Life in the Credits

Nick Bernstein, CBS' SVP, Late Night Programming, West Coast, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Freaks and Geeks , a 1999 TV series. Nick shares what it’s like having a career overseeing TV shows like The Late Late Show with James Corden , Carpool Karaoke , and Tuning Out the News . He discusses working on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno while in the NBC Page Program, wrapping up The Late Late Sho...

Michael Jamin, Writer and Showrunner, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Amélie , a 2001 romantic comedy. Michael shares what it’s like having a career as a television writer for sitcoms like Beavis and Butt-Head and Tacoma FD , how a writers’ room operates, and the different writers’ room roles. He discusses showrunning challenges, touring for his upcoming book, A Paper Orchestra , starting his podca...

Danny González, Gaffer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Mank, a 2020 biographical drama. Danny shares what it’s like having a career in the lighting department for movies, TV, and commercials. He discusses the process of building a lighting design for a show, the difference between lighting on a sound stage versus on location, executing a particularly difficult scene on the set of Devotion, and fil...

Byron Werner, Cinematographer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Spinning Gold, a 2023 biopic. Byron shares what it’s like having a career as a cinematographer and director of photography in film, commercials, and music videos. He discusses winning a VMA for "Best Rock Video" on Coldplay’s “Orphans,” the importance of good communication on a film set, and the joy from working on a movie tha...

Bill Marsilii, Writer and Director, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Blade Runner, a 1982 sci-fi action film. Bill shares what it’s like having a career as a screenwriter for film and TV. He discusses crafting catchy loglines as a thespian in New York, working with Terry Rossio on the script for Deja Vu , writing for Courage the Cowardly Dog, and finding the best resources for finding film festivals...

Ophira Eisenberg, standup comedian, writer, and host, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Trust , a 1990 romantic dark comedy. Ophira shares insights into her career hosting NPR’s Ask Me Another , starting her own podcast Parenting is a Joke , and discovering her love of storytelling while working on The Moth. She also talks about doing shots with Patrick Stewart at The Bell House NY and the joys of ha...

Daniel Stevens, stunt coordinator and performer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Heat , a 1995 action movie. Daniel shares what it’s like having a career performing and coordinating stunts for action movies. He discusses being a stunt double for actors like Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, sneaking onto sets to meet stunt coordinators when he first moved to LA, shooting a complicated car chase on th...

Mimi Sanouvong, Associate Program Manager, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Mannequin , a 1987 romantic comedy. Mimi shares what it’s like having a career on the business side of the entertainment world. She discusses starting as an executive assistant for Ian Sander at Sander/Moses Productions, working as a production assistant with Andy Samberg and Maya Rudolph, landing her Funny or Die role, and...

Ryan Ross, Visual Effects Artist, joins Susan and Ben to discuss The Grand Budapest Hotel , a 2014 comedy. Ryan shares what it’s like having a career as a Compositor in film, television, and music videos. He discusses working on visual effects for @LilMiquela, a virtual instagram influencer, delving into stop motion animation on Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild , and the process of adding digital...

Isabel Schultz, Director of Development, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Set It Up , a 2018 romantic comedy. Isabel shares what it’s like having a career developing animated programming for Frederator Studios. She discusses her role in the creative process of a show, the importance of deeply knowing your characters when pitching to studios, and finding out her latest project sold to Hulu while vaca...

David Wild, Writer and Producer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss This is 40 , a 2012 comedy. David shares what it’s like having a career as a Peabody and Emmy award-winning writer and producer. He discusses falling into a career as a TV writer while working for Rolling Stone, getting a last minute call to help LL Cool J at the US National Tree Lighting Ceremony, and starting the Naked Lunch podcast...

Ruslan Khamidullin, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Filmustage, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Videodrome, a 1983 horror sci-fi film. Ruslan discusses his career as the CTO of a film technology startup. He shares what it was like using machine learning to develop script breakdown software, the challenges of starting your own company in an old-school industry, and finding out at the 2022...

Billy Gleeson, Production Supervisor, joins Susan and Ben to discuss In The Loop , a 2009 comedy. Billy shares what it’s like having a career as a production supervisor for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . He discusses how he realized he wanted to work in late-night television after interning with Conan O’Brien. He also discusses starting his entertainment career with the Seattle Seahawks foot...

David Carpenter, CEO of Gamiotics, joins Susan and Ben to discuss The Goonies , a 1985 adventure comedy. He discusses his time as a producer on Broadway in NYC, the process of developing the Gamiotics tool which increases accessibility and interactivity in the theater space, and the challenges of designing The Twenty-Sided Tavern , a “choose your own adventure” show. David plays our “Classic Quota...

David Steinberg, Writer-Producer and Showrunner, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Everything Everywhere All at Once, a 2022 action-adventure comedy. Dave shares what it’s like having a career as a Writer, Producer, and Showrunner for tv and film. He discusses the process of pitching a show to a network, being the showrunner for Netflix’s No Good Nick, the difference between a show in development and...

Roger Neill, Composer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Darby and the Dead, a 2022 comedy fantasy. Roger shares what it’s like having an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning career composing music for television, movies, and video games. He discusses writing music for King of the Hill , how crafting music changes based on the content, performing at the Hollywood Bowl with Air and the LA Philharmonic, and b...

Hannah Rothblatt, Writer and Producer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Kissing Jessica Stein, a 2001 romantic comedy. Hannah shares what it’s like having a career as a Digital Producer on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. She discusses crafting digital content that matches the voice of a show’s host, maintaining a work-life balance in a job that requires her to keep up with the news, and casting her...

Justin Vesci, Vice President of Production and Development, joins Susan and Ben to discuss The Crow, a 1994 action drama. Justin shares what it’s like having a career as the Vice President of Production and Development at PZAJ. He discusses how he selects stories and projects for development, the growing film scene in Nashville, seeing his project “2 Hearts” become a #1-watched-movie on Netflix, a...

Sara Schaefer, Comedian, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Deep Water, a 2022 thriller. Sara shares what it’s like having a career as a writer and stand up comedian. She discusses writing for “unscripted” television, getting her own talk show ‘Nikki and Sara Live’ on MTV, and the process of recording a half hour special on Comedy Central. Sara shares how she gets into the voices of the hosts she’s wr...

Natalie Kocekian, Platform Operations Manager, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Love and Basketball, a 2000 romantic drama. Natalie shares what it’s like having a career working in brand partnerships and consumer products. She discusses her trajectory at Lucasfilm, the difference between a brand partnership and a product placement, and transitioning to her current role at YouTube. She also shares ho...

Noga Pnueli, Writer and Director, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Deborah, a 2022 sci-fi dark comedy. Noga shares what it’s like having a career as a writer and director of feature length films. She discusses what it means to write a script on spec, getting to see a live reading of her script with Molly Ringwald and Parker Posey, and the importance of finding a community of writers. She also shares...

Petr Jákl, Writer and Director, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Medieval, a 2022 action drama. Petr shares what it’s like having a career as an actor, writer, and producer in the Czech Republic and the United States. He discusses his start as a stunt performer in movies like xXx (Triple X) and Bad Company, how his father’s work in film and as a Judo competitor inspired Petr’s career in both, accide...

Rich Rosenthal, Showrunner and Executive Producer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss The Incredibles, a 2004 animated action adventure. Rich shares what it’s like having an Emmy and James Beard award winning career as the showrunner for Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil. He discusses getting his start as a production assistant working on commercials, becoming an executive producer on Adult Swim’s ‘Childre...

Sam Hargrave, Filmmaker, joins Susan and Ben to discuss Rambo: First Blood Part II, a 1985 action film. Sam shares what it’s like having a career as an action movie director and stunt performer. He discusses his most recent experience directing Extraction 2 starring Chris Hemsworth, his path from stunt performer to director, stunt doubling for Chris Evans as Captain America, and how action sequenc...

George Shaw, Composer, joins Susan and Ben to discuss "Abominable and the Invisible City," a 2022 Dreamworks animated series. George shares what it’s like having a career as a composer for film, TV, YouTube, and video games. He discusses how “Back to the Future” kick-started his passion for film scores, auditioning as a composer, working with the Composer Diversity Collective, and crafting musical...