Creative Principles

“It was the magic of the environment that drew me in. The idea that you could tell a story, and the live audience follows it, and they could be a part of it, emotionally involved, if it was engaging,” actor Giancarlo Esposito told me about his childhood as an actor.

You know him best as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, Buggin Out in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, and Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, but Giancarlo has over 200 credits as an actor.

His latest series, Parish, “Follows a taxi driver whose life is turned upside down when he agrees to pick-up a Zimbabwean gangster mostly known for exploiting undocumented immigrants at the U.S. southern ports.”

In this interview, we talk about regulating energy as an actor, the differences in stage and acting for camera, confidence as a 10-year-old Broadway star, his half-Italian half-African American background, and how he connects emotionally to characters and projects.

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.

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!

Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne are a dynamic couple in the entertainment industry.

Tig is a renowned stand-up comedian, writer, actress, and radio contributor, celebrated for her deadpan humor and unique storytelling style. She gained widespread recognition with her critically acclaimed album "Live" and her Amazon Prime series "One Mississippi."

Stephanie Allynne is an actress, writer, and comedian known for her roles in "In a World..." and "Dream Corp LLC," as well as her writing and performing on the show "Transparent."

Their new film 'Am I OK?' follows Lucy and Jane, who have been best friends their entire lives. When Lucy embarks on a personal journey, she will face a test of her friendship, and her sense of self, on a path she may not be entirely ready to take.

In this interview, we talk about their experience writing together, finding their voice, how they got involved with the film 'Am I OK?', how they know when an idea is good, advice for comedy 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!

“Honestly, and I know it sounds sentimental, but when I became a writer, I held Pixar out as my beacon,” says Meg LeFauve. “At the time, I thought some of the best storytelling was coming out of Pixar and I had heard about the Brain Trust room. I thought the scariest, most thrilling thing I could do is be in that room as a writer with those Story Brains.”

Everybody told Meg it was impossible and that “they don’t even hire writers.” She adds, “But, you have to do what your gut tells you and you don’t go in a straight line, but I eventually got to go in and meet on a project.” She didn’t get hired on the first meeting but did land the job on Inside Out. 

Dave Holstein says, “In college, I remember watching the short film collections from Pixar and being endlessly moved by the work they were doing and that was one of my big career goals. 1. Run a TV show. 2. Write a Pixar movie. These things seemed too far away.”

Holstein initially met on Toy Story 4, didn’t get the first job, but was asked to meet on Onward and then, Inside Out 2. “It was a great combination of scheduling luck and having been on their list for a long time.” The screenwriter created the Jim Carrey series Kidding between Pixar meetings. 

As far as ongoing work with Pixar, the writers say you really need to be comfortable in a Writer’s Room and you need to be able to think and pitch ideas on the spot. “It doesn’t mean you have to come from television, but there’s that element to it. You’re with the Director and you come out of a screening and you have to pitch ideas how to fix it on your feet.”

Many writers start as “weekly” pitchers. “They want to know if you fit into this flow. Can you pitch on your feet? A lot of writers listen and then pitch so there’s no one way to do it, but that’s an element of working there that isn’t for all writers,” confirms LeFauve. “Like TV, the job is to serve a greater vision,” adds Holstein.

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.

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!

Geraldine DeRuiter is an acclaimed author, world-renowned public speaker, and the voice behind the award-winning Everywhereist blog.

In her latest book 'If You Can’t Take the Heat,' Geraldine shares stories about her shockingly true, painfully funny (and sometimes just painful) adventures in gastronomy.

In this interview, we talk about her blog, finding your voice as a writer, what makes a good idea, the stories behind her two books, and the origin of the incredibly clever tagline, an award-winning cry for help.

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!

Ken Coleman is a career expert and #1 bestselling author of The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead to the Career You Love.

At Ramsey Solutions, he hosts The Ken Coleman Show, a nationally syndicated radio show—part of the Ramsey Network—that airs in more than 35 cities across the U.S. every weekday.

Ken is America’s Career Coach and has appeared on shows like Fox & Friends, Yahoo! Finance, and the Rachael Ray Show.

In this interview, we talked about his first book, working with Dave Ramsey, interviewing tips, his latest book 'Find the Work You’re Wired to Do', the 'Get Clear Career Assessment' 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!

Stephen Camelio is a freelance writer and former editor at In Style magazine. His work has appeared in countless publications including ESPN The Magazine, Field & Stream, Entertainment Weekly, and Men's Journal.

His latest film 'Mending the Line,' follows a Marine wounded in Afghanistan who is sent to a V.A. facility in Montana where he meets a Vietnam Vet who teaches him how to fly fish as a way of dealing with his emotional and physical trauma.

In this interview, we talk about how he found his writing voice, how he got a film on Netflix without a manager or agent, how to create a good pitch 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 hundreds of interviews here at Creative Principles.

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!

“I always knew that I wanted to write in some way. My mother is a writer and I kind of just grew up around writing and literature,” says Lulu Wang. “But, it felt like such a lonely art form, so when I got to college, that was the first time I thought about filmmaking as a career.”

Like many viewers, she hadn’t thought much about the writer behind her favorite shows and movies. “I took a 101 class and that’s when I started to really understand how films and TV are made. We got to make a couple short films, I got to work with my friends, and it was wonderful to be able to create and re-create a story multiple times.”

Wang has seven credits on IMDb including The Farewell and most recently, Expats. The Farewell stars Awkwafina, and it follows a Chinese family who discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live, but they decide to keep this from her and focus on scheduling a wedding before she dies. 

In Expats, Nicole Kidman stars as Margaret Woo, an expatriate living in Hong Kong when tragedy befalls her family. “I feel like my style is still evolving,” says Wang. “I’m still learning, but I think early on, the stuff I was drawn to were films that ask an interesting question. I’m just fascinated by people, the way they behave, and human psychology and sociology.”

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.

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!

“I didn’t really know I was allowed to be a screenwriter, so I didn’t consider that as a career or life option growing up Southeast of England,” says Drew Pearce. “People I knew didn’t go to University and they definitely didn’t work in movies.”

“Throughout my life, I have shown a staggering lack of imagination in thinking I can do these jobs. But when I meet a person who does the job, I do think, ‘Well, if they can do it, I can do it,’” he jokes. After exploring paths as a musician, a magazine writer, and the comic scene, he eventually created a sitcom in the UK.

The show received mixed reviews in the UK, but found its way to America where it found some traction. “I just so happened to do a show about off-duty superheroes, set in a pub, the same year that Iron Man came out, so those things dove-tailed.” The series was called No Heroics.

Thanks to the show, this eventually led to a meeting with Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios) and work on projects such as Iron Man 3, Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Lego Marvel’s Avengers, Hotel Artemis, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, and most recently, The Fall Guy.

“Kevin Feige forced us together,” he says about his collaboration with Shane Black. “Legendary screenwriter Shane Black did not want me as a co-writer,” he jokes. “It was an arranged marriage that could have been incredibly short-lived. Shane was the Director so he had the power to fire me, but I had grown up with Shane’s movies and there’s a huge part of what I do.”

“But honestly, there was an organic exchange of tones. He liked that I came from comedy and I liked how American his stuff is.” Black’s credits also include Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys, and The Predator.

“Weirdly, like two characters in a Shane Black movie — the grizzled old veteran and the arrogant younger copy — we learned from each other and a bond was formed.” That said, over the last 14 years, Pearce has written or worked on 60+ movies, including unmade specs, but he’s only known for the action-comedies listed above.

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.

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!

Zainab Johnson is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. Her comedy is based on her unique point-of-view, shaped growing up in Harlem as one of thirteen siblings in a black Muslim family.

Zainab debuted her very first one-hour comedy special 'Hijabs Off' on Amazon Prime Video, and is currently a series regular on the Amazon Original hit series titled 'Upload' from Greg Daniels. She is also one of the hosts for Netflix's show '100 Humans.'

In this interview, we talk about the importance of contextualization, why stand-up is a storytelling art, the pressure of putting out content, crowd work, the effect social media has on jokes, 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!

Adele Parks MBE is one of the most-loved and biggest-selling women's fiction writers in the UK. She has sold over 5 million plus copies and has been translated into over 30 different languages.

She has published 21 novels, all of which have been London Times bestsellers.

The film adaptation of her book 'The Image of You,' starring Sasha Pieterse, follows the story of two identical twins, Anna and Zoe. When Anna meets a stock trader, she thinks he's perfect, but Zoe doesn't trust him, so she sets out to discover the truth about him.

'The Image Of You' was released In Select Theatres and is Available to Buy on Digital on May 10, 2024.

In this interview, we talked about how she found her writing voice, how she pitched her first novel, being vulnerable on the page, the benefits of having a pseudonym, and her novel 'The Image of You.'

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!