Creative Principles

Michael Jacobs and Joshua Z. Weinstein met on the festival circuit in 2008 where both were presenting original documentaries. Most recently, they teamed up for Marvel’s documentary, Behind the Mask. The premise? Meet the writers and artists behind characters like Black Panther, Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, Luke Cage, the X-Men, Captain Marvel, and many other characters in the Marvel Universe, highli...

Originally, Aaron Schneider wanted to work for ILM, or Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by George Lucas in 1975. While taking a special effects class, his peers told him everything was going to computers, so he shifted his focus to cinematography. Soon, he was working on music videos for Cypress Hill, then movies like Kiss the Girls and Simon Birch. In an effort to shif...

Early in his studies, Drew Dernavich was bewildered by the many paths to become an artist, and the many interpretations of what makes art good or bad. This led him to a more simple path: creating humorous art such as a one-panel cartoon. Recently, Drew’s work was featured in Seth Godin’s book, The Practice, which showcased his ability to be prolific, eventually becoming one of the most published c...

A few years ago, when there were 12 Blockbusters still open, Director Taylor Morden (Here’s to Life: The Story of The Refreshments, Pick It Up! - Ska in the ‘90s) approached his friend Zeke Kamm (Dexter’s Laboratory, The Weird Al Show) about making a documentary on the dying Blockbuster franchise. Coincidentally, the true last Blockbuster was in Morden and Kamm’s town of Bend, Oregon. In this inte...

“I was very lucky to enter publishing in the 90s when there was a black books boom,” said novelist Tananarive Due (My Soul to Keep, The Good House). “Genre had an easier road for me than if I had tried to enter publishing as a horror writer, as a black woman, previously.” “Comparatively, I was a Johnny-come-lately because I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I was about eight,” joked author...

Tiller Russell grew up spending time in courthouses, at the request from his lawyer father, which led him to a career in crime-related journalism. Thanks to a few chance encounters with Errol Morris (The Fog of War, The Thin Blue Line), Russell decided to quit his job at the newspaper and get into filmmaking. In this interview, we hop back and fourth between Russell’s most recent projects, the min...

Mike P. Nelson has always loved old horror movies. As a kid, he spent his summers making horror movies and the winters practicing stop motion. But, at the time, he was only allowed to see pre-70s horror movies, so when he reached the R-rating age of 18, his world opened up dramatically. In Nelson’s latest film, he tackles the latest installment of Wrong Turn (2021), which comes from the original w...

Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author and award-nominated podcaster of dark fiction. He is one fifth of digital story studio, Hawk & Cleaver; co-founder of iTunes-busting fiction podcast, 'The Other Stories';’ CEO of horror imprint, Devil’s Rock Publishing; as well as the lead host of the 'Great Writers Share' podcast, and the co-host of the ‘Next Level Authors’ podcast Willcocks...

“We jumped into this life by watching other people on YouTube who were doing it,” Taylor Cluster told me, after her boyfriend Scott proposed they sell everything and move into a van to travel full-time. While on the road, Scott also encouraged Taylor to pursue her first love: writing. The former teacher decided to give writing another shot and actually created her first novel, ‘The #Vanlife Murder...

In 2013, author James McBride published a remarkable book about Henry Shackleford, an enslaved person who united with John Brown and his abolitionist mission. The book was called 'The Good Lord Bird.' Producer Jeremy Gold (Sharp Objects) encouraged 'Hell on Wheels' screenwriter Mark Richard to read the book. “He put the book in my hands, and I read it in one sitting,” said Richard. Little did Rich...

Screenwriter/Director Anna Kerrigan grew up in a creative home. Her dad worked in visual effects. Her mom worked as a poet. After working in the theatre for a few years, eventually, Kerrigan’s journey led her back to Los Angeles in what she would describe as a “calling.” She made a handful of shorts, including The Rub, Hot Seat, The Jury, and Fridays. In Kerrigan’s film debut, Cowboys stars Steve...

Here’s the description for Body Brokers: Brought to Los Angeles for treatment, a recovering junkie soon learns that the rehab center is not about helping people, but a cover for a multi-billion-dollar fraud operation that enlists addicts to recruit other addicts. If you’re a listener of the show, you can probably tell I’m starting this episode a little different, because this story is so insane, e...

Eve Hewson, daughter of U2’s Bono and Ali Hewson, is an Irish actress who landed her first major role in 2011’s This Must Be the Place, opposite Sean Penn. Since this role, she’s been in an array of films and shows, like Enough Said, Bridge of Spies, The Knick, Robin Hood, Tesla, and The Luminaries. Eve’s most recent project is called Behind Her Eyes. Simona Brown plays Louise, a single mother who...

In the femme fatale genre, an attractive or seductive woman is often the protagonist. Her goal? To cause distress or disaster to a man who becomes involved with her. This is the underlying subject of the new dark comedy Me You Madness from Louise Linton. The film stars Louise, where she’s also the screenwriter and director. The second half of this two-hander, Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl, White Gold)...

Dana Kaye, founder of Kaye Publicity, is a life-long entrepreneur who believes in the power of storytelling and authentic personal branding. Known for her innovative ideas and knowledge of current trends, she coaches her clients on how to identify and establish their unique personal brands. Dana is also the author of two books - Your Book, Your Brand: The Step-by-Step Guide to Launching Your Book...

What separates the hobbyist writer from the prolific professional? That’s the question my new book, Ink by the Barrel, aspires to answer, thanks to a decade of research, and these 250 episodes on the podcast. Here’s a quick teaser for this audiobook sampler: For the first decade of my career, I felt like a hobbyist, posing as a professional. If you enjoy writing - or even despise it but feel drawn...

Writer-Director Mike Cahill credits his early fascination with filmmaking to the Fisher-Price Pixelvision, better known as the PXL-2000, a black-and-white toy camcorder from the late 1980s. “I totally loved it,” he joked. “It was my favorite toy of all time. No one was teaching me how movies or film, or how the medium worked, but I was discovering you hold down the button, it records, and you let...

Thomas Sadoski describes his path to acting as an “accumulation of growing up reading big epic stories.” His father read epic myths and he grew up in Texas, a natural storytelling culture. This, along with an obsession with actors like Jimmy Stewart and Charlie Chaplin guided his journey. The actor is known for roles in movies like ‘Wild’ and ‘John Wick,’ along with television work such as ‘The Ne...

Fisher Stevens grew up with an acting class in his living room. The teacher invited him to attend, so by age 15, he was already auditioning and working in the business. These days, Fisher is known for Short Circuit, Lost, Damages, Hail Caesar!, The Night Of, Succession and The Blacklist. But, the actor is also making a name for himself behind the camera, winning an Oscar for the documentary The Co...

For the bulk of Cheryl Guerriero’s life, she was involved heavily with sports. She was a Nation Lacrosse Champion, then worked for a sports agent, and a sports apparel company. Despite this success, Guerriero felt unfulfilled and wanted to move back to her true passion: writing. Guerriero got the idea for Palmer in 2007. The description reads, “An ex-convict strikes up a friendship with a boy from...

Before he entered filmmaking Cinematographer Sam Levy would not have described himself as a technical person. He didn’t have the J.J. Abrams Super 8 childhood that many other creatives grew up with. Instead, Levy pitched this missing piece as an asset, not a liability. Levy’s ability to leap without worry of what was underneath him has lead to an impressive career, where he’s shot for directors li...

As a kid, Cooper Raiff thought he was merely a fan of movies, but when he wrote his first story, he realized he had an ear for dialogue. These days, he’s known for being the star, screenwriter, and director of the film Sh*thouse, loosely based on his time in college. Cooper stars as Alex Maimquist, a homesick college freshman who goes to a party at Sh*thouse, where he spends the evening with a sop...

From an early age, April Mullen was obsessed with the idea of storytelling. Originally an actress (88, A History of Violence), Mullen soon realized her state of mind was better in the Director’s Chair. For her latest film, Wander, she’s crafting a story about a man hired to probe about a suspicious death in the small town of Wander. This conspiracy film stars Aaron Eckhart and Tommy Lee Jones. In...

As a script-reader, Scott Kroopf read thousands of scripts before he started to climb the ladder in Hollywood, ironically thanks to the original movie, ‘Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.’ Kroopf suggested the script in an interview, not knowing the company he was interviewing with had just optioned the screenplay. Thanks to this lucky break, Kroopf took his knowledge of producing a play into the w...

Xan Parker is a seasoned documentary producer, obsessed with character. Across her career, she’s worked on projects like The Hill, Racing Dreams, Big Men, Tigerland, and most recently, Rebuilding Paradise. The latest story, directed by Ron Howard, focuses on the community of Paradise, California, a town in the Sierra Nevada foothills and their attempt to rebuild after the wildfires of 2018. In thi...