This week on On Story we’ll hear from legendary independent filmmaker Roger Corman whose extensive body of work includes over 500 film credits. And later, we’ll hear from writer and director Nicole Holofcener on her films Please Give, The Land of Steady Habits and Enough Said.

Roger Corman is a trailblazer in the world of independent filmmaking. Often called “The Pope of Pop Cinema,” Corman opted out of the major studio system early on by founding his own production and distribution company, New World Pictures, in 1970. His extensive film credits include cult classics The Wild Angles, Little Shop of Horrors, The Trip, and The Intruder. Corman is also widely known for mentoring a number of filmmakers including James Cameron, Gale Anne, Hurd,  Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, and Ron Howard. Roger Corman spoke about his 50 year career with Josephson Entertainment president, Barry Josephson, at the 25th Anniversary Austin Film Festival where he was receiving the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking award.

Clip of Dementia 13 courtesy of Roger Corman Productions and American International Pictures (AIP)

Clip of The Wild Angels courtesy of American International Pictures (AIP)

Clip of The Intruder (1962) courtesy of Filmgroup, Inc. and Astor Pictures Corporation

Nicole Holofcener has written and directed six feature films, including Friends with Money, Enough Said, and most recently The Land of Steady Habits. In 2019, Holofcener was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for her script Can You Ever Forgive Me. In addition to her feature work, Holofcener has directed numerous television shows including Orange is the New Black, Togetherness, One Mississippi and the upcoming HBO series Mrs. Fletcher. Holofcener spoke with Pixar’s Head of Creative Development, Mary Coleman at the 25th Annual Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Please Give courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics, Inc.

Clips of Enough Said courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

This week on On Story we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Robert Altman film Cookie’s Fortune with a conversation with the film’s screenwriter Anne Rapp & the 30th anniversary of Dead Poets Society with Academy Award® winning writer Tom Schulman.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Mississippi set ‘non-murder’ mystery Cookie’s Fortune. The film marked director Robert Altman’s second collaboration with writer Anne Raap – Raap’s short story All The President’s Women was previously adapted into an episode of the television series Gun and the two would later go on to collaborate on a second feature Dr. T & The Women.  I spoke with Anne Raap after a special 20th anniversary screening of the film earlier this year.

Clips of Cookie’s Fortune courtesy of Moonstone Entertainment & Sandcastle 5 Productions

Next up, a conversation with screenwriter Tom Schulman who won an Academy Award® for best original screenplay for his film Dead Poets Society which was released 30 years ago this year. The film, directed by Peter Weir, follows a group of students studying in a conservative Vermont boarding school in 1959 and the English teacher who inspires them through poetry. Schulman discussed the film at the 21st Annual Austin Film Festival with filmmaker Christopher Boone.

Clips of Dead Poets Society courtesy of Touchstone Pictures a.a.d.o. the Walt Disney Company

This week on On Story we’ll hear from filmmaker Lulu Wang on her new project, The Farewell. And later, we’ll hear from writer and producer Felicia D. Henderson on her 25-year television career which includes work on some of the 90’s most memorable series including Moesha, Family Matters, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as well as current hits The Punisher and Empire.

Lulu Wang is a classical pianist turned filmmaker. Born in Beijing, raised in Miami and educated in Boston, Lulu is a recipient of the Chaz and Roger Ebert Directing Fellowship, which was awarded at the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Her first feature film, Posthumous, starting Jack Huston and Brit Marling was released that same year. Her latest project, The Farewell is based on Wang’s life and a lie her family told to keep her grandmother from knowing that she was dying.

Clips of The Farewell courtesy of A24

Next up, award-winning creator of the Emmy-nominated hit show Soul Food Felicia D. Henderson. Most recently, Henderson was a co-executive producer on the Netflix adaptation of Marvel’s The Punisher and a consulting producer on Fox’s Empire. Henderson also co-created The Quad, which was named one of the “Top 15 Shows to Watch” by The New York Times in 2017. Additionally, Henderson also wrote and produced on the television shows Gossip Girl, Fringe, and Everybody Hates Chris. Felicia received three NAACP Best Drama Awards for Soul Food. She also garnered a Writers Guild of America nomination for Fringe and a Gracie Award for The Quad. Writer Maya Perez spoke with Felicia during a year round event this year held at the Harry Ransom Center.

Clips of Soul Food courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation

Clips of The Punisher courtesy of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.

Clips of The Quad courtesy of Black Entertainment Television (BET)

This week on On Story, we’ll hear from actor, writer and director Chris Lowell on his latest project, the Netflix television series, Glow. And later, we’ll hear from The Disaster Artist co-writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.

Actor, writer and director Chris Lowell is best known for his recurring role in the popular television series, Veronica Mars. In 2013, Lowell made his directorial debut with the AFF Audience & Jury Award winning film, Beside Still Waters. Most recently, Lowell stars in the Netflix series, Glow. Co-created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, the series revolves around a fictionalized set of women professional wrestlers best known as the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (or GLOW). Set in the 1980s, the series co-stars Alison Brie and Marc Maron. Earlier this year, I sat down with Lowell to discuss the series ahead of its new season premiere.

Clips of Glow courtesy of Netflix, Inc.

Next up, co-writers and independence producers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. Together their credits include (500) Days of Summer, The Fault In Our Stars, The Spectacular Now and The Disaster Artist, which was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards®. The film is an adaptation of the 2013 non-fiction book of the same name and chronicles Tommy Wiseau and the production of his 2003 film The Room. The film stars brothers James and Dave Franco alongside a supporting cast that features: Seth Rogan, Alison Brie and Josh Hutcherson. During a panel held at the 25th anniversary Austin Film Festival, Neustadter and Weber discussed The Disaster Artist and its adaptation from true events to film adaptation with writer and filmmaker, Christopher Boone. Clips of The Disaster Artist courtesy of Good Universe Development, LLC.

More about Chris Lowell:

Chris Lowell is a filmmaker, actor and photographer. He made his directorial debut with Beside Still Waters, which won both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival, before getting its theatrical and digital release via Tribeca Film in 2014. As an actor, Chris has performed in a number of award-winning films, including Up In The Air and The Help (for which he received a SAG Award and a National Board of Review Award for his work). Upcoming film work includes Promising Young Woman, opposite Carey Mulligan, and Breaking News in Yuba County, alongside Allison Janney and Mila Kunis. Currently, Chris stars as Bash Howard on the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series, Glow. Chris has also built a successful career as a fine art photographer. His work is included in the Elton John Collection and the Sovereign Collection. His most recent exhibit, “Thirty-One Days” opened alongside Vivian Maier at the Jackson Fine Art gallery.Chris is currently in development on his next feature, Lovers, co-written with Narang, and produced by Automatik Entertainment and Anonymous Content. He was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, studied film production at the University of Southern California before continuing his studies at the New School. He lives in New York.

On this week’s episode of On Story we’ll hear from two stand-up comedians with strong backgrounds in television writing. Sketch Comedy master and Kids In The Hall co-founder Kevin McDonald & The Simpsons staff writer and Stan Against Evil creator Dana Gould will discuss the ins-and-outs of writing different forms of comedy across different mediums.

Kevin McDonald is a comedian, actor, writer and director who founded legendary Canadian sketch troupe The Kids In The Hall with his friend Dave Foley. The Kids In The Hall eponymous television series ran for 5 seasons from 1989 to 1995 and was produced by Saturday Night Live founder Lorne Michaels. I spoke with McDonald about the history of the group and the process of writing sketch comedy live at the 2019 Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, TX.

Clips of Kids in the Hall & Kids in the Hall: Brian Candy courtesy Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Next up another conversation recorded live at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. Dana Gould is a standup comedian who began his professional comedy career at 17. Gould has appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Conan and Real Time With Bill Maher. In addition to writing and performing stand-up, Gould was a staff writer on The Simpsons and created the IFC horror-comedy Stan Against Evil. I spoke with Gould about the differences between comedy writing for stand-up and television.

Clips of The Simpsons courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Corporation

All segments were recorded live at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. Special thanks to Chief Executive Officer Jim Ritts, Festival Director Lietza Brass, Talent Producer Colleen McGarr, Festival Manager Maggie Hoffman and Programming Associate Kaetie Turner. 

On this week’s episode of On Story we’re exploring all aspects of comedic writing and performing. We’ll discuss writing animated features with Disney scribe Pamela Ribon and writing and performing stand-up and sketch comedy with SNL veteran Sasheer Zamata.

Pamela Ribon is a comedic writer who has worked in a variety of mediums. In addition to her work writing television and graphic novels, Ribon wrote two Disney animated films, Moana and Ralph Breaks The Internet. Both films were nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. I spoke with Ribon about subverting the princess trope and writing comedy that sometimes makes you sad.

Clips of Moana & Ralph Breaks the Internet courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Clip of Samantha Who? courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Sasheer Zamata is a comedian, actress, writer and 4 season Saturday Night Live cast member. Zamata was listed in Cosmopolitan’s 13 Funny Women to Watch and Variety Magazine named her web series Pursuit Of Sexiness one of the Top 10 Web Series of 2013. I spoke with Zamata about writing and performing comedy live at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, Tx.

Clips of Saturday Night Live courtesy of National Broadcasting Company, Inc.

Segments of this episode were filmed at KLRU Studio 6a, the original home of Austin City Limits. Special thanks to Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Bill Stotesbery, Production and Operations Director JJ Weber, and Production Coordinator Emily Steele. Audio captured by Randy Reynolds and Kevin J. Cochran.

The last segment of our show was filmed live at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. Special thanks to Chief Executive Officer Jim Ritts, Festival Director Lietza Brass, Talent Producer Colleen McGarr, Festival Manager Maggie Hoffman and Programming Associate Kaetie Turner. 

Jeffrey Cranor is a partner in and co-founder of Night Vale Presents. He co-writes the podcasts welcome to night vale and within the wires. He co-wrote with Joseph Fink the novels Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours! An alumnus of the performance art collective the New York neo-futurists, Jeffrey also creates theater and dance with choreographer (and wife) Jillian Sweeney.

Clips of Welcome to Night Vale courtesy of You Tube, Inc.

For every established Hollywood producer there are countless up-and-coming writers desperately trying to get their work read. Despite the odds of ‘making it’ these people continue to write. In our podcast series, “Toiling in Obscurity” we hear from working writers on their day to day obstacles and what keeps them inspired to keep writing.

Michael Soll is an Austin Film Festival Finalist whose screenplay, Catalyst won the Drama Feature Category in 2016 and is currently in pre-production. At 17, Michael wrote his first screenplay, a teenage coming-of-age story. In addition to features, he also enjoys writing books. His novel, Scorched, was an Amazon Bestseller. We spoke with Michael during the Austin Film Festival to discuss what keeps him motivated to write and how AFF helped advance his script further in the industry.

This week on On Story we’ll hear from comedy veteran Ali LeRoi who’s longtime collaboration with comedian Chris Rock resulted in Everybody Hates Chris and Down to Earth. And later we’ll discuss Young Adult fiction with the screenwriters behind The Fault in our Stars and CW’s The 100.

Ali LeRoi is an Emmy® Award-winning writer/director & producer best known for his collaboration with comedian Chris Rock that resulted in Everybody Hates Chris and the films Head Of State and Down To Earth. Comedian Dave Buckman sat down with LeRoi to discuss his transition from stand-up comedy to screenwriting and the perseverance required to make it as a writer.

Clips of Head of State courtesy of Dream Works LLC.

Clips of Everybody Hates Chris courtesy of CBS Studios, Inc.

Clips of The Chris Rock Show courtesy of Home Box Office, a division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, LP

Clips of Survivor’s Remorse courtesy of Starz Entertainment, LLC.

Clip of Pootie Tang courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation

Young Adult fiction has exploded in popularity over recent years, and while the stories are centered around teenagers and are marketed to that demographic, a recent study found that more than half of YA readers are actually adults. Professor Karol Hoeffner spoke with The Spectacular Now co-writer Michael H. Weber and CW’s The 100 writer/producer Charmaine DeGrate to discuss the draw of YA stories and the process behind adapting novels to the screen.  

Clips of The 100 courtesy of Warner Brothers Television, The CW Network, & CBS Television Studios

Clips of The Fault in Our Stars & Paper Towns courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Clips of The Spectacular Now courtesy of TSN Ventures, LLC.

On this week’s special On Story, two critically and culturally acclaimed African-American directors: John Singleton and Charles Burnett. First, we look back at the work of the late John Singleton as he discusses his career and the creation of his first film, Boyz n the Hood (1991), which earned him the Best Director nomination at the Academy Awards®, making him the first African American nominee in that category that same year. Later, Charles Burnett highlights details of his career development in narrative and documentary filmmaking, with his seminal film Killer of Sheep (1978), a definitive representation of the African American cultural experience. 

John Singleton made his filmmaking debut in 1991 as the writer-director of the groundbreaking urban drama Boyz n the Hood, which he wrote and directed. The film earned him Academy Award® Nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, the latter of which made him the youngest person as well as the first African-American to enjoy that distinction. Singleton’s other films include Poetic Justice, Four Brothers and the 2000’s version of Shaft.  John Singelton also co-created the FX Network crime drama, Snowfall.  Screenwriter Fred Strype spoke with John Singleton at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015 where he was awarded for his contributions to filmmaking.

Charles Burnett’s most notable works include the films Killer of Sheep, My Brother’s Wedding and To Sleep With Anger. Killer of Sheep was Charles Burnett’s master’s thesis at UCLA and was included among the first 50 films entered in the National Film Registry for its historical importance by the Library of Congress in 1990. Charles Burnett has received numerous awards for his contribution to American cinema including a Guggenheim Fellowship and Howard University’s Paul Robeson Award. Michael MacCambridge spoke with Charles Burnett at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015.

On this week’s On Story we’ll hear from Avengers: Infinity War and End Game writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.  The two will discuss the daunting process and high expectations behind writing the final two Avengers installments and the misconception that all superhero films are written for 13-year-old boys.

The two started their careers by writing 2004’s The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers. Their introduction to the Marvel universe was 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.  They went on to write the two following films in the Captain America series; Winter Soldier and CIVIL WAR before being tasked with writing Avengers: Infinity War and the upcoming Avengers: End Game. 

I spoke with Markus and McFeely about the collaborative nature of the Marvel Universe and the pressures behind writing the most anticipated movie of the decade.

Clips of Captain America: The Winter Soldier courtesy of MVL Film Finance, LLC

Clips of Avengers: Infinity War courtesy of MVL Film Finance, LLC 

Clips of Iron Man courtesy of MVL Film Finance, LLC.