Creative Control

How can you make satire of reality when reality itself is stranger than fiction? And when reality feels flat-out depressing, is anyone in the mood to laugh? It’s what writer and director Adam McKay was thinking about while making Don’t Look Up. Adam’s latest film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as a pair of astronomers who are desperately trying to alert the world that a comet is abo...

Kenny G is one of those artists you love, hate, or just allow to quietly exist in the background of your life, like so much of his smooth jazz has done over his 40-year career. Even if you don't like Kenny G's take on jazz, you can't deny he's an incredibly skilled musician who, even after decades of playing the saxophone, stays in the mindset of a neophyte. In our conversation, Kenny explains how...

We have another roundup of the best answers to that all-important question: How do you define creativity? Enjoy!

John Cho is at a point in his career where he can be intentional with what projects he chooses. And his intention for his latest project was to push himself like no other role has done before. John stars as Spike Spiegel in Netflix's adaptation of the beloved anime Cowboy Bebop—and the role took him to the brink of both his creativity and his body. In our conversation, John explains the clarity he...

There's little you can do about the inherent stressors in the creative process. But what you can do is learn how to better manage the negative emotions that impede your work flow. In our conversation, Michael Parke, assistant professor of management at the Wharton School, gives key strategies for how we can all better recognize and handle stress to become better creatives and leaders.

Nick Kroll's career has largely been defined by the cavalcade of memorable characters he's created over the years through his comedy specials, The Kroll Show, and of course his hit Netflix show Big Mouth. While Nick is exceptionally good at slipping into an array voices and personas, he’s pushing himself to step in front of those characters to reveal more of himself—and that's proving to be his gr...

 If you've never wondered about the web of legalities and social landmines Seth Green tumbles through to make Robot Chicken, then he considers his job complete. Since premiering in 2005, Robot Chicken has won 6 Emmys and a die-hard following that's kept the show around for 11 seasons. But creating jokes around popular pop culture characters adds a legal filter to his creativity. On top of that, as...

Last week, I had Ellen Pompeo on the podcast and the theme of making something old feel new again kept popping up. She's been on Grey's Anatomy for 18 seasons, so who could blame her? I came across research from Ed O'Brien, associate professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and figured he was the perfect person to help us figure out how to find new way...

Ellen Pompeo has spent 18 seasons playing Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy—and it's fair to say doing something for that long can either make or break your creativity. For Ellen, it’s been a task of finding new ways to keep Grey’s relevant to audiences, as well as exploring new ventures outside of acting such as her new podcast Tell Me. In our conversation, Ellen explains how she keeps her crea...

Author Soman Chainani explains his greatest challenge: getting into a creative flow state. Check out this clip cut for time, as well as Soman's full episode from last week!

Soman Chainani is a bestselling author who’s on a mission to revamp the young adult space. His wildly popular series The School for Good and Evil and his latest novel Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales subvert conventional fairy tales for something darker and more complex. Soman isn’t looking to create the sanitized world of Walt Disney. He wants to bring back the real lessons embedded in Grimm’s...

Fast Company recently released Innovation by Design: Creative Ideas That Transform the Way We Live and Work, a book highlighting the people and companies at the forefront of impactful design. In this episode, Fast Company design editor Suzanne LaBarre shares her top stories from the book and how the events of last year gave this project a sense of urgency.

One thing is certain: Jeff Daniels has the range. From cutting his teeth in traditional American theater to a wide spread of film and TV roles including The Purple Rose of Cairo, Speed, Dumb and Dumber, The Newsroom, 101 Dalmatians, and Godless, Daniels has an air of creative fearlessness about him. But it's not about just jumping off the ledge. It’s recognizing your blindspots in your craft, doin...

It's easy to categorize Michael Jai White as the ripped martial arts action star of Spawn, Mortal Kombat, and Black Dynamite. But with a career that stretches over 30 years, he's done more than you think—even with the shackles of being typecast and, let's be frank, racism in the entertainment industry. Let Michael tell it, though, and all of that has led him to where he's at now with his own produ...

For Elizabeth Banks, acting was her first passion that really clicked—and she’s certainly had success in that regard with roles in 30 Rock, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and The Hunger Games franchise. But over the years, Elizabeth has proven she’s just as talented at creating new opportunities for herself in producing (Shrill), directing (Pitch Perfect 2, Charlie's Angels, Cocaine Bear), entrepreneursh...

One of the longstanding principles of creativity has always been collaboration. We hear it all the time how thinking in groups and getting feedback from others is essential to the creative process. But how many of us actually do it on a regular basis? Actor and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt would like to remind us all that we should be collaborating more often--and he has some ideas on how to do j...

We have a bonus episode for you this week! At the end of every Creative Conversation, our host Kc Ifeanyi asks his guests the same question: "How do you define creativity?" In this episode, we've compiled some our favorite answers from this season. Hopefully, these can give you a quick creative boost. Enjoy!

We all first fell in love with Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones on Glee. But before her breakout role, she was actually rejected from American Idol, which almost made her quit singing altogether. With her mirrorball-winning run on Dancing with the Stars; her roles in TV, film, and Broadway; and her own original recorded music, it’s hard to imagine the entertainment industry without a powerhouse like...

Danielle Brooks got her big break as Taystee, the lovable leader in Netflix's Orange is the New Black. That character was only meant to appear in a few episodes but wound up becoming the anchor for one of the show’s most poignant story arcs. But it shouldn’t be a surprise that Danielle’s talents stretched a bit part into a featured role. She’s always had leading lady potential—and she’s proving ju...

The celebrated film composer and musician has been trying to be a better collaborator—and 37 years later, he's finally there. In this episode, Danny explains his breakthrough in collaboration with his latest solo album Big Mess, the best advice he's ever gotten from none other than Helena Bonham Carter, and he revisits some of his most well-loved film scores of his career.

Quinta Brunson is the perfect example of a creator who was able to turn her 15 minutes of viral fame into a solid career. In 2014, she first gained internet fame with her Instagram skit about a girl who's never been on a nice date. That exposure led to an opportunity to producer content for BuzzFeed. And from there, Quinta has been building her career with even bigger opportunities including HBO's...

David Oyelowo’s pedigree of being a classically trained stage actor has largely translated into his career in film with weighty roles in Selma, The Butler, Nightingale, and etc. So when the opportunity to make his directorial debut with the kid-centric fantasy The Water Man came about, his fear was double-fold: stepping behind the camera for his first major film and going left of what people have...

At 19, Julia Michaels entered the music industry as a songwriter for artists including Fifth Harmony, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and many others. But she didn't dare step into the booth herself until she wrote her 2017 hit "Issues," which she felt was too personal to give to anyone else. Three EPs later (and jumping over hurdles of self-doubt), Julia has finally dropped her debut studio album, N...

The author of critically acclaimed novels including The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God's Wife is known for beautifully unpacking facets of the Chinese immigrant experience, the complexities of family dynamics, and the trauma that often fuels it. In this episode, Amy breaks down her relationship between trauma and creativity, what she learned from being in a rock band, and the challenges of maki...

Zach King has made a name for himself as a digital illusionist, using seamless editing to create mind-bending videos. He gained popularity on Vine and has translated his brand of "magic" to TikTok where he's one of the platform's most followed creators. It's easy to get caught up in the wow factor of Zach's tricks, but what's truly impressive is how he seems to never run out of new ideas, which, a...