iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 13h

My daughter found the pine cones outside this morning and screamed, “What the heck are my pine cones doing outside and why aren’t they in my bed?!”

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 13h

Things I found in my daughter’s bed while changing the sheets: -A bag of pine cones -Chunks of the ceiling -Approximately 120 pens, pencils, and markers -A plastic bowl with one very shriveled grape in it -Mindy Kaling’s first Autobiography

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

My wife and daughter made butter yesterday - while trying to make whipped cream. Turns out making whipped cream when it’s over 100 degrees is a bad idea. But hey, homemade butter is great too!

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Can’t *wait* - not can’t it My kingdom for an edit button.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The new Big City Greens Halloween episode will drop on Disney+ this Wednesday, but if you can’t it, it’s on YouTube. The intro features an homage to Stephen King, who guest-stars in the episode. If you like (or don’t like) Widow’s Bay, you’ll like (or dislike) this!!! youtu.be/MjpVXi2VblA?...

youtu.be

Big City Greens Halloween Full Episode! "Killer Kludge / Tricked" 🎃💚 | Disney Channel

YouTube video by Disney Channel Animation

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Reposted by Nate Federman

Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

A showrunner once told me that writing for TV is like going to war. That’s overdramatic, but room-breaking a story can feel a bit like trench warfare. So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting 🧵 is on the 6 qualities I value most in co-workers when we’re stuck in the trenches together.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It was nice to see the US take advantage of another team’s blunders, rather than the other way around.

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Reposted by Nate Federman

Minoti Vaishnav @minotivaishnav.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Off my Moonshot announcement, I‘ve been getting a lot of Q’s about fellowships and how to get in. The one I want to focus on is how many tries and scripts it takes to get into programs. People assume you apply once and get it. Nothing could be father from the truth. Here’s my fellowship breakdown:

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Talent, creativity, and intelligence are obviously important traits in a writer. But when you get to a certain level, the thing that separates those who can get a job from those who keep getting jobs are the intangibles. The little things that make being in the trenches with someone more enjoyable.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

6. Unique POVs The best stories come from people’s personal experiences. The more experiences the better. The jokes and pitches I’m jealous of are the ones I know I never could’ve come up with. So I like working with a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and experiences to draw from.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

5. Fun Writing a show on deadline can be incredibly stressful. But it doesn’t have to be. At least not all the time. And there’s a lot to be said for the people who bring the fun to the job. Room bits, interesting stories, stupid rants - this is the secret sauce of every healthy writers’ room.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

4. Hard-Working There are many things you can’t control on a show. But one thing you can is how much effort you put in. I vowed I’d never lose a job for lack of effort. So I bust my ass to make my boss and co-workers lives a little easier. Do that consistently and you’ll work as long as they do.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

3. Enthusiasm I’ve written for some not-great shows. And when you’re on one, it’s easy to check out emotionally. Don’t. Take pride in what you do. Find joy in it, because that kind of enthusiasm is infectious. And maybe the not-great show will get better. Or not, but it’ll be more fun to write.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

2. Selflessness I’ve worked with writers who are locked in… but only when it’s their story. Give me a team player. Someone who cares regardless of whether or not they’re getting written by credit. Nothing impresses me more than when I hear, “I was thinking about your story and I had some ideas.”

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

1. Kindness/Empathy People want to work with people they want to work with. And I don’t care how talented you are - if you’re an asshole, I don’t want you in my room. Be nice, take an interest in your coworkers, and support them. Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many folks don’t do this.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

We do a lot of similar stuff. As for the bowls, my kids love sushi rice (so sushi or musubi bowls are a staple), but they complain about non-sushi rice, so we do a lot of taco bar meals (instead of burrito bowls) with various proteins.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

No allergies. My kids are good eaters, but they tend to not love stews, soups, or chili (which is probably the biggest limiting factor for new recipes).

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

If you have a go-to family weeknight recipe, please send it my way. I could use some inspiration. I have about 15-20 that I cycle through every 2-3 weeks.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I *think* I watched this show and *feel like* I enjoyed it. But honestly, it’s possible I just saw the trailer. I literally can’t remember.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

There always seems to be some slight variations between Serious Eats and The Food Lab. Even when both are J Kenji Alt Lopez recipes. The science makes sense if you’re freezing pesto. It deactivates decomposing enzymes (keeping the vibrant green) and blends smoother. Small loss of flavor/aroma.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It’s in the Food Lab cookbook. Don’t blame me. Blame your favorite food writer.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Adobo chicken. Super easy, super delicious. Will likely add some coconut milk the next time I make it. That’s 18 recipes. I got 8 to go in the next three months. #26RecipesIn26 www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/fili...

foodnetwork.com

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Get Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe from Food Network

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

During the LA heat wave - the first one, not the current one - I didn’t want to turn on my oven. Or do much cooking at all. Enter this nectarines, cucumber, and halumi salad. My kids aren’t big on salads but they loved all the components in this. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/d...

nytimes.com

Halloumi, Peach and Cucumber Spoon Salad

As in, you’ll want to spoon this five-star Ali Slagle salad straight into your mouth from the mixing bowl.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

There’s a Peruvian restaurant near our house and my kids go absolutely crazy for their beans. So we figured we steal the recipe. We substituted chicken broth for vegetable broth. Came out delicious. cookeatlivelove.com/vegan-peruvi...

cookeatlivelove.com

The Best Peruvian Beans (Peruano Beans)

The best Peruvian beans recipe cooks tender beans with onions, garlic and aji amarillo, giving the pot of beans some spice and great flavor. Enjoy them as a main or side dish!

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Haven’t updated this in a while, so here we go. Made a classic genovese pesto with butter shrimp and fettuccine. Blanching the basil kept a nice bright green color. And substituting walnuts for pine nuts made this a little less expensive. www.seriouseats.com/best-pesto-r...

seriouseats.com

How to Make the Best Pesto alla Genovese (Classic Basil Pesto Sauce)

We tested every variable to find the best method and ingredients to make the ultimate Genovese-style basil pesto sauce that tastes just like it came from the Ligurian hills of Italy.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

At the Billy Strings show I saw last week, a guy near me asked the usher what the recent Usher was like. She said, “If you like women, you woulda liked that show.”

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Probably my two favorite living guitarists sharing the stage for the first time. I hung on every note. Perfect Sunday morning listening. www.reddit.com/r/phish/s/G5...

reddit.com

From the phish community on Reddit: Trey sit-in w/ Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder, and Nasheet Waits

Explore this post and more from the phish community

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Any decent writer can poke holes in someone else’s story. But a great writer not only identifies the problem, but also has the solution. It’s not the key to getting a writing job, but it is the key to keeping one and getting hired again. So learn to pitch solutions not problems. End 🧵

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If you’ve identified a problem and can offer up a partial solution, your co-workers can all pitch on how best to execute that solution. It’s a much better situation than the room blindly groping around trying to find one. And people will generally appreciate the effort. Because…

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

But what happens if you don’t have a fully-formed solution yet? You can sit on the problem until you do OR you can offer “the bad words” pitch. The latter has nothing to do with swearing. It’s a “not exactly this but like this” idea that has the shape of a solution, but needs better specifics.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Option 3: Pitch solutions! No one wants to deal with story problems, but that’s the job. So you will be beloved by your co-workers if you pitch a solution whenever you raise a story problem. Especially if it’s a simple solution! If a story problem is syphilis, be the penicillin!

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If you’re a low-level writer, this will get people angry at you. Still, between option 1 and option 2, I’d prefer someone do the latter. If it’s a serious problem that absolutely needs to be addressed. And if it’s early enough in the process that we still have time to fix it. Speaking of which…

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Option 2: Pull the thread! I’ve been in a lot of writer rooms where someone says, “I don’t want to pull a thread, but…” (or “I don’t want to poke holes, but…”) and then they unravel the entire story by raising an issue. If you’re running the room and in charge of QC, that might be necessary, but…

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Option 1: Say nothing! Some writers believe this is the safe option. If you don’t say anything, there’s no chance you’ll be wrong and no one will be mad that you’ve torpedoed a story. But story problems don’t just magically go away. If left untreated, they can be nasty and lethal. Like syphilis.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If you’re a TV writer (or doing any collaborative creative job) you will encounter problems in other people’s work. So this week’s #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread is about THE THREE WAYS OF DEALING WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S ISSUE. Two options will lead to more problems and one will keep you employed.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I think that’s the thing. If you can find a nice pillow that’s washable, you don’t have to throw them out after a few years.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Taste, Bed Chem, or House Tour. Basically any Sabrina Carpenter song would make for an awful first dance song. But they’re all bops!

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Billy Strings is off until Friday. A friend was going for a walk near Ball and saw his acoustic guitar and banjo being brought into the arena. Enjoy acoustic night, buddy!

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Everyday is full of new waking nightmares. Billionaires and politicians tearing apart our social contract. Efforts to outsource all labor to AI. Jamgrass! To stay sane, I’m focused on the stuff I can do to make things just a little better. Inspired by posts on here, I started donating platelets.

The stuff they give you when you donate platelets: A black American Red Cross Platelet donor bag. With a red bag containing a Hello Kitty American Red Cross toy in it.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A good story requires clarity and causation. The audience needs to understand why choices or events are happening. Understanding is a core ingredient in the suspension of disbelief. Because once you hit a logic bump, it’s just the suspension of belief. And that’s the logic of logic. 8/8

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Surely readers should be able to see past a little logic bump or story problem, right? Wrong. Especially in Act 1. You’re trying to hook your audience and they’re willing to go along for the ride, but only if it’s smooth + enjoyable. So your killer act 3? Not so killer if the road to it is bumpy. 🧵7

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Because once he bumped on something, the story train was off the tracks and all he could think about was the derailment. He couldn’t see beyond the problem to notice all the good… until the train was back on the tracks. Sounds insane - but less extreme versions of this happen on every show. 🧵6

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I thought the script was strong other than the one issue, but my boss hated it. Told me everything sucked, but also pitched a solve to my setup problem. I made the Act 1 change but didn’t have time to make any others. None. And - my boss LOVED it! Thought I rewrote all of act 2 and 3. Why? 🧵5

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It’s the same with scripts. Several jobs ago, I was the number two writer on staff and juggling a ton of room-running duties while still expected to be a regular part of the script rotation. My time and my deadlines were tight. And I turned in a script I knew had a setup issue. 🧵4

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

We ended up talking out his logic bump and once that was satisfied with a fix, he seemed to get onboard with the rest of the story. But one relatively small issue almost sank the whole story. Sounds extreme but I assure you it’s not. He just wanted to understand what the characters were thinking. 🧵3

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I was pitching a story to my bosses this week. About a third of the way through my pitch, I saw one of the EPs get a look of consternation on his face. He looked lost in thought the rest of the way. He had a logic bump and once someone has a logic bump, you’ve pretty much lost them. 🧵2

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