Mr. Robot

Kor Adana describes how his early interest in computers and hacking led to a career in cybersecurity before he moved into television writing and production. He explains how his technical background shapes the realistic hacks and on-screen computer sequences in Mr. Robot, including the use of preprogrammed Flash animations and advice from security consultants. The talk also covers the show’s alternate reality game, how its puzzles are designed, and how its team balances technical accuracy with storytelling. Adana closes with practical advice for people starting out in hacking or television writing.

Ed McManus describes how his startup experience led to work as a technical adviser on HBO’s Silicon Valley. He explains how advisers helped writers keep technical details plausible while serving the story, including filling in dialogue and creating background materials and code. He discusses the show’s compression premise, startup culture, growth hacking, and the tradeoffs of portraying real technology accurately. He also shares how to find this kind of advisory work and reflects on returning to startups afterward.