This week on On Story, Miss Juneteenth writer/director Channing Godfrey Peoples discusses her feature directorial debut and her work as a multi-hyphenate independent filmmaker.

Peoples is the writer-director of the 2020 drama Miss Juneteenth, which follows a former beauty queen and single mom as she prepares her rebellious daughter for a life-changing pageant. Having grown up in Fort Worth, Texas, Peoples attended pageants where “Miss Juneteenth” is a real contest held there. A gripping story of poverty, the film has appeared on dozens of critics’ year-end top ten lists, including TIME, Washington Post, and IndieWire, among others.

Moderator Ya’Ke Smith sat down with Channing Godfrey Peoples for a panel about her work as a multi-hyphenate independent filmmaker at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Miss Juneteenth courtesy of Ley Line Entertainment.

This week on On Story writer Derek Kolstad, creator of the John Wick franchise reflects on his thrilling career, how he weaves emotion and humanity into action set pieces, as well as crafting characters you cannot help but root for.

Derek Kolstad is the writer/creator of the popular John Wick franchise with the latest installment: John Wick: Chapter 4 set to be released in 2023. He also wrote on Marvel’s hit limited series The Falcon and Winter Soldier, which has been nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys. 2021 also saw the release of Derek’s action-thriller Nobody. Nobody sheds light on a docile family man struggling with aging and encroaching feelings of irrelevance as his children grow up. His new tv adaptation of the popular video game, Splinter Cell, is currently in production and will be airing on Netflix in the following year.  Most recently, Kolstad produced the film The Princess for Hulu, which follows the action-packed story of a strong-willed princess who refuses an arranged marriage alliance to an especially cruel sociopath.

Barbara Morgan sat down with Derek Kolstad for a panel about his work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of John Wick courtesy of Thunder Road Pictures

Clips of Nobody courtesy of Universal City Studios

Hey podcast listeners, this week on On Story we’re foraging for insight into Pig with writer and director Michael Sarnoski.

Michael Sarnoski is a writer, director, and a producer best known for writing 2020’s Pig. The film, starring Nicholas Cage, tells the story of a man searching for his pig, while dealing with the effects of prolonged grief. As director, Sarnoski revealed that he only had around twenty days to make the movie and there was no budget for re-shoots or delays. He is currently slated to direct the upcoming A Quiet Place: Day One, the anticipated prequel in the A Quiet Place series. 

We sat down with Michael Sarnoski for a panel about the film at the Austin Film Festival.

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

This week on On Story we’re joined by Lipscomb University filmmakers Melissa Forte & Sumner McMurtry talking about their journey from a chance encounter at Austin Film Festival to collaborating on a short film born out of a Ghost Story writing competition. Later, we’ll sit down with Bogle Family Vinyards VP of Consumer Relations, Jody Bogle, and get her insight on producing a film rich in family history and spooky occurrences. 

Melissa Forte is a filmmaker and current chair of Lipscomb University’s Department of Cinematic Arts. After six years of industry work with the Walt Disney World company, Forte spent eight years at Tenessee State University (TSU), earning tenure and building a strong program. After that time, she made the move to Lipscomb University when she was invited to chair the Department of Cinematic Arts. The skills she gained through her years of production work gave her the ability to easily transition into leading academic teams including faculty and staff. Forte is an advocate for instilling the idea that we are part of a larger society and should work to use our gifts and talents to give voice to the underestimated and often overlooked members of our communities.

Sumner McMurtry is an award-winning filmmaker from Nashville, Tennessee. His short thriller, NOT CLICKBAIT, took home the grand prize in Lipscomb University's Five Minute Film Festival and was later screened at the Nashville Film Festival, the oldest running film festival of the south. His latest short film, THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2022. Sumner has had a passion for storytelling for as long as he can remember. He spends a great deal of his time creating an array of projects for clients across the Middle Tennessee area.

I recently spoke with Melissa & Sumner about their experience creating the short film Phantom which premiered at the Austin Film Festival and working with the Bogle Family as producers. They've Been Waiting For You is the story of the resident spirit which inhabits the cellars of the Bogle Family Vineyards and the rich family history that accompanies the legend. 

Next, we’re talking to Jody Bogle, who served as producer on the film THEY’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU produced in collaboration with the Libscomb University Department of Cinematic Arts.

Jody Bogle is the Vice President of Consumer Relations, at Bogle Family Vineyards. In her role, she oversees hospitality at the family’s Home Ranch tasting room, direct-to-consumer sales, and internal and external communications and leads the winery’s international sales efforts in 40 countries around the globe. After a chance encounter with members of Libscomb University, Bogle set her sights on producing a short film in celebration of Phantom Wine from her family’s vineyards.

I recently spoke with Jody about her experience producing the short film with the Libscomb University crew.

Hey podcast listeners, This week on On Story we’re joined by Mare of Easttown writer Brad Ingelsby for a conversation on writing for the critically acclaimed television series.

Brad Inglesby is a screenwriter and producer known for 2013’s Out of the Furnace, 2020’s The Way Back and the subject of today’s episode, the HBO crime drama series, Mare of Easttown.

Mare of Easttown follows the story of a police investigator who tries to get to the bottom of a shocking murder, all while trying to keep her life together as personal drama begins to spiral out of control. A limited series consisting of 7 gripping episodes, Mare of Easttown packs a powerful punch through its tightly-crafted story spearheaded by a career-defining performance by Kate Winslet.

We sat down with Brad Inglesby for a conversation about his work at the Austin Film Festival.

This week on On Story we’re joined by Jurassic Park and Spider-Man writer David Koepp for a conversation on adaptations, collaborating with Steven Spielberg, and creating blockbusters.

David Koepp is a screenwriter and director. His screenplays for Jurassic Park, a science fiction film about a wildlife park inhabited by dinosaurs, and Spider-Man, a superhero film adapted from the Spider-Man Marvel Comics series, helped the films set numerous box office records, becoming some of the highest grossing films of their time. In 2013, Koepp received the Ian McClellan Hunter Award for career achievement from the Writers Guild of America, East for his contributions to cinema.

Moderator Harison Glaser sat down with David Koepp for a panel about his work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Jurassic Park courtesy of Universal City Studios.

Clips of Bad Influence courtesy of Epic Productions.

Clips of Ghost Town courtesy of DreamWorks Films.

Clips of Spider-Man courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

This week on On Story we’re joined by Westworld co-creator, writer & director Lisa Joy for a conversation on writing science fiction.

Lisa Joy is a screenwriter, director, and producer. Her recent work includes Westworld, a dystopian science fiction thriller, and HBO mega-hit. Westworld has received an outstanding 54 Emmy Award nominations, including 9 wins, and Joy’s writing and producing have earned her 3 Emmy nominations. Joy attended the 2021 Austin Film Festival’s Writers Conference.

Westworld is set in a futuristic amusement park where wealthy visitors are given the opportunity to experience their wildest fantasies through a mode of artificial consciousness and centers on a group of robot “hosts” who begin to diverge from their programmed scripts and exhibit abnormal behavior.

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

Clips of Westworld courtesy of Home Box Office Television

Clips of Reminiscence courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures

Clips of Burn Notice courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Hey podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast. This week on On Story we’re joined by The Man in the High Castle and Underground Railroad writer Jihan Crowther and King Richard writer Zach Baylin for a conversation on fact vs. fiction.

Jihan Crowther is a TV writer and playwright. Her work as a writer on The Underground Railroad, a powerful historical drama following runaway slaves in the old South, earned her a Writers Guild of America Awards nomination. She also helped write The Man in the High Castle, a dystopian take on what humanity would look like if the Axis powers had won World War II. 

Zach Baylin is a screenwriter. He received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay King Richard, a biographical drama about how Serena and Venus Williams’ father Richard pushed them to achieve their full potential on the tennis courts. 

Moderator Casey Baron sat down with Jihan Crowther and Zach Baylin for a panel about their work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of The Underground Railroad and The Man in the High Castle courtesy of Amazon Studios

Clips of King Richard courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Hey podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast. This week on On Story we’re joined by Shang-Chi and Wonder Woman 1984 writer Dave Callaham for a conversation on writing blockbusters intertwined with personal experiences.

Dave Callaham is a screenwriter and producer. He co-wrote the screenplay for the highly praised Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a superhero film adapted from the Marvel comic series, and Wonder Woman 1984, a superhero film based on the DC Comics character. Callaham attended the Austin Film Festival in 2021.

Shang-Chi tells the story of a martial arts master who is forced to revisit his past when he is confronted by members of a secret organization called the Ten Rings. A mix of action, adventure, and fantasy, Shang-Chi was not only an outstanding commercial success, but also a huge breakthrough in cinema as it marked Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead, director, and predominantly Asian cast.

Moderator Casey Baron sat down with Dave Callaham for a panel about his work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings courtesy of Marvel Film Studios.

Clips of Doom courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

This week on On Story we’re we’re taking a look at the work of screenwriter Chase Palmer who co-wrote It: Chapter One. 

Chase Palmer is a screenwriter and director known for co-authoring the screenplay for IT: Chapter One with Cary Fukinaga, as well as 2021’s Naked Singularity starring John Boyega. His two award-winning short films, Neo-Noir and Shock and Awe, have played at film festivals worldwide with his feature film debut being the adaptation of the PEN-prize winning book A Naked Singularity by by Sergio De La Pava, with Ridley Scott as a producer.

I sat down with Chase Palmer for a panel about his work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of It: Chapter One courtesy of Warner Brothers Entertainment

Clips of Naked Singularity courtesy of 150 Degrees Pictures

This week on On Story we’re joined by the showrunner behind The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Michael Schur.

Michael Schur is a screenwriter, producer and character actor. He got his start writing for Saturday Night Live before becoming a producer and writer for the comedy series The Office. Schur then went on to co-create Parks and Recreation with Office producer Greg Daniels for seven seasons, ending in 2015. Later, he created The Good Place, and co-created the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Schur was also a producer on the Netflix series Master of None, starring Aziz Anzari.

I spoke with Michael Schur about his work at a panel at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of The Office, The Good Place, and Parks & Recreation courtesy of National Broadcast Company

This week we’ll hear from David Kessler, writer & producer of the docu-drama Minamata starring Johnny Depp.

David Kessler began his career as a stand-up comedian in the early 2000s before quickly deciding to focus on writing. After penning a spec script for Will & Grace, he switched over to drama, and optioned the life rights and book titled Minamata, written by Aileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith. 

The film stars Johnny Depp as W. Eugene Smith, an American photographer who documented the effects of mercury poisoning on the citizens of Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan in the early 1970s.

The film went through various stages of development over many years before finally getting picked up by Johnny Depp’s production company.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with David about the film’s journey to the big screen following it’s US release. 

Clips of Minamata courtesy of Minamata Film, LLC

This week on On Story we’re joined by The Humans writer & director Stephen Karam for a conversation on adapting a play for the big screen.

Stephen Karam is a playwright, screenwriter, and director. His plays Sons of the Prophet, a comedy-drama about a Lebanese-American family, and the subject of today’s episode, The Humans were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012 and 2016, respectively. The Humans won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play, leading to Karam adapting the play for the big screen in 2021. The film was shown at the 2021 Austin Film Festival.

Set inside a pre-war duplex in downtown Manhattan, The Humans follows the course of an evening in which the Blake family gathers to celebrate Thanksgiving. As darkness falls outside the crumbling building, mysterious things start to go bump in the night and family tensions reach a boiling point.

Moderator Casey Baron sat down with Stephen Karam for a panel about his work at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of The Humans courtesy of A24.

This week on On Story we’re taking a retrospective look at Donnie Darko with screenwriter Richard Kelly. 

Richard Kelly is a screenwriter and director best known for writing the 2001 cult film, Donnie Darko. Known for its mind-bending themes and enigmatic ending, along with a stellar ‘80s soundtrack, Donnie Darko remains a cult phenomenon. Featuring a young, up-and-coming Jake Gyllenhall and exploring elements of time travel, mental health, and even a scary bunny-man, Richard Kelly’s 2001 film was not an immediate success but slowly wormed its way into the minds of teenagers all across the nation.

Moderator Christopher Boone spoke with Richard Kelly about the film at a panel at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Donnie Darko courtesy of Flower Films

This week on On Story we’re joined by The Sopranos creator David Chase for a conversation on writing a hit television show.

David Chase is a screenwriter, showrunner, director, and producer, best known for writing and producing the HBO drama The Sopranos. Chase has also produced and written for such shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He created the original series Almost Grown and has won seven Emmy Awards. Chase's film debut came in 2012 with Not Fade Away, followed by 2021’s The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel film to The Sopranos.

The Sopranos ran for six seasons from 1999 and 2007, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time. It is the first cable show to ever be nominated for, and win, the best drama series Emmy, and it helped to put HBO on the map and ushered in what some regard as the platinum age of television, which featured a slew of new shows and showrunners that could hold their own against the big screen.

Moderator Barry Josephson spoke with Chase about his work on the show at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of The Sopranos courtesy of Home Box Office Television.

This week on On Story we’ll join Breaking Bad creator & showrunner Vince Gilligan for a retrospective look at the 1971 cult-classic The French Connection.   

Based on a true story, William Friedkin's 1971 hit The French Connection, gave audiences its first taste at what a truly realistic cop film could be. Starring Gene Hackman as detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, the film follows the story of a driven New York cop whose intuitive street sense allows him to sniff out the secret players in a colossal heroin import operation, bringing the drugs into New York from Marseille. At a time where drug addiction was at an all time high, The French Connection brought a sense of realism to Hollywood’s law enforcement films by throwing the proverbial book at them.

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, an avid fan of Friedkin’s work, sat down with me after a retrospective screening of the film at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of The French Connection courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

After hearing about Ron Woodroof, the original founder of the "Dallas Buyers Club" for the distribution of unapproved HIV medications, in the early 1990s, and interviewing Woodroof in 1992, Borten decided to write a screenplay about Woodroof and his buyer's club. He successfully sold the script in 1996, but shortly afterward the production company that had bought it dissolved. In 2001, he rewrote the script with Melisa Wallack and in 2009, Borten and Wallack were able to cast Matthew McConaughey and secure funding for the film's production. The film was released in 2013, more than two decades after Borten met Woodroof, and more than 15 years after selling his first version of the script. Dallas Buyers Club received numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Moderator Fred Strype spoke with Borten at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Dallas Buyers Club courtesy of Truth Entertainment & Dallas Buyers Club, LLC

This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter April Shih who has worked on shows like Dave, You’re The Worst, and This is America and Tripper Clancy who wrote the script for 2019’s Stuber, and has worked on Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This.

April Shih is a screenwriter and producer, known for You're the Worst, Mrs. America,starring Cate Blanchett and most recently served as supervising producer on FX’s Dave, which follows the semi-autobiographical story of American rapper Lil Dicky. April has also produced several films and plays including the Ovation Award-winning revival of Kiss of the Spiderwoman: The Musical.

Tripper Clancy is a screenwriter known for writing the scripts for Stuber which starred Kumali Nanjiani and Dave Bautista as well as Die Hart starring Kevin Hart and John Travolta. After working in the Fox Writers Studio in 2011, Tripper went on to write comedies and dramas of all shapes and sizes for Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Amazon, and is currently a writer on season one of I Am Not Okay With This, a half-hour show for Netflix.

Moderator Harrison Glaser spoke with the pair about their journeys as writers at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Dave courtesy of FX Productions, LLC.

Clips of You’re The Worst courtesy of Bluebush Productions, LLC.

Clips of I Am Not Okay With This courtesy of Netflix Studios, LLC.

Clips of Stuber courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

This week on On Story we’re taking a look back at the 1972 cult classic, Greaser’s Palace with Legendary filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson & Jonathan Demme.

In 1972, following a succession of truly unruly underground films, including 1968’s Putney Swope, Robert Downey Sr. gave the world a new take on the holy story of Jesus Christ in the form of the acid-western Greaser’s Palace. Featuring a brilliant mix of offbeat character actors and willing amateurs, Downey weaves a New Testament allegory against the backdrop of an absurdist Western parody.  

Paul Thomas Anderson, director of 2021’s Licorice Pizza and the Silence of the Lambs joined director Jonathan Demme to pay tribute to Robert Downey Sr. 's cult classic after a retrospective screening at the Austin Film Festival. 

Clips of Greaser’s Palace courtesy of Greaser’s Palace Company

This week on On Story we’ll join queens of comedy Katie Dippold, Liz Meriwether, & Paula Pell for a conversation all about writing for laughs.   Actress, comedian, and screenwriter, Katie Dippold, wrote for NBC’s hit comedy series Park and Recreation as well as the comedy films, The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. 

Liz Meriwether is a writer, producer and television showrunner known for creating the Fox sitcom New Girl, and for writing the romantic comedy film No Strings Attached. She also created the ABC sitcoms Bless This Mess and most recently, Single Parents

Paula Pell got her start working in the writers room at Saturday Night Live in 1995 where she wrote for nearly 20 years before also working as a writer and producer for 30 rock. You may recognize from her cameos as “Paula”, Pete Hornberger’s wife, or as Parks and Rec’s “Tammy Zero,” Ron Swanson’s mother and very, skilled drinker. She performed in the 2015 Oscar-winning Birdman and Anchorman 2. Her body of work also includes writing credits on Bridesmaids, This is 40, and The Heat as well as the Tina Fey & Amy Pohler comedy, Sisters.

Moderator Paul Feig sat down with this panel of writers at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Bridesmaids courtesy of Universal City Studios LLC

Clips of The Heat courtesy of  Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Hi podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story we’re joined by screenwriting duo Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis discussing their journey writing films such as Five Feet Below, and the recent Netflix adaptation of the J.A. White fantasy-horror novel, Nightbooks.

Mikki Daughtry is a screenwriter and young adult fiction author. She is best known for writing, along with writing partner Tobias Iaconis, the films The Curse of La Llorona, Five Feet Apart, and Netflix’s Nightbooks. 

Tobias Iaconis is also a screenwriter best known for his work with Daughtry, as well as 2009’s Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia. In 2012 he partnered with Daughtry for an adaptation of the Jack Kilborn action-horror novel Afraid. 

Moderator Harrison Glaser sat down with the pair to discuss their process at the Austin Film Festival.

Clips of The Curse of La Llorona courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures

Clips of Five Feet Apart courtesy of CBS Films