The Story Series Podcast with Brandon Violette (For Writers Who Break The Rules)

Dave Ingham is one of the most prolific TV writers working today. A background in animation and as a musician has led him to an innate understanding of story and structure. His credits include Lucas the Spider, The Sound Collector, Shaun the Sheep, The Secret Show, Kipper and the Clangers. He lives on the south coast of England, likes his tea and loves his Pedal Steel Guitar. IN THIS EPISODE, WE D...

Christie Cate (she/her) is the creator and showrunner of Mermaid Mafia, an upcoming independent adult animated pilot produced through her company, Lumen Airy LLC. Inspired by the memory of her late mother, whose influence continues to shape both her life and creative pursuits, Christie founded Lumen Airy with a vision of bringing original stories and characters to audiences through animation. IN T...

Naomi Beaty is one of the industry's top screenwriting consultants.  As a former development executive at Madonna and Guy Oseary's Maverick Films, she worked on projects like Twilight, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and The Stanford Prison Experiment. Later, she worked with Blake Snyder on his second Save the Cat book, and taught Save the Cat story structure workshops in Los Angeles. IN TH...

After relocating countries to lead two of the world's largest media franchises for Disney, and establishing and leading a new Disney division, Simon Waters doubled the revenue and tripled the operating profit of Hasbro Consumer Products, and led Hasbro Studios as GM. He then launched a tech and music start-up called Suitcase, while establishing a consultancy, World Builder, helping clients bring t...

Raised in Virginia and Ohio (with a dash of Connecticut), Shane Portman is an LA-based award- winning writer/developmental producer who cut his teeth on the windy streets of Chicago's sketch and improv comedy scene. He's written for tv shows like Tumble Leaf, Shape Island, Duck & Goose, and Kinderwood as well as audio series like Hobo Code and Hollowhead Pete and the Wicked Wish. He received an Em...

Adam Redfern is the Showrunner of "Peppa Pig", and an award-winning creative, writer and executive producer with over 20 years experience working in kids' TV, animation, commercials, promos and digital content.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS: • Becoming Showrunner on Peppa Pig.  • Breaking in as a runner at Disney Channel UK. • Learning to depersonalize rejection along the way.  • And why imperfect...

Jordan Gershowitz is a 2x Emmy-nominated screenwriter, playwright, and author. Most recently, Jordan co-developed and head wrote Hot Wheels Let's Race for Netflix/Mattel and is the EP/showrunner on Karters for Warner Bros and Mediawan. Prior to that, he was the head writer for Nickelodeon's new series The Twisted Timeline of Sammy & Raj, which he developed for the network. IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISC...

"What's a rule in our industry that you believe is worth breaking?" If you follow the podcast, you know that's the question I ask every guest at the end of every conversation. In Volume 4 of "The Rule I Break", I'm sharing standout answers from recent guests on trusting your voice, taking bigger swings with your scripts, and refusing to let the industry define what kind of creative you're allowed...

Lincoln Jones is the founder and artistic director of the American Contemporary Ballet of Los Angeles. He has presented dance in increasingly compelling and creative formats, staging immersive productions of Inferno and Burlesque (to a score commissioned from late Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Wuorinen) and Astaire Dances. Jones' immersive staging of The Nutcracker Suite became an unexpected L.A....

Scott Sonneborn co-developed, executive produced and show ran Angry Birds Summer Madness for Netflix, while also working as the story editor on the animated series Ghee Happy, which won the 2024 Annie Award for best preschool show. Before that, he was on an overall deal at Disney Television Animation developing a show he created. Scott has story edited and written for series ranging from Beavis &...

Karim Zreik is a producer and entertainment executive who has delivered hundreds of hours of television across platforms including Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, ABC, and more. Previously as Senior Vice President of Original Programming & Production at Marvel Television, he helped establish Marvel as a major force in TV, overseeing the studio's landmark Netflix slate- including Daredevil and Jessica Jone...

Curtis Jobling is the designer of worldwide hit children's television show 'Bob the Builder', and the author/illustrator of numerous children's books. He lives with his wife, Emma, in Cheshire, England, along with a menagerie of children and pets. His own animated series, 'Frankenstein's Cat' and 'Raa Raa the Noisy Lion', can both be seen on the BBC. His acclaimed best-selling series of epic fanta...

Marcie Colleen has worn many hats - teacher, actress, nanny - but now she spends her days writing children's books. She is the acclaimed author of The Super Happy Party Bears chapter book series, as well as the picture books Love, Triangle, Penguinaut!, The Bear's Garden, and Survivor Tree, a 2022 ALA Notable Book that celebrates the real-life pear tree that survived the September 11th attacks. A...

Thom Harp is a screenwriter and director of comedy films including "The Donor Party" and "Home Delivery", now in theaters, about a plus-sized model who invites her estranged family to witness the birth of her baby. The film stars Donald Faison, Melanie Field, Lindsay Sloane, Jimmi Simpson, Joe Pantoliano, Lesley Ann Warren, Peter MacNicol, Tracie Thoms and Rainn Wilson. IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS...

A retired New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant with over 21 years of service, he held leadership roles in units including Internal Affairs, K-9, and the Brooklyn Cold Case Homicide Squad as well as the Criminal Intelligence Unit where he worked on joint terrorism investigations with the FBI after the September 11 attacks. He later transitioned into television, starting as a technic...

Lee Papa is an author and performance and wellbeing coach who helps individual creatives, professionals, and teams strengthen their internal guardrails so clarity, resilience, and aligned results become sustainable. Her work blends emotional intelligence, mindful mastery, and practical insight to support the full human system behind performance. IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS: • The difference betwee...

NYC to LA, We Ghosted Media LLC is a production studio focused on compelling storytelling and content creation. With an ever-changing industry, we find alternative ways to deliver new and exciting media that will engage in a two-way conversation with our audience. Our mission is to inspire other artists to keep telling their stories, produce immersive entertainment, and stay true to their original...

Agnes is a self-published children's book author who debuted in 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelling, she overcame the challenges of self-publishing and, within 6 months, completely sold out of her debut book, "Who Took My Stuff", with a single viral video. Since then, demand has continued to grow and she's already on track to sell out again as she prepares new adventures for her readers. IN...

Alyson (Piekarsky) Eisenband is an Emmy-nominated writer and creator, most recently serving as Story Editor on Nickelodeon's hit series Blue's Clues & You!. Her work spans television, podcasts, games, and toys, and can be found across platforms including Nickelodeon, PBS, Netflix, Disney Junior, Duolingo, YouTube, Tonies, and wherever podcasts are streamed.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS: • Writing...

Qiushi Zhang is a writer-turned-founder and CEO of Leyline, an AI filmmaking platform built specifically for screenwriters and storytellers. After years of pitching scripts, waiting on greenlights, and watching great work stall, she set out to build a tool that lets creators iterate, experiment, and make films without waiting for permission. IN THIS EPISODE, WE DISCUSS: • Why AI makes writers unco...

John Huss is a comedy writer with extensive experience in animation, late night and sitcoms. John was a staff writer on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "The Showbiz Show with David Spade" and has done joke writing for Norm Macdonald, David Letterman, "SNL Weekend Update," Craig Ferguson, Frank Caliendo and a radio prep service. John began his career writing the series finale of the WB sitcom "Nikki," foll...

After experiencing a tragic loss of a partner and battling some of his own personal demons, Will has grown to care deeply about having open and frank conversations around mental health. As a result, he's made it his mission to share his story in the hopes that it will show others they're not alone and perhaps encourage them to share theirs as well. In addition to his work in mental health advocacy...

Story Series Selects is a curated episode from the archive of screenwriters and filmmakers speaking honestly about uncertainty, false starts, and what it takes to stay in a creative career.  EPISODES FEATURED: • Joey Clift's Episode • Mike Ott's Episode • Ron Mita's Episode • Daniel Calvisi's Episode • Andy Guerdat's Episode • Jeff Aghassi's Episode WANT MORE? ✏️💥 I put together a free guide call...

Craig Carlisle is writer, director and actor. He won an Emmy for his work on "Arthur" for PBS and was nominated for second for "Welcome to the Wayne" at Nickelodeon. Craig was a finalist for the Humanitas Prize for one of his episodes of "Sofia the First" and recently received a nomination from the Canadian Screen Music Awards for a song he co-wrote for "Thomas & Friends" (he's helped write over 1...

Michael v. Greene is an award winning writer-director and co-founder of Everyone Can Eat. His feature film, "CLIKA" (2026), follows the journey of a young Mexican-American from picking fruit in the fields to musical stardom, and will be released theatrically by Columbia Pictures. Michael penned and directed his debut feature film "LIVE" in 2018, a found-footage, psychological thriller, aiming to d...