Emerging UK-based screenwriters Tray Epps, Martin F. Wong and Ben Robins chat, debate, moan and celebrate the emotional and financial rollercoaster that is trying to build a career as a working writer in the film and television industry. Alongside a revolving door of (much more successful) guests, they discuss everything from how to approach agents, to which writing competitions are worth applying to and everything inbetween, in a funny, down-to-earth and practical way.
Join us on this journey - you are not alone!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Emerging UK-based screenwriters Tray Epps, Martin F. Wong and Ben Robins chat, debate, moan and celebrate the emotional and financial rollercoaster that is trying to build a career as a working writer in the film and television industry. Alongside a revolving door of (much more successful) guests, they discuss everything from how to approach agents, to which writing competitions are worth applying to and everything inbetween, in a funny, down-to-earth and practical way.
Join us on this journey - you are not alone!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Xmas and the festive mess is over, so let's get writing! (if only it was that easy). This week we're back at our desks after 2 weeks of monstrous overeating, relentless childcare, and otherwise doing very little, so we're talking not only 2026 resolutions and our goals for the year ahead, but how we get back into the swing of things too.
Taking time off is important, but getting back to work can feel incredibly daunting after the fact. So let's go slow, plan big, but be realistic. Use that January energy to try new things and new routines, but not completely reinvent the wheel either.
What're your big plans for 2026?
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Another year's nearly in the can, so we're looking back at 2025, and our professional wins and lessons learned from 12 months of continuing to emerge as a screenwriter in film and TV. Where did we succeed? What did we wish we did more of? And why is Tray still upset with Joe Barton?
And to top things off, we're also looking back at our favourite movies and TV shows from 2025, and what we learned from them - not just about writing, but the industry too. See you in 2026!
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Emerging - and to celebrate, we figured we'd open a few presents, toss a few insults and unwrap our 4 favourite films and TV shows in this extra long special festive-themed episode!
Yes, Tray breaks all of the formats, but we wouldn't have him any other way. Have a safe and relaxing festive break!
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Another extra 15 mins with the brilliant Chloë Mi Lin Ewart as she takes on the all-important Last Call! So what's the best and worst writing advice she's ever received? What's the TV show that most deserves to be erased from existence forever? And why is E.T. the best movie ever made?
And if you didn't catch our full episode with Chloe, all about her emerging journey, have a listen - it's a real fun time.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ever wondered what happens on the fabled Channel 4 Screenwriting scheme? Or how one goes straight from that to signing with Mr Casarotto himself? This week's guest Chloë Mi Lin Ewart is not only full of answers, but great chat too. A veteran of SO MANY schemes, from 4Screenwriting, to The Residency and the BBC, Chloë's now a very successful writer with credits on Beyond Paradise, All Creatues Great and Small, and her own series very nearly on the horizon. So it's safe to say she's become a total expert at seizing every opportunity that's come her way!
So join us for another long and winding chat through Chloë's emerging journey, from her start as a working class, Eurasian actor on soaps like Coronation Street, to breaking through with her first few pilot spec scripts.
And if you want to follow Chloë's career, she's coincidentally found under @chloeewart on Instagram too!
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Joe Barton, creator of Black Doves, The Lazarus Project and the upcoming Amadeus (among so many others) is back with us to answer the all-important Last Call.
So what's the best and worst writing advice he's ever received? What's the first story he ever wrote? And why does he love Love Actually so much?
And if you didn't catch our even fuller chat with Joe, all about his emerging journey, from when and how he signed with his agent, to how he found success writing movies like The Ritual and shows like Giri-Haji, listen back! It's genuinely a great chat.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is a fun one - we convinced BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Joe Barton, creator of Black Doves, Giri/Haji and Sky's upcoming Amadeus (among so many others) to join us for a chat about his own emerging journey!
From his first few jobs on McFly's long forgotten vampire movie and a MySpace original series (yes, MySpace once made TV), to how he signed with his agent, his experiences in LA, and how his work on films like The Ritual hit differently to writing for TV, there're A LOT of great insights from Joe's career buried in here. Join us later in the week for his answers to The Last Call too...
With thanks again to Joe for joining us the night before the Black Doves Season 2 shoot kicked off(!), if you want to follow his career and support a plucky young upstart, he's @joebarton_ on Instagram, and his new show AMADEUS lands on Sky on 21st December.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A special bonus chat this week - inspiring producer, filmmaker, production co-ordinator and all-round multi-hyphenate Sonia Wargacka sits down with Ben to talk about her very new, very different talent agency Powerhouse and how she hopes to change the world of agenting for the better.
If you want to follow Sonia's progress, she's @leaveitwithsonia on Instagram, and her agency is @this.is.powerhouse!
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of our favourite parts of every guest episode is The Last 10, (ironically) 12 quickfire questions that help us get to know other writers on a far more personal level. So it felt only fair that we take the challenge ourselves too.
As a bit of a disclaimer, this episode was recorded way back in March 2025, just as the show was starting to take shape, so we might sound a little more youthful / a little less jaded. Or the opposite, listen and find out!
And here are the fabled Last 10 questions if you want to try them at home yourself:
1. **What was the first story you ever wrote?**
2. **What film or TV show made you say, "I want to be a writer"?**
3. **What’s the best and worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?**
4. **What’s a common mistake you see emerging writers make?**
5. **If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice when starting out, what would it be?**
6. **What’s the most life-changing film or TV show you’ve ever watched?**
7. **What’s the worst film or TV show you secretly love?**
8. **What’s a film or TV show that perfectly captures how you feel about life?**
9. **What film haven’t you seen that you tell everyone that you have?**
10. **If you could erase one film or TV show from existence, what would it be and why?**
11. **If your life were a film, what would it be called and who would direct it?**
12. **What does ‘making it’ as a writer mean to you?**
Why not send us your answers as a voice note!
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get ready for a total masterclass in putting yourself out there and getting noticed from this week's guest - actor turned writer turned screenwriting influencer Rachel Flynn. A Bronze Page Award winner, Rachel's a credited TV writer, a celebrated playwright and part of the core creative team behind two made-for-TV features too. So naturally Martin's incredibly jealous.
As you'll know if you've seen her Instagram Reels and/or TikToks, Rachel's not only very experienced and knowledgable about the industry, but a big ol' laugh too, so this proved to be a very fun (even longer than normal) chat covering everything from social media, to organising your time, and even a bit of smutty Chicago-based fan fiction. Enjoy!
As always, if you want to follow Rachel's career (and see more of that wicked screenwriting based content), she's @rflynn7 on Instagram.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In ironically our most dis-organised record to date (Martin had a Diet Coke with lunch and... well, don't drink caffeine kids), we're talking about the many varied spreadsheets and programs that we use to keep our heads together. Because if you don't have a system for tracking all those half-finished scripts, competition deadlines, notes from producers, and random people we met at various networking events that we swear we’ll email back, the chaos might just swallow you whole.
So here comes some exciting organisation chat - digital rolodexes, project slates, contact matrixes, not a stone unturned. How do *you* stay organised?
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How many times have we been told not to direct on the page, or not write songs into our scripts? Don’t open with a dream, or someone waking up. Formatting is the be all and end all. But how many of these so called “rules” actually matter, and how many can we break without coming across as obnoxious?
It's a fine line, so this episode's all about digging into those unwritten rules of screenwriting: where they come from, why they exist, and when it’s okay (or even smart) to ignore them completely. We chat about the balance between structure and creativity, the fear of “doing it wrong,” and how trusting your voice might be the real key to great writing.
If you’ve ever second-guessed a bold choice or felt boxed in by screenwriting formulas, we're here for you!
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As emerging writers, we spend so much time working on how to present our scripts, we don't always think about the other (sometimes even more important bit), how do we present ourselves?
So let's talk image - everything from our writer bios and CVs, to how we dress, and how we come across in person, in meetings and at networking events. If someone's only meeting you for 10 minutes, what image of you do you want them to come away with?
We also dig into what makes a good writer bio (and what doesn’t - get Chat GPT out of your head right now), how to talk about your work without cringing (*cries in British*), and how to balance coming across as a pro with not sounding like a robot. It's hard work, but remember the hard and fast rule - pretend you're a rich, white American and you'll immediately feel more confident.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Burnout is real, it's a sexy word right now, millenials everywhere seem to be suffering from it *constantly*. And we’ve all hit that point, when you want to write, but your brain and body just say "curl up in a ball and give up on the world". So let's talk about it, what burnout looks like, why it creeps up on us, and how we can find a way through it without completely grinding to a halt.
As emerging writers, that feeling that we have to be working all the time is all too real. Whether that's writing, networking, applying for schemes, or just staying visible. But what happens when that constant pressure starts to break us down?
We're sharing our own (very current) experiences of burnout, that guilt of slowing down, and some practical ways to reset, recharge, and still move forward (even when you’re running on empty).
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
With the 4Screenwriting deadline well and truly vanquished, this week we're asking ourselves not only "what's next?" but more importantly, "what are we even doing with our lives/careers?" We're zooming out and looking at the bigger picture, setting goals, both short term and long term.
It can be so easy as emerging writers to just move from scheme to scheme on autopilot, chasing the opportunities dangled right in front of us. But sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture - where do we ultimately want to be as writers, and how do we actually get there? Schemes and competitions can be the perfect stepping stone for such goals, but we run the risk of not taking full advantage of them or wasting time and energy on the wrong ones, if we don't have a proper idea of what we're actually trying to achieve.
Feel free to join in, and let us know what you're planning between now and the end of the year, and what you want to achieve in 2026.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Staying focussed as a writer is hard, especially when you're single-parenting, or coming up against a lot of pressure from your money job. So how do we deal with these short term disruptions, and not let them totally throw us off pace? Falling off the productivity wagon can be a big loss for writers, and getting back on is easier said than done.
So here's an episode for anyone who, like Tray, has had a bit of a week of it. Especially as deadline season refuses to slow down, sometimes even making the tiniest amount of progress is worthy of celebration.
If you want to join us on this accountability journey, drop us an email or a DM and let us know how you're getting on.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We've all been there, you spend months and months refining the perfect idea into a (passable) screenplay, only for some hotshot Hollywood type to release a Netflix show using almost the exact same concept. So what happens next? Do we throw it all out and start again? Or do we rest assured that our voice is strong and different enough that the world can have multiple takes on the same basic plot?
Naturally these are the things bothering us most as we approach the final few weeks before the 4Screenwriting deadline, as all three of us start to question whether we're writing the right thing at the right time. Are we putting all this time and effort into the right project?
If you want to join us on this accountability journey, drop us an email or a DM and let us know how you're getting on.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Being confident is such an important part of being a writer, but most of us will struggle to say a nice thing about a script we're currently working on. So how do we find that inner confidence and back our own work? How many times have you read or re-read one of your own scripts and in that moment, actually been your own favourite writer for a change?
All this and more, as the deadline gets closer and we crack on with our drafts, keep each other productive and accountable, and try to enjoy and embrace our own work, warts and all.
And if you want to join us on this accountability journey, drop us an email or a DM and let us know how you're getting on.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As deadline season approaches, we're kicking off a new run of (slightly) shorter episodes focussing on productivity, accountability and the brass tacks of actually getting down to writing, as opposed to just talking about it. So what does one week into our new productivity goals look like? What excuses are we making for ourselves already?
Within this week's more relaxed chat, there's a whole bunch of helpful (and hopefully inspiring) little tidbits about burnout and writing too much too fast, as well as how to approach starting over with an old idea, repurposing it for a different time or medium.
And if you want to join us on this accountability journey, drop us an email or a DM and let us know your writing goals for this Autumn/Fall season.
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If it's one thing a lot of writers aren't great at, it's keeping track of their progress and setting realistic writing goals. It's a fickle process - we've lost count of the amount of times we've failed to deliver on a personal target. So let's talk about it - not just how to set realistic goals, but how to hold yourself (and others) to account for the work we say we're going to do.
And with both the new school year and deadline season rapidly approaching (say hello to that annual 4Screenwriting deadline creeping up in October!), now's as good a time as any to start challenging ourselves and setting new goals. In the second half of this episode, we actually put in place some very credible writing targets too, so why not do the same?
Join us on this (hopefully) productive journey!
📬 Get In Touch:
Email us: TheEmergingPodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: @theemergingpod
Ben is @bmlrobins
Martin is @bananabreadfilm
Tray is @ByTrayepps
✨ Support the Show:
If you enjoyed the episode, please rate and review! And share it with a fellow emerging writer who needs a boost (or a laugh).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.