Guest host Michael Ritter joins for a discussion 10 years after graduating USC SCA:- What percentage of graduates have left the film industry, or directed a feature film? - How did expectations upon graduation meet reality a decade later? - How can one figure out what opportunities are worth pursuing? - Are there noticeable differences between the trajectories of USC film grads vs. non-traditional film schools? - What advice would be useful for the Class of 2026?KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/nosetpath

So you've been rejected from USC SCA (or USC altogether) - what have people done in the past to overcome this and either eventually land a spot as a Trojan, or carve a path toward a film career without it? BREAKDOWN: 0:00 - Intro/Context3:00 - Episode Outline3:56 - A note about the appeal process!! (FAQ)6:24 - For parents!!!8:13 - My journey getting rejected from USC SCA: admission to USC but denied from SCA, adding a major in Annenberg, transferring into Cinema-Media Studies and eventually transferring into Film & Television Production44:52 - Stories of successful people who were initially rejected from USC

Evan Iwata is a TV drama writer who recently sold his original high-concept crime procedural ON THE CLOCK to ABC with Lionsgate Television and Alexi Hawley’s Perfectman Pictures. He was previously a staff writer on the HBO Max sci-fi thriller SUBJECT TO CHANGE from J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, and has also developed a YA action-adventure series for DreamWorks Animation. He began his career in the writers room, working in support staff roles on series including Starz's OUTLANDER, CBS's CSI:CYBER and PURE GENIUS, and ABC's THE FIX and EMERGENCE. An alum of the Warner Bros. TV Writers’ Workshop and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Today we are getting into how Evan went from being rejected from USC film school to a WGA writer selling his own show, what it was like working directly with JJ Abrams ona series for HBO and the three typical expectations most writers have that are completely incorrect.BREAKDOWN: 13:46 – Evan’s work on a potential Dreamworks show18:26 – Pitch vs. pilot vs. series bible23:18 – How to get paid before you start writing the pilot28:41 – From Oshkosh to USC / underGRAD31:41 – Megan Niquette33:21 – Namrata34:11 – Evan McGahey, Monisha Dadlani, Ethan Welling41:41 – Signing with reps42:24 – Writers’ Assistant Program, Conrad Sun46:41 – Knowing when to add an agent to the team46:41 – Kat Reilly50:41 – Warner Bros. TV Writer Workshop + Covid51:26 – Jennifer Yale52:01 – Getting in the writers room on JJ Abrams show59:21 – Starting as support staff (CSI: Cyber, Outlander)1:06:11 – Wrong expectations as writers1:17:41 – Getting a WGA card1:18:11 – Adapting a true story from an article1:24:36 – TIME CAPSULEKEEP UP WITH EVAN: @iwhataKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

RSVP FOR 3/11: Link in bio on IG @NoSetPathShow https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedN4zJwMFdQeR-NMkI6uaoXu8EoCdTLR4FhG7GNoDa68jdig/viewform?usp=headerWATCH ANDREA'S GAMBIT: https://thempi.org/film/andreas-gambit/KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedN4zJwMFdQeR-NMkI6uaoXu8EoCdTLR4FhG7GNoDa68jdig/viewform?usp=header3KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

We're talking talent rep tantrums, slapping "elevated" before genres, and the infamous "mayonnaise commercial." KEEP UP WITH MICHAEL: IG: @mkritterKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPath

Faith Liu is a writer/director who has written feature films for Blumhouse, FilmNation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Disney. Her directorial debut short “Sundowning” is available online at CryptTV’s YouTube channel after a successful festival run. She was a member of the CAPE New Writers Fellowship and Christina Hodson and Margot Robbie’s Lucky Exports Pitch Program. Today we are getting into how Faith landed paid distribution for her short film, how she got connected with opportunities to write features for major studios in traditional Hollywood and what she thinks there is to gain from the film festival circuit. EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 1:31 START2:00 - Sundowning, Faith’s horror-with-a-heart proof of concept short now out on CryptTV4:10 - Getting paid distribution for a short: CryptTV6:07 - What to gain from film festivals (especially genre festivals)13:20 - Winning the Wes Craven Award16:44 - Going from screenwriter to writer-director19:10 - Crowdfunding $40k for Sundowning23:20 - Signing with Faith’s longtime manager Max Goldfarb26:33 - First jobs in support staff on writers rooms of “Warrior” and “Better Call Saul”29:59 - Caren Dulles? 33:50 - CAPE (Coalition for Asian Pacific in Entertainment) New Writers Program & how to pitch yourself in 3 minutes42:15 - Getting connected with writing for multiple Hollywood studios & landing Open Writing Assignment pitches48:10 - Getting into Margot Robbie’s Lucky Chap Pitch Program & women who write action51:40 - Faith’s advice for screenwriters54:14 - How living situation has impacted creativity 56:00 - What helped Faith persevere 59:04 - TIME CAPSULE

Veronica Powers is a SAG actress, singer, and USC Summa Cum Laude graduate who has transitioned from a child performer on Conan to a viral comedy star for creators like Content Machine and Adam W. A versatile multi-hyphenate, she also lends her voice to global Netflix hits and works as a professional coach for aspiring talent. In this episode, we discuss the profound life lessons she learned after losing her home in the Palisades fire and the specific DM strategies she used to land major roles in the digital space.BREAKDOWN: 11:28 - Veronica’s origins, from Old Hollywood grandmother to acting as a child18:11 - What Veronica DM’d to get cast in Instagram comedy sketches19:23 - IG as the modern day business card20:38 - opportunities & negotiations over Instagram DMs25:38 - creating your own social content26:38 - leaning into being a multi-hyphenate29:28 - pursuing music through voiceover/dubbing contacts & training32:38 - should new actors go SAG?39:07 - TIME CAPSULEKEEP UP WITH VERONICA: IG: @officalvpowers | @confidencecoach101 KEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All platforms: @NoSetPathShow   www.NoSetPathShow.comwww.bio.site/NoSetPath

Austin Kolodney is the screenwriter of “Dead Man’s Wire,” based on a true story and directed by Gus Van Sant, in theaters January 2026. He was named one of Variety’s 2025 Screenwriters to Watch.A director as well as writer, Austin’s work has been featured across major platforms including Funny Or Die, Syfy, Audible, Almost Friday TV, and Comedy Central. His narrative shorts, Two Chairs, Not One and Kiwi, earned prestigious Vimeo Staff Pick honors.Today we get into why Austin walked twenty miles round trip across LA to meet with Werner Herzog; working at the LA Zoo after the industry was ravaged by strikes and the pandemic; how he put himself through USC film school after two years at a community college; and the things he had in place to make reps pursue him for professional relationships that have lasted. SEE “DEAD MAN’S WIRE:” Limited Release 1/07/26 | Out Nationwide 1/16/26KEEP UP WITH AUSTIN: IG: @awwwwstinKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.bio.site/NoSetPathANDREA’S GAMBIT PREMIERE TICKETS: https://mpi.swoogo.com/andreasgambit-la-premiere/10598619

KEEP UP WITH BECCA: TikTok: @beccawmannInstagram: @becca__mannKEEP UP WITH THE SHOW: All Platforms: @NoSetPathShowwww.NoSetPathShow.combio.site/NoSetPathLast Year's Episode with Becca: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/47-new-years-resolutions-for-filmmakers-w-becca-mann/id1676370871?i=1000682375575