Creative Principles

Brad Ingelsby is an EMMY AWARD-NOMINATED writer, producer, and creator. He gained widespread acclaim as the creator, writer, and executive producer of HBO's hit limited series, MARE OF EASTTOWN, which starred Kate Winslet. Ingelsby has since created and written the new HBO limited series, TASK, starring Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey. His recent film work includes the Apple TV+ thriller ECHO VALLEY...

Abigail Rubenstein has over a decade of experience writing and editing. She got her start at Law360, a news service for business lawyers. Abby also helped run the newsroom at two digital media startups focused on business and academic research. In this interview, we talk about Morning Brew's identity and content, their editorial process, the challenges around the news industry, and much more. Want...

David Gelb is an award-winning director and producer. He is best known for directing the critically acclaimed documentary JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, which ushered in a new wave of food-focused cinematography and storytelling. Following the success of Jiro, Gelb went on to create Netflix’s longest-running series, Chef's Table, now in its tenth season, as well as a new companion series, Street Food. The...

With a career spanning over 25 years, Gary Oldman is one of the most respected and recognized actors of his generation. He has earned critical acclaim for his iconic roles, including Sirius Black in the HARRY POTTER series, Commissioner Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan's BATMAN trilogy, and Winston Churchill in DARKEST HOUR, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. He has received numerous...

Nate Bargatze is a stand-up comedian known for his clean, family-friendly humor and deadpan delivery. He gained popularity through appearances on late-night shows and has released multiple comedy specials, including THE TENNESSEE KID, THE GREATEST AVERAGE AMERICAN, and YOUR FRIEND, NATE BARGATZE. In addition to his stand-up career, he hosts a podcast called THE NATELAND PODCAST, and just published...

Tony Tost is the showrunner of season two of Poker Face. His first feature film as a writer-director -- the modern-day western crime film Americana starring Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, and Halsey -- will hit theaters this summer. In this interview, we talk about challenges and rejections in Hollywood, strategies for getting films made, advice for aspiring screenwriters, and much more. As a...

John McKeever is a versatile writer, actor, and director with a diverse portfolio spanning television, stand-up, and digital media. His writing credits include work for MTV, TruTV, NBC, and Comedy Central, and as a stand-up comedian, he was recognized as a New Face at the 2014 Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. McKeever has appeared on Comedy Central’s Adam Devine’s House Party, HBO’s High Main...

Jeremy Saulnier is best known for his low-budget revenge thriller BLUE RUIN, which he wrote, directed, and cinematographed. He followed up with GREEN ROOM, a claustrophobic horror film about a punk band trapped with white supremacists, starring Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart. Most recently, he directed REBEL RIDGE. The film follows a former Marine who becomes entangled in a violent conflict wit...

Jeffrey Doe is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose work has premiered at Sundance, Cannes, and Telluride. Starting his career as an editor of MTV Award-winning music videos, Jeff then transitioned to documentary, cutting WE SOLD OUR SOULS FOR ROCK ’N ROLL for famed “rock-u-mentary” director Penelope Spheeris and the Grammy Award-winning RUNNIN’ DOWN A DREAM for director Peter Bogdanovich, about the...

Kristina Stanley is the bestselling author of SECRETS TO OUTLINING A NOVEL, SECRETS TO EDITING SUCCESS, and SECRETS TO WRITING A SERIES, as well as the award-winning STONE MOUNTAIN MYSTERIES SERIES. In 2019, she developed a brand-new structural editing software, Fictionary. After years of outlining and editing in complex Excel spreadsheets, she designed the program she always wished she had. Since...

Julie Christeas is the founder and CEO of Tandem Pictures. Her recent films include NUKED, a comedy starring Justin Bartha and Anna Camp, and BLACK BEAR starring Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, and Sarah Gadon. She also Executive Produced three original, short-form comedy series for NBCU/Peacock, all are slated for release Spring 2025, and produces original short-form content for some of the big...

James DeMonaco is the writer and director of the feature films THE PURGE, THE PURGE: ANARCHY, and THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR, as well as co-founder of the Man in a Tree production company along with his producing partner Sebastian LeMercier. His upcoming horror film THE HOME, starring fellow Staten Islander Pete Davidson, follows Max, who realizes that the residents and caretakers in the retirement...

Sam Lansky is making his feature film screenwriting debut with Sony's I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. This highly anticipated new installment of the cultural phenomenon franchise boasts an all-star cast, including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Tyriq Withers, Jonah Hauer-King, and Sarah Pidgeon. Additionally, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. will reprise their iconic roles from the...

Widely recognized for his roles as Lucius Malfoy in the HARRY POTTER film series, Jason Issac’s extensive career includes various film and television appearances such as THE OA, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, and the third season of THE WHITE LOTUS. In this interview, we talk about shadowing people for roles and asking "awkward" questions, THE WHITE LOTUS and his character Timothy Ratliff, speculation on w...

Tony McNamara is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and playwright, whose most recent film, POOR THINGS, earned his second Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. POOR THINGS marked the second creative collaboration between McNamara and director Yorgos Lanthimos, and it is the third collaboration for McNamara and star Emma Stone. The film was released in theaters in December 202...

Stephen Murphy is a cinematographer known for his work on MR. & MRS. SMITH, ATLANTA, and HEART EYES. In 2025, Murphy received a BAFTA TV Craft nomination for Photography & Lighting in Fiction for the mini-series SAY NOTHING, as well as a nomination for Best Cinematography from the Irish Film and Television Awards for the same project. He currently presides on the Board of Governors for the British...

Matt Tyrnauer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose acclaimed works include the Oscar-shortlisted VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR, STUDIO 54, and WHERE'S MY ROY COHN? Chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa is a globally renowned Japanese chef who revolutionized modern cuisine by blending traditional Japanese techniques with Peruvian ingredients. His partnership with Robert De Niro created the Nobu e...

Shannon Lewis is making her Broadway debut as choreographer for the musical JUST IN TIME. The show stars Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin in an immersive experience featuring iconic hits like "Beyond the Sea" and "Mack the Knife." As a choreographer, she's well-known for her work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, creating viral video dances, and has choreographed projects for THE TONIGHT SHOW...

David Koepp is a highly successful screenwriter best known for his work on some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. With a career spanning decades, he has worked on the scripts for iconic films such as JURASSIC PARK, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, SPIDER-MAN, and WAR OF THE WORLDS. His latest work, JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH, follows the story five years after JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION. In it, an expedition ve...

Justin Spitzer is a co-creator and executive producer of ST. DENIS MEDICAL. Prior to that, he created and ran NBC comedies SUPERSTORE and AMERICAN AUTO. Eric Ledgin is the showrunner and co-creator of ST. DENIS MEDICAL. He is an Emmy award-winning writer and producer, whose TV credits include SUPERSTORE, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, AMERICAN AUTO, and LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON. Their show...

Peter Craig is behind some of the biggest box office successes of the past decade writing screenplays for such hits as THE TOWN, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY (part 1 and 2), BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, THE BATMAN and TOP GUN: MAVERICK which earned Craig an Oscar and WGA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Craig also wrote GLADIATOR II, which received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film of t...

Luke Cormack is a skilled GSS, Shotover, U-Crane Arm, Aerial, and Phantom operator, and is at home shooting underwater, in the air, long lens, macro, or with A-list celebrities. He has won an Emmy, Panda, and Grand Teton Awards for cinematography and has had the pleasure of working on many Emmy and BAFTA-nominated shows. His latest work was on DAVID BLAINE DO NOT ATTEMPT, where Magician David Blai...

Aaron B. Koontz is a filmmaker, writer, and founder/CEO of Paper Street Pictures, a leading force in independent genre cinema. He has directed CAMERA OBSCURA, THE PALE DOOR, and the cult-favorite SCARE PACKAGE series on Shudder. As a producer, he has worked on projects like THE ARTIFICE GIRL, THE REQUIN, OLD MAN, and BLOOD RELATIVES. Most recently, he worked as the co-showrunner of the series REVI...

Kim Rosenstock is an Emmy and WGA-nominated TV writer, producer, and playwright, best known for shows like NEW GIRL and ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, for which she received Emmy and WGA nominations. Elizabeth Meriwether is a screenwriter, playwright, and producer best known as the creator of the hit TV sitcom NEW GIRL, starring Zooey Deschanel. She also gained attention with her screenplay for the...

Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the creative minds behind the beloved animated series PHINEAS AND FERB, are back as co-creators and executive producers for its new season. Both will also reprise their voice roles, with Povenmire once again lending his voice to the hilariously villainous Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, and Marsh returning as Major Francis Monogram, Perry the Platypus's commanding o...