Posted in: Arrow, CW, TV | Tagged: arrow, gossip girl, the hunting party

The Hunting Party EP on "Gossip Girl" Lessons, Favorite "Arrow" Moment

Jake Coburn (The Hunting Party) spoke with Bleeding Cool about what he learned mentoring under showrunners from "Gossip Girl" and "Arrow."

The Hunting Party EP and co-showrunner Jake Coburn is one of the most humble and grateful creatives on television and it's something he picked up along the way working on some of his earliest shows, which include The CW's Gossip Girl and Arrow. He also relishes any opportunity to work with the same artists on any new projects he's on, including his latest NBC action thriller series. While promoting the JJ Bailey series, Coburn spoke with Bleeding Cool about the lessons he's learned from learning from Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and Arrow's Greg Berlanti and his favorite moment from the Stephen Amell-starred superhero series.

The Hunting Party EP Jake Coburn on Embracing His Mentors and How Christopher Nolan Influenced His Run on 'Arrow'

Bleeding Cool: With your early work in your time with 'Gossip Girl' and 'Arrow,' which would you say helped you prep as a writer and creative?

There are a couple different ways…I don't think about it as much as the shows I do about the people who executive-produced and ran them. Josh and Stephanie ran 'Gossip Girl.' I learned a ton from Stephanie Savage about how to run a writer's room, maximize time, efficiency, and story. I've worked on a couple of shows for Greg Berlanti, a masterclass in learning how story breaks when you need to be involved and when you can step back and let the writer do their own thing. Julie Plec ('The Vampire Diaries') is another person that I've worked with a ton, and I've learned so much from her. It's more like the mentors I've been able to study under for me. That was the most valuable part, being a fly on the wall for some of the best-scripted drama showrunners out there.

Did you have a favorite 'Arrow' moment?

Probably the fall, when he fights Ra's Al Ghul (Matt Nable) on the mountain. That's probably my favorite episode (season three's "The Climb"), and what's funny about that is that episode was directed by Tor Freudenthal. It was the first episode of TV he'd ever directed. I've gotten to know him since then, and he directed our pilot ("Richard Harris") for 'The Hunting Party.' Speaking of what you're saying, when you can find talented people, you like them, and like working with them, you try and keep doing it. 'Arrow' was a blast. I worked on the first three seasons, and those were the right seasons for me, because they were the most grounded on some level, like it was sort of the no superpowers version of 'Arrow,' and I loved that. It felt very Nolan to me, and it was great working with those people.

The Hunting Party, which stars Melissa Roxburgh, Nick Wechsler, Patrick Sabongui, Josh McKenzie, and Sara Garcia airs Mondays on NBC, and is available to stream on Peacock. Gossip Girl is available to stream on Netflix and Max. Arrow is available to stream on Netflix.

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