Creative Principles

Latest Episodes:

Ep342 - Ian O’Connor, Author ‘Coach K - The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski’ Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

“I found that I really liked writing about human beings. I found I could apply my approach to anything,” said author Ian O’Connor. “I don’t feel like I write about quarterbacks and center-fielders and shooting guards as much as I write about human beings.” Ian’s most recent focus is Coach K. Mike Krzyzewski is a five-time national champion at Duke, the NCAA's all-time leader in victories with nearly 1,200, and the first man to lead Team USA to three Olympic basketball gold medals. This book is the unauthorized, yet definitive biography. In this interview, Ian talks about his mentor David McCraw, his view of what it means to be a reporter and columnist, why he writes in chronological order, and how he chooses subjects, including Bill Belichick, Derek Jeters, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep341 - Brian Petsos, Writer-Director Oscar Issac Film ‘Big Gold Brick’ Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

“It wasn’t until acting and improvising that I really started writing,” said Brian Petsos. As a performer, he transitioned into writing and directing. Brian met Oscar Isaac early in his career and Isaac has been in all three of his films, including Ticky Tacky, Lightningface, and most recently, Big Gold Brick. His first feature, Big Gold Brick, is a story about Samuel Liston and his experiences with an enigmatic middle-aged father of two who enlists the writer to write his biography. In this interview, Brian talks about his friendship with Oscar Issac, how he moved from shorts to a feature, how writing naturally gets bigger over time, advice from Andy Garcia, what it means to make a cerebral comedy and how film is actually two different businesses. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep340 - Courtney Lilly, Screenwriter ‘Black-ish,’ ‘The Cleveland Show,’ & ‘Arrested Development’ Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

Courtney Lilly’s writing credits include Invader ZIM, Arrested Development, Everybody Hates Chris, My Boys, The Cleveland Show, and Black-ish. In this interview, we go Ito the weeds about writing comedy, uncover the rhythms of a television, talk about universal needs in stories, discuss the writer’s room, and talk about the legacy of Black-ish as the series wraps up. You can also find more info on Black-ish when we spoke with Creator Kenya Barris in Episode 227. Both of these interviews are available on the Creative Screenwriting website. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep339 - Chris Sheridan, Creator SYFY’s ‘Resident Alien’ Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

Ep339 - Chris Sheridan, Creating SYFY’s ‘Resident Alien’ “I always wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t know what type of writing I wanted to do,” said Chris Sheridan, who originally thought he wanted to be a journalist until he discovered screenwriting in college. “It immediately clicked.” Sheridan’s writing credits include shows like Living Single. Titus, Yes Dear, Family Guy, and most recently Resident Alien. But, he wasn’t always thinking about a path in comedy. “I hadn’t considered comedy but one of the bartenders I worked with said he assumed I would do comedy. I had never really thought of it.” The story of Resident Alien follows a crash-landed alien who takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor. The adaptation is about a character dealing with the moral dilemma of why he was sent to earth, which was to destroy the planet. Sheridan’s attachment to the IP came after he started to make a shift towards drama. “Probably 8-9 years ago, I wanted to do cable drama, so I wrote a drama spec pilot that I went out with. I didn’t sell it, but I opened up that world and had to prove myself as a drama writer.” In this interview, Sheridan talks about character-based comedy, how to get un-pigeonholed as a writer, what it means for actors to police language, being respectful to IP, and advice for getting noticed today. Look for my interview with Alice Wetterlund who plays D’Arcy on the show in Episode 333 of the podcast. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep338 - Moses Storm, Comedian HBO Max’s ‘Trash White’ Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

Moses Storm was doing a show in the back of a comic book store when he was discovered by one of Conan O’Brien’s booking agents. Moses, along with Chris Redd (Episode 334), was asked to come improv a special show with Conan O’Brien. Over the years, Moses and Conan have become close friends where they’ve performed together and were Moses has done sets on the series. Currently, Team Coco are producing Moses’ new special for HBO MAX, ‘Trash White.’ In this interview, Moses talks about his background riffing with the audience, advice from Conan O’Brien, complications being a writer with dyslexia, how comedy is therapeutic, and how to find your voice as a comedian. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep337 - Christopher Riley, Author ‘The Defining Moment - How Writers and Actors Build Characters' Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

Christopher Riley and Kathy Riley met Coleman Luck, screenwriter of The Equalizer, who challenged them to an interesting idea: find the defining moment of a character. As a screenwriter, Riley has spent his life creating these moments in characters for the big screen. Now, he’s written a book on The Defining Moment to help other writers uncover these wounds and gifts that create character. In this interview, Riley talks about defining moment practices, how to start to discover yourself on an emotional level, what it means to write a satisfying story, and how to write “givens” for actors. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep336 - Mike Sielski, Author ‘The Rise Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality’ Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Mike Sielski began his career following the woman’s basketball team as a sports writer at La Salle University. As a sophomore, he realized he could write a sports story in the same way he wrote his English papers, and he was hooked. Currently, Mike works for the Philadelphia Inquirer and has published books such as ‘How to Be Like Jackie Robinson,’ ‘Fading Echoes,’ and most recently, ‘The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality’ In his latest book, the story follows Kobe Bryant’s origin story which actually began in Philadelphia. With a focus on Kobe’s early life, Mike pitched the book as “Batman Begins for The Black Mamba.” In this interview, Mike talks about structuring sports stories for the newspaper, his lucky encounter with a mentor early in his career, how he uncovered never-before-heard interviews with a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant, and three pieces of advice for novice writers. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep335 - Tim Kirkby, Director Charlie Hunnam Film ‘Last Looks’ Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

“Films from the 70s really stayed with me,” said Tim Kirkby, Director of ‘Last Looks,’ ‘Action Point,’ ‘Fleabag,’ ‘Veep,’ and ‘Brockmire.’ His latest film, ‘Last Looks,’ stars Charlie Hunnam and Mel Gibson. The story follows a disgraced ex-cop who has a quiet life until he’s forced to return to his former life as a private eye to investigate a murder. In this interview, Kirkby talks about his fascination with storytelling, the difficulty of transitioning from television to films as a Director (particularly in England), commercials and music videos, what feeds you as a Director and the importance of good instincts. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep334 - 'Bust Down' Creators Chris Redd, Sam Jay, Langston Kerman, and Jak Knight Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

“I met with a guy and he gave me a show that was terrible,” began Chris Redd. “I went back to my talented friends who don’t do terrible comedy and said, ‘We should make a version of this.’ We kept jamming on that shit and there were four different versions, but it eventually became Bust Down.” Redd is known for his work on Saturday Night Live, Popstar, and Joker. His talented friends include Sam Jay (SNL, Pause with Sam Jay), Langston Kerman (South Side, Insecure), and Jak Knight (Big Mouth, Black-ish). The show they created is called Bust Down, a Peacock original that follows four casino employees in a dead-end job in middle America who want to find self-worth within their bad ideas. “This show, in a beautiful way, has also tracked our evolution as artists,” said Langston. “What would have been the show, years ago, would have been real bad. And now it’s pretty good.” Combining comedy styles from shows like South Side, SNL, Big Mouth, and everything in between the writers found their own unique tone with Bust Down. In this interview, the writer-performers talk about finding voice, misconceptions of comedy, the importance of story, their initial pitch for the show, and advice for writers trying to break in today. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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!

Ep333 - Alice Wetterlund, Actress-Comedian ‘Resident Alien,’ ’Silicon Valley,’ & ’Space Force’ Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

Alice Wetterlund started her career with improv and stand-up. As a comedian, she’s performed on shows like Conan. As an actress, she’s best known for her roles on Space Force, New Girl, Silicon Valley, and most recently as D’Arcy Bloom on Resident Alien. Resident Alien stars Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, and Corey Reynolds. The plot reads: A crash-landed alien takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor and slowly begins to wrestle with the moral dilemma of his secret mission on Earth. In this interview, she talks about finding her voice on stage, improv versus stand-up, her start in commercial acting, how luck factors into any career, acting within character, her private radio show for the cast, and how established archetypes can do anything. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples 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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