First Five is a podcast hosted by screenwriter and filmmaker Lindsay Stidham that dives into the first five pages of scripts (both classic and new) to explore what makes a story hook work. Each episode unpacks how writers craft their opening, tease out themes, structure, character arcs, and narrative momentum. It’s designed for screenwriters, storytellers, and movie lovers who care deeply about craft, opening scenes, and the delicate architecture of a great start.
Lindsay brings her experience (MFA-trained, working writer) and her sharp, generous eye to each breakdown, offering insight, encouragement, and inspiration along with an incredible cavalcade of guests at various points in their own careers. Whether you're writing your own script or just obsessed with why your favorite movies grab you, First Five is a thoughtful, creative, and smart conversation about story beginnings.
Episode 5: The Prophecy of Network with Sundance Filmmaker Janek Ambrose
Sundance alumni filmmaker Janek Ambrose has written, produced, and directed multiple award-winning shorts and features, and most recently attended Sundance as co-producer of In the Summers 🎬✨. Janek also founded Assembly Line Entertainment, where he seeks out projects he’d never conjure on his own—pushing boundaries, genres, and expectations 🚀.
Much of Janek’s work is politically minded, so he came armed with one of his all-time favorite scripts: Network 📺—nominated for 10 Academy Awards and winner of Best Screenplay for Paddy Chayefsky 🏆. Lindsay and Janek dive into the first five pages, debating just how prophetic the film was about the collapse of modern news and its transformation into pure entertainment. Meanwhile, Janek delivers excellent survival lessons for writers, directors, and producers alike.
Follow Janek’s company here: https://www.instagram.com/assemblylineent/
#First5Podcast #ScreenwritingPodcast #Sundance #IndieFilm #NetworkMovie #PaddyChayefsky #ScreenwritingTips #FilmmakerLife #FilmTwitter #WritersLife #BehindTheScenes #StoryCraft
6 Jan 2026
Big Swings and Small Moments with Ginny and Georgia Writers
What makes Ginny & Georgia so relentlessly bingeable? In this episode of First Five, we sit down with Ginny & Georgia writers Michelle Askew and Ayotunde Ifaturoti to unpack the craft, chaos, and collaboration behind one of Netflix’s most addictive serialized dramas.
Michelle and Ayotunde take us inside the writers’ room to break down their episode—from the bold structural swings to the quiet, intimate character moments that make the show’s teen-and-mom dynamic hit so hard. We talk about how the room balances tonal tightropes and why the smallest emotional beats often carry the biggest weight.
The conversation dives deep into what it’s really like to work in a high-pressure TV writers’ room: how to bring your own lived experience into the work without losing the collective voice, how to pitch boldly while staying flexible, and how trust among writers shapes story. Michelle and Ayotunde also share insights on writing intergenerational conflict, crafting honest teenage voices, and keeping a serialized narrative emotionally grounded episode after episode.
Additionally you can follow Michelle’s latest short film work here: https://www.instagram.com/mich3ll3askew/
9 Dec 2025
Oh, Baby! The art of the sexy short film with Brooke Trantor
Welcome to a short-film focused episode of First 5, the podcast where we explore the first five pages of screenplays—both iconic and in-progress—to uncover what hooks us, what thrills us, and what makes a script truly tick. The talented multi-hyphenate writer, actor, and director Brooke Trantor joins us this episode.
Brooke has made a truly remarkable amount of short films and has played in notable festivals around the country. She regales with tales about her award-winning short film Oh, Baby! The film included working with her very pregnant best friend and navigating directing a sex scene pre #MeToo.
Brooke also highlights what makes a great short versus what makes a great feature as she works towards her first feature film directing effort all while keeping in mind lessons she learned from Oh, Baby along the way.
Oh, Baby! Follow Brooke’s filmmaking journey @brooketrantor Watch Oh, Baby! https://vimeo.com/360409872
25 Nov 2025
Perfume, Pleasure & Period Rom-Coms with Maggie Lane
Welcome to the premiere of First 5, where we crack open the first five pages of screenplays—iconic and in-progress—to uncover what makes them tick. I'm your host, Lindsay Stidham, and today’s guest is the wildly talented Maggie Lane.
Maggie’s a rom-com lover, a cancer survivor, and yes—an alum of Sesame Street. She’s also a certified nose who studied perfumery in Italy and brings us A Cord, her steamy, sensory-rich period rom-com set in 1850s Venice and London.
We dive into the art of scent, sensual storytelling, and why the first five pages must seduce. Expect masked meet-cutes, olfactory synesthesia, and yes—spontaneous orgasms (thank you, tuberose 🌸).
✨ Key Takeaways
💋 Seeing scent: Using synesthesia as cinematic language
🎭 Masquerade magic: Romance at first whiff
🌹 A heroine shaped like a perfume bottle
💄 Writing sex scenes with confidence + silk robes
🧪 Perfume vs. patriarchy: Pleasure as protest
🪞 Then & now: Victorian themes that still hit
Whether you're a screenwriter or scent enthusiast, this episode will intoxicate.
👉 Listen now and enter the fragrant, feminist world of A Cord.
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