New Story Podcast

On episode two of the New Story podcast, I sit down with TV literary agent Manal Hammad of Verve to talk about her meteoric rise from Abrams, navigating the strikes, and her move to Verve.

We get into what it takes for an agent to believe in a client and get everyone on board and how important that is for longevity, and why it all has to be on the page. Manal is clear that the industry needs writers who write, and not just staffers, because it needs creators. We talk about being voicey, finding your distinct voice, and writing who you are, with a real point of view and the belief that you’re going to sell that story.

We also cover betting on yourself, why Manal is reluctant to share mandates (they change), the importance of mentorship in this business as a queer Palestinian-American agent, and why being kind and respectful matters, because people remember.

Watch the full episode now.

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Thanks to my Subscribers who joined the second Substack LIVE AMA, enjoy the replay!

We discussed writing rom-coms, horror, TV pilots, pilot season, the TV buying landscape and how to prepare for a meeting with a showrunner. And a whole lot more!

My next Substack LIVE AMA will be on Monday December 7, 2026 at 5pm PST.

Make sure you’re a paid subscriber …

It’s here. The first episode of the New Story Podcast is live, and I couldn’t have picked a better person to start with.

My guest is John Aboud — Co-creator and showrunner of ABC’s Home Economics, writer on Penguins of Madagascar and A Futile and Stupid Gesture, and someone who’s staffed multiple writers’ rooms and read more scripts than he can probably count. He’s also a friend, which meant this conversation got real fast.

We talked about what it actually takes to build a career in this industry — how he got started from humble roots in Brooklyn, NY and his collaboration with writing partner Michael Colton. Rejection, how you keep going after the no’s; how he staffs a writers room and what separates a script that gets him excited from the hundreds that don’t, and the stuff nobody tells you when you’re starting out. We also touched on his roots as a Lebanese-American and what it means to see more representation on our screens. Overall, this was a very inspiring, candid conversation with one of the best in the business.

🎧 The full episode is live now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and right here on Substack.

If you’re building a writing or filmmaking career, this one’s for you. Hit play, and if it’s useful, send it to someone who needs to hear it too.

More episodes dropping monthly — and a reminder paid subscribers have access to my Monday and Thursday deeper dive articles, monthly Substack LIVE AMA, Subscriber Chat and announcements for new events and workshops.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit https://newstoryent.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit https://newstoryent.substack.com

This morning I sat down live with Phillip Kobylanski, President of Production at Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla Entertainment — the company behind The Terminator, Aliens, The Walking Dead and Hell Fest. Phillip has been at Valhalla for over fifteen years and oversees their entire TV and feature film slate, making him one of the most experienced development e…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit https://newstoryent.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit https://newstoryent.substack.com/subscribe