide-your-job-on-a-plane--74700877e6af0178-5f72-11ef-911a-33a8f53135c7Wed, 21 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetEver tell the stranger sitting next to you on a flight what you do for a living? If you work in entertainment, your seatmate likely will first say, “Have I seen anything you worked on?” and then, “You know what you should do a show about?” And forget...766falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-the-sweaty-guy-wins--74700915eaf66a54-4f47-11ef-83c4-8f5dcc3d83e7Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:19:00 +0000RicochetWhy is it that the sweaty, doughy production assistants of decades past become the power brokers and “maximized” types of today? It’s the same reason the prolific, focused writers — regardless of quality — are able to get things made: They’re the ones...706falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/an-ode-to-bob-newhart--74701007f56b969a-497e-11ef-8fea-f34cdff6568cWed, 24 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetWhen he heard news of Bob Newhart’s death, Rob Long reached into an old shoebox to find a picture of himself with the comedy legend. Like many who had such a memento, his first thought was, “Get that image on Instagram pronto.” But he held off. Why?...421falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/parking-on-the-top-floor--747010117fe30fc6-38f2-11ef-bed7-6326abec4cc6Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetDuring Rob Long’s first job at Paramount, he would see a dusty, silver DeLorean on level two every day in the parking structure as he rolled in late for his gig on a hit show. Despite all the 1986 flash it signaled, its license plate gave the game...623falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/forgiving-and-forgetting--747009575ca67816-335e-11ef-9661-17d8e914941fWed, 26 Jun 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetGrudges and feuds make Hollywood go ‘round. But sometimes, they are so longstanding that, as Rob Long learned, the aggrieved sometimes forget why they’re even mad. Which is why Rob is an advocate for, if not forgiveness, at least forgetfulness....619falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-showrunner-the-fedex--74700904678949ca-2df5-11ef-bb2b-97e71937d3d7Wed, 19 Jun 2024 05:00:00 +0000RicochetIn this age of contraction, Hollywood is full of unemployed showrunners grinding out half fleshed-out pilot ideas. But a great sense of story isn’t the only attribute needed to be a showrunner. It also requires decisiveness, self-awareness and...702falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/no-place-for-thinkers--7470098297cb3204-28ca-11ef-abb4-ff9009bd8c41Wed, 12 Jun 2024 14:43:57 +0000RicochetAs a child, Rob watched old sitcoms like Gilligan’s Island and Bewitched while pretending to do homework. He likes to say that his slacking off prepared him for the writing career he has now. Sure, he learned sitcom structure, but more important, by...721falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/money-real-estate-secrets--7470098746a3a24c-22fa-11ef-a4c9-ef2f0697bc5aWed, 05 Jun 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetWhen Rob Long sold his house in Venice Beach for his move to New York, the question from neighbors was universal: “When did you buy your house?” In other words, it wasn’t about where he was going, but how much money he was making. Selling high, of...757falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/are-you-a-showbiz-clown-or-monkey--747009918c9353e8-1d6d-11ef-9867-77aa453cb1faWed, 29 May 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetShow business largely operates on what Rob Long calls the “Monkey-Clown Relationship.” Sometimes you’re the monkey who loses it and attacks the clown. Sometimes you’re the clown, waiting in fear of the monkey ripping your face off. Increasingly,...1007falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lessons-of-lenny-squiggy--747010188d32f3c0-17fb-11ef-88b4-93871727d206Wed, 22 May 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetRob Long worked on the Paramount lot 15 years, and the pilot of Lenny & Squiggy — a spinoff of Laverne & Shirley — was a ghost that haunted the grounds, so mercilessly rejected by a focus group that the tape disappeared. Forever. Which makes...751falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/gaslit-in-tv-land--74701019728d1e18-1249-11ef-ab54-2fab23c1f866Wed, 15 May 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetEverybody knows that one William Goldman quote: “Nobody knows anything.” But, Rob Long asserts, sometimes, people know something you don’t. And that’s where the mystery of the industry lies. Because as much shakra and selenite crystal as you can...763falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/famous-vs-unfamous--747010258583d248-0cac-11ef-a136-8f7a5cfaff29Wed, 08 May 2024 13:33:00 +0000RicochetMovie stars and aristocrats are just like you and me: They put their trousers on one leg at a time. We don’t really have a proper aristocracy anymore, so there goes half that saying. But do we even have stars? Rob Long considers what a star was, what...570falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/paramount-buy-sell-fight--7470096260aa379e-07bd-11ef-b726-1787b067f841Wed, 01 May 2024 13:18:00 +0000RicochetRob knows a quote . . . from which Chinese philosopher, he’s not sure. It goes, “If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by.” Showbiz translation: If you stay in Hollywood long enough, you’ll see Paramount bought...686falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dumpster-diving-on-the-studio-lot--74701013967bf034-01f4-11ef-a6aa-5739fe3250e6Wed, 24 Apr 2024 13:27:00 +0000RicochetNo doubt, the internet and technology vastly improved the tedious labor of writing scripts and making revisions. But Rob Long believes something was lost in the disappearance of an actual paper trail: Archaeological artifacts that reveal the process...706falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/burger-king-kids-club--74700878994d1458-fc60-11ee-8d3a-1b0029393757Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:30:00 +0000RicochetRemember the Burger King Kids Club, the chain’s ad campaign targeted to “the kids?” There was Kid Vid, the white, video game-playing leader; Jaws, the Black kid who loved to eat; and a boy in a wheelchair named (seriously) Wheels. The idea, Rob Long...650falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/gossipy-critical-snippy--74700984a2378bde-f6e8-11ee-85e5-d3c015b4f358Wed, 10 Apr 2024 07:30:00 +0000RicochetLegendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld once complained about the way a room was decorated: “It was a lot of Louis Quinze mixed with Louis Seize,” he said. And then added: “Ugh!” The entertainment business runs on this sort of Lagerfeldian Ugh, a...775falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/it-only-made-like-50-million--74700993f24d6bd0-f174-11ee-9bc0-db902c0ca053Wed, 03 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetHoward the Duck might not have won Best Picture, but if you’re a sandwich shop worker, or a young Rob Long at lunch with high-up producers, it’s probably best not to espouse how big a flop you thought it was. See, failure in Hollywood is a relative...803falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-10-pages-in-one-night-trick--747009776957e33c-ebd4-11ee-a333-b78ee80f0024Wed, 27 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetWhen Orson Welles found an investor for a cheap little noir thriller, legend has it he devised a scheme. His opening sequence took up almost 10 pages of script, with descriptions and action all spread out. Except when he actually filmed it, he used...721falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-scariest-word-in-hollywood--747010297d178ffc-e67b-11ee-aa86-7f6e9a5a4c60Wed, 20 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000RicochetSixty percent of Americans say they read the Bible regularly. But in Hollywood, where Jesus and religion can feel — how do you say it — downmarket, people rely instead on the series bible, where writers flesh out their TV series’ characters,...714falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/shut-up-and-pitch--74701021d777b11c-db21-11ee-9fe8-3b3bc042ebefWed, 06 Mar 2024 08:00:00 +0000RicochetWhen Rob Long pitches anything these days, he knows that he’s not going to sell that idea in the room. That’s over. But he wouldn’t be upset if he didn’t hear, “Fun stuff. We’ll talk internally and get back to you.” What’s fun about that? If we can...610falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/we-cannot-be-boring--747008926f2be8b6-d5fa-11ee-af94-172b32131c05Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000RicochetRob Long loved his tailor — a man who ran his shop with unpredictable, cigarette-stained weirdness. But when he died, the business became faster, and it was easier to communicate with the staff. It was even open into the evenings. The new and improved...760falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/i-don-t-get-any-important-phone-calls--747009037cee4146-d060-11ee-87b9-9b128231cf8eWed, 21 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000RicochetRob Long’s friend once wrote a line for a TV show where a character reveals he doesn’t have voicemail. You see, the character, explains, “I don’t get important phone calls.” The network executive in charge, however, was not having it, bellowing that...809falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-imaginary-list-of-approved-writers--7470091876167f40-cb02-11ee-8a8a-4ff32675b6cdWed, 14 Feb 2024 06:00:00 +0000RicochetLiza Minelli, Private Detective. Sounds pretty good, right? Unfortunately, the series — Rob Long’s brainchild — will never see the light of day. Rob was told Minelli was “not available,” and in show business, when someone’s unavailable, you move on....714falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/if-lucy-ran-a-tv-network--74700981734cddb4-c55c-11ee-8fab-3f9ae35ca5ddWed, 07 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000RicochetWhether trekking to the cable store or preparing for the TSA line, Rob Long expects disappointment. Not because he’s inherently negative, you see. Show business, and all its grinding rejection, has molded him into a pessimist. So, Rob questions...616falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fragile-egos-don-t-take-fountain--74700996372552c6-ba71-11ee-a76f-df7d98d128cfWed, 24 Jan 2024 14:07:21 +0000RicochetBette Davis famously answered “take Fountain” — an L.A. street with fewer lights — when asked her advice for actors starting out. Thing is, the questioner didn’t actually want practical advice. In fact, most of us say we want the truth when we...705falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cover-charge-and-a-minimum--7470103679ee5ffc-b53b-11ee-a5ab-23ded166feb6Wed, 17 Jan 2024 13:21:29 +0000RicochetEvery question that comes up in Hollywood these days is really a variation on money, and the big one on everyone’s minds is: how are we going to make buckets of money in the TV business again? By reinventing an already reinvented model, says Rob Long....643falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hey-that-s-my-joke--747008695d0b34ca-b011-11ee-929b-7b1cd21d98aeThu, 11 Jan 2024 01:49:00 +0000RicochetEver hear of iPartment? It was a Chinese knockoff of Friends, with some Big Bang Theory rolled in, that received complaints from viewers over lines and scenes ripped directly from these American shows. Outright joke stealing is, of course, wrong,...732falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hollywood-s-2024-to-don-t-list--74700890c38cb478-aa56-11ee-9a1b-1ff6efe99dadWed, 03 Jan 2024 16:43:00 +0000RicochetAn entertainment CEO’s to-do list for the year could include, among other boring and depressing things: layoffs, a merger with Paramount, a sell-off of local TV stations, an acquisition of Lionsgate, and the making of one’s quarterly debt payment....867falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/my-holiday-cure-for-greed--7470095969e9a6f8-9f96-11ee-8e48-2386a0f53b64Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:20:00 +0000RicochetRob Long loves Christmas presents — expensive ones, preferably — and money. Lots of money. It’s an affliction that impacts everyone in entertainment, he argues, where enough is never enough. Even during a particularly confusing and hard year, we’re...717falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/get-paid-for-doing-nothing--74700972353cf778-9971-11ee-bc33-e74294599864Wed, 13 Dec 2023 06:30:00 +0000RicochetThis week, Rob Long reminds us that nobody likes to work for free — which is why, more often than not, writers find themselves in a tricky predicament. In an ideal world, a writer gets hired off a pitch. But other times, the writer ends up drafting a...528falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/murder-but-make-it-funny--74701041e52eca86-9416-11ee-a1b9-2b31fe49ef85Wed, 06 Dec 2023 16:39:26 +0000RicochetAccording to Karl Marx, “history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.” And in the eyes of Rob Long, so, too, does material in the entertainment industry. When something works as a drama, for example, people will try to find a way to jigger...696falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-do-me-great-honor--747009068b6b3532-8e78-11ee-96fa-3b188dbe8ea1Wed, 29 Nov 2023 08:30:00 +0000RicochetThis week, Rob Long explains his number one rule for sharing emotions in entertainment-industry relationships: Don’t. After all, the best and longest-lasting relationships in Hollywood are the ones that stay frozen in place, uncomplicated by...791falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-fix-it-rule--74700879873a71c2-8904-11ee-b64b-77689d9bb60aWed, 22 Nov 2023 08:30:00 +0000RicochetWhen asked an honest opinion about someone’s appearance, you’ve likely enacted the Fix-It Rule: that is, if someone has the ability to do something about it — a stray hair, for example — you say something; if it’s congenital, well, you keep your mouth...666falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/success-is-contagious-so-is-failure--747010266ee7c06c-8354-11ee-af2a-b386381d537dWed, 15 Nov 2023 08:30:00 +0000RicochetEver notice the insecurity of those flying to and from L.A.? Everyone is discretely eyeballing everyone else, figuring out who is in first class, and — in the case of one agent Rob Long met at the airport — over-explaining why he was not. You see, in...647falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-locker-room-encounter--74701006629785c0-7ea6-11ee-a191-1f3f8e4c57ceThu, 09 Nov 2023 02:35:00 +0000RicochetBone marrow biopsy? Hahahaha. Or so says Rob Long, who, after his procedure (he was fine!) was able to find the comedy — something that weirdly arrives in the wake of high-stakes moments, particularly around death, disease and crisis. So the world...983falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-danger-zone--74700943a5f9ca04-78ba-11ee-990f-dff72446c030Wed, 01 Nov 2023 13:35:00 +0000RicochetWith the writers strike ended, execs all over town are figuring out which pitches they agreed to pre-walkout actually will get produced. Like chefs taking food out of the freezer, suits give a sniff test — assessing what kept on ice can be safely...644falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/optimism-and-gratitude--74700907substack:post:138282624Wed, 25 Oct 2023 20:15:00 +0000RicochetThe industry today sorely lacks optimism, says Rob. How to get it back? Harness the memory of your early-career freedom. For more news on the entertainment industry subscribe to The Ankler at theankler.com/subscribe. This is a public episode. If...739falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/star-of-your-own-show--74701020substack:post:138078224Wed, 18 Oct 2023 23:26:00 +0000RicochetFrom “enemy friends” to awkward former colleagues, Rob dives into the ins and outs of making amends in the entertainment industry, even with people you didn’t know disliked you. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other...778falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/stuck-in-a-bad-rewrite--74701003substack:post:137871220Wed, 11 Oct 2023 22:02:00 +0000RicochetRob Long compares the WGA strike to having been stuck on a joke, and re-imagines the last five months as a mini (bad) vacation. For more news about the entertainment business, go to theankler.com/subscribe. This is a public episode. If you’d like...507falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/please-calm-down--74700925substack:post:137670084Wed, 04 Oct 2023 23:49:00 +0000RicochetThe worst thing you can tell anyone in entertainment is to calm down. Typically, nothing escalates a fight further, particularly in this industry. For news about Hollywood, please go to TheAnkler.com/subscribe. This is a public episode. If you’d...853falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/trying-to-fire-your-agent--74701004substack:post:137238862Thu, 21 Sep 2023 19:18:00 +0000RicochetWhen it comes to firing your agent, Rob Long explains what used to happen, what happens now, and how it's all going to come full circle. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...754falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-clooney-maneuver--74701016substack:post:137012339Wed, 13 Sep 2023 21:38:00 +0000RicochetRob Long on the art of landing a Hollywood side gig more lucrative than your main gig. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe701falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/no-one-is-irreplaceable--74701015substack:post:136795588Wed, 06 Sep 2023 22:53:00 +0000RicochetWith Hollywood bringing out the worst behavior in most of us, Rob Long asks why the phrase execs use to dismiss actors and writers isn't also said of those at top. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or...674falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ode-to-my-teacher--74701030substack:post:136561326Wed, 30 Aug 2023 19:00:00 +0000RicochetRob Long on what teachers can and can't teach you. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe562falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/crying-outside-the-studio-gates--74700999substack:post:136317498Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:27:59 +0000RicochetTV shows used to be 21 minutes an episode. How everything got way too long This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe761falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-foolish-gamble--74701034substack:post:136136260Wed, 16 Aug 2023 23:30:57 +0000RicochetStudios and networks come and go. Which reminds us: we're saddled with a glut of under-loved streaming services. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...668falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/are-you-boring--74700909substack:post:135873396Wed, 09 Aug 2023 21:28:11 +0000RicochetForget every formula for screenwriting success. If you can keep the audience engaged, you’ve cracked the code. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe619falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/power-of-an-enemies-list--74700939substack:post:135669165Wed, 02 Aug 2023 21:39:28 +0000RicochetDo something elevating right now, because, remember: everything you hate about this business now, you still will when the strike is over. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...775falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-piece-of-the-action--74700997substack:post:135471376Wed, 26 Jul 2023 22:02:21 +0000RicochetWhat the dual strike negotiation and post-production on a TV series have in common. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe739falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-porn-bellwether--74700941substack:post:135279550Thu, 20 Jul 2023 01:17:28 +0000RicochetOnlyFans is a subscription-based platform that experienced massive growth and changed the way people make money. Sound familiar? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...638falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-miserable-multitasking-multiverse--74700992substack:post:134509252Wed, 12 Jul 2023 19:30:00 +0000RicochetWith Sun Valley underway, Rob Long today imagines our showbiz moguls staring at the stars, wondering how it all went so wrong. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...747falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wild-kingdom-which-hollywood-animal-are-you--74701031substack:post:133258026Wed, 05 Jul 2023 21:58:13 +0000RicochetHow animals on the African savanna are the quadruped analog of showbiz — but actually honest. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe711falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/never-read-the-comments--74700937substack:post:131745605Wed, 28 Jun 2023 22:05:48 +0000RicochetRob Long shares the industry hacks and lessons that come with being "old" in Hollywood. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe769falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/i-miss-my-father--74701033substack:post:129861151Wed, 21 Jun 2023 16:41:50 +0000RicochetRob Long on how to combat self-doubt in the worst place for it in the world. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe868falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/delusional-and-arrogant--74700932substack:post:128195247Wed, 14 Jun 2023 16:11:28 +0000RicochetThe political industry — like Hollywood — now fights on the fringes and in the niches of any given base (a.k.a. the audience). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...650falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-a-i-panic--74701038substack:post:126545264Wed, 07 Jun 2023 16:01:55 +0000RicochetRob Long looks at A.I., a main sticking point in contract negotiations between the studios and labor unions. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe1016falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lazy-as-a-business-model--74701023substack:post:123792622Thu, 25 May 2023 18:55:38 +0000RicochetHow things went array when entertainment turned into a subscription business This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe888falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-comedy-problem--74700898substack:post:121934490Wed, 17 May 2023 16:15:22 +0000RicochetRob Long says it isn't 'woke' culture but media companies that killed the genre. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe580falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/an-email-from-assistant-3--74700910substack:post:120503502Wed, 10 May 2023 16:00:00 +0000RicochetToday, Rob Long explains Hollywood’s world of hierarchy and one-upmanship, where having not one but THREE assistants tells the world just how much busier you are than others. It’s all a bit of an ensemble comedy, this business, but at this particular...650falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/vanish-and-reappear--74700954substack:post:118947962Wed, 03 May 2023 16:06:35 +0000RicochetWith the writers strike upon us, WGA member Rob Long presents the story of two friends and their three-bean salad as a cautionary tale for writers and streamers, er, rather just streamers. And why, sometimes, everyone throws up at once. This is...763falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-japanese-toilet-paradigm--74700891substack:post:117284423Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:10:12 +0000RicochetRob identifies the standard rules in the entertainment business to make a creative idea work. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe583falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/force-majeure--74701000substack:post:115737338Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:00:52 +0000RicochetRob Long explains why, for the first time in his 33 years as a WGA member, he’s supporting a strike action. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe837falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/this-totally-works--74700913substack:post:114200564Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000RicochetRob explains why rewrites of existing scripts can go on for years — all in the quest for that one teeny tiny note scrawled in the margin. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...720falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/write-yourself-back-in--74701024substack:post:112772785Wed, 05 Apr 2023 19:00:00 +0000RicochetAn encounter at Brentwood Country Mart with a former Mr. Ed writer sends Rob Long wondering about the binge-and-purge nature of this industry, where insiders suddenly can find themselves on the outside. Rob suggests ways to persist and keep showing up...773falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-tale-of-two-larrys--74700930substack:post:111351182Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:01:45 +0000RicochetWhile helping a friend on-set with his television pilot, Rob Long encounters two mysterious men, both named Larry, hanging around the soundstage. Nobody knows who they are, or what they actually do. And therein, says Rob, lies the problem with the...712falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/what-happens-in-episode-two--74701017substack:post:109914293Wed, 22 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000RicochetWhen is a network like a fast food restaurant? Rob answers, and explains why he wishes his Hollywood overlords would ask if he'd like with fries with that more often. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or...687falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/everyone-is-on-something--74700975substack:post:108503963Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000RicochetRob explains his personal regimen for maintaining his mental health and why it's important to be grateful for a free trip to Azerbaijan (it's a metaphor). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...882falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hollywood-org-chart--74701008substack:post:107123028Wed, 08 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000RicochetAs the business braces for a potentially bruising writers’ strike, Rob Long tries to remember that in show business, everybody ends up working for — and with, and next to — each other. It’s an org chart that makes no sense, except it’s the only one...571falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/do-you-party--74700938substack:post:104487868Wed, 01 Mar 2023 21:35:00 +0000RicochetThis week, Rob Long gleans takeaways from the reboot of Night Court. One of the reasons Rob is happy about this traditional multi-cam sitcom revival is because it could be good for him (the format is the Cheers veteran’s sweet spot). But no matter who...739falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-need-vs-want--74700946substack:post:102958082Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:03:43 +0000RicochetRob Long examines the concept of spec scripts, and the risks involved with writing something without knowing whether there’s any interest in it. And when it comes to buyers, it’s impossible to know what they think they want. It’s why Rob suggests...781falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-you-don-t-remember-me-do-you--74700948substack:post:101574983Wed, 08 Feb 2023 17:01:01 +0000RicochetRob Long advises “Be nice to everybody. Or at least, in Hollywood, don’t be not nice to anybody.” Not just for manners, but also, as Rob learned, sometimes someone who escaped your memory, yet with the power to give you money, will be seated opposite...888falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-pitch-room-chit-chat--74701035substack:post:100136912Wed, 01 Feb 2023 20:00:00 +0000RicochetNo matter how much power you have, you’re going to eventually sit in someone’s office and pitch something. It’s why Rob Long thinks everyone has to perfect at least 10 minutes of pre-meeting chit chat — those short but important conversations, usually...689falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-digital-absolution--74700974substack:post:97526942Wed, 18 Jan 2023 19:25:28 +0000RicochetThis week, Rob Long reveals his big plans in 2023 for digital absolution — in other words, a reprieve from having to read or watch (or even know) about what's on TV. Full and unfettered forgiveness for not watching that movie you like or clinking on...671falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-one-panic-attack-away--74701012substack:post:94937839Wed, 11 Jan 2023 19:36:52 +0000RicochetThere’s a great dividing line between a person’s time in show business: When you’re starting out — or even before that, when you’re just daydreaming about a successful career — all you see is upside. But once you’ve made it (usually with a little bit...727falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-congrats-i-guess--74700936substack:post:94555739Wed, 04 Jan 2023 17:01:06 +0000RicochetHow competitive is host Rob Long? Well, as he’ll tell you, he once fumed over his friend — not him — being named Customer of the Week at their local coffee bar. Which brings us to awards season, where, “if you spend a lot of time watching other people...732falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-kirstie--74700920substack:post:92107138Wed, 21 Dec 2022 20:10:20 +0000RicochetRob met Kirstie Alley on Cheers when he was 24. Never afraid to ugly cry or ask for a scene to be changed (a scene was changed once because she wouldn’t take aspirin; see: Scientology), Alley, decades later, wanted a role on Rob’s TV show playing a...558falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-if-writers-gave-execs-notes--74700931substack:post:89474533Thu, 08 Dec 2022 23:42:17 +0000RicochetThe most prevalent topics in a Hollywood executive office? Host Rob Long ranks them: 1. Money; 2. What to do about the writer; 3. Lunch. Indeed, early in one’s career, most writers realize that — upon any success — he or she is surrounded by people...634falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-the-town-is-shutting-down--74700952substack:post:87791889Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:43:38 +0000RicochetHave a script due or need a decision made? Rob Long hopes you got it done before Thanksgiving lest you be forced to wait until January rolls around. Of course, there’s a price we pay for that industry-wide habit of shutting-off well ahead of holidays,...649falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-danger-in-the-trades--74701037substack:post:86243572Wed, 23 Nov 2022 15:59:20 +0000RicochetRob admits he should stop reading the trades: the only thing they’re good for is “to keep up on the career milestones of other people in the business who you may know, like, or be secret enemies with.” And since most trade coverage is dedicated to...796falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-turned-away-at-the-studio-gates--74701039substack:post:84757739Wed, 16 Nov 2022 17:06:28 +0000RicochetWorking in entertainment, Rob Long has become superstitious. Whenever Rob does something humdrum like walking the dog and his agent calls, it’s always bad news. A call on a great trip? Well, maybe it’s a series pick-up! “We're always looking for signs...907falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-the-olive-garden-analogy--74701002substack:post:83398711Wed, 09 Nov 2022 17:34:51 +0000RicochetThis week, Rob finds similarities between an audience and the voting public. Both will disappoint or lift you up on occasion, but what they should never do is surprise you, because that means you haven’t been listening. The solution: Turn to the crew,...753falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-the-produced-by-guy--74700950substack:post:82165491Wed, 02 Nov 2022 19:00:05 +0000RicochetWhen Rob’s credit card was declined this week, he hopped on the phone with card security, and then — thanks to the sober reality check — decided he didn’t really need to buy that expensive toy. And thus, the benefit of “a service that interrupts you...846falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-timing-your-exit--74700944substack:post:80818008Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:51:50 +0000RicochetOn call sheets, child actors have a pumpkin icon next to their names, notifying everyone on set about their inviolate shorter workdays, lest the kid turns into, well, a pumpkin. Rob Long reflects on the significance of that symbol — especially when...849falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-you-re-going-to-get-fired--74701009substack:post:79412992Wed, 19 Oct 2022 19:01:47 +0000RicochetAt one point or another, everyone in Hollywood will get fired, or will fire someone else. It’s as inevitable as getting unhelpful notes from an executive, or another Avengers sequel. After reading the news of the latest layoffs around town, Rob offers...636falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-the-second-date-spark--74701027substack:post:77997088Wed, 12 Oct 2022 16:38:26 +0000RicochetHost Rob Long today explains why attracting an audience to a movie or TV show works the same way those dating apps work in attracting people to one another. But without the swiping. And why writers must always serve the dessert first in their scripts,...672falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-we-re-going-to-be-okay--74700971substack:post:76510498Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:20:47 +0000RicochetToday Rob Long tells the story of a friend on a flight about to make an emergency landing. The worst wasn’t the pilot’s announcement that they were in trouble; it was the flight attendant’s attempt to get everyone to chant, hands clapping, “We’re...788falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-throw-it-away--74700983substack:post:75336882Wed, 28 Sep 2022 19:00:00 +0000Ricochet“Everyone in the entertainment business works hard. Except agents, obviously.” So says Rob this week, as he describes the differences between writing and directing, with a few nods to actors (and their overacting): Being a writer teaches you how to be...717falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-harry-styles-at-dinner--74701028substack:post:74239332Wed, 21 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000RicochetToday, Rob Long presents the idea that anyone who puts on a little play, bangs on an instrument or talks into a microphone for money can say they’re in entertainment. But a true show business professional — hello, Harry Styles! — is hard to find these...708falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-never-go-first--74701042substack:post:73367958Wed, 14 Sep 2022 18:44:11 +0000RicochetToday, Rob Long dives into some of the unspoken commandments that everyone working in entertainment ought to know and live by, from savvy advice when it comes to pitching (“never go first”) to why writers should never solicit feedback from execs who...766falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-just-look-up--74700964substack:post:72286375Wed, 07 Sep 2022 22:04:06 +0000RicochetThis week, Rob Long recalls a childhood memory of a large, unidentifiable spinning machine with blades that took two people to operate — lest one lose a hand — which serves as good metaphor for working together in show business. And as long as that...568falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-a-case-of-mistaken-identity--74701014substack:post:71052499Wed, 31 Aug 2022 16:05:30 +0000RicochetRob looks back at the “olden times”, when just a handful of broadcast networks with mediocre — and somewhat problematic — shows like Webster dominated the airwaves. Their main goals weren’t about attracting viewers as much as not driving them away to...689falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-advice-on-advice--74700951substack:post:70070848Wed, 24 Aug 2022 15:52:51 +0000RicochetWriters get lots of advice during the development of a script, usually in a backhanded way with all sorts of qualifiers: agents like to give notes (typically on the prospects of a script in the marketplace) starting with phrases like “Hey, I’m not a...663falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-professional-humiliation--74700967substack:post:69144967Wed, 17 Aug 2022 23:41:08 +0000RicochetMost people will do almost anything to avoid being embarrassed, why is why, as Rob Long explains, embarrassment is the key to making something truly funny. But there’s a difference between personal mortification — “someone saw my nudes on my phone” —...768falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-you-never-really-know--74700928substack:post:67756936Wed, 10 Aug 2022 17:05:32 +0000RicochetRob Long opines on audience research, bad time slots and rules for what not to say in front of executives as a writer — which somehow leads to the curious case of Batgirl, a movie that apparently will never be seen by anyone outside of Warners Bros....701falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-is-this-a-show--74700949substack:post:66764675Wed, 03 Aug 2022 15:56:01 +0000RicochetIn this week’s episode, Rob Long encourages his fellow scribes to be observant: pay attention to what’s going on in the world around you. Because there might be a hit TV show or a movie playing out right in front of your nose. The hard part, according...690falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-dick-wolf-wears-a-suit--74700989substack:post:63795006Wed, 13 Jul 2022 18:25:35 +0000RicochetIt's easy to give script notes to a writer when he's wearing a T-shirt and dresses like a kid at summer camp. It's harder to tell a guy dressed like a hedge-fund shark that the dialogue needs to be 'quirkier'. Which is one of the reasons why Dick Wolf...840falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/pod-martini-shot-but-mine-is-different--74700926substack:post:62726538Wed, 06 Jul 2022 17:13:34 +0000RicochetAn Argentine writer named Jorge Luis Borges once declared that there are only four stories that are told and re-told. Or maybe there are seven — it depends who you ask. Regardless, Rob Long explains in this week’s episode why writers would be better...750falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/martini-shot-summer-fomo--74700929substack:post:61669142Wed, 29 Jun 2022 18:25:34 +0000RicochetFollow us (and like us!) at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and on Twitter. Also please subscribe at TheAnkler.com for more podcasts and stories about the entertainment industry. Technology has enabled us to have...768falsefull