USC School of Cinematic Arts Conversations With... Speakers Series Podcast

Jane Anderson is an award-winning writer/director whose work has spanned film, television and theater. A California native, Anderson started her career in New York theatre, appearing in David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago. Her stage work led to a series of television jobs including The Facts of Life and The Wonder Years. In the '90s, Anderson branched into feature film, writing It Could Happen to You (1994), and adapting How to Make an American Quilt (1995). Most recently she adapted and directed The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005). Anderson was a featured guest at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Screen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode of the Zaki Gordon Speakers Series podcast.

Stephen Chbosky wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, Rent (2005). Chbosky also co-created and serves as executive producer of the CBS post-apocalyptic drama, Jericho. He is currently writing the screenplay adaptation of Marti Leimbach's novel Daniel Isn't Talking for Fox 2000 and actor Julia Roberts. Chbosky was a featured guest at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Screen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode of the Zaki Gordon Speakers Series podcast.

Jamie Vanderbilt is a writer/producer with a penchant for dark dramas, including the murder mystery Basic (2003) and the serial killer chiller Zodiac (2007). A 1999 graduate of the School of Cinematic Arts screenwriting program, Vanderbilt spent an afternoon speaking with students about the ins and outs of writing and the entertainment industry. Vanderbilt was a featured guest at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Screen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode of the Zaki Gordon Speakers Series podcast.

Simon Kinberg is a British-born writer whose work on projects such as X-Men: The Last Stand and Mr. and Mrs. Smith has made him one of Hollywood's hottest scribes and earned him accolades such as being named by Premiere Magazine as "New Power" Screenwriter of the Year in 2005. Kinberg was a featured guest at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Screen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode of the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series podcast.

Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg are the writing force behind the 2004 hit comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. The film depicts the lives of two 20-something stoner roommates - one a Korean-American investment banker; the other an Indian-American medical school candidate - go through a life-changing journey, as they spend a night roaming the state of New Jersey in search of White Castle hamburgers. The duo are currently at work on the sequel, Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam, which is due out in 2007. Hurwitz and Schlossberg were featured guests at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Screen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode of the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series podcast.

Joel Michaely is best known as an actor from such films as Academy Award-winner Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction, But I'm a Cheerleader, and the teen classic Can't Hardly Wait, where he was the biggest geek in school. Upcoming films include Cruel World opening October 23rd with Jaimie Pressley and Eddie Furlong, as well as The Factory Girl coming in December with Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce. Michaely was a featured guest at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Screen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. An episode of the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series podcast.

Suzanne Todd has become one of cinema's leading producers, along with her sister Jennifer who is the other half of Team Todd. Together the two have been a driving force behind a string of commercially and critically acclaimed films ranging from the Austin Powers series to Memento. Suzanne Todd was a featured guest at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Screen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Gary Ross has written numerous hit films, including Big, Mr. Baseball, Dave and Lassie, in addition to directing Pleasantville and Seabiscuit, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. Ross was a featured guest at the Zaki Gordon Speaker Series, hosted by the Division of Writing for Sceen & Television at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Frank Wuliger, vice president of the Feature Literary Department at the Gersh Agency, represents writers and directors and has worked on films such as Eve's Bayou, The Day After Tomorrow, Chocolat, The Wedding Date, Dogfight and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. A linchpin to projects that range from independents to blockbusters, Wuliger fosters young writers and helps them build careers.

Barry Blaustein is best known for having written such comedy classics as Coming to America, Boomerang and The Nutty Professor I & II. Blaustein recently penned and directed The Ringer, which stars Johnny Knoxville, and directed the critically acclaimed documentary Beyond the Mat. He worked as head writer and supervising producer on Saturday Night Live in the early '80s, where he wrote and developed characters such as Buckwheat, Velvet Jones, Mr. Robinson and Gumby.