In this episode of “The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast”, we sit down with a master storyteller: writer/director/producer Steve de Souza. You may not know Steve’s name, but you definitely know his work: 48 Hrs, Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Commando, Streetfighter, Judge Dredd, Beverly Hills Cop 2. Steve practically invented the modern action picture. He’s one of a handful of writers in the “Two Billion Dollars Club”. Those are writers whose collective work has brought in over two billion bucks. Steve’s made a lot of people a lot of money telling a lot of stories. Funny thing is? You’ll never hear another story like Steve’s. Steve de Souza has a story all right!

Gil and I first met Steve when he wrote and directed an episode of “Tales From The Crypt” during our first season on the show. In “Carrion Death”, Kyle Maclachlan plays a murderous bank robber who’s on the run after a heist goes bad. He tries to escape a relentless motorcycle cop who chases him across the desert. It’s pretty much a one-man show; Kyle’s very good. For Steve, it was one more highlight in a career filled with them.

In this, part one of our interview with Steve, he’ll tell his own genesis story including why he refers to himself as a proud “Jewmaican”. You and I may have family histories, Steve has a family saga that includes a pirate. Did we mention that Steve de Souza has a story?

We’ll follow Steve from the moment he realized he wanted to be a movie maker to the moment he began to achieve it. He epitomizes the “anything can happen” nature of show business like few others. There’s no better illustration than Steve’s first week in LA. He went from zero to sixty in record time. It’s a hell of a story!

Before he became one of the screenwriting gods, Steve conquered television. He wrote for The Gemini Man, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, V, Super Carrier and Knight Rider. TV taught Steve to be quick and good. And how to tell all kinds of stories.

So, settle in for Part One of a real treat as Steve de Souza tells his story.