Writing for Grey's Anatomy & Army Wives with Marlana Hope Artwork

In Motion Storytellers

The In Motion Storytellers podcast goal is to inform and equip filmmakers to succeed from anywhere. Through interviews with top professionals in the film, TV and online distribution space, we will share advice on making a living as a filmmaker in the 'flyover states', conversations on what the most pivotal decisions that led to our guests success, and what it takes to have work/life balance as a filmmaker. This podcast will focus more on the business and entrepreneurial side of filmmaking in hopes of giving other filmmakers a roadmap for their own success.

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In Motion Storytellers

Writing for Grey's Anatomy & Army Wives with Marlana Hope

March 07, 2023 • Dan Parris • Season 1 • Episode 12

Today's interview is with Marlana Hope, a TV writer and producer who has worked on shows like Grey's Anatomy, Friday Night Lights, Army Wives and more. Michael & Dan sit down to learn about her journey as a TV writer, what it's like to be in a writers room, the importance of relationships and the difference between an agent and manager. This is a great episode for those that want to write for TV but also just for anyone trying to navigate their next steps in the industry.

Marlana was born in Illinois, survived five years as a little girl in a log cabin in rural Pennsylvania and spent her tween and teen years on a horse ranch in Missouri. For St. Louisans, she went to Eureka High School. After obtaining a BFA in Theatre from the University of Illinois, she swore off inclement weather for good and headed west.

Early in her career, Marlana worked on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and SOUTHLAND. Her writing and producing credits include GREY’S ANATOMY, ARMY WIVES, THE KICKS, REAPER, and SKAM AUSTIN. Marlana has two pilots currently in development. She was a part of the MO Stories program as both a writer and mentor.

In her free time, Marlana mentors military veterans as part of the Writers Guild Foundation’s workshop series, and has traveled to Abu Dhabi, UAE to teach episodic writing workshops for emerging filmmakers in the Arab World. She also serves on the Writers Education Committee where she organized the WGA Writers Salon for three years bringing together hundreds of Guild members with top showrunners for a series of break-out sessions.

A few things mentioned in this episode:

Marlana Hope (IMDB)
IG: @marlanahope
MO Stories Scripwriting Fellowship
Save the Cat - Screenwriting book
The Screenwriters Bible - Screenwriting book

This podcast is sponsored by the MO Film Office (https://mofilm.org) and Shock City Studios (www.shockcitystudios.com) and is brought to you by Speak Up Productions (www.speakupproductions.com) and the In Motion team (www.inmotionconference.com)

Music by Courtney Orlando Peebles of So Hot Productions (https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-jr-peebles-05a2a19/)