Today we’re going to be discussing three game-changing lessons you can learn from interviewing others - both to enrich your writing and your life.

This skill, which I developed as a freelance arts journalist for Village Voice Media amongst others, has directly impacted my screenwriting and fiction writing over the years. But it's also helped bring me closer to loved ones I was struggling to understand better.

Links:

• Become a subscriber to the ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠⁠ to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and all episodes of this podcast – including paywalled bonus episodes
• Read the 5AM StoryTalk essay this minsode was inspired by here
• In this minisode, I discuss my disappointment over how poorly my pilot episode of "Dracula", a TV series I created, was mangled by the head writer. You can read a detailed breakdown of what happened to my script here, because its journey from my laptop to screens is a Master Class in how not to make good TV

Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk! I'm joined by screenwriter LIZ HANNAH whose script for The Post was so phenomenal it was sold and released in just 15 months - with Steven Spielberg as the director. Her credits also include the films Long Shot and Lee, TV series like "Mindhunter", and co-creating “The Girl from Plainville”.

A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s amazing paid subscribers, is also available here. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you’ll get more of Liz and I discussing a seminal piece of art from her life – David Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Show notes. Liz and I discuss the following (amongst many other things):

• Craft, craft, and more craft

• Her current struggle over how best to use her own creative voice to confront what’s happening in the U.S. and world, which is complicating her new spec script
• Why she couldn’t have written The Post at this point in her career (or: the advantage of being young, dumb, and fearless as an artist)
• What went into writing two pivotal scenes in her career, a monologue performed by Sarah Paulson in The Post and the interrogation of Charles Manson in Season 2 of “Mindhunter”
• The unintended resonance of The Post in Trump’s America, which provokes a heartbreaking observation about how her success was achieved
• Why she can’t rewatch films or TV she’s written
• The pivotal role of journalism in democracy, highlighted in her script for The Post and work on Lee
• Whether Hollywood is up to the challenge of confronting the major challenges of our day, from fascism to climate change (or: her thoughts on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners)

Links:

• ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠ (become a paid subscriber here to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and podcast
• Listen to my bonus episode with Liz here
• Watch The Post trailer
• Read Liz’s script for The Post here
• Watch the Lee trailer
• Watch “The Girl from Plainville” trailer
• In my introduction, I reference John August’s observations about a unifying theatrical experience. You can listen to my conversation with him here
• Liz and I discuss my traumatic experience creating “Dracula” (2013), which you can read about here

Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk! Today I'm joined by ERICA LEE (partner, Thunder Road Films; producer, the John Wick universe, Sicario, Monkey Man) and BLYE PAGON FAUST (partner, Story Force Entertainment; Oscar-winning producer, Spotlight, Belly of the Beast,“LulaRich”). They’re two of my favorite Hollywood, and I’ve asked them to discuss the state of the Hollywood film/TV industry – are they as scared as I am? – and their advice for screenwriters looking to break into the business today.

Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter ⁠here⁠.

A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s amazing paid subscribers, is also available here. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you’ll get more of Erica, Blye, and I discussing the state of Hollywood, how they know a project is right for them, and much, much more.

Show notes. Erica, Blye, and I discuss the following (amongst many other things):

• What era they would choose to work in if given the chance to climb into a time-traveling DeLorean
• The impact of establishing themselves as producers in a still incredibly male-dominated industry, especially for Erica who works primarily in action
• How the film/TV landscape has transformed over the past 20 years…and not for the good, from the death of the mid-budget financier to the streamers
• Erica’s initial reaction to the John Wick script when it was still called Scorn, how the film evolved, and her surprise at the extent of its success
• Blye’s difficult journey to getting Spotlight made, a film about the systemic cover-up of sexual abuse by priests against children that would go on to win the Best Picture Oscar
• How both Erica and Blye have had to dramatically pivot in how they pursue their careers
• The power of the “undeniable” script and great ideas in general
• Advice for aspiring and emerging screenwriters and producers
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Links:

• ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠ (become a paid subscriber here to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and podcast
• Learn more about Erica Lee here
• Learn more about Blye Pagon Faust here
• Erica says We Are Marshall, written by my friend Jamie Linden, is one of the best she’s ever read. You can read it here
• Blye says Liz Hannah’s screenplay for The Post is one of the best she’s ever read. You can read it here
• You can listen to my own conversation with Liz, who was a guest on the 5AM StoryTalk Podcast, here

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