ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Welcome to Episode 53! Very stoked to have screenwriter, director, editor, and 2021 Academy Nicholl Fellow, R.J. Daniel Hanna on the pod! In this episode, we talk about Daniel winning the Nicholl, his films SUCCUBUS (Starring Ron Perlman and Rosanna Arquette), and HARD MILES (Starring Matthew Modine and Sean Astin), his thoughts on screenwriting contests, and more! Hope you enjoy the episode!
You can follow R.J. Daniel Hanna on IG at @ rjdanielhanna.
Maybe it was growing up in Arkansas as a Canadian, or the summers in rural Ireland with his grandparents, but Daniel has always been drawn to out-of-place characters, strange environments, and the unique rhythms of how people talk. He just completed post on his horror film “Succubus,” starring Ron Perlman and Rosanna Arquette, to be released in 2024. Crossing over 500 screens in the U.S. and beginning its run in the U.K. is his feature “Hard Miles,” starring Golden Globe-winner Matthew Modine and Oscar-Nominee Sean Astin, which has won multiple awards and screened at prestigious festivals including Chicago International, Heartland Film Festival, and Cinequest. Prior to that, Daniel directed the true-story feature “Miss Virginia,” starring three-time Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba, Oscar-Nominee Aunjanue Ellis, and Vanessa Williams. The film was listed as a New York Times and USA Today Must-See Fall Movie, won the Audience Award at The Naples Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release, cable premiere on BET, and streaming deal with Netflix.
As a writer, Daniel is a winner of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, as well as the Slamdance, ScriptPipeline, and Screencraft writing awards. He also explores storytelling as an editor, with ten features under his belt, including horror film “What Lies Below,” starring Mena Suvari, which hit #1 on Netflix, and “Supercell” starring Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche, and Skeet Ulrich, which hit #1 on Hulu. Daniel hopes to continue telling cinematic, character-driven stories long past the time any sane person would have retired. He lives on the east-side of L.A. with his excessively-vocal cat “Dottie.”
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CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
5:57 - Daniel's Bio
9:08 - Nicholl Fellowship
12:01 - How'd You Get Into Screenwriting?
13:52 - Contests
16:45 - Winning the Nicholl
25:33 - Describe Your Brand
27:39 - Specs vs Assignment Work
33:04 : Three Favorite Films or TV Shows?
37:02 - Breaking In
39:46 - Writing Routine / Process
50:48 - Daniel's Film, SUCCUBUS
51:48 - Daniel's Film, HARD MILES
52:33 - Directing Famous Actors
57:37 - New Ideas
1:02:01 - Brand New Draft
1:05:26 - Daniel's Hobbies Outside Writing
1:07:04 - Advice for Fellow Writers
