Creative Principles

Latest Episodes:

Ep402 - Timothy Scott Bogart, Writer-Director ‘Spinning Gold’ Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

“My father’s life was a very visible one,” says writer/director Timothy Scott Bogart, son of 1970s record producer Neil Bogart, the co-founder of Casablanca Records. “That was my playground. I grew up, literally backstage at these concerts.” Neil Bogart signed such artists as Donna Summer, George Clinton, KISS, the Isley Brothers, the Village People, and Gladys Knight. “The storytelling I saw being done as a child was infectious. Everything that they did was creating something beyond just the music. I just fell in love with it.” At the age of 12, Timothy’s father died. Perhaps looking for a creative outlet, he actually wrote his first screenplay at this young age. “It was terrible,” he jokes, “but it was 120 pages, it actually had a beginning, middle, and end. I think all of it was an escape. I got lost in the fantasy and loved making little movies and writing little stories.” Timothy credits “being exposed to that extraordinary visual world [his father] created” as the foundation for what led to his career as a Producer, Screenwriter, and Director. “Almost everything I did had somebody struggling with loss,” he says in hindsight. I kept doing stories about other things, but ultimately, they were about children struggling with the loss of a parent.” Only a year or two after the death of his father, Timothy recalls people “banging on the door trying to get the rights” to his father’s life story. The family wasn’t ready to share this information. They turned down Broadway musicians, television shows, and movies. “As I started looking at this as being something I wanted to do with my life, I took on the mantle of being responsible of being the guy saying ‘No.’ Part of that was, I didn’t know what it was.” After decades of pondering what the story could be and how it might be best represented, Timothy decided to take on the responsibility himself, as the writer and director of Spinning Gold, the story of Neil Bogart. 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!

Ep401 - Matt Ruskin, Writer-Director Keira Knightley Film ‘Boston Strangler’ Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

While working at a restaurant in Boston, as somewhat of a chef’s apprentice, Matt Ruskin decided he really wanted to pursue film. Coincidentally, the Manager of the restaurant knew Darren Aronofsky. One phone call later, Ruskin was interning on Requiem for a Dream. “It was the first movie I ever worked on it,” says Ruskin. “Just to be around such an incredible group of filmmakers and learn from them. After that, I was really bit by the bug and I knew I had to find a way to do this.” Thanks to his willingness to be an apprentice — as a chef and filmmaker — doors opened up for the filmmaker. “I never sat out to be a screenwriter. I did that by necessity, which is a big part of how things work in the independent film world. You do whatever you have to do to get something made. But, I think running right at the thing you want to do is smart. I wish I did more of that earlier.” “By spending a year in a kitchen and not in a theoretical environment, I learned pretty quickly what the reality of that business is. I realized I put more pleasure in cooking for four people at home, rather than four hundred at night. But I also try to make people my mentors.” When it comes to finding mentors, Ruskin says, “If you tell people what you want to do but you know you need to start at the lowest level, they’re willing to give you that opportunity to be around and try and earn that experience.” 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!

Ep400 - Tim Roth, Actor ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ ‘Pulp Fiction,’ ‘Lie to Me,’ & 'Punch’ Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

Fascinated by Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Tim Roth and a friend auditioned for Dracula Spectacula. Despite being terribly nervous during the first performance, Roth fell in love with the pursuit of acting. “I was utterly terrified and then I loved it,” said the actor. Known for Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Rob Boy, Lie to Me, and Planet of the Apes, Roth has starred in over 100 films and shows. His latest film, Punch, from writer-director Welby Ings, follows a young man preparing for his first professional fight as he starts to rethink his life after tangling with a gay Maori boy who lives in a shack by the beach. In this interview, Roth talks about staging a performance in character at an early age, films for love versus films for money, why people forget gentle characters, and what inspired him about the story for Punch. Want to learn more about Magic Mind? Visit www.magicmind.co/playpen and use code playpen20 to save 20 percent! 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!

Ep399 - Annette D’Agostino Lloyd, Author ‘Harold Lloyd - Magic in a Pair of Horn-Rimmed Glasses’ Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

“I was not destined to be a writer,” said author Annette Lloyd. She discovered the work of silent film star Harold Lloyd at age 17 and has since written about her “hero” in a multitude of books, including ‘Harold Lloyd - Magic in a Pair of Horn-Rimmed Glasses.’ Part of the description reads, “From birth to death, Harold grew and evolved because of the things that were happening around him, and he was always aware of the importance of those events, the turning points that fashioned the magic: the coin toss that got him to California; meeting a fellow extra at Universal by the name of Hal Roach; creating his revolutionary Glasses Character; a death-defying bomb accident; not allowing his films to be aired on early television; [and] winning his Oscar.” In this interview, Annette talks about working with James Robert Parish, writing about subjects that consume you, how false truths become published facts (and how to correct this), the backstory behind the Safety Last! stunt, and how being a historian is like being an archeologist. 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!

Ep398 - Michael Maren, Writer-Director Michael Shannon Film ‘A Little White Lie’ Mar 11, 2023

Show notes

Michael Maren started his career as a journalist in Africa. Inspired by movies like The African Queen, Jason and the Argonauts, and Beau Geste, Maren followed an unclear dream, eventually learning to write, getting a book optioned by HBO, and then coming back to the US with a passion for filmmaking. Based on the book, Shriver, A Little White Lie stars Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson and Don Johnson. The description reads, “When a handyman living in New York City is mistaken for a famous and famously reclusive writer, he's brought to a university where he is to deliver a keynote address to save the school's literary festival.” In the interview, Maren talks about the connection between journalism and screenwriting, advice from Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), how to find a narrative through line, working with Michael Shannon, and how he bought the rights to Shriver for only $100 dollars. 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!

Ep397 - Scott Andrew James, Instant Poet & Keynote Speaker Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

Scott Andrew James is an instant poet. About ten years ago, Scott felt disconnected from the world, which led him to poetry, thanks to the advice of his wife. Now, he’s written over 10,000 instant poems in the last decade. In fact, in this episode, Scott actually creates an instant poem on the spot. The subject? We discuss an idea from Seth Godin about the Icarus Myth. Daedalus says to Icarus, "Don't fly too high, but more important, don't fly too low. If you fly too low, the waves will weigh you down and you will perish." In this interview, Scott talks about advice from Chris Guillebeau (The $100 StartUp), how he wrote 1,000 poems in a year, why he prefers to use an old typewriter he inherited from his grandfather, the difference between the tortured artist and the playful trickster, and how to push yourself to that which is unexpected. Note: since Scott is creating on the spot, this interview is more conversational in nature and less edited. Learn more about Scott here: https://www.scottandrewjames.com/ 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!

Ep396 - James Traylor & Max Collins, Authors ’Spillane - King of Pulp Fiction’ Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

When James Traylor and Max Collins found out that they were both writing a book about author Mickey Spillane, they decided to collaborate rather than compete. For the first time ever, Traylor and Collins have completed the first biography on Spillane. The description reads, “Beginning in 1947 with I, the Jury, and continuing with his next six novels, Spillane quickly amassed a readership in the tens of millions, becoming the bestselling novelist in the history of American publishing. Surrounded by controversy for the overt violence and suggestive sexual content of his iconic Mike Hammer private eye novels, Spillane was loathed by critics but beloved by his readers.” In this interview, the writers talk about the ups and downs of Mickey’s life, how the Mike Hammer character led to Jack Reacher and countless other other characters like James Bond, some mysterious parts of Mickey’s life, the paperback revolution, and this forty year overnight success of writing this book. 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!

Ep395 - Lesley Paterson, Screenwriter Oscar-Nominated ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

“I was a rugby player and a ballet dancer,” said Lesley Paterson, triathlete and co-screenwriter of the Oscar nominated All Quiet on the Western Front. Dabbling in acting and producing, it wasn’t until she met her eventual writing partner Ian Stokell that she felt like screenwriting could be a path to a career in filmmaking. “To be able to act, you have to be able to write and produce your own films,” Stokell tells her. “Well that makes sense,” she says. “So that’s when I got into the writing side of things.” Having read the novel in high school, she was intrigued by the idea of adapting the iconic novel. It’s remarkable to think of Paterson writing an Oscar-nominated screenplay and training as a triathlete, but it’s because she views both as one and the same. “I get up early. I’m an early person. Not everyone is, but we do know that there is a neuroscience of the brain from training.” Paterson, along with her husband Simon Marshall, PhD, have written extensively about these topics in their book, The Brave Athlete. “You have more motivation in the morning,” she says. “There’s a part of your brain that processes emotional and physical pain and that tires out later in the day.” 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!

Ep394 - Jim Gaffigan, Stand-up Comedian + Actor ‘Troop Zero’ & ‘Linoleum’ Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

“Honestly, I pursued acting and standup at the same time, but I never really got as many opportunities in acting. In standup, you have a little more control over your own destiny,” said Jim Gaffigan, one of the most well-known comedians alive today. “But also, the most fulfilling characters to portray, end up being dramatic roles. So, over the years, finding creative fulfillment in stand-up, writing, or acting, I selfishly choose the things that are the most rewarding,” said Gaffigan. “The roles I turn down, I know from experience, aren’t going to be as rewarding.” Past the point of “dying to be in a movie,” Gaffigan has found his own niche as “a partner in the creative process.” This was perhaps most clear while working on The Jim Gaffigan Show in 2015 and 2016. That experience inspired him to know look for the type of person he needed to make each episode a success. “It’s been an evolution. Obviously I love getting laughs, but playing Cameron and Kent in Linoleum, there’s a different level of fulfillment and complexity that is more rewarding than being in a screwball comedy.” Linoleum, written and directed by Colin West and co-starring Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul), the story follows the host of a failing children’s science show who tries to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by building a rocket ship in his garage. “This movie presents these questions, like what is success, what is the true meaning of life, what are we trying to accomplish? There’s part of me that thinks this movie is just a big love story. When we talk about other people, we can see selflessness and longevity as beautiful, but when we look at it ourselves, we don’t necessarily see that.” 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!

Ep393 - Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka, Screenwriters Apple’s ‘Sharper’ Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka met in the Graduate program at Columbia Film School. Gatewood says, “We weren’t friends. We didn’t really hang out, but we had our first screenwriting class together and we liked each others’ writing.” “We started to talk and found we had an uncanny similarities in terms of taste, what movies we liked, writers we liked, and in our second year, we started to write together.” Working on scripts and sharing beers, just for fun, the writers eventually found a path to make a career out of their partnership. “Slowly, we stopped drinking as much as started writing more,” jokes Tanaka. “That’s how our partnership evolved.” Today, they’re known for The Sitter, Comrade Detective, Dice, Superstore, and the new Apple film, Sharper. Described as “a con film in reverse,” the new movie stars Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, and Briana Middleton. The mysterious description reads, “Motivations are suspect, and expectations are turned chaos, as a con artist takes on Manhattan billionaires.” 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!

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