Creative Principles

Latest Episodes:

Ep462 - Scott "the Story Guy" McConnell, Script Developer & Story Consultant Oct 15, 2023

Show notes

Scott McConnell is a story consultant and script developer who helps ambitious producers and screenwriters develop their concepts, themes and plots to create resonant scripts in order to advance their careers. Known as “the story guy,” Scott has over 30,000 followers of LinkedIn, where he frequently publishes advice on writing screenplays and producing films. In this interview, we talk about Scott’s love for visual storytelling, how most novice screenplays miss theme altogether, his secret for researching historical scripts, where to find copyright free material, omissions in story, the beauty of Star Trek, and how to craft work that the market actually wants to buy. Reach out to Scott here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottamcconnell/ Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep461 - ‘On Fire’ Director Nick Lyon & Editor Don Money Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

The film ‘On Fire’ “follows a family who lives in a trailer home in the woods and are suddenly confronted by a wildfire. Survival becomes their main objective.” In this interview, director Nick Lyon and editor Don Money talk about the making of their new film, we go into the weeds about post-production, the importance of a good director-editor relationship, creating a short-hand with key team members, why speed is so important in independent films, and much more. Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep460 - Jennifer Hamady, Author ‘The Art of Singing Series’ & Founder ‘Finding Your Voice’ Oct 07, 2023

Show notes

Jennifer Hamady started her career as a professional singer. “There was no Plan B,” she said. “But I never fancied myself a writer.” She loved lyrics, started writing, and this is one piece of the puzzle that led to her writing books. “A lot of people had problems that seemed technical, but were actually emotional.” Known as “the Voice Whisperer,” she’s a coach, a counselor, a speaker, a singer, and an author. She’s recorded, performed, or toured with people like Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Kid Rock, Jessica Simpson, and countless others. In this interview, Jennifer talks about her journey as an author, what singing was designed to be, the pros and cons of American Idol or The Voice, how trends change in music, practicing in the face of anxiety, along with practical and emotional pieces of being creative. Learn more or book a session here: https://findingyourvoice.com/ Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep459 - Michael Jai White, Star ‘Outlaw Johnny Black,’ ‘Spawn,’ & ‘Black Dynamite’ Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

Bitten by the acting bug in college, while teaching, Michael Jai White began auditioning for commercials and acting gigs on weekends and summer breaks. Michael landed the lead role of Tom Robinson in the first Off-Broadway adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird. Before long, Michael would go on to guest star on such hit television shows as Saved by the Bell, Martin, NYPT Blue, and CSI. Proving his acting ability, Michael would soon be cast for the lead role of legendary boxer Mike Tyson in the HBO biopic Tyson which solidified his legitimacy as a dramatic actor in Hollywood. Michael was then cast to play the title character in the movie Spawn which came with the distinction of being the first black superhero in a major motion picture. As he cemented his Hollywood status as a bonafide action star, more diverse roles emerged that allowed him to showcase his physical prowess as well as display his on-screen charisma and comedic ability in such films as Exit Wounds, Undisputed 2, Silver Hawk, Blood & Bone, Black Dynamite and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I Get Married Too playing opposite Tasha Smith. He’s currently the star and director of Outlaw Johnny Black. The plot reads, “Hell bent on avenging the death of his father, Johnny Black vows to gun down Brett Clayton and becomes a wanted man in the process. He goes into hiding, posing as a preacher in a small mining town that's been taken over by a notorious Land Baron.” This is a special interview associated with my first documentary, Daredevil Society, a series about the history of stunt performers, including everyone from Buster Keaton to Jackie Chan to Zoe Bell to Keanu Reeves. Learn more or become an investor here: www.daredevilsociety.com/docuseries Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep458 - Kate Holland & Marlowe Mitchell, Screenwriters & ISA Winners ’Offsiders’ Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

“Writing is always something I did for my own delight and enjoyment,” said Kate Holland. “I would have these stories playing in my head, a scenario or a world, maybe mentally writing episodes of favorite TV shows.” This led Kate to some writing partnerships in the world of theater. “Then I met Marlowe in a writer’s group online. He and I hit it off right away.” “I’ve just gotten started,” said Marlow Mitchell. “I’ve been writing since I was able to writing, writing stories. I grew up in Denmark and when I was 15, I won a writing competition. That was a first since I might be quite good at it, because the competition was for adults. That was good for my ego,” joked Marlowe. The screenwriters met online during the pandemic. “During that, I got involved in this project about interviewing transmasculine people about football. I’ve done 20 interviews and an event around it. Right now, I’m editing the interviews in a long-form version.” Marlowe describes this project and their partnership as “circling the type of writing I want to do.” Their latest project is a feature called Offsiders, a trans-centered soccer rom-com that won first place in the ISA Fellowship Track. “There’s a toxic environment around trans people in sport,” said Marlowe. “I’m transmasculine and I’ve played football in the past.” “Marlowe is just one of the most thoughtful people I’ve met,” said Kate. “I think there are many ways we are similar, but I think we both have fairly esoteric interests, but then we kind of come into pop culture and interact with it through neurodiverse and queer lenses. We’re looking at tropes to find the larger story we a tell or how we can deepen the human connection.” Learn more or enter an upcoming contest here: www.networkisa.org/ Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep457 - Ariane Hahusseau, Screenwriter & ISA Winner ‘Shattered Faces’ Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

“I’ve always loved reading, so it started more with books than movies,” said screenwriter Ariane Hahusseau. “That’s how I developed a passion for stories. While in college, I watched a lot of BBC shows. Adaptations of my favorite novels. Coming from a literature background, I realized I could adapt my favorite novels, but also write my own stories.” Ariane, a French expatriate, embarked on her academic journey in the realms of literature, initially in Paris and later in London. She culminated her educational pursuits by obtaining an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Her love for art and history serves as the guiding force behind her screenplays, which invariably spotlight determined female protagonists battling societal injustices to reclaim their voices. “It’s the stories that I feel comfortable in,” she said of the novel adaptations on BBC. “Being a big fan of Jane Austen and stories about women, I developed an interest in talking about the female condition. In screenwriting, they tell you to put as many obstacles in front of your character as you can. Putting them in the 18th Century seems like the perfect setting for a maximum of obstacles for women. Women had so much more to overcome.” This love led to themes in her own work, such as fighting against that which restricts your freedom. “These are themes I love to gravitate around. I’m very interested in what it means to be an artist, like the creation process. How does it spurt out of you? Or is it a genius element of your personality? Or just a lot of work? I love observing the rise and fall of the artist. How they’re rejected or accepted by society.” Writing female characters, she adds, raises the stakes even more in terms of acceptance or rejection. Then, of course, the added dilemma of motherhood rises to the surface. “Women are sort of conflicted between two motherhoods: the motherhood of their work as artists and then having children of their own. How do you reconcile those two aspects? That comes back over and over in my writing.” Learn more or enter an upcoming contest here: https://www.networkisa.org/ Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep456 - Filmmaker Alejandra Márquez Abella & Astronaut José Hernández talk 'A Million Miles Away' Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

"I think it's very important that the film demonstrated that it was an effort not done by one individual who started working as a farm worker and became an astronaut, but rather it was an effort of a family, of community, and the importance of having that support structure. That's what allowed me to flourish," says José Hernández. A Million Miles Away is directed by award-winning filmmaker Alejandra Márquez Abella (Northern Skies Over Empty Space, The Good Girls) and starring Michael Peña ("Narcos: Mexico," End of Watch, Crash). The film is based on the inspirational true story of José Hernández, the first migrant farmworker to become an astronaut and go to space. From his humble beginnings in Michoacán, Mexico, to working in the crop fields alongside his family in California, to being selected for astronaut training by NASA (after being turned down 11 times!). "I like to think that this is a film about Earth," says Alejandra Márquez Abella. "I didn't want to get too confused by the space thing. I wanted to focus on the earth, on the trainings, on the effort that this man had to go through to get up there." Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep455 - Alex Mandel, Animator & Composer 'The Inventor', 'Brave' & 'East Side Sushi' Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Alex Mandel began his career as a composer at Pixar by providing the score for the Ratatouille DVD short "Your Friend the Rat" and was later selected by Pixar creatives to write two songs for Brave: "Touch the Sky" and "Into the Open Air" - which became global hits. His work spans across film (East Side Sushi); streaming (Super Giant Robot Brothers); and radio (NPR's Snap Judgment LIVE, where he performed with The Roots' MC Black Thought). Recently, he composed the score for The Inventor in addition to nine songs for the film performed by voice cast members Marion Cotillard, Daisy Ridley, Matt Berry, and Stephen Fry. The imaginative and family-friendly feature about the life of Leonardo da Vinci is written and directed by Oscar® nominee Jim Capobianco (screenwriter of Ratatouille) and co-directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon. For theater info and tickets, go to: https://www.bluefoxentertainment.com/films/the-inventor Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep454 - Paul Fairweather and Chris Meredith, Hosts of 'The Common Creative' Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

Paul Fairweather is a Brisbane-based, speaker, author, mentor, architect, and artist who believes we are makers at heart, and who is on a mission to get people to reconnect with their creative essence, and to clarify that artistry is not creativity, only a subset. Chris Meredith is a Sydney-based, business coach, innovation consultant, and award-winning photo artist, who utilizes this background to help people create, capture, and communicate great ideas, particularly through the art of storytelling. Together they created The Common Creative, a podcast all about bringing creativity back into everyday life, understanding the essence of creativity, and making creativity as common as a loaf of bread, and as well understood as common language. To listen to it, go to: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-creative/id1525162918 Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep453 - Jason Hellerman, Writer for 'No Film School' Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

Jason Hellerman is an award-winning film and TV writer. His feature screenplay, Shovel Buddies, made the top ten of the annual Black List and was purchased and produced by AwesomenessTV. Since then, he's completed feature film and television work for a variety of producers and directors. Currently, he's writing an action comedy for Sylvester Stallone's production company called My Masterpiece, which is set to star Academy Award-nominated actress Maria Bakalova. His latest spec, Himbo, appeared on the 2022 Black List. For more of his work, go to: https://nofilmschool.com/u/jasonhellerman Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

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