Ben Blacker
- Host, The Writers Panel
- Co-Host and Producer, Dead Pilots Society
- Journalist, Freelance
- Co-Host, The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Los Angeles, United States
Dormant. Find me at bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.social or better yet on Letterboxd.
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Articles by Ben Blacker
Episode 211: Alex Herschlag Interview
Episode notes Episode 211: Alex Herschlag Interview This month’s after show features Andrew in conversation with Alex Herschlag, the writer behind our latest pilot Life of the Party. With credits including Will & Grace, Modern Family, Arrested Development, and Mike & Molly, Alex has spent years honing his comedy chops across some of television’s biggest sitcoms. Alex talks about his path from stand-up and sketch comedy to a humor magazine and, eventually, television writing.
Episode 210: Life of the Party by Alex Herschlag
Episode notes Episode 210: Life of the Party by Alex Herschlag Dead Pilots Society is back this month with Life of the Party, a multi-camera workplace comedy from writer Alex Herschlag (Will & Grace, Modern Family, Arrested Development). Multi-camera sitcoms have become a rare breed, which makes this one a special treat.
Episode 209: Michael Colton and John Aboud Interview
Episode notes Episode 209: Michael Colton and John Aboud Interview As we continue to celebrate ten years of Dead Pilots Society, we bring you this month’s after show with Michael Colton and John Aboud, writers of Weekly World News, which was featured on last week’s episode.
Episode 208: Weekly World News by Michael Colton and John Aboud
Episode notes Episode 208: Weekly World News by Michael Colton and John Aboud Dead Pilots Society celebrates 10 years with Weekly World News, a comedy pilot from Michael Colton and John Aboud based on the popular newspaper tabloid, Weekly World News is about the reporters who bring us the amazing but true stories of ghosts, aliens, and mutant freaks.
Episode 207: Claudia Lonow Interview
Episode notes Episode 207: Claudia Lonow Interview Here is the after show for Fan Girl, featuring Andrew’s interview with Claudia Lonow. Claudia has created four television shows: Rude Awakening, Good Girls Don’t, Accidentally on Purpose, and How to Live With Your Parents (For The Rest of Your Life). She’s also an actor and director, most recently directing and acting in the indie movie D(e)ad. Claudia and Andrew go way back, not only as friends, but as co-workers.
Episode 206: Fangirl by Claudia Lonow
Episode notes Episode 206: Fangirl by Claudia Lonow This month, Dead Pilots Society presents Fangirl by Claudia Lonow, a returning guest who previously appeared on the podcast with her pilot Assisted Loving, featured in Episode 13. Claudia has had a long and impressive career as a writer and producer. She has created four television series including How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), Accidentally On Purpose, Rude Awakening, and Good Girls Don’t.
Episode 205: Kathryn Borel Jr Interview
Episode notes Episode 205: Kathryn Borel Jr Interview This month’s aftershow features a conversation with writer Kathryn Borel Jr., whose ambitious adaptation of On the Road was featured in last week’s episode. Kathryn has written for Rush, American Dad!, Anne with an E, and Kung Fu, and is currently working on Damon Lindelof’s upcoming limited series The Chain.
Episode 204: On The Road by Kathryn Borel Jr
Episode notes Episode 204: On The Road by Kathryn Borel Jr This month’s dead pilot is On the Road, Kathryn Borel Jr.’s daring reimagining of Jack Kerouac’s iconic novel. Instead of trying to recreate a literary classic beat for beat, Kathryn takes its spirit and builds something entirely her own. It’s exactly the kind of ambitious swing we love celebrating on Dead Pilots Society.
Episode 203: Joel Kim Booster Interview
Episode notes Episode 203: Joel Kim Booster Interview This is the aftershow for Here, After, featuring a conversation with writer, actor, and comedian Joel Kim Booster. Joel is known for writing and starring in Fire Island and for his work on The Other Two and Big Mouth. As an actor, he’s appeared in Loot, Search Party, Shrill, and more.
Episode 202: Here, After by Joel Kim Booster
Episode notes Episode 202: Here, After by Joel Kim Booster This month, Dead Pilots Society welcomes back writer, actor, and comedian Joel Kim Booster, whose pilot Birthright was previously featured on Episode 34. Joel wrote and starred in the hit Hulu movie Fire Island. He was a writer on The Other Two and Big Mouth, and as an actor, you’ve seen him on Shrill and Search Party.
Episode 201: Christian Duguay Interview
Episode notes Episode 201: Christian Duguay Interview This is the After Show for Valley Heat, featuring Andrew’s interview with creator Christian Duguay. A longtime admirer of Valley Heat, Andrew finally gets the chance to sit down with Christian for a conversation about the unusual path that led to the creation of the podcast. Unlike many guests on the show, Christian didn’t come up through traditional TV comedy writing.
Episode 200: Valley Heat by Christian Duguay
Episode notes Episode 200: Valley Heat by Christian Duguay This month marks the 200th episode of Dead Pilots Society, which feels like a real milestone for a show that requires considerably more coordination than a couple of people just turning on microphones and talking. Every pilot episode means finding a pilot, assembling a cast, and putting together a live reading, so reaching 200 episodes feels genuinely significant.
Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 1
Episode notes Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History – Number 1 As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best. The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join.
Episode 199: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview Part Two
Episode notes Episode 199: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview Part Two This is the After Show for Gimme Five, featuring part two of Andrew’s conversation with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, creators of How I Met Your Mother. The discussion digs into the real-life inspiration behind , a project shaped as much by nostalgia as it is by firsthand experience.
Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 2
Episode notes Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History – Number 2 As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best. The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join.
Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 3
Episode notes Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History – Number 3 As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best. The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join.
Episode 198: Gimme Five by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
Episode notes Episode 198: Gimme Five by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas This month’s second dead pilot from Carter Bays and Craig Thomas is Gimme Five. Best known as the co-creators and longtime showrunners of How I Met Your Mother, Carter and Craig previously wrote for The Late Show with David Letterman and produced American Dad. They co-wrote this pilot with legendary writer Peter Tolan, whose credits include The Larry Sanders Show, Rescue Me, Analyze This, Analyze That, and many more.
Episode 197: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview
Episode notes Episode 197: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview This is the After Show for New York Mythological, featuring Andrew’s conversation with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, creators of How I Met Your Mother. As part of this MaxFunDrive run, Dead Pilots Society is featuring two pilots from Carter and Craig. In a few days, the second one, Gimme Five, will be released, followed by part two of Andrew’s interview with them.
Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 4
Episode notes Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History – Number 4 As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best. The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join.
Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 5
Episode notes Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History – Number 5 As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best. The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join.
Episode 196: New York Mythological by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
Episode notes Episode 196: New York Mythological by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas This month’s dead pilot, kicking off the 2026 MaxFunDrive, is New York Mythological, written by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Best known as the co-creators and showrunners of How I Met Your Mother, Carter and Craig previously wrote for The Late Show with David Letterman and produced American Dad.
Episode 195: Georgia Pritchett Interview
Episode notes Episode 195: Georgia Pritchett Interview This After Show features Andrew’s interview with Emmy and WGA Award–winning writer Georgia Pritchett, the writer of this month’s dead pilot, Bump. Georgia is best known for her work on Veep and Succession, and has also written for The Thick of It and Avenue 5. She created and showran The Shrink Next Door and is the author of the memoir My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety.
Episode 194: Bump by Georgia Pritchett
Episode notes Episode 194: Bump by Georgia Pritchett This month’s dead pilot is Bump, written by Emmy and WGA Award–winning writer Georgia Pritchett. Georgia is widely known for her work on Veep and Succession, and has also written for The Thick of It and Avenue 5. She served as creator and showrunner on The Shrink Next Door and is the author of the memoir My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety.
Episode 193: Ginger Gonzaga Interview
Episode notes Episode 193: Ginger Gonzaga Interview This is the After Show for Yellow, featuring Andrew’s conversation with writer and actor Ginger Gonzaga. Many listeners know Ginger from her roles in Marvel’s She-Hulk, CBS’s True Lies, Showtime’s Kidding, I’m Dying Up Here, HBO’s Togetherness, and Room 104. But in this episode, the spotlight shifts to her as a creator as well as a performer.
Episode 192: Yellow Written by Ginger Gonzaga
Episode notes Episode 192: Yellow Written by Ginger Gonzaga This month’s live episode features Yellow, a pilot written by Ginger Gonzaga. Most people know Ginger from her work in front of the camera—she’s appeared in Marvel’s She-Hulk, CBS’s True Lies, Showtime’s Kidding, I’m Dying Up Here, HBO’s Togetherness, and Room 104. Yellow showcases her voice as a writer.
Episode 191: Text Thread Dead Pilot Summit
Episode notes Episode 191: Text Thread Dead Pilot Summit This special episode of Dead Pilots Society brings together the writers behind the last two pilots for a sort of Text Thread Dead Pilot Summit. The conversation features Aaron Brownstein and Simon Ganz, writers of Guy Text, alongside Mike Gagerman and Andrew Waller, writers of The Thread. Andrew brings all four writers together for a deeper, side-by-side look at their creative processes.
Episode 190: Andrew Waller and Mike Gagerman Interview
Episode notes Episode 190:Andrew Waller and Mike Gagerman Interview This week’s After Show features Andrew’s conversation with Mike Gagerman and Andrew Waller, writers of the film Search Party (not the TV show), creators of the viral Twitter thread Shh… Don’t Tell Steve, and currently writing the pilot for Last Chance Lawyer on NBC, with Henry Winkler set to star. Mike and Andrew walk through how they became a writing team, from high school collaborators to professional comedy writers.
Episode 189: The Thread Written By Andrew Waller and Mike Gagerman
Episode notes Episode 189: The Thread Written By Andrew Waller and Mike Gagerman This month’s episode features The Thread, written by Andrew Waller and Mike Gagerman, the second of two dead pilots built around a shared group text that’s been running for years. Here is the log line for this show, A modern ensemble comedy about a group of longtime friends leading diverse chaotic lives who stay connected through a long running daily text thread.
Episode 188: Aaron Brownstein & Simon Ganz Interview
Episode notes Episode 188: Aaron Brownstein & Simon Ganz Interview In this After Show Andrew talks with writing partners Aaron Brownstein and Simon Ganz about their long road to Guy Text. They share what they learned working under Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, About a Boy) and Victor Fresco (Santa Clarita Diet), including lessons about character, tone, and why even a waiter with two lines should feel like a real person.
Episode 187: Guy Text Written by Aaron Brownstein & Simon Ganz | Maximum Fun
Episode notes Episode 187: Guy Text Written by Aaron Brownstein & Simon Ganz This month’s dead pilot is Guy Text, written by Aaron Brownstein and Simon Ganz, whose credits include Santa Clarita Diet, Beavis and ButtHead, and About a Boy. Four geriatric millennial friends struggle with what it means to be sensitive, thoughtful, emotionally available modern men. It’s a fast paced and funny pilot that you’ll really enjoy. This episode launches a special two-month experiment on Dead Pilots Society.
Episode 186: Lisa Muse Bryant Interview
Episode notes Episode 186: Lisa Muse Bryant Interview This month’s After Show features Andrew’s conversation with Lisa Muse Bryant, the powerhouse behind our latest dead pilot Dream. Lisa traces her remarkable journey from Camden, New Jersey, to writing on standout series like Black-ish, The Four Seasons, Man on the Inside, and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. She dives into the real-life inspiration behind the pilot and the serendipity of her collaboration with Amber Riley.
Episode 185: Dream Written by Lisa Muse Bryant
Episode notes Episode 185: Dream Written by Lisa Muse Bryant This month’s Dead Pilots Society features Dream, a musical comedy pilot from Lisa Muse Bryant, whose work includes Black-ish, The Four Seasons, Man on the Inside, and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. The show centers on Dream Morgan, a former teen mom who finally goes after her long-delayed ambition of becoming a singer once her son finishes college.
Episode 184: Jim Brandon & Brian Singleton Interview
Episode notes Episode 184: Jim Brandon & Brian Singleton Interview Welcome to this month’s after-show interview with Brian Singleton and Jim Brandon. You heard their hilarious pilot Humans of the Americas last week on Dead Pilots Society. You may know Brian and Jim from their work on Mixed-ish (ABC), Black Monday (Showtime), Arrested Development (Netflix), or their current show Animal Control (FOX), now on it’s fourth season.
Episode 183: Humans of the Americas Written by Jim Brandon & Brian Singleton
Episode notes Episode 183: Humans of the Americas Written by Jim Brandon & Brian Singleton This month’s dead pilot is Humans of the Americas by Jim Brandon and Brian Singleton, whose credits include Animal Control (FOX), Mixed-ish (ABC), Black Monday (Showtime), and Arrested Development (Netflix). Here’s the logline: A single camera comedy set in a small town neighborhood, that is actually a human exhibit. At a zoo. Run by robots.
Episode 182: David S. Rosenthal Interview
Episode notes Episode 182: David S. Rosenthal Interview In this after show for The Cheap Seats, Andrew sits down with writer David S. Rosenthal, whose career spans some of television’s most iconic series. Andrew and “Rosie” go way back to their days at summer camp, and their longtime friendship adds a personal dimension to this conversation.
Episode 181: The Cheap Seats Written by David S. Rosenthal
Episode notes Episode 181: The Cheap Seats Written by David S. Rosenthal This month on Dead Pilots Society we have The Cheap Seats by David S. Rosenthal, a veteran television writer whose credits include Spin City, Gilmore Girls, The Middle, and Jane the Virgin. The script centers on a close-knit group of emotionally and intellectually stunted friends whose world is shaken when one of them begins dating a brainy and sophisticated medical student.
Episode 180: Gracie Glassmeyer Interview
Episode notes Episode 180: Gracie Glassmeyer Interview This after-show episode dives deeper into Here She Lies with its creator, Gracie Glassmeyer. If you heard the table read of this dark, twisty pilot, you probably have questions—like why Seth can’t leave his house, or why Talia has been spying on Amber’s stepmom. Gracie shares the answers, along with her unique path into comedy writing.
Episode 179: Here She Lies Written by Gracie Glassmeyer
Episode notes Episode 179: Here She Lies Written by Gracie Glassmeyer Welcome to Dead Pilots Society, the podcast that takes comedy pilots from A-list writers that were sold and developed at networks and streamers but never produced, and gives them the table reads they never got to have. This episode features a pilot from Gracie Glassmeyer. Gracie has written for Ghosts and The Neighborhood, with previous credits including Jane the Virgin, Happy Together, and Impastor.
Episode 178: Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson Interview (Blessed and Highly Favored, NewsRadio, Beavis and Butt-Head)
Episode notes Episode 178: Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson Interview (Blessed and Highly Favored, NewsRadio, Beavis and Butt-Head) In this after-show interview, Andrew sits down with longtime writing partners Chris Marcil and Sam Johnson. Friends and collaborators, Marcil and Johnson share some incredible stories from their decades in the business.
Episode 177: Blessed and Highly Favored by Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson Live from the Elysian Theater
Episode notes Episode 177: Blessed and Highly Favored by Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson Live from the Elysian Theater We have such a great dead pilot for you this month. It’s called Blessed and Highly Favored. It’s a hilarious comedy about a rookie pastor struggling to keep her progressive Baptist church afloat while dealing with megachurch competition, financial strain, and the looming presence of her father—the church’s legendary former pastor.
Episode 176: Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) Interview
Episode notes Episode 176: Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) Interview In this month’s after-show interview, Andrew chats with Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) about their pilot How to Get Over Bryan Byers. The pair share the real-life inspiration behind the show — yes, the actual Bryan Byers who unknowingly brought them together as friends and collaborators.
Episode 175: How To Get Over Bryan Byers Written by Ilana Peña & Anne Sundell
Episode notes Episode 175: How To Get Over Bryan Byers Written by Ilana Peña & Anne Sundell This month on Dead Pilots Society, we’re bringing you How To Get Over Bryan Byers, a hilarious comedy pilot from Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian). The show follows two former enemies, Anna and Izzy, who become best friends after realizing they’ve both dated—and been dumped by—the same guy.
Austen Earl Interview | Maximum Fun
Episode notes Episode 174: Austen Earl Interview (Letters to Beyoncé, Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together) In this after-show interview, Andrew talks with writer/producer Austen Earl about his pilot Letters to Beyoncé, inspired by his own mom. Austen shares how he went from a tiny town in Vermont to a Hollywood writing career—with a surprising assist from his athletic background.
Letters to Beyoncé | Maximum Fun
Episode notes Episode 173: Letters to Beyoncé written by Austin Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together) In this episode of Dead Pilots Society, we bring you a heartfelt and hilarious pilot from Austin Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together, About My Father). The script, Letters to Beyoncé, tells the story of a middle-aged schoolteacher in rural New England who decides to reclaim her life—with a little inspiration from an unlikely source: Beyoncé.
Episode notes In this after-show episode of Dead Pilot Society, we’re joined by writer Lauren Herstik, who brought us Camp Friends — a pilot that’s had more lives (and deaths) than most scripts could dream of. This one has everything: clown camp trauma, projectile vomit over a salad bar, surrealist puberty freakouts, and a long, winding journey through the chaotic world of TV development.
Camp Friends Written by Lauren Herstik
Episode notes This month, we have a fantastic dead pilot, Camp Friends, written by Lauren Herstik. You may know Lauren as a writer on American Vandal and Pearson. Camp Friends is about best friends who spend every summer at Camp Widgen. This is their CIT (counselor-in-training) year, the last before becoming counselors, and the last chance to have the best summer ever. So when a new, hot, mystery girl shows up at camp and threatens to derail those plans it’s a big problem.
Episode 163: Amy Reed (The Diary of a Future President) & Brendan Scannell Interview (The 14th Floor After Show)
Episode notes A happy holidays to you! Hopefully you’re wearing that Dead Pilots Society shirt you bought for yourself as a gift while listening to this episode! This is our interview with Amy and Brendan. In it you’ll hear an honest take about how hard it is to sell things and make a living in Hollywood these days. We get into Amy & Brendan’s writing dynamic, navigating writing with a partner versus writing solo, and the shows Amy and Brendan go back to for inspiration.
Episode 162: The 14th Floor written by Amy Reed (The Diary of a Future President) & Brendan Scannell (Bonding)
Episode notes It’s the end of the year and we have a very special dead pilot for you! This is The 14th Floor written by Amy Reed (The Diary of a Future President) & Brendan Scannell (Bonding). It centers aroundan ambitious young executive at multinational McKenna Corp who gets hip-checked by her threatened CEO, and is then banished to the depths of the 14th floor, where a staff of castoffs collect checks doing absolutely nothing.
Episode 161: Bill Callahan Interview (Massholes After Show)
Episode notes Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode, Andrew interviews Bill Callahan about his pilot Massholes. Bill has an impressive résumé, having worked on Spin City, 8 Simple Rules, Scrubs, Psych, American Housewife, and The Goldbergs. A former college athlete turned comedy writer, Bill shares his journey from football to comedy, starting in an agency mailroom and learning from legends like Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence.
Episode 160: Massholes written by Bill Callahan (Scrubs, Spin City)
Episode notes This month’s pilot is Massholes. It was set up at ABC and written by Bill Callahan (Scrubs, Spin City). Bill is a veteran comedy writer who’s worked on so many shows you know and love. This is a Friends-style ensemble pilot inspired by Bill’s group of friends from Massachusetts. To keep things authentic, we assembled an all-star cast of actors from the Boston area. If you missed our last live show, you can still watch the live feed here.
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