The Business

When he switched from theater to film and television, Aasif Mandvi found himself relegated to roles as cab drivers and deli owners. Now The Daily Show correspondent created a new web sitcom, Halal in the Family, in an effort to tackle anti-Muslim bias.

Filmmaker Lacey Schwartz always had the darkest skin in her nice Jewish family. Her documentary Little White Lie reveals the reason for that. She tells Kim Masters about revealing her family's drama in her new PBS documentary.

Author Hilary Mantel and producer Colin Callender tell us about adapting novels set in the intrigue of 16th century politics for 21st century television.

The writing team behind the new Netflix series Bloodline' is a three person collaboration known as KZK. Two of those members, Todd and Glenn Kessler tell us how they, along with Daniel Zelman, crafted a family drama that turns into a thriller in the Florida Keys.

When Danny Strong first pitched the idea for Empire , he got the green light right away. But then he actually had to write the show, set in a world he knew little about. He shares how he took the musical soap opera mega-hit from a blank computer screen to the TV screen.

Author Michael Connelly sold the movie rights to his most famous character, Detective Harry Bosch, 20 years ago. The project got stuck in development hell, but when Connelly finally got his Bosch back, he found Amazon waiting with open arms. 

Comedian, author, TV personality and podcast host Adam Carolla adds another title to his resume: director. His crowdfunded, semi-autobiographical film Road Hard is about the struggles of a traveling stand-up.

Oscar-winner Geena Davis has played some memorable roles, but she knows that great parts for women are all too rare. She shares her plan to boost diversity on the screen and behind the cameras -- by launching a film festival in Arkansas. Then, Rick Ludwin, former head of NBC late night, shares insight from more than 30 years on the job.

ABC's Modern Family is staying modern. The show's co-creator Steve Levitan discusses how an upcoming episode was shot entirely on iPhones, iPads and MacBook Pros. Tangerine is a movie shot on iPhones that premiered at Sundance. It stars first-time actress Mya Taylor, who tells us about her journey to Park City.

Director Morten Tyldum and writer and producer Graham Moore tell Kim Masters how the journey of making their Oscar-nominated film about codebreaker Alan Turing started years ago at a fateful cocktail party.

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev and producer Alexander Rodnyansky's film Leviathan is Oscar-nominated, but back home in Russia, the official reaction has been one of displeasure.

Kim Masters reflects on a personal Sundance first—actually appearing in a film featured at the festival. And a conversation with filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski. His black and white Polish indie Ida is up for two Oscars.

Julianne Moore is in Oscar contention for playing a woman struggling with Alzheimer's in Still Alice. The film was directed by a married couple with their own story of battling a debilitating disease.

Thirteen years ago, Richard Linklater had a simple, but brilliant idea for a film. Investors loved the idea too. The catch? There'd be no return for over a decade. Now, the film is nominated for six Oscars.

Before she became a filmmaker, Ava DuVernay worked as a film publicist. DuVernay traces how she shifted her career and ended up making history as the first African American woman nominated for Best Director at the Golden Globes for the historical drama Selma .

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu talks about the struggles of getting Birdman , his dark comedy about a washed-up actor seeking redemption, off the ground. 

Hollywood news banter partners Michael Schneider and Matthew Belloni join Kim Masters to mega-banter 2014, the year that may forever be known as the year of the Sony hack.

Documentarian Laura Poitras on the secretive making of Citizenfour , the film about NSA leaker Edward Snowden. 

Big Hero 6 is the first Disney animated feature to use characters from the Marvel library, but it's not being marketed that way. Producer Roy Conli and Disney Animation Studios president Andrew Millstein explain why.

DeVon Franklin is a minister, former studio executive and now producer behind movies with a message. While he was at Sony, he worked on the upcoming remake of the musical Annie .

Kevin Spacey calls for change in the entertainment business and backs it up by funding and self-releasing his first documentary.

Conversations with Leah Warshawski, director of Finding Hillywood,  and James Keach, director of Glen Campbell...I’ll Be Me .

Writer and producer Jill Soloway traces how she went from being second-in-command on cable shows to creating the most-binged series on Amazon.

Television icon Norman Lear wrote sitcoms that tackled real issues, like rape, abortion and race relations. Lear talks to Kim Masters about a few lifetimes worth of adventures in film and television and his new memoir.

Director Damien Chazelle tells Kim Masters how he was able to turn a 15-minute short film into a full-length feature that was the darling of Sundance. Then, a look at the role of Jewish émigrés in the birth of film noir.