Creative Control

When To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before dropped on Netflix back in 2018, it turned its lead actors into overnight stars, as well as the author who wrote the book the film is based on. Jenny Han had success in the YA space with her other series, but it was To All the Boys that truly elevated her career—not to mention discussion around inclusive storytelling, which for creators can sometimes be a dou...

As a writer, producer, and director, Alan Yang has worked on hit shows including Parks and Rec, The Good Place, Little America, Forever, and Master of None. While the end results have led to an Emmy win and heaps of critical accolades, getting there is always a process that leaves him wondering, “should I just quit this?” But pushing himself to that point is exactly where his most creative ideas c...

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez finally released her debut studio album 'Before Love Came to Kill Us'—and how it came together spotlights creative lessons to live by.

Creative Conversation headed to Lagos, Nigeria for Social Media Week where host Kc Ifeanyi interviewed R&B and Nollywood star Banky W. live on stage. In the conversation, Banky W. details his storied career, including starting his own record label, starring in Nigeria’s highest grossing film of all time, his battle with cancer, and stepping into the political arena to try and galvanize Nigeria’s y...

On this episode, our host Chris Denson talks to Helen Vaid, Global Chief Customer Officer at Pizza Hut, about collaboration and how to build the right internal team of stakeholders for fast ideation and faster action. Then he dives into how new businesses can best foster that collaboration inside a large organization with Ari Libarikian, global leader of Leap by McKinsey.

Since her time on season 10 of Drag Race and winning All-Stars 4, Drag Queen Monet X Change has appeared in national ad campaigns, released a visual album, and got her own talk show—and that's barley her first act. Listen her to Monet explain how she learned to embrace her blackness for drag, why she's making music and not drag music, and how she’s able to block out criticism on social media and t...

Digging into Reginald Hudlin's résumé is like the most inspiring rabbit hole you could possibly tumble down. Most people know Hudlin as the director of such classic '90s films as House Party and Boomerang. But his career spans wide across the creative, development, and executive corners of the entertainment industry, where he's even dipped his toe into comic creation. In this episode of Fast Compa...

Nate Berkus' life has always been surrounded by "decorative turmoil", so it's no surprise that he has grown into the superstar interior designer he is today. In this episode of Creative Conversation, Berkus travels through his storied career going from being "a terrible assistant," to his big break on The Oprah Winfrey Show, to his own failed show ("…worst job of my life."), and how he's expanding...

Marques Brownlee has been called "the best technology reviewer on the planet" (by a former VP at Google, no less) and his 10 million YouTube subscribers would probably agree. So how does one go from reviewing a remote for an HP Pavilion laptop in his living room to becoming one of the most powerful voices in tech? In this episode of Creative Conversation, Brownlee breaks down what he sees as true...

Noah Baumbach has been making films for 25 years, but none has caught fire quite like his latest. Marriage Story has been racking up awards nominations in advance of the big ones—the Oscars, where, at the very least, costars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver are likely to be nominated. In this episode of Creative Conversation, Baumbach dives into the creative choices he made to frame Marriage Sto...

The First Step is a custom podcast from Fast Co. Works in partnership with McKinsey and Company. On this episode, Chris dives into how to take an idea and put it in action with Jesse Dorogusker, Hardware Lead at Square. Then he talks to Ralf Dreischmeier, global leader of Leap by McKinsey. Whether you are starting a new digital business at your company or just starting a new task at work, the gap...

Lots of people work in creative industries, but very few have been able to take their art and pivot to build something more impactful than the art itself. That's exactly what Piera Gelardi did when she started Refinery29, a digital media company that in many ways, has helped to shape a more inclusive and interactive modern media landscape. In this episode, Piera speaks about how she made that pivo...

Carrie Coon got an unconventionally late start in film and TV at 33, after having long since established herself on the stage. But she's more than made up for lost time with unconventional roles. Her performances as Nora Durst in The Leftovers, Vera Walker in The Sinner, and as Elizabeth in The Keeping Hours have solidified Coon as Hollywood's bona-fide spooky mother. In this episode of Creative C...

Most people consider themselves lucky to be able to craft a career path within one creative industry. Mo Rocca, acclaimed humorist, journalist, and actor has successfully been able to leave his mark on a few of those paths – even though he believes that we will all be forgotten eventually. He sits down with us at the Fast Company Innovation Festival for this live episode of Creative Conversation t...

It’s no surprise that improvisation is seen as a kind of holy grail for creativity. Whether it’s comedians or musicians, the act of creating something novel and interesting out of next to nothing is, indeed, quite remarkable. But what exactly is going on inside an improvising brain? And, most importantly, how can everyday people tap into that kind of creativity? Subscribe to Creative Conversation...

When you hit that afternoon slump at your desk, maybe it’s not an issue of getting another cup of coffee—maybe you need to change your environment. Some of the most frustrating roadblocks to creativity can stem from being in a static environment. Whether you’re at the office or working remotely, being in the same old space for hours at a stretch can drain you of your creative juices. On this episo...

Creative geniuses make creativity look easy. But in reality, it’s uncomfortable to dive into uncharted territory to build or think of something new. Words like “innovation” and “disruption” get tossed around all the time, but uncertainty often keeps us from reaching that creative breakthrough. In this episode, creativity expert Dr. Ron Beghetto how we can navigate that uncertainty and turn it into...

We all know brainstorming is an essential part of the creative process, but what do you do when your mind is too foggy to welcome the storm? Brain fog, brain farts, mental fatigue...call it what you will, it can be a major roadblock to creativity. But is there a way to use that hazy state of mind to your creative advantage? On this episode of Creative Conversation, KC Ifeanyi unpacks exactly what...

As an editor and writer for Fast Company magazine, Kc Ifeanyi covers some of the most creative minds in film, television, business and beyond. In this podcast, he unpacks the most frustrating parts of the creative process by talking to psychologists, scholars, and experts who are on the forefront of understanding creativity. New episodes will be released this month. You can subscribe to Creative C...

Any creative content from RCA's roster of artists goes through Camille Yorrick. From music videos to visuals and more, Yorrick has helped shaped the creative visions of everyone from Pink to Childish Gambino. The longtime music industry vet has been nominated for a Grammy for her work on "Beyoncé's I Am...World Tour" documentary and has cut her teeth in music videos with the legendary director Dia...

Jean Elie got his big break playing Issa Rae's younger brother Ahmal on HBO's Insecure. Although landing on a hit show can lead to other more high-profile roles, Jean is wasting no time in creating lanes of his own. In addition to acting, Jean is producing and writing his own projects including several shorts and the series Send Help, which is being co-produced by Rainn Wilson's entertainment comp...

Paul Scheer's résumé is a dizzying display of creative output: when he's not acting in shows like Black Monday, Veep, or Fresh Off the Boat, he's busy hosting two wildly successful podcasts (How Did This Get Made? and Unspooled), writing comic books for Marvel, and rebooting the 1999 cult classic Galaxy Quest. But for someone who seems like a wellspring of creativity, Scheer admits his biggest hur...

Give Jemaine Clement a platform, and he'll spin it into something comical. The New Zealander is best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords but his work in comedy stretches across radio, film, stage, and TV. And his latest project, a TV series adaptation of his 2014 mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, is an exercise in how to mine your past ideas and make them fres...

Greetings from the 9th annual Fast Company Grill! We had some amazing panel discussions down in Austin, but this one in particular was a personal favorite. I had the chance to sit down with Oprah Winfrey Network president Tina Perry, the legendary Phylicia Rashad, and famed playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney to discuss David Makes Man, Tarell’s new show on OWN. David Makes Man explores childhood tra...

For Sasha Velour, all roads led to drag. Being a Fulbright scholar, Vassar grad, graphic artist, and illustrator, were all primers for the trailblazing work she does now as a performer, public speaker, and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. But even after winning season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, landing brand ambassador deals, and selling out shows, Sasha is still riddled with creative self-doubt...