Creative Principles

Ben Schwartz (Parks & Recreation) and Noël Wells (Master of None) star in the Netflix hit, ‘Happy Anniversary.’ Written and directed by Jared Stern, the film highlights a couple on their third anniversary, but they are having seconds thoughts about proceeding with their relationship.

Jared Stern talks about his many writing credits, such as ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins,’ ‘The Watch,’ ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’ ‘The Internship,’ ‘The LEGO Batman Movie,’ and his new film and directorial debut, ‘Happy Anniversary.’

In this interview, Stern discusses early mentorships, saying “yes” to work versus saying “no” to work, the myth of the one-page-one-minute trick, his morning visualization process, why he wanted to be Steven Spielberg and not Indiana Jones as a kid, and his upcoming animated project, ‘Green Eggs and Ham.'

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Filmmaker Peter Kunhardt chronicles the last few years of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and portrays a conflicted leader who, after the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, faced an onslaught of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.

Thanks to revelatory conversations with his inner circle of friends, the film unearths a stirring new perspective into Dr. King’s character, his radical doctrine of nonviolence, and his internal philosophical struggles prior to his assassination in 1968.

In this interview, we speak with Trey Ellis. The EP is an American Book Award Winning novelist, Peabody-winning and Emmy-nominated screenwriter, playwright and Associate Professor of Screenwriting in the Graduate School of Film at Columbia University.

One of Mr. Ellis’ first screenplays, 'The Inkwell,' was sold to Touchstone Pictures and produced. He was nominated for an Emmy for writing the HBO film, 'The Tuskegee Airmen' starring Lawrence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding, Jr.

The film went on to win a Peabody and several NAACP Image Awards. His screenplay for the Showtime film 'Good Fences,' which starred Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover and was produced by Spike Lee, was shortlisted by PEN Center West for best teleplay of the year.

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Screenwriter and Emmy-winning actor Michael Imperioli has just published his first novel, 'The Perfume Burned His Eyes.' The story follows a 17-year old who has been compared to Holden Caulfield, minus the cynicism. But, the most appealing aspect of the book is arguably the author’s fascination with rock icon, Lou Reed.

In the story, protagonist Matthew is a teenager who doesn’t know his father. His mother decides they should move from the Queens apartment to Manhattan, circa 1976. There, he meets a fictionalized version of Lou Reed, who later becomes somewhat of a mentor and somewhat of a father-figure.

The book has received praise from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and even author Joyce Carol Oates. The author described the debut novel as “Vividly imagined, compelling, and sympathetic… 'The Perfume Burned His Eyes' convinced with the force of its emotional intensity.”

Most fans will recognize Michael Imperioli from his days on 'The Sopranos,' but his ever-extending resume also includes 'Goodfellas,' 'Summer of Sam,' and 'The Lovely Bones.' In addition, some of his more recent television appearances include shows like 'Blue Bloods,' 'Lucifer,' and the new comedy, 'Alex Inc.'

In this exclusive interview, Michael Imperioli talks about his evolution as a writer, the difference in prose and screenplays, some of his favorite authors, and of course, his fascination with rock legend, Lou Reed.

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Inspired by his father to become a filmmaker, Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais got his start as an actor and writer, before he got into editing and directing. By wearing many hats, he got to learn every angle of the process.

His new film, ‘Birthmarked,’ stars Matthew Goode and Toni Collette. In the movie, two scientists try to raise three children contrarily to their genetic tendencies in an effort to prove the truth about nurture over nature.

In this interview, the director talks about proper communication with cast and crew, shooting what’s essential, his writing process with Marc Tulin, knowing entry and exit points for a scene, and proper blocking, storyboarding, and beyond.

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The book, 'Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine' is the story of one man’s ego, 1960s youth culture, and the history of rock and roll, all jammed into one. Like the magazine, the book covers power, fame, and politics through unbelievable stories involving icons of rock.

The book provides vivid details about John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Pete Townsend, Yoko Ono, Billy Joel, Cameron Crowe, Lorne Michaels, Andy Warhol, Dan Aykroyd, Bette Midler, and Rolling Stone contributor, Hunter S. Thompson, among others.

Rolling Stone creator and editor Jann Wenner gave exclusive access to Joe Hagan for this book, even if that meant making himself look bad on occasion. Wenner, often described as both a promoter and backstabber, gave Hagan access to conversations and images from the greatest superstars in history.

In this exclusive interview, author Joe Hagan talks about his chance encounter with Jann Wenner in a coffee shop, his career as a journalist, 1960s counterculture, and finally, the importance and danger of “grasping at greatness.”

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Joe Kelly came up with the idea for ‘I Kill Giants’ during a visit to the hospital. In the movie, “Barbara Thorson struggles through life by escaping into a fantasy life of magic and monsters,” but there’s much more to the story.

Kelly is the writer behind ‘Ultimate Spider-Man,’ ‘Avengers Assemble,’ ‘Deadpool,’ ‘Ben 10’ and ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.’

In this interview, the writer talks about having the nugget of an idea and allowing his mind to free flow, the importance of thorough outlines, what it’s like to collaborate on a comic book, and the divide between education and information when writing for young readers.

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Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of the critically acclaimed husband and wife team Alexandra Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. Their internationally best-selling Joona Linna series has sold twelve million copies in forty languages. They were both established writers before they adopted the pen name Lars Kepler, and have each published several acclaimed novels. They live in Stockholm, Sweden.

In this interview, the couple discusses their new book in America, ‘The Sandman,’ how they made the important and difficult decision to work as collaborators, how writing together can be like jazz, and the logistics of writing fiction 8-10 hours a day, every day, for a year.

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‘The Forgiven’ is a story about compassion. When director Roland Joffé saw the play by Michael Ashton, he knew he wanted to turn the conversation into a film. In the movie, it’s the end of Apartheid and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Forest Whitaker) meets with a brutal murderer (Eric Bana) seeking redemption.

Director Roland Joffé is perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated films, ‘The Mission’ (Robert DeNiro) and ‘The Killing Fields’ (Sam Waterston). In this interview, he talks about the realism in his films, his complex and personal casting process to find an actor’s “flow,” and the importance of forgiveness, compassion, and human connection in life.

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From creators Paul Rust, Lesley Arfin and Judd Apatow comes the Netflix show 'Love,' which explores the relationship between Mickey Dobs (Gillian Jacobs) and Gus Cruikshank (Paul Rust), following them through that delicate period between meeting someone you like, and making it work with them.

Paul Rust’s previous writing credits include 'Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday,' 'Comedy Bang! Bang!,' 'Arrested Development,' 'Rob & Big,' and he’s also been seen on screen in 'Super Fun Night,' 'Parks and Recreation,' and 'Inglorious Basterds.'

In this interview, Paul Rust talks about 'Love,' writing with Judd Apatow, and the freedom of Netflix. Season 3 is now available to stream.

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In the film, ‘Beast of Burden,’ Sean Haggerty only has an hour to deliver his illegal cargo. An hour to reassure a drug cartel, a hitman, and the DEA that nothing is wrong. An hour to make sure his wife survives. And he must do it all from the cockpit of his Cessna.

Swedish director Jesper Ganslandt talks about his previous films, ‘The Ape’ and ‘Jimmie.’ In addition, he describes his influences for ‘Beast of Burden,’ the importance of a score like ‘Sicario,’ big concepts in a single location, how to properly withhold information from an audience for tension, and how to create devices for uncertainty and suspense.

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