Creative Principles

Latest Episodes:

Ep392 - Sara Dosa, Director ‘Fire of Love,’ ‘The Seer and the Unseen,’ & ‘The Last Season’ Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

“Growing up, I thought I would be either a professor of cultural anthropology or a non-fiction, long-form writer, but then I fell in love with cinema.” Combining these childhood dreams into one career, Sara found herself behind the camera on films like The Last Season, The Seer and the Unseen, and most recently, Fire of Love. In college, Sara was active in economic justice groups and saw a documentary about “the ravages of free trade in Jamaica” that combined “grandiose academic ideas” and delivered it in “human terms.” She said, “These emotional colors, so to speak, were the marriage of politics as well as art, that really moved me.” This is also known as the Mother Teresa effect, which many charities think about today when creating messages for people to act upon. The idea comes from Mother Teresa herself, who said, “If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.” Research behind this shows us that people give me to a single person charity (emotional) than to a larger cause, where they are give stats (analytical). Sara thinks about these types of things when sharping projects like Fire of Love. The description for her latest project reads, “Intrepid scientists and lovers Katia and Maurice Krafft died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unraveling the mysteries of volcanoes by capturing the most explosive imagery ever recorded.” As a storyteller, she sees all of this as one job. “It’s kin to religion for me. Connected to the world. A feeling of humanity. The questions that ignite my mind. Different types of jobs in service of the same thing: creating meaningful stories of impact.” And for Sara, this means a deep passion for the work, but also a strong team of animators, writers, and editors around her. 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!

Ep391 - Christopher Landon, Screenwriter ‘Disturbia,’ ‘We Have a Ghost,’ & ’Paranormal Activity 2’ Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

“I grew up watching horror films,” Christopher Landon said. “I started at a pretty early age, inappropriately so, probably when I was about six. And, I was just obsessed. It was never a doubt or question it was what I was going to do.” Landon followed the traditional route, making shorts in high school, working internships as a young adult, and pursuing the path to screenwriting. “The great benefit to the internship, which I would credit for the writing side of my career, is that I exposed to so much material, both good and bad.” This education eventually led Landon to write horror movies such as Disturbia, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Viral, Happy Death Day 2U, Freaky, and five films in the Paranormal Activity Franchise. “Script analysis inspired me to write. Any free time I had, I would sit and write and write and write. When I finally decided to step out into the world, I had spec scripts to show people. It was how I got my first job. I made a short, did a festival circuit, and a producer saw it and asked me if had anything.” Landon gives this advice to anyone trying to break in today: “if you can write, write. That is you controlling your own IP. That is you having a ticket to getting in front of people and that’s critical.” 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!

Ep390 - Drew Birnie, Content Manager for ‘The Subtle Art…’ Author Mark Manson Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

Drew Birnie was in the middle of a PDH program in neuroscience when he started working with Mark Manson. “That came out of left field,” he told me. Manson initially hired Birnie as a researcher to help the author “synthesize” complicated ideas. These days, Mark Manson is one of the most famous authors alive thanks to 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.' Birnie has been with him since the early days and currently overseas website content, SEO, and email. In this interview, we talk about being curious by nature, blurred responsibility lines with small teams, why he enjoys being a generalist, how they set up Manson’s premium account for the website and the problem with today’s market encouraging creatives to “niche down.” 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!

Ep389 - Jason Woliner, Director ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ & ‘Paul T. Goldman’ Jan 28, 2023

Show notes

As a child actor, Jason Woliner knew he wanted to be a Director. He started with a mini DV camera and set out to make a feature for Sundance. He dropped out of college, convinced a few friends to join him, and ended up making a “long student film.” The 97-minute “terrible, horrorible” project taught him a great deal about filmmaking. Over the years, Jason has worked with Patton Oswalt, Aziz Ansari, and Jon Benjamin. He’s Directed Parks and Recreation, New Girl, Nathan for You, and Last Man on Earth. Most recently, Jason has created the unusual mini series, Paul T. Goldman. The description reads, “One man's efforts to uncover the truth thrust him into a labyrinth of fraud, deception, and criminality that transform him ‘from wimp to warrior.’” Like Borat, it’s a mixture of real and unreal, focused on one unusual character. In this interview, Jason talks about his love for specific comedies, why he generally avoids “for hire” work, how he found a unique niche in the comedy industry, working for “real laughs” during a pitch, and how to execute on unique ideas to find the “best, funniest version.” Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 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!

Ep388 - Mo Amer, Comedian ‘Mohammed in Texas,’ ‘Black Adam,’ & Netflix’s ‘Mo’ Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

“Most people don’t know stand up is an indigenous art form to the states,” said Mohammed Amer. “It’s jazz, hip hop, and stand up comedy, as far as I know, which are the three indigenous art forms to the states. I saw stand up live the first time when I was ten years old and that was a moment of complete clarity for me, what I was destined to do.” Amer, who goes by “Mo Amer,” said he didn’t understand how profound that moment was until years later. “That has truly helped me filter so much pain in my life. To be expressive in a room full of strangers, to have my own expression, my own freedom of thought, whether it’s a story or observation, it created a balance in my life.” As an actor, Mo played Karim in the latest Black Adam film, and has also appeared on Ray and Crashing. These days, he’s best known for stand up work, such as Mo Amer: The Vagabond and Mo Amer: Mohammed in Texas. But he’s also starring in the series he wrote for himself, Mo, for Netflix. “I had to educate myself, learn the craft, and I fell in love with it. Then I saw the landscape of what Hollywood was at the time and knew I was ahead of myself. From the future. The only Mohammad from the self, doing stand-up pre-9/11, so my reaction from the audience was very good but also very curious.” Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 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!

Ep387 - Gabe Liedman, Screenwriter ‘Big Mouth,’ ‘Kroll Show,’ ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Dec 17, 2022

Show notes

Gabe Liedman got his start doing stand-up. Because people were familiar with his voice, he started getting writing jobs on shows like Inside Amy Schumer, Kroll Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, PEN15, Broad City, and Big Mouth. In this interview, Gabe talks about branding yourself with sexuality, not being fearful about your comedy, how TV shows misrepresent the writers room, why movements are stretched in network television, and how there’s freedom in “hand-crafted projects.” Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 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!

Ep386 - Branden Jacob-Jenkins, Showrunner FX - Hulu Series ‘Kindred’ Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

“I’m pretty sure that what started me writing was reading,” said Branden Jacob-Jenkins. “I was always bookish and I remember a day when I read something and thought, ‘I don’t think that was good’ and realized maybe I could do it better. Maybe I could tell stories.” As a teenager, Branden wrote short stories, fiction, poetry, and everything in between. He entered some young writing workshops, then found his way to other “film nerds” who he thought were the “cool kids.” Through fiction, he started to find his voice. These days, Branden is mainly known as a playwright, but following the success of people like Beau Willimon (House of Cards) and Elizabeth Meriwether (New Girl) who made the jump from stage to silver screen. So when his agents asked if there were ever a TV show he would want to create, what might that be, Kindred was the answer. “I had re-read Kindred for about the fifth time in my life and I thought that it could be a TV show.” “It became this Moby Dick for me for like ten years while I was chasing the rights,” he said of the new series. “Finally, it all slowly came together.” The description reads, “A young aspiring writer discovers secrets about her family's past when she finds herself mysteriously being pulled back and forth in time to a 19th century plantation.” Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 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!

Ep385 - Alex Bach & Daniel Powell, Co-Presidents Production Company Irony Point Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

The Peabody and Emmy winning production company has signed a multi-year production commitment overall deal with Netflix, with a first-look component for projects developed by Irony Point, encompassing stand-up comedy, sketch, variety, alternative formats and more. Alex and Daniel will serve as executive producers on all projects. In this interview, Alex and Daniel discuss their projects like Inside Amy Schumer, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Ugly Americans, and That Damn Michael Che, among others. Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 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!

Ep384 - Darren De Gallo, Writer-Director Dustin Hoffman-Sissy Spacek Film ‘Sam & Kate’ Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

“I started as an artist,” said Darren De Gallo. “In the back of my mind, I wanted to be an animator, so I got a job at Dreamworks as a PA in the story department. I was thrown in the deep end of a company that was just starting.” Darren pursued acting not long after, then did some work as a storyboard artist, and then started writing. While pursuing these roles, he met his future wife Amy Adams (Arrival, Enchanted). “It was my wife that pushed me to write this script.” In Sam & Kate, “a son returns to his small hometown to take care of his ailing father.” The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and his real-life son, Jake Hoffman, along with Sissy Spacek, and her real-life daughter, Schuyler Fisk. In this interview, Darren talks about shadowing Mike Nichols and Joe Wright, conversations with Spike Jonze about character, how he creates his look books, being open to all ideas, and why creators need to be grateful for stress. Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 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!

Ep383 - Brandon Dermer, Director ‘What Would Diplo Do?’ & ‘I’m Totally Fine’ Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

“I played in shitty scream-o bands. I was in the radio club in high school,” said Brandon Dermer. “My friends and I made comedy videos that played in the morning announcements. I always wanted to be creating.” Getting some attention from shorts in college, Brandon won with a fake trailer that led him to an internship and job in Los Angeles. Soon after, he was working on music videos for Major Lazer, Panic! At the Disco, and Diplo. Today, Brandon is best known for directing the series What Would Diplo Do? and his latest film, I’m Totally Fine. The description reads, “A woman in mourning who takes a solo trip to clear her head after the death of her friend. However, Vanessa's self-care vacation plans change when she's met with a situation out of this world.” In this interview, Brandon talks about his friendship with Jon LaJoie (Taco from The League), why he’s always looking for new collaborators, doing more than film school requires, working for Comedy Central, quality through quantity, and advice for getting noticed today. Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 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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