This week on On Story we’re talking to Hustle & Flow producer, Stephanie Allain for a conversation on producing.

Stephanie Allain is a producer, known for her work in both film and television. Her work includes Hustle and Flow, Beyond the Lights, and Dear White People, a political commentary turned dramedy. 

Hustle & Flow follows a street hustler’s attempt to make it in the hip-hop industry, featuring several BET award-winning performances and appearances by rappers like Ludacris and Juicy J. 

Beyond the Lights tells the story of a mentally-unstable woman who has been shoved toward stardom by her domineering mother and finds her trajectory changed when a young cop stops her from taking her own life. 

Dear White People follows the stories of a group of black students trying to navigate life at a predominantly white, elite university.

In 2021 Allain attended the Austin Film Festival, where she received the Polly Platt Award for Producing.

Moderator Casey Baron sat down with Stephanie Allain for a panel about her work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Hustle & Flow courtesy of Crunk Pictures LLC.

Clips of Beyond the Lights courtesy of Blackbird Productions, LLC.

Clips of Dear White People courtesy of Homegrown Pictures.

This week on On Story we welcome screenwriter Eric Roth as he talks about about his process of adapting stories from beloved properties.

Eric Roth is a producer and writer, best known for penning the screenplays for 2021’s Dune, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and the Academy Award® winning adaptation, Forrest Gump. 

Dune, tells a sci-fi driven hero’s journey of a young man traveling to the most dangerous planet to save his family’s future. The film took home 6 Oscars during the 2022 Academy Awards. Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt, follows the heart-wrenching story of a man living his life in reverse. The critically acclaimed film Forrest Gump, adapted from the Winston Groom novel of the same name, and which starred Tom Hanks, itself won 6 Oscars and became the top- grossing film in America during its theatrical run.

Clips of Forrest Gump courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Clips of Dune courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment

Clips of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button courtesy of Paramount Pictures