The Moment with Brian Koppelman

Savannah Guthrie is the co-anchor of The Today Show and the Chief Legal Correspondent of NBC News. Today she joins Brian for a conversation about her life as a young adult, landing her first gig on TV, and how she prepares to interview the likes of Donald Trump. Savannah also talks about how she views her position in the media and tells a great story about deciding to go law school and making the ...

Alan Furst is the bestselling author of Midnight in Europe, Night Soldiers, and Spies of the Balkans. His latest book, A Hero of France, is out now and available by clicking here. Today, Alan discusses how he first came about creating his own fictional world in the tradition of William Faulkner and William Kennedy (2:00), the question he asked himself which opened him up as a writer (10:30), and t...

Andrew Zimmern is best known as the creator and host of the Bizarre Foods franchise on Travel Channel. New episodes of Bizarre Foods begin June 21st at 9PM and his new show, Driven By Food, premieres in August. On today's show, Andrew talks about the transformative power of travel (7:00), a life changing trip to Madagascar (15:00), and the decision he made to be himself, rather than a character of...

Hayes Carll is a singer-songwriter who just released the best album of his career called Lovers and Leavers. You can purchase it by clicking here. To kick off the show, Hayes plays a song from the new album called "Sake of the Song" and then talks to Brian about getting out of his creative comfort zone (8:00), the process of creating the album (16:00), and the fear of not doing what was expected o...

Ryan Holiday is a writer, marketer, and entrepreneur best known for his books Trust Me I'm Lying and The Obstacle is the Way. Ryan's latest book, Ego is the Enemy, is due out in early June. Preorder it today by clicking here. This week, Ryan talks about why he wrote a book about stoicism [5:00], how he came up with the idea for Ego is the Enemy [14:00], and the different ideas he still grapples wi...

Karyn Kusama is the director of four films including the Sundance award winning movie, Girlfight, and the recently released dinner party thriller, The Invitation - available now by clicking here. Today on the show, Karyn talks about the movies that influenced The Invitation (4:00), recognizing the strangeness in great works of art (11:00), and why men are afforded more opportunities than women in...

Jane Rosenthal is one of the most renowned producers in show business. Along with Robert De Niro, she co-founded Tribeca Productions in lower Manhattan and is also the co-founder of the TriBeCa Film Festival which begins this week in New York City. Go grab your tickets today. On today's show, Jane talks about being the first female page in the Rhode Island State House (5:00), the roadblocks she ha...

Note: This podcast was originally produced and aired by Grantland in April 2014. Former 'SNL' star Colin Quinn and Brian trade tragic Motley Crue stories, talk about the surrealism of early Adam Sandler, and why colin digs being the Yoda of comedians. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Gabrielle Hamilton is the chef and owner of Prune in New York City and the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir, Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef. On the show, Gabrielle talks about why irony is an enemy in modern cooking (5:30), how her abbreviated childhood shaped her personality and career (15:00), and why she doesn't hold any concepts or philos...

Note: This episode originally aired in June 2015. Chuck Todd, NBC News political director and moderator of Meet the Press, talks about the political landscape and his role in it. Brian and Chuck also discuss the line between journalism and show business, the value of long-form interviews, and Chuck's waning enthusiasm for the political game. Plus, Chuck dives into his vision for Meet the Press, th...

Tom Rath is a New York Times bestselling author and researcher best known for his books Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes and Are You Fully Charged?: The 3 Keys to Energizing Your Work and Life. On the show, Tom shares a few tips about how to make better micro-decisions (7:00) and how to teach kids better social and behavioral dynamics (17:00). Plus, Brian and Tom discuss the w...

Malin Akerman is an actress best known for her roles in The Heartbreak Kid, Couples Retreat, and Showtime's latest series, Billions. Today, Malin discusses how a tumultuous relationship with her mother shaped her career and personality (6:00), when she noticed she wanted to be an actor (11:00), and how becoming a parent moved her away from comedy and towards drama (23:00). Plus, Malin talks about...

Zach Quinto is an actor and a producer best known for his roles in Heroes, Margin Call, and in the Star Trek films as Spock. Today, Zach discusses how the death of his father shaped his childhood and career (2:00), how he landed in Noah Haidle's Smokefall (16:00), and the years of self examination that helped him better understand his goals as an artist (27:00). Plus, Zach reflects on how the plan...

Ethan Canin is the author of two short story collections (Emperor of the Air & The Palace Thief) and a number of novels including his latest, A Doubter's Almanac. On today's show, Ethan discusses one of his favorite lines in literature (4:30), the state of contemporary fiction (14:30), and why he believes America has yet to learn how to teach English (23:00). Plus, Ethan reflects on the influence...

Judd Apatow is a writer, director, and producer of, more than likely, one of your favorite movies or shows. Today, Judd discusses the impact of Steve Martin on his career (2:00) and the existential conflict that fuels his work (13:00). Plus, Judd talks about his role as a mentor for Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham (22:00), how he manages a writer's room (30:00), and why he may be looking to do somethi...

Matt Damon's character in 'Rounders' took his name from today's guest, great singer-songwriter Michael McDermott, who's had a long road back from darkness. (Originally aired in June 2014). Michael's new album, Six on the Out (2016) is available by clicking here. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choi...

John Moreland is a masterful singer-songwriter best known for his albums In the Throes (2013) and High on Tulsa Heat (2015). Fresh off his European tour with Jason Isbell, John joins us in the studio to talk about writing songs on the road and why nowadays, it's more difficult to find the right melody than the right words (7:20). Plus, John describes how he first fell in love with music (12:20), w...

Scott Frank is a distinguished screenwriter best known for movies such as Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Minority Report, and A Walk Among the Tombstones. Scott's new novel, Shaker, is written in the same vein as Elmore Leonard's finest books and is out today. This week, Brian and Scott discuss the story of how Shaker came to be after more than 20 years (1:05) and why he has never had a better experien...

Donny Deutsch is an ad executive turned TV personality and star of USA Network's Donny! Today, Brian and Donny discuss how he cultivated creativity as the head of Deutsch Inc. (one of NYC's top ad agencies) and how those skills transferred over to the production of his new sitcom. Plus, Donny reflects on the lessons of his father, the original founder of Deutsch, and why he's contemplating a run f...

David Costabile is an actor best known for his roles on Breaking Bad, The Wire, and Lincoln. He stars in Showtime's latest series, Billions, as Mike "Wags" Wagner, the right hand man to Bobby "Axe" Axelrod. Today, Brian and David discuss the actor's process and the importance of "assuming your own brilliance." Plus, David talks about his fanboy'ish encounter with Bryan Cranston, a theatre audition...

Justin Townes Earle is a distinguished singer-songwriter best known for records such as Midnight at the Movies and Harlem River Blues. Justin, the son of the legendary songwriter, Steve Earle, talks about growing up personally without his father and professionally in his wake. Plus, Justin reflects on his destructive youth, shares stories from the road, talks about learning how to read and write a...

Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, the filmmaking partners responsible for the movies Half Nelson, Sugar, and Mississippi Grind, look back at how they started making movies, talk about their creative partnership, and discuss their frustration with the amount of people who have watched Mississippi Grind. Plus, the two dissect the decisions they've made to keep making independent films and why directing tel...

Note: This episode was produced and aired by Grantland in January 2015. Amy Schumer, groundbreaking comedian, on what she loves and hates about her life right now. Email: themomentbk@gmail.comTwitter: @briankoppelmanRate us on iTunes: itunes.com/themoment To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Scott Rosenberg, the writer best known for his movies Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead, Beautiful Girls, and Con Air. The two discuss the impact of Scott's father passing away, creating languages in movies, and the themes that run through many of his films. Plus, Scott talks about how the Hollywood machine turned Gone in 60 Seconds into a di...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Sarah Kay, the world famous spoken word poet. Brian and Sarah talk about how 9/11 impacted her life as a young artist and why people feel unwelcomed in the "house of poetry." Plus, Sarah reflects on her life on the road as an educator and poet, why she sees art as an exchange of gifts, and how she was confused for the waitstaff just before giving t...