Creative Principles

Jarin Blaschke is an acclaimed cinematographer best known for his work with director Robert Eggers. His striking, atmospheric visuals define films like THE WITCH, THE NORTHMAN, and THE LIGHTHOUSE which earned him an Academy Award nomination. His latest work NOSFERATU, follows a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold hor...

Philip Gelatt is a writer, director, and producer best known for his contribution to Netflix’s animated anthology LOVE, DEATH & ROBOTS. His most recent work, FIRST WORD ON HORROR, featuring Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Elizabeth Hand, Laird Barron, and Mariana Enriquez, is a fifteen-part documentary series that profiles five of the finest horror writers working today. Across multiple episo...

Drew Hancock's debut feature film, COMPANION, a dark and twisted tale of romance gone awry, stars Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid and marks Hancock's rise as a filmmaker. After college, Hancock gained experience in production before thriving at Channel 101, creating shows like CAUTIONARY TALES OF SWORDS and acting in YACHT ROCK. Determined to transition to film, Hancock wrote COMPANION. Initially a...

Morgan Neville is an acclaimed director and producer, known for his award-winning documentaries. His film WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? remains one of the highest-grossing and best-reviewed documentaries ever. His recent projects span TV and streaming platforms. His latest project SNL50: BEYOND SATURDAY NIGHT is a four-part docuseries honoring the legacy of SNL, with over 60 contributors, including SN...

Kate Gersten is best known for her work on the Golden Globe winning series MOZART IN THE JUNGLE and the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated comedy THE GOOD PLACE. Her first feature film, THE LAST SHOWGIRL, based on her play A BODY OF WORK, premiered at TIFF earlier last year and stars Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dave Bautista. The film is directed by Gia Coppola. THE LAST SHOWGIRL follows a...

Michelle Nader is a veteran showrunner, writer, and executive producer known for her work in comedy. She serves as showrunner and executive producer of ABC’s upcoming series SHIFTING GEARS, starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings, marking her first project under an overall deal with 20th Television. Michelle is also the showrunner of DELI BOYS, a Hulu comedy debuting in Spring 2025. Previously, she le...

Pat Casey and Josh Miller first met in junior high detention in Minnesota, forming a creative partnership that began with a local late-night cable variety show and the ultra-low-budget film HEY STOP STABBING ME! Today, they’re best known as the writers of the blockbuster SONIC THE HEDGEHOG franchise for Paramount Pictures, including the latest film, SONIC 3, which introduces Shadow, voiced by Kean...

Jordan Weiss is the writer behind Hulu’s hit series DOLLFACE, a comedy about female friendships starring Kat Dennings, Brenda Song, Shay Mitchell, and Esther Povitsky. She also penned the script for Disney’s highly anticipated FREAKIER FRIDAY, the sequel to the iconic FREAKY FRIDAY. Jordan’s feature directorial debut, SWEETHEARTS, a coming-of-age comedy starring Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga, fol...

Morgan Sackett is an accomplished television and film producer known for his work on critically acclaimed and beloved comedies such as PARKS AND RECREATION, THE GOOD PLACE, and VEEP. His projects have garnered multiple Emmy Awards and nominations, solidifying his reputation as a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. His latest show, A MAN ON THE INSIDE, follows Charles, a retired man, who gets...

Bruce Campbell is an actor and producer widely celebrated for his role as Ash Williams in the cult-classic EVIL DEAD film series and the hit TV show ASH VS. EVIL DEAD. Renowned for his charismatic performances and deadpan humor, Campbell has become an icon in the horror and sci-fi genres. His latest show, HYSTERIA!, follows a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts who use the town's s...

Blake is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of a dozen novels, most recently, DARK MATTER, RECURSION, and UPGRADE, for which he is also writing the movie for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. His international bestselling WAYWARD PINES trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX and his novel, RECURSION, is currently being developed as a Netflix series by Shonda R...

Halina Reijn is a writer, director, and actress known for her debut feature INSTINCT and the Gen-Z horror-comedy BODIES BODIES BODIES (A24), which earned her a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Director. Her latest film, BABYGIRL (A24), set to release on December 25th, premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival to widespread acclaim. The film, an original erotic thriller, follows N...

J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay have been writing together for nearly 25 years, collaborating on over 20 screenplays, including STAR TREK BEYOND for J.J. Abrams, JUNGLE CRUISE for Disney, and their 2017 Blacklist script ESCAPE. In season two of their show, THE RINGS OF POWER, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebui...

James Mangold is an Oscar-nominated writer-director known for film like GIRL INTERRUPTED, WALK THE LINE, LOGAN, COP LAND, and FORD V FERRARI — the latter earning a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Most recently, Mangold directed A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, where at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, a young Bob Dylan shook up his act on the folk music scene by going electric and siring rock as the voice of...

Jon Spaihts is a screenwriter known for his work in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. He gained visibility with his script for PROMETHEUS, a prequel to the Alien series directed by Ridley Scott. Spaihts also co-wrote DOCTOR STRANGE, introducing Marvel audiences to the mystical side of the MCU, and contributed to the screenplay for DUNE, Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel. DUN...

Jack Huston has established himself as a versatile talent in film, television, and theater, excelling both in front of and behind the camera. He’s been in shows and films like BEN-HUR, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, and AMERICAN HUSTLE. His directorial debut, DAY OF THE FIGHT, which he also wrote and co-produced, stars Michael Pitt, Ron Perlman, Steve Buscemi, and Joe Pesci. The film explores a boxer’s journey...

As Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney, Duncan and his team helped Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and Disney Parks to innovate, creating magical new storylines and experiences. He now brings his extensive Disney expertise to audiences around the world using a unique approach to Design Thinking, helping people capture unlikely connections, leading to fresh thinking and disruptive i...

Laura Eason is a producer, screenwriter, and playwright. She most recently served as showrunner and executive producer of the new STARZ drama series THREE WOMEN. Her writing and producing credits for TV include the Showtime drama THE LOUDEST VOICE and four seasons of Netflix's five-time Emmy-nominated best drama series HOUSE OF CARDS. Her latest work, THREE WOMEN, follows an intimate, moving, upli...

Colin Jeffrey is the Chief Creative Officer of Doner and Co-Founder of Wolfgang. Under his leadership, Doner was named an Ad Age A-List Standout Agency in 2023. At Wolfgang, Colin has created acclaimed campaigns for brands like Adidas, Panda Express, and NBCUniversal. Recognized as one of the most creative minds in advertising, Colin has appeared on AdWeek’s Creative Top 100 list and Business Insi...

Michael Costigan is a film and television producer based in Los Angeles. He is a partner at Aggregate Films, a production company he founded with Jason Bateman which creates film, television, documentary, and unscripted programming across all platforms. In this interview, we talk about the development process of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, challenges and opportunities in the current landscape, the importa...

Sean McBride is the Chief Creative Officer of Arnold Worldwide, a globally recognized creative agency. He is the creative guru behind our favorite progressive commercials starring Flo and Dr. Rick. Sean’s work has been repeatedly recognized by every major advertising award show there is, including Cannes, D&AD, One Show, Communication Arts, Clio, New York Festivals, London International, and many...

Mark Sanderson is a screenwriter, author, script consultant, and lecturer. His career spans sketch comedy, writing for MTV, and over two dozen screenwriting assignments, including 17 produced films with worldwide distribution. Mark’s films have premiered on networks like Lifetime, SyFy, Fox, and HBO Canada, and stream on platforms like Tubi, Amazon, and Apple+. With a long history of working with...

Joshua Zetumer serves as the showrunner, executive producer, and head writer of FX’s SAY NOTHING, an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling and National Book Critics Circle Award for Non-Fiction winning book SAY NOTHING: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER AND MEMORY IN NORTHERN IRELAND by Patrick Radden Keefe. Zetumer has also written on a number of global box office hits, including ROBOCOP from direct...

Ellie leads the creative team at GLOW, working with high-profile entertainment clients such as Warner Brothers, HBO Max, Paramount+, Showtime, NBA, The Roku Channel, and more. She's also worked as Global Creative Manager at Netflix working on original projects including documentaries, unscripted, comedy, and kids and family content. She created campaigns and helped build audiences for a variety of...

"We wrote spec scripts. We sat in a Borders bookstore with an out-of-date agent directory and wrote query letters," says Alison Schapker, remembering her earliest days trying to break into television. "It couldn't have been more cold calling than what we were doing." Alison Schapker is a television writer and producer who has worked on genre-defining shows like CHARMED and ALIAS, and most recently...