Creative Principles

“I moved out to LA in 1999 with my best friend from high school. Every summer in college, we would write a screenplay. We were waiters during the day and then at night we would write,” says Lee Eisenberg. “Primarily, we would write comedies, or at least what we were attempting to be comedies.”

Eventually, the partnership dissolved. Eisenberg’s friend got a real job and he eventually landed a PA job on the film, Bedazzled. “I was the office PA and I met an intern named Gene Stupnitsky (No Hard Feelings) who was working for Harold Ramis.”

“We started writing together, sold a few ideas to Larry David for Curb Your Enthusiasm, then wrote a pilot about two loser magicians who were roommates and just trying to get ahead. We were the two losers,” he jokes. “We sold it to Fox. It never got made, but that was our writing sample. We got hired on The Office. Funny enough, Harold read it, liked it, and hired us to co-write the movie Year One with him.”

“When we were first starting off, I think jokes ruled. I’m very proud of that initial pilot, but it has no pathos. It could be animated to a certain extent. It had a lot of similarities to Flight of the Conchords or Arrested Development and less so, The Office.”

These days, Eisenberg is best known for writing The Office, Bad Teacher, Hello Ladies, Good Boys, WeCrashed, Little America, and two new series, Jury Duty and Lessons in Chemistry. 

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

The son of an actor, Australian screenwriter Abe Forsythe grew up around creatives. “I spent a lot of time backstage as a kid,” he says. “Sitting in the green room, watching Dad perform. Subconsciously, it made me realize you can have a career following your creative path.”

Outside of his immediate influences, Forsythe was influenced by the early work of Peter Jackson, specially a horror film called Bad Taste. “I became obsessed with it. There was something about the fact that he made that movie on his own, shot in New Zealand over four years, playing two roles himself, doing the effects himself.”

This self-reliant approach, along with watching other Jackson films like Braindead with an audience, sparked something inside of Forsythe. “Seeing his progression from Bad Taste to Meet the Feebles to Brainddead to Heavenly Creatures, I thought, ‘This guy can do anything.’”

“I feel like I’m still chasing how those movies and those experiences made me feel.” In his own work, Forsythe has gained some notoriety for films like Down Under, Little Monsters, and the recent series, Wolf Like Me. “I’m trying to connect to that inner child,” says the screenwriter.

Blending the personal within the lanes of genre, the show is about an emotional wreck named Gary who struggles to provide for his wife after the death of his wife. This is when he meets Mary, a woman with a secret she can’t bring herself to tell another being.

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

“You get to a point where it hurts more not to make than to make,” says author and writing coach Daniel Willcocks. “I know how I work best.”

Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author and award-nominated podcaster of dark fiction. This is our second call, so make sure to also check out Episode 258 for more.

In this interview, we talk about getting 11 million downloads, the making of Dream, fascinations with cosmic horror, his 50k writing challenge, creating communities where you serve but also get help, and how to market your work both in terms of fiction and non-fiction.

Follow @WillsocksAuthor on Instagram for more info.

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

“I met Stuart Gordon in high school,” began Dennis Paoli. “We overlapped in several ways. We had the same sense of humor and loved the same movies and books.” This led to sketch comedy in early years, but later in life, the duo focused on horror.

In Paoli’s latest film, Suitable Flesh, Joe Lynch leads Heather Graham in the story of a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with one of her young patients, who she later discovers is linked to an ancient curse.

In this interview, we discuss adapting H.P. Lovecraft’s work, how partnerships helped him finish work, telling an adaptation before the title credits, the question of identity in horror, how this script was revived after 20 years, and working with Director Stuart Gordon on Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Body Snatchers.

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

“I spent most of my career in advertising,” says George Olson. “I had always wanted to write for movies and television, but I live in Colorado, not exactly the screenwriting mecca of North America, so I started reading scripts, screenplays, and just started writing.”

As a former copywriter and creative director, Olson his start really came from “writing bad screenplays.” He continues, “That’s the only way to eventually write good screenplays.” He read all of the big books on the subject and many interviews from Creative Screenwriting as a foundation.

“I started entering some competitions and I won a couple of screenwriting contests. There was just enough encouragement. It’s like playing golf. You can hit terrible shots the whole day, then hit one beautiful shot, and then you love the game.”

Thanks to these early wins, Olson was on a path to meet producers and pitch ideas. He eventually developed a project with Barry Sonnenfield (Men in Black) and John Turturro (The Big Lebowski). “For an advertising writer in Colorado, it was fairly heady stuff.”

One particular idea gained some traction, but Olson’s reps told him to transition it to a television idea. “I read every pilot I could get my hands on, starting writing television, and found that I loved it.” The screenwriter is best known for creating the series, Surreal Estate, a series about Real Estate agents who deal with haunted houses.

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

“I always had a camera growing up. I know that’s cheesy, but I didn’t know it could be a job,” says writer-director Anna Zlokovic. “I didn’t know what to do with that interest. No one in my family did film. No one I knew did film, so I ended up going to music school to study music-business.”

While at USC, Zlokovic realized it wasn’t a fit. Across the street from music, she found Film School. She took a few classes and made a movie, but thought she might get into sound. Eventually, feeling out multiple jobs led her to writing and directing.

“I got some feedback from my first project, but at the time, I was cripplingly shy. Directing and writing gave me permission to have a voice and share my perspective. I’m still trying to do it ten years later,” she jokes.

The goal wasn’t always horror, as she didn’t grow up watching horror films, but she did have any interest in monster films. “My parents had a box of movies. I watched E.T. and Jurassic Park over and over and over again. I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Then I watched Eraserhead in college and thought, cinema can do this?”

In Appendage, "A young fashion designer's life spirals as her darkest inner thoughts manifest into something gruesome- that won't stop growing.” Zlokovic said she saw some crossover with E.T. in her latest project.

“Horror somewhat came as an accident,” she clarifies. “The first movie I made came from a very dark place, where I was trying to have a cathartic experience through my art. It was sad and dark, but people [liked it], so that sort of naturally led into horror.”

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

Scott McConnell is a story consultant and script developer who helps ambitious producers and screenwriters develop their concepts, themes and plots to create resonant scripts in order to advance their careers.

Known as “the story guy,” Scott has over 30,000 followers of LinkedIn, where he frequently publishes advice on writing screenplays and producing films.

In this interview, we talk about Scott’s love for visual storytelling, how most novice screenplays miss theme altogether, his secret for researching historical scripts, where to find copyright free material, omissions in story, the beauty of Star Trek, and how to craft work that the market actually wants to buy.

Reach out to Scott here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottamcconnell/

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!

The film ‘On Fire’ “follows a family who lives in a trailer home in the woods and are suddenly confronted by a wildfire. Survival becomes their main objective.”

In this interview, director Nick Lyon and editor Don Money talk about the making of their new film, we go into the weeds about post-production, the importance of a good director-editor relationship, creating a short-hand with key team members, why speed is so important in independent films, 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!

Jennifer Hamady started her career as a professional singer. “There was no Plan B,” she said. “But I never fancied myself a writer.” She loved lyrics, started writing, and this is one piece of the puzzle that led to her writing books. “A lot of people had problems that seemed technical, but were actually emotional.”

Known as “the Voice Whisperer,” she’s a coach, a counselor, a speaker, a singer, and an author. She’s recorded, performed, or toured with people like Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Kid Rock, Jessica Simpson, and countless others.

In this interview, Jennifer talks about her journey as an author, what singing was designed to be, the pros and cons of American Idol or The Voice, how trends change in music, practicing in the face of anxiety, along with practical and emotional pieces of being creative.

Learn more or book a session here: https://findingyourvoice.com/

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!

Bitten by the acting bug in college, while teaching, Michael Jai White began auditioning for commercials and acting gigs on weekends and summer breaks. Michael landed the lead role of Tom Robinson in the first Off-Broadway adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Before long, Michael would go on to guest star on such hit television shows as Saved by the Bell, Martin, NYPT Blue, and CSI. Proving his acting ability, Michael would soon be cast for the lead role of legendary boxer Mike Tyson in the HBO biopic Tyson which solidified his legitimacy as a dramatic actor in Hollywood.

Michael was then cast to play the title character in the movie Spawn which came with the distinction of being the first black superhero in a major motion picture. As he cemented his Hollywood status as a bonafide action star, more diverse roles emerged that allowed him to showcase his physical prowess as well as display his on-screen charisma and comedic ability in such films as Exit Wounds, Undisputed 2, Silver Hawk, Blood & Bone, Black Dynamite and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I Get Married Too playing opposite Tasha Smith.

He’s currently the star and director of Outlaw Johnny Black. The plot reads, “Hell bent on avenging the death of his father, Johnny Black vows to gun down Brett Clayton and becomes a wanted man in the process. He goes into hiding, posing as a preacher in a small mining town that's been taken over by a notorious Land Baron.”

This is a special interview associated with my first documentary, Daredevil Society, a series about the history of stunt performers, including everyone from Buster Keaton to Jackie Chan to Zoe Bell to Keanu Reeves. Learn more or become an investor here:

www.daredevilsociety.com/docuseries

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!