Creative Principles

Latest Episodes:

Ep282 - Disney’s ‘Clouds’ Screenwriters Kara Holden, Casey La Scala & Patrick Kopka Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

The biographical musical drama Clouds is based on the memoir Fly a Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big Way by Laura Sobiech. In the film, a young musician named Zach Sobiech (Fin Argus) discovers his cancer has spread and he only has a limited time to make his dream come true of becoming a musician. “It started out seeing Zach’s video,” said Casey La Scale. “My wife had seen the video online. I was blown away, then randomly, a month later my manager said he found an interesting book and it happened to be Zach’s story.” Since Casey had previously produced another movie in the same realm, A Walk to Remember, his manager suggested turning the story into a movie. Casey sent the book to Patrick Kopka, who also felt an immediate connection to the book. “Every studio had already passed on it. They saw it as Fault in Our Stars, and even Warner Brothers passed on it. Luckily, I had a relationship with them, but sort of as the last favor I had, we overturned that pass.” Casey and Patrick took a swing at the screenplay, but they felt like something was missing. “We did the family version, then the teen version, but we ended up finding Kara. She came in with fresh eyes and then we started getting some momentum, which was great.” Kara, who had worked on Soul Surfer and Carrie Pilby, had also been following the real life story of Zach Sobiech. Thanks to her relationship with Director Justin Baldoni, she was invited to take a look at the screenplay. “I watched the documentary and felt kind of overwhelmed. It was such an incredible story and incredible character, but it’s so sad and there are so many parts to it.” That said, when she asked herself “Who’s story is this?” She changed the perspective to Zach’s POV and pieces of the story fell into place. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep281 - Spire Animation Studios Founders Brad Lewis & P.J. Gunsagar Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

Brad Lewis produced the Oscar nominated “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” the critically acclaimed conclusion of the trilogy. He also produced Storks, The Lego Batman Movie, and worked at Pixar on films like Ratatouille, Cars 2, among many other successful movies. P.J. Gunsagar is an entrepreneur at heart. After starting his career in finance, working as an investment banker at UBS Warburg and early-stage investor at Intel Capital, he focused his career on building companies at the intersection of technology and media from the ground up. Spire Animation Studios is the fourth company co-founded by P.J. In this interview, Lewis and Gunsagar discuss “technology to wow the world,” live action ideas versus animated ideas, the extended story process for animation, how they think about big ideas and original stories, the importance of creativity and risk, and they share a few details about an upcoming project with funnyman Danny McBride. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep280 - Chris Brancato, Screenwriter ‘Godfather of Harlem,’ ‘Narcos,’ & ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’ Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

After college, Chris Brancato realized he had “no marketable skills whatsoever.” He joked that his “lack of options” led him down the path of becoming a screenwriter. “That helped demystify the process,” he said. The next step in uncovering the path to Hollywood came from a friend who landed a job on The Equalizer. “He showed me the script and I thought, ‘I just figured out what I want to do.’” Brancato first landed writing jobs on Beverly Hills, 90120 and The X-Files. These days, he’s best known for his work on Hannibal, Narcos, Narcos: Mexico, Godfather of Harlem and has a credit on Sherlock Holmes 3. In this interview, Brancato talks about screenwriting as a mystical career, candy-colored loglines, how to think about latitude storytelling, how some writer’s rooms can actually feel limiting and how to create a “pitch tsunami” for executives. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep279 - Neil Cross, Screenwriter ‘The Mosquito Coast,’ ‘Luther,’ ‘Mama,’ & ‘Crossbones’ Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

Originally, Neil Cross wanted to be a novelist. Describing his path as “wandering” and even as an “accident,” Cross has published several books, but is best known for his work on the small screen, where he’s got credits for MI-5, Doctor Who, Crossbones, Luther, and now, The Mosquito Coast. Cross said he grew up an admirer of Han Solo, but more specifically, the anti-hero. “It’s a taste where the origin of which is a mystery to me,” he said about this preference, “but I’m thematically chained to it. I can see that running through everything I’ve written on the page.” In The Mosquito Coast, the apparent anti-hero is Allie Fox, played by Justin Theroux (and Harrison Ford in Paul Schrader’s 1986 film), and the original book comes from author Paul Theroux (Justin is Paul’s nephew). The basic plot is a bit of mystery, listed as “An idealist uproots his family and moves them to Latin America.” In this interview, Cross talks his obsession with anti-heroes, writing yourself into a corner, how to adapt characters to modern times, crafting a non-traditional writer’s room, hiring candid writers, and which episode was cut due to COVID which might end up in the next season. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep278 - R.J. Cutler, Director ‘Belushi,’ ‘Dear…’ & ‘Billie Eilish - The World’s a Little Blurry’ Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

R.J. Cutler loves the “narratives of the real world,” but spent the first few years of his career as a theater director. These days, he’s best known for his documentary work, such as The War Room, A Perfect Candidate, and The World According to Dick Cheney. Most recently, he’s tackled a documentary on comedian John Belushi, a documentary on musician Billie Eilish, and the new Apple series Dear… which chronicles the “biographies of iconic figures in society by using letters written by those whose lives have been changed by the work.” In this interview, Cutler discusses being compelled by subjects, why he avoided “talking heads” for Belushi, what it was like to discover Marlon Brando’s secret recordings, what he learned from biographer Walter Isaacson, details on an upcoming Martha Stewart documentary, and his Wayne Gretzky approach to filmmaking. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep277 - Jim Demonakos & Kevin Konrad Hanna on ‘Hellboy’ Doc ‘Mike Mignola - Drawing Monsters’ Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

Jim Demonakos, founder of Seattle’s annual Emerald City Comicon, met Kevin Konrad Hanna, an artist and film director, at the annual event. Two lifelong comic book fans, the duo tried a handful of projects together until something hit, a documentary about Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. In ‘Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters,’ Jim and Kevin uncover the story behind Mignola, as told from icons like Neil Gaiman, Doug Jones, Victor LaValle, Adam Savage, Patton Oswalt, and Guillermo del Toro, among others. In this interview, the directors talk rock star comic book creators, thinking of yourself as a storyteller not a filmmaker, opening the door for subject conversations, the entrepreneur mindset, and how their Kickstarter campaign raised over $500,000 from a $58,000 goal. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep276 - Moby, Musician & Documentary Subject ‘Moby Doc’ May 25, 2021

Show notes

Richard Melville Hall, better known as Moby, is a musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. His music has been featured in over 200 movies and shows, like The Saint, The Beach, and The Bourne Identity. In his latest project, Moby Doc, the musician teamed up with former music video editor Rob Gordon Bralver to create a “surrealist biographical documentary” about Moby’s life being an animal rights activist and a trailblazing electronic musician. In this interview, Moby talks about his friendship with David Lynch, his view on surrealism, how he thinks about open vulnerabilities as an artist, positive and negative mentors in life, creativity in philanthropy, and how he approaches creative collaborations. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep275 - Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian & Creator ‘Fate of Fact’ Podcast May 21, 2021

Show notes

Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and #1 New York Times bestselling author. He’s known for ‘The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,’ ‘American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House,’ ‘Franklin and Winston,’ ‘His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope,’ and a book co-written with country star Tim McGraw called ‘Songs of America.’ His newest project is a podcast called ‘Fate of Fact’ and the premise is meant to explore how fear conquered truth, the history and origins of the strong grip misinformation and disinformation have on our politics, and how we got here today. In this interview, Meacham talks about his three tests to choose a book subject, how to focus on durable projects that take a great deal of time, the commitment of fact-checking, and how all books are part of an “unfolding conversation.” 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep274 - Bao Nguyen, Director Bruce Lee Documentary ‘Be Water’ May 19, 2021

Show notes

Originally, to honor his immigrant parents, Bao Nguyen thought he was going to become a lawyer. As a small child, he worked in his father’s shop behind the register, where he spent his time between customers sketching and drawing what he now sees as storyboards. Working as a Director and Cinematographer since 2009, Nguyen worked on projects like ‘We Gon’ Be Alright’ and ‘Live from New York!’ before tackling his largest project to date, a documentary about the personal life of icon Bruce Lee. The official description reads, “Rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong to complete four films. Charting his struggles in two worlds, ‘Be Water’ explores questions of identity and representation through rare archive, intimate interviews, and his writings.” In this interview, Nguyen talks about his father’s secret dream to become an architect, why he avoided “talking heads” for the film, why documentarians should seek humility, how to account for every frame in a doc, and how we went about humanizing Bruce Lee. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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!

Ep273 - Joe Taslim, Action Star ’The Raid - Redemption’ & ‘Mortal Kombat’ May 18, 2021

Show notes

Indonesian actor Joe Taslim fell in love with Judo, where he won his first National Championship in 1997. About 15 years later, he took his MMA repertoire to the big screen, eventually landing roles in major Hollywood films. Taslim is best known for roles in The Raid: Redemption, Fast & Furious 6, Star Trek Beyond, Warrior, and now, Mortal Kombat, where he stars as the iconic character Sub-Zero. In this interview, Taslim talks about his transition from judo to acting, how action stars can better portray energetic characters without using doubles, why he trains twice per day for “violent dances,” and why Asian movies train for months for those amazing action sequences. 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… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson 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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