Austin Film Festival's On Story

This week on On Story, we're joined by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett for a conversation on Big Mouth following its final season. Big Mouth is a one-of-a-kind animated, coming-of-age, musical sitcom, which aired for eight seasons on Netflix. The series follows a group of middle schoolers as they navigate puberty and coming-of-age while being tormented by supernatural creatures which represent their swirl of new emotions, such as the Hormone Monsters, The Shame Wizard, The Depression Kitty, and The Anxiety Mosquito. Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett created Big Mouth along with Andrew Goldberg, and its lead voice-actor Nick Kroll. Levin and Flackett began their careers writing for TV shows like The Wonder Years, LA Law, and Beverly Hills 90210. The duo later transitioned to writing for film, and co-wrote the screenplays for Madeline, Wimbledon, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and more. They co-created and executive produced both Big Mouth and its spinoff Human Resources, as well as their new animated show Mating Season. We're back with AFF moderator Harrison Glaser, who sat down with Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett for a conversation on balancing raunchy humor with authentic emotion in Big Mouth, and a reflection on the show's eight-year run. Big Mouth Clips courtesy of Netflix Worldwide Entertainment LLC.

This week on On Story, a conversation on the hit comedy The Studio, with co-creator and showrunner Alex Gregory.

The Studio stars Seth Rogen as Matt Remick, the newly-appointed head of a faltering production studio who must balance his love of film against the corporate interests of a profit-driven and risk-averse entertainment industry. The Studio's star-studded ensemble cast also includes Kathryn Hahn, Bryan Cranston, and Catherine O'Hara in her final on-screen performance, as well as cameos from Martin Scorsese, Jean Smart, and many more. The first season won 13 Emmys, including the award for Outstanding Comedy Series. It has been renewed for a second season.

Alex Gregory created The Studio along with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, and Frida Perez. Gregory began his comedy career as a writer for Spy Magazine. His other TV credits include The Late Show with David Letterman, The Larry Sanders Show, Frasier, King of the Hill, and Veep, where he earned his first two Emmy awards. Gregory co-created the miniseries The White House Plumbers for HBO. He has also drawn over 300 cartoons for The New Yorker.

AFF moderator Harrison Glaser sat down with Alex Gregory for a conversation on how The Studio reflects the chaos of modern Hollywood, how the writers created high stakes without writing any villains, and the real executive that inspired Seth Rogen's character.

Clips of The Studio courtesy of Lionsgate Television.

This week on On Story, a conversation on Hacks with its co-creator and co-showrunner Jen Statsky.

Hacks follows the odd-couple antics of trailblazing standup comedian Deborah Vance, played by Jean Smart, and struggling up-and-coming comedy writer Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder, who's hired to help Deborah breathe new life into her worn-out routine. The pair form a close bond as Ava pushes Deborah to take risks and pursue her lifelong dream of hosting a late night talk show. Hacks is packed with scene stealing supporting and guest performances by Meg Stalter, Paul W. Downs, Julianne Nicholson, Laurie Metcalf, and more. The final season received a record-breaking 24 Emmy nominations, including a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Jen Statsky co-created Hacks alongside Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs. Statsky previously worked as a writer for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Parks and Recreation, Broad City, and The Good Place.

I sat down with Jen Statsky for a conversation on crafting the pitch document for Hacks, building Ava and Deborah's explosive relationship, and the meta-challenge of writing a show that's all about the writing process.

This week on On Story, a conversation on Abbott Elementary with its co-showrunner Patrick Schumacker. Abbott Elementary is ABC's hit mockumentary sitcom set at a chaotic, underfunded elementary school in West Philadelphia. The show's creator and co-showrunner Quinta Brunson stars as optimistic and energetic second-grade teacher Janine Teagues. She works with the awkward but well meaning Jacob, her fiery no-nonsense mentors Barbara and Melissa, new hire Gregory, and the vain and outlandish Principal Ava. The show has been nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, and has won awards in the acting, writing, and casting categories. Abbott Elementary has run for five seasons on ABC, with a sixth on the way.

Patrick Schumacher is the co-founder of Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions, which, along with Abbott Elementary, has produced HBO Max's hit animated series Harley Quinn, and its spinoff series, Kite Man: Hell Yeah! Schumacher's credits also include the network sitcoms Powerless, and Surviving Jack, as well as iZombie, Cougar Town, and How to be a Gentleman.

I sat down with Patrick Schumacker to discuss his experience working with child actors and building the show's ensemble cast, and the benefits of writing 22-episode seasons.

This week on On Story, we're joined by Justin Simien, the writer-director of the film Dear White People, and the creator of the TV adaptation of the same name, which ran for four seasons on Netflix. The film follows Samantha White, played by Tessa Thompson, a media arts major at a fictional ivy league university who stirs controversy on campus by criticizing her white peers and their racist transgressions on her Dear White People radio show. The TV adaptation expanded in scope to focus on an ensemble of characters at the fictional Winchester University.

Simien began working on the concept for Dear White People in 2006 as a response to his time studying film at a predominantly white institution. In 2012 he created a trailer as proof of concept, which he used as a centerpiece to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign. The film premiered in 2014 to critical and financial success, and the TV adaptation premiered on Netflix three years later. Simien went on to write and direct the horror comedy Bad Hair, and direct the horror comedy Haunted Mansion. Simien is currently executive producing TV projects through his production company Culture Machine.

AFF moderator Casey Baron sat down with Justin Simien for a conversation on Simien's process of using social media to build an audience for Dear White People, his collaborations with Yvette Lee Bowser and Lena Waithe, and the pressures of social responsibility as a Black artist.

This week on On Story, a conversation on the writer-producer relationship with Celine Song and Christine Vachon. Celine Song began her writing career as a playwright. Her first film, Past Lives, follows the relationship between childhood sweethearts living in South Korea, who are separated when one of them emigrates to the United States, only to reunite and rebuild their complicated relationship as adults. Past Lives was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and its script earned Song a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Song's second film, Materialists, follows the love triangle between a New York matchmaker, her wealthy, seemingly perfect match, and her financially challenged, struggling-actor ex-boyfriend. The film was inspired by Song's real-life experience working as a matchmaker.

Christine Vachon is the co-founder of Killer Films, a New York-based production company which has been producing acclaimed independent features since the mid-90s, including both of Song's projects. Vachon has frequently collaborated with director Todd Haynes, producing every one of his feature films, including Carol, Safe, and May December. Vachon's credits also include Kids, I Shot Andy Warhol, Boys Don't Cry, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and many, many more. In television, Vachon has produced Todd Haynes' HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, as well as Netflix's Halston. Past Lives earned Vachon her first Best Picture nomination.

AFF moderator Sally Seitz sat down with Celine Song and Christine Vachon for a conversation on balancing romance and realism in Materialists, fostering good communication as a creative pair, and how Vachon supported Song as a first-time director on the set of Past Lives.

This week on On Story, a conversation with Joanna Calo, showrunner of the character-driven dramedy The Bear. Joanna delves into her experience sharing showrunning duties with creator Christopher Storer, and discusses their approach to incorporating real life events into the show's deeply grounded characters and high stakes world.

As a television veteran, Joanna's writing credits include Bojack Horseman, Hacks, Beef, and today's subject, The Bear. The Bear tells the story of Carmy Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White, an award-winning chef who returns home to Chicago in the wake of his estranged brother's suicide to find that he has inherited the family sandwich shop. Audiences fell in love with The Bear's fast-paced dialogue, anxiety-inducing stakes, and deeply human characters in the show's first season. In season 2, the show's stakes raised even higher as Carmy attempted to open his own fine dining restaurant in Chicago. In today's On Story conversation, Joanna share her insights surrounding the infamous mid-season episode Fishes featuring guest star Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as the well-crafted characters of Richie, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Marcus, played by Lionel Boyce.

Clips of The Bear courtesy of FX.

This week on On Story, a conversation with screenwriter Michael Arndt. Arndt began his screenwriting career on a high when he wrote the script for the family road trip dramedy Little Miss Sunshine. That script earned Arndt the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Next, Arndt wrote the script for Toy Story 3, which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, making Arndt the first ever writer to be nominated in both of the Academy's screenplay categories for his first two scripts. Arndt wrote the script for the second installment in the Hunger Games series, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. A decade later, he co-wrote the script for the prequel film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Arndt also co-wrote the script for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Arndt's website, pandemonium inc. dot com, hosts educational tools for writers, including the full scripts for Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, and his video-seminars on "Beginnings: Setting a Story in Motion", and "Endings: the Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great". AFF moderator Erin Hallagan Clare sat down with Michael Arndt for a conversation on story structure, beginning with his advice for creating high stakes, and writing great endings.

This week on On Story, we're joined by comedian and screenwriter Tim Herlihy for a look back at the beloved 90s romcom The Wedding Singer.

Set in 80s New Jersey, the film follows the romantic misfortunes of Robbie Hart, a rock-star turned wedding singer played by Adam Sandler, whose life is thrown off track when his fiance dumps him on their wedding day. Robbie's love life is further complicated when he starts developing feelings for his friend Julia, a waitress, played by Drew Barrymore, who's feeling discouraged because her businessman fiance has yet to commit to a date for their wedding.

Tim Herlihy started his accidental comedy career writing standup material for his friend Adam Sandler while they were roommates at NYU. When Sandler was hired at Saturday Night Live, he and Herlihy continued their working friendship, with Herlihy writing material for Sandler in an unofficial capacity. While working as a lawyer, Herlihy wrote the script for Billy Madison, with Sandler as his co-writer. Herlihy continued working with Sandler on the scripts for Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Hubie Halloween, and more. In 1994, Herlihy was officially brought onto the writing staff at SNL, where he rose through the ranks to serve as head writer and producer. In 2006, Herlihy co-wrote the book, and two songs, for the Broadway adaptation of The Wedding Singer, earning him a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical.

Barbara Morgan sat down with Tim Herlihy for a conversation on his experience working with Adam Sandler on the duo's first romcom, negotiating with studios, and handing the reins to Carrie Fisher, whose rewrite ended up saving the script.

Wedding Singer clips courtesy of New Line Productions, Inc.

This week on On Story, a conversation with Shane Black on his work co-writing and directing The Nice Guys. Set in 70s Los Angeles, The Nice Guys stars Ryan Gosling as Holland March, a down-on-his-luck private detective and single father hired to investigate the death of a local adult film star. March's detective work puts him on a collision course with the brass-knuckle-wearing private enforcer Jackson Healy, played by Russell Crowe. Healy and March form an unlikely team as their investigation leads them deeper and deeper into the corrupt and crumbling industries of porn, politics, and auto manufacturing. The Nice Guys also features scene-stealing supporting performances by Margaret Qualley and Angourie Rice. Shane Black has a long resume as a writer and director in the thriller and action-comedy genres. In the 80s and 90s, Black wrote the scripts for Lethal Weapon, The Last Boyscout, and The Long Kiss Goodbye. In 2005, Black made his directorial debut with the neo-noir crime-comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Black co-wrote and directed Iron Man 3, which combined his signature dark-comedy with a more serious exploration of Tony Stark's struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Following The Nice Guys, Black co-wrote and directed the sci-fi thriller The Predator. Black recently co-wrote and directed the heist thriller Play Dirty starring Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield. I sat down with Shane Black for a conversation on The Nice Guys' beginnings as an experimental writing exercise, its legacy as a cult-favorite "midnight movie", and his love of protagonists who are past their primes and in over their heads. Clips of the Nice Guys courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.