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

This bonus episode of The Story Series is brought to you in collaboration with The Pitch Docs, an online platform founded by "Shimmer and Shine" Creator Farnaz Esnaashari that pairs first time show creators with seasoned veterans: https://thepitchdocs.com Dimitris Dodoras, born in Cologne, Germany, is an award-winning composer whose musical journey began with piano lessons and early exposure to op...

Andy Guerdat is a TV writer/producer whose credits range from "Mork & Mindy" to "Sister, Sister" to "Herman's Head," which he created. In addition to half-hour comedies, he has written hour-long dramas and TV movies, as well as animated series, including "George of The Jungle," "Higglytown Heroes," "Sheriff Callie's Wild West," "Fancy Nancy," "Paw Patrol" and "Robogobo." He has been Emmy-nominated...

This bonus episode of The Story Series is brought to you in collaboration with The Pitch Docs, an online platform founded by "Shimmer and Shine" Creator Farnaz Esnaashari that pairs first time show creators with seasoned veterans: https://thepitchdocs.com Scott Gray is an Emmy and Writers Guild Award-winning writer with over two decades of experience in animation. He's written for Rugrats , Pupstr...

John S. Couch is a visionary writer, designer, and technologist dedicated to unlocking creative potential. He leads Galvanize Studios, which has partnered with Amazon Prime Video and Verses.ai on future-focused design and strategy. Formerly Chief Experience Officer at Blockchain Creative Labs (Fox) and VP of Product Design at Hulu, John has shaped groundbreaking user experiences - from Hulu's majo...

10 guests. 10 answers. 1 powerful question: "What's a rule in your industry you don't follow or believe in?" In this bonus episode, we revisit the answers from the last 10 guests - a mix of showrunners, startup founders, fitness experts, and creative disruptors - each offering their own raw, unfiltered take on the rules they've chosen to break.  From ignoring screenwriting "don'ts" to saying no to...

David Levy is the Head of Studio at Pinkfong USA, where he oversees original IP and creative direction on co-productions for the company behind Baby Shark . With over 20 years in animation, Levy has held roles at Disney, Viacom, and Warner Bros. As Director of Animation at Disney+, he led teams creating content for Pixar, Lucasfilm, and more. He is also the author of Your Career in Animation: How...

Jeff Aghassi is a 30-year film and television industry veteran, literary manager, and producer. He began as a location manager on Tank Girl and The Crucible before moving into agenting under renowned agent Lynn Pleshette. Jeff contributed to sales of major works including Cold Mountain, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Brokeback Mountain. Since 2007, he has managed a diverse roster of writers, directors,...

Tanya Memme is an Emmy-nominated TV host, award-winning producer, and internationally recognized speaker, best known as the host of A&E's hit series Sell This House. Over her 20-year career, Tanya has anchored and produced acclaimed programs for networks including A&E, TLC, Hallmark, and CBS, conducted hundreds of celebrity interviews on the world's biggest red carpets, and appeared in more than 5...

Daniel Calvisi is a Script Doctor, Writing Coach and the author of  Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay  and  Story Maps: TV DRAMA: The Structure of the One-Hour Television Pilot . He was the Script Consultant on the upcoming feature "Devoted" starring Mena Suvari and Skeet Ulrich. Daniel is a former Story Analyst for major studios like Twentieth Century Fox, Miramax Films and New Line Cin...

Farnaz Esnaashari rose from Nickelodeon intern to creator and executive producer during her 17-year run at the studio. While running post on Dora the Explorer she developed and sold several shows, ultimately creating Shimmer & Shine, a preschool juggernaut that built a multi-billion-dollar global franchise. Farnaz has steered projects for Disney, Nickelodeon, Spin Master, Mattel and more, and serv...

Noël Stark is the author of Love, Camera, Action, a smart, steamy debut novel that pulls back the curtain on life behind the scenes of a TV set. A true industry veteran, Noël has worked in nearly every role in film and television—both in front of and behind the camera. Although she's Canadian, she lives in L.A. with her young son, desperately missing winter. She likes chocolate milk in her coffee...

Mike Reagan is an award-winning composer, songwriter, and producer for film, TV, and games, known for his work on God of War, Wow Wow Wubbzy, Chico Bon Bon, and Rock, Paper, Scissors (Nickelodeon). A Berklee alum and former sound designer on Face/Off, Mike blends orchestral, electronic, and world music with hands-on multi-instrumentalism. His credits include scoring for Disney, Marvel, Sony, and c...

Mengting Hou is an entrepreneur and the founder of Mimir, an AI-enhaned language learning platform that transforms language learning by focusing on real-life content and conversation. With a background in law, commerce, finance, and strategy, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to solving challenges in education. Mengting has led business development across industries, forged global partnershi...

Rick Suvalle is a writer, producer and showrunner known for creating and producing DreamWorks' "Dew Drop Diaries" and Mattel's "Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go!" and for his work as Head Writer/Story Editor on Amazon's Emmy-nominated animated series "The Stinky & Dirty Show". Other recent credits include five television movie premieres including the Hallmark Channel Original Movie "Campfire Kiss"...

Marlyn Benitez is a women's fitness and nutrition coach helping busy moms reset their mindset, fuel their bodies, and train with purpose—without restrictive dieting. Based in Santa Clarita, California, Marlyn draws from her experience as a mom of three to support women in building sustainable health habits that fit real life. Raised in a hardworking Latino household, her passion for wellness grew...

10 guests. 10 answers. 1 powerful question: "What's a rule in your industry you don't follow or believe in?" In this bonus episode, I've gathered answers to the question I ask every guest. The responses are surprising, deeply human and reminders that rule breaking isn't always reckless… sometimes it's requisite to carving out a path that's uniquely yours. Whether you're new to the podcast or have...

Jeffrey Fleishman is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, novelist, and former senior writer for the  Los Angeles Times . He previously served as the paper's foreign and national editor, and was bureau chief in Cairo and Berlin. A longtime foreign correspondent, Fleishman also reported from Rome for the  Philadelphia Inquirer . He is the author of five novels, including My Detective and  Good Night, Forever...

Marisa Balkus is a seasoned producer and executive specializing in anime, adult animation, and IP adaptations. She began her career at New Regency Productions, contributing to acclaimed films like The Revenant and Ad Astra . In 2017, she joined Crunchyroll to oversee original series and co-productions across Japan and the U.S. Most recently, she served on Netflix's Adult Animation team, focusing o...

Viri Maldonado is a multi-hyphenate creative, luxury gifting expert, and former TV producer based in Los Angeles. Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Viri built a career behind the scenes in television, but after years in entertainment, made a creative pivot into luxury retail, where she found her niche in high-end gifting. Today, Viri runs a blog devoted to intentional, beautifully curated gift-gi...

Ron Mita is a veteran screenwriter whose films have earned over $530 million worldwide. His credits include the animated feature  Robots  (20th Century Fox),  S.W.A.T.  starring Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell (Columbia Pictures),  Sniper II  (Tri-Star), and  24 Hours to Live starring Ethan Hawke. Since selling his first screenplay to Columbia Pictures in 1993, Ron has worked with top studios...

Paul Falcone is a bestselling author and workplace leadership expert with decades of HR executive experience at top organizations like Nickelodeon, Paramount, and NBCUniversal. As the principal of Paul Falcone Workplace Leadership Consulting, he helps companies of all sizes strengthen leadership through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and custom training programs. A longtime SHRM columnist a...

Agnes Lee is a self-published children's book author from Riverside County, California who turned a dream into a viral reality. While preparing for law school admissions, she took a bold detour in August 2024 to pursue storytelling—something that had always been close to her heart. That leap paid off when a single TikTok video went viral, racking up over 14 million views and propelling her debut b...

Mike Ott studied at the California Institute of the Arts where he received his MFA in Film/Video. Mike's films ( Littlerock, Kid Icarus, Pearlblossom Hwy ) have won numerous awards, including an Audience Award at AFI Fest, Gotham Award and an Independent Spirit Award. His new film McVeigh is available in theaters and on demand. He lives part time between Los Angeles and Berlin with his wife Isolda...

Caroline Trujillo is a senior electronics technician driven by a passion for innovation and problem-solving. Based in Los Angeles, she has gained hands-on experience in Aerospace, Military/Defense, and Medical industries, working with organizations like Tesla and NASA's JPL. Raised between Southern California and Arizona, her curiosity and determination led her to pursue engineering, and she is cu...

Joey Clift is a Los Angeles-based comedian, TV writer, director, Emmy-nominated producer, and enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Joey attended college to become a local TV weather person because as a kid he didn't see any Native American comedians on television, and that made him believe he wasn't allowed to work in comedy. Since then he has learned that this is not true – and his comedy...