Creative Principles

Melissa Ponzio is an actress best known for her iconic role as Melissa McCall, the dedicated single mother of Scott in the MTV's hit series Teen Wolf.

Coming up, she’ll be returning to the screen in the second season of Apple TV+'s comedy The Big Door Prize, created by Emmy Award winner David West Read.

Her recent work includes starring alongside Kevin Hart in the action-comedy series Die Hart and appearing in the Netflix original film Thunder Force with Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy.

In this interview, we talk about her influences and career path, the growth of the film industry in Atlanta, industry insights, and more!

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy!

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 of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Tom Hamling recently went out on his own, departing from Austin-based ad agency, GSD&M, to found Nashville-based ad agency, THE MAYOR.

He's got quite the resume, having produced award-winning work in four straight Super Bowls for Avocados From Mexico and RadioShack. He's also a contributing factor in the famous Farmers Insurance jingle "We Are Farmers" and starting the infamous Popeye's Chicken Wars.

Tom's work has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes, and the Guinness Book of World Records. Four pieces of his work are in the permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

We also mention actress Alice Wetterlund, who was on the show back in Episode 333.

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on hundreds of interviews here at Creative Principles.

Andrew Fleming is the executive producer and director of the hit Emmy-nominated series, Emily in Paris, returning to Netflix with part one of Season 4 on August 15.

Fleming has been with the show since the beginning, executive producing and directing the pilot episode and directing at least half of each season’s episodes.

Fleming is a screenwriter and director with a long track record of hits, including The Craft, the feature film Dick, starring Kirsten Dunst; and Darren Starr’s previous series Younger.

In this interview, we talk about his transition from film school to a professional career, the development of his personal style and artistic vision, the new season of Emily in Paris, The Craft, plus some advice for aspiring filmmakers.

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy!

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 of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Attica Locke is an award-winning screenwriter, TV producer, and NY Times best-selling novelist. Her novels include: Heaven, My Home; Bluebird, Bluebird; Pleasantville; The Cutting Season; and Black Water Rising.

Her latest book, Guide Me Home, marks the third and final in the critically acclaimed Highway 59 series. Her screenwriting/producer credits also include When They See Us, Empire, and the Emmy-nominated Little Fires Everywhere, for which she won an NAACP Image award for television writing.

In this interview, we talk about the current state of the industry, including the dominance of IP and the challenges of pitching original ideas, the process of creating complex characters, her creative process, and more!

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy!

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 of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

“I’ve had a single-minded focus on it,” says Alex Saks, about her love for movies. She attended Wake Forest to study history but then quickly moved to Los Angeles and found an unpaid internship. “Then I just went from there.”

She’s known for projects like Thoroughbreds, The Florida Project, Book Club, Poms, No Hard Feelings, Summer Camp, and most recently, the Blake Likely film, It Ends With Us.

In this interview, she talks about the point of being a producer is to “not be noticed,” working with Mark Gordon (Saving Private Ryan), how amazing voices can come from anywhere, the secret of “easily sellable elements,” living with characters, making it impossible for studios to say “no,” and making great emotional movies in 2024.

We also reference the Twitter account Shit My Dad Says, from Justin Halpern, Episode 409.

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on hundreds of interviews here at Creative Principles.

“I didn’t see it as a business,” says creator Alma Har'el. “It was a calling that was on my mind. I didn’t start as a filmmaker. I was many things on the way there — theater, video arts, music videos, documentaries — it just sort of unfolded over years until I got to make my first film.”

Alma’s first writing credit is Lady in the Lake, but as a Director, she’s known for Bombay Beach, LoveTrue, Jellywolf, and the Shia LaBeouf inspired story, Honey Boy. “At first, it was just an attraction. I can’t really explain it — it controlled my dreams.”

While hosting a television show, she knew she wanted to direct. “I started with photography, then music videos, and VJ. With VJing, you play live visuals in clubs and music concerts while everyone is high on Molly and acid. No one is looking at the screen,” she jokes, “but you’re connected with them in your mind.”

“I think that was my first dream, to play visuals as if they were music or an instrument on stage. It was a need to have an extension of my dreams.” This led her to working with musicians like Beirut, Paul Smith, Jack Peñate, Sigur Rós, and even Bob Dylan.

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on hundreds of interviews here at Creative Principles.

Niclas Larsson was a child actor who got interested in directing short films around age twelve. “I watched cheap American movies from the 90s,” says the Swedish writer-director, “And I loved them. I didn’t get into serious cinema until maybe 15-16, but I didn’t like them until I was probably 20.” 

Comedies like Freaky Friday and 13 Going on 30 shaped his thinking on cinema. “I deal with magical realism and surrealism and heightened reality.” In some ways, Larsson hopes to model Quentin Tarantino, who also appreciates “cheap movies” and turns them into more complex narratives. 

In his latest film, Mother Couch, three adult children (Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, and Lara Flynn Boyle) are brought together when their mother (Ellen Burstyn) refuses to move from a couch in a nearly abandoned furniture store. 

“I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. They didn’t care about [R-ratings] and loved horror, so I remember watching The Shining around age 10 and realizing it was something else. I felt immersed in an experience of cinema. It wasn’t feel-good. I felt worse, but I was immersed in it.”

Films like Requiem for a Dream, There Will Be Blood, The Dark Knight, and No Country for Old Men made him think, “How can I do that? How can I do what we call cinema?” 

“I’ve been going around with Mother Couch for about a year. I have a lot of walk-outs. It’s a provocative movie and it’s not for everybody. I didn’t intend for it to be for everybody, but with each screening, a bunch of kids stayed and it did something for them.”

Mother, Couch will be available for streaming on September 13th.

As a special note, this was part of our new LIVE interview series in partnership with Buzztown, a community for serious screenwriters, where students also participated in this interview. You can learn more or join the waitlist here:

forms.gle/RNaoVrdU9afWpykWA

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!

For more than a decade, Micky and a band of talented misfits and creative minds have grown the agency from a small, digital-first shop to a thriving, 58-person agency that’s distinctive product-led approach has attracted partnerships with iconic brands like Shiner Beer, De’Lorean, Pepsi, Diageo, Nike, Audi, NatureSweet and others.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Micky immigrated to Austin in 2005, where he embarked on his career journey at Latinworks. Soon after, he launched Bakery, which slowly and steadily has built a reputation for a unique, product-centric approach to working with clients.

In this interview, we talk about his agency Bakery, the return to craft, small agencies and brands doing great work, personal branding for writers, and more!

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy!

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 of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Jimmy Tatro is an actor, writer, director, and creator who began his career on YouTube and has since become one of the most sought-after young talents in comedy.

Some of his credits include Sony's 22 Jump Street opposite Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, Grown Ups 2, and Modern Family.

His latest project The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie, follows his character Xander as he and his squad embark on a journey to become the dopest versions of themselves in time to flex on all of their old classmates in their 10-year high school reunion.

In this interview, we talk about his early career and influences, his transition from YouTube to mainstream acting, the creation of The Real Bros of Simi Valley, plus advice for aspiring comedic creators.

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy!

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 of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Janine Sherman Barrois is an award-winning writer and showrunner known for her work on Claws, Criminal Minds, ER, and Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker starring Octavia Spencer.

Her latest project, The Big Cigar, follows Huey P. Newton's life as he escapes to Cuba to avoid prosecution for murder with the help of Bert Schneider, the Hollywood producer behind Easy Rider, as well as a few other celebrity radicals.

In this interview, we talk about her journey into becoming a screenwriter, how her career progressed from writing comedy to drama, the differences between writing for short-order vs long-order television shows, the importance of mentorship and networking for aspiring writers, and much more.

Want more? Steal my first book, Ink by the Barrel - Secrets From Prolific Writers right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy!

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 of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!