“I had to sleep on people’s couches for a while, because I had no money. And I remember saying to God or whoever… ‘if I can make a living as a writer, I promise you I will write every day.’ So I made this deal with the universe and now I’m stuck with it.” Today’s episode is a special, old-school 10,000 NOs format longform sit-down conversation with legendary television writer and showrunner, Tom Fontana. His awards and accolades are a mile long, but what you’ll hear is a guy from humble beginnings in Buffalo, who loves to write, loves to ask questions, and loves to give back and mentor others the way his mentors helped him. 10,000 NOs podcast is now in it’s 2.0 phase: after a long pause from late 2021 to late 2023, it has returned in a more raw format: shorter episodes, like the Monday Morsels of yesteryear (they may be short, solo riffs by Matt on central themes of the pod, excerpts from Matt’s 10,000 NOs Insiders Community Zooms, or excerpts from Insiders VIP sessions with VIPs from the entertainment interview and beyond). Be on the look out as, every now and then, we will likely drop some old school, long-form, classic 10,000 NOs interviews as bonus episodes. 10,000 NOs is here to inspire you and help you realize you are not alone if you’re battling to overcome rejection in your career or life. So, if you’re an actor, writer or filmmaker and you like what you hear in the snippets from our Insiders Acting Community zooms enough to want to be a part of it, CLICK HERE. Remember, “failure” is just opportunity in disguise, and you can flip the script to make your setbacks serve you. Prefer to WATCH (versus listen)? SUBSCRIBE to 10,000 NOs YouTube Channel HERE SHOW LINKS: 10,000 NOs: THE BOOK SUBSCRIBE TO OUR (WEEKLY) NEWSLETTER FOLLOW MATT ON SOCIAL FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN BE A 10,000 NOs INSIDER