{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Write On: 'Running Point' Showrunner David Stassen","description":"\u201cIt\u2019s not ripped from the headlines. We\u2019re not using any of [the Buss family\u2019s] real-life stories and putting them into our show. Because Mindy [Kaling], Ike [Barinholtz], and I have so many influences like Arrested Development, 30 Rock, The Office and Succession, we\u2019re coming up with our own fun stories and fun situations to put this dysfunctional, very wealthy, successful family into a blender and then have them going back and forth and arguing and solving problems together and against each other,\u201d says David Stassen, showrunner of Running Point, about taking inspiration from Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 President, Jeannie Buss\u2019s family and turning it into a hit TV show.   In this episode, we chat with David Stassen, showrunner and co-creator of the Netflix show, Running Point, that\u2019s just been given the greenlight for Season 2. The show centers on Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson), the daughter of a powerful basketball magnate. She\u2019s now taken the helm of the legendary team with the help \u2013 or hindrance \u2013 of her four well-meaning but unpredictable brothers.    While firmly set in the brawny world of basketball, Stassen talks about the true core of Running Point, which revolves around the siblings trying to earn the love of their deceased father. To get this particular narrative right, Stassen says the writers room spent a lot of time focusing on the family dynamics and differentiating each character\u2019s struggles and traits. Much of the comedy in the show comes from the clashes between the siblings and their attempts to live up to their father\u2019s fierce expectations. Stassen also talks about how the character Isla, a woman at the center of a very male-dominated universe, relies on speeches from gangster films to communicate with her basketball team.  \u201cMovies transcend our society. So, I think it\u2019s a great way to connect and even if you haven\u2019t seen Casino, most people know that Joe Pesci is viewed as a very scary person on film. We were lucky enough to get the rights to show a scene. So even if you didn\u2019t know anything about it, you got to see the moment. It\u2019s just a fun thing to have this beautiful, airy Kate Hudson taking on these roles of the tough Italian mobster or the contract killer getting revenge for his dead dog, like John Wick. And I guess it probably speaks to something bigger about this show \u2013 about a woman in a man\u2019s world. But at the same time, Isla is powerful in her own way, right? She\u2019s powerful 95% of the time just being herself and standing up for herself. And then the fun flourishes are maybe using a movie reference to illustrate a point,\u201d says Stassen.    To hear more about Running Point and Stassen\u2019s advice to TV writers, listen to the podcast.  ","author_name":"Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/www.finaldraft.com","html":"