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Welcome to the newest member of the IFH Podcast Network. May I introduce you to Inside the Screenwriter's MInd: A Screenwriting Archive. Have you ever wondered what it’s like inside a screenwriter’s mind? In this podcast, we explore how successful screenwriters tackle structure, plot, character, dialog, and the film business. Get ready to go down the rabbit hole of stories. Let’s travel inside the screenwriter’s mind. I wanted to create a new bi-weekly podcast that could not only highlight the in-depth conversations I have done with some of the world's greatest screenwriters in Hollywood but I also wanted to shine a light on other amazing interviews from the IFH Podcast Network. In this podcast, I will be your guide down the rabbit-hole of stories as I bring you interviews from the following podcasts: Indie Film Academy Podcast Dave Bullis Podcast Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast Film Trooper Podcast and others from the IFH Podcast Network As the network continues to grow I will hunt for the best screenwriter interviews and bring them to you on the Inside the Screenwriter's MInd: A Screenwriting Podcast. If you like the podcast please share with your friends, subscribe, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This really helps the show out a lot since we are a new show and I want these amazing interviews to reach as many screenwriters and filmmakers as possible. Thank you for listening and I hope this podcast truly helps you on your screenwriting path. Write. Rewrite. Sell. Repeat. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

Today on the show we have critically acclaimed author, World-renowned speaker, educator, pastor, and audible.com Audie Awards Finalist Eric Thomas, Ph.D. ET, as he is better known, has taken the world by storm, with his creative, common-sense approach to living a successful, satisfying professional and personal life. Through a significant social media presence and regular domestic and international tours, "ET, The Hip Hop Preacher" has become a global phenomenon! Eric's spiritual walk, tenacity, and drive are the perfect example of his quote, "When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." Drawing from his personal experiences: homelessness, the absence of his biological father, academic struggles, and various other obstacles, ET's life story allows him to connect with others fighting for greatness. Millions of followers have been able to apply the principles revealed in his award-nominated autobiography, The Secret to Success and, equally successful subsequent releases: Greatness is Upon You and, Average Skill, Phenomenal WIll. ET's passion is never more evident than when he's in a school, changing the lives of students forever. Whether he's meeting and greeting students with warm hugs and a bite to eat on bitterly cold Michigan winter mornings or helping them to recognize their superpowers in a district-wide assembly, where ET goes, greatness follows. ET believes that Every kid has the promise of greatness within them — every single one. The key to nurturing that greatness is knowing each child's unique approach to learning. By identifying that unique approach to learning, their "superpower," teachers are better able to coach their students to greatness! Unfortunately, most kids don't even know that they have a superpower and, that's where "You Ain't The Boss Of Me" comes in. Every student CAN succeed! They just need the right tools to make that happen. Every child wants to achieve greatness; it's our job to teach them how. "I firmly believe if you don't know you can fly, you'll always think you can't." - Eric Thomas Get ready to be inspired. Enjoy!

On the show, today is academy award-winning documentary and film director, and producer, Kevin Macdonald. He is one of few directors who dance the line of film and documentary seamlessly. He directed documentaries like Whitney (2018), crowdsourced documentary - Life in a Day (2011), Marley (2012), among others. He is famously known for his 2006 drama film, The Last King of Scotland, starring Oscar winning best actor, Forest Whitaker. Kevin has made a huge name for himself and his work over his 27 years in the industry - dabbling in commercials, films and documentaries. As a boy, his granddad, Emeric Pressburger who was a legendary filmmaker in the 1940s  lit his passion for filmmaking. When his grandfather passed, Kevin wrote a biography in 1994 about his grandad’s life journey, titled, ‘ The Life and Death of a Screenwriter’, which he later made into a documentary ‘The Making of an Englishman’ (1995). This was the start to him becoming a documentary maker. In 1999 he directed the Box office hit and Oscar-winning documentary, One Day in September, which is about the 1972 Munich Olympic Games massacre, featuring a lengthy interview with Jamal Al-Gashey, the last known survivor of the Munich terrorists. This project catapulted his career big time. He then made the adventure-docudrama, Touching the Void, another critically acclaimed film that won Best British Film at the 2003 BAFTA. The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. Kevin’s directorial debut on a film was the Oscar® winning, The Last King of Scotland. It is an adaptation of Giles Foden's 1998 novel by the same title. This historical drama which also carries a political thriller genre received riveting reviews and performed exceptionally - both commercially and critically.  Forest Whitaker's performance stole the show and earned him an Oscar for Best Actor. This $6million budget film grossed $48.4million at the Box Office and has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The story details the brutal reign of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin as seen through the eyes of his personal physician. James McAvoy stars as the doctor who slowly realizes that he is trapped in an inescapable nightmare, and Forest Whitaker assumes the role of the notorious despot. In commemoration of Youtube’s fifth anniversary, Macdonald was hired to direct and produce the very unique film, the Life in a Day (2011) documentary. It was crowdsourced from 80,000 Youtubers and regular people all over the world sharing their life in one day. The film serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010. The completed film debuted at Sundance in early 2011 In February of this year, Kevin's latest film, The Mauritanian was released in the US. He explains in this interview that it was a very difficult subject matter to tackle. The entire movie was shot in two locations. Both in South Africa and in Mauritania. The Mauritanian is a suspense legal-drama based on the 2015 memoir Guantánamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Salahi, a true story of Salahi's experience of being held for fourteen years without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The film stars Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, and Benedict Cumberbatch. You going to really enjoy this conversation. We dig into the nitty-gritty of documentary structuring, tales of directing huge movie stars, and navigating the Hollywood machine. Enjoy my conversation with Kevin Macdonald.

Our guest today is the award-winning screen and television writer, professor, visual artist, and author, Pamela Douglas.  Pamela is a member of the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America and a USC School of Cinematics Arts tenure professor for screenwriting.  She is credited for her writing on shows/series such as Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), The Ghostwriter (1992), CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984), Frank's Place (1987), and A Year in the Life (1987). Aside from her awesome career as a screenwriter, she’s an international writer with multi-lingual adaptations of her books (German, Mandarin, Italian, French, Korean, and Spanish). Pamela packed her expertise in her 2018 revised fourth edition of her 2008 book 'Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV', (revised) 'Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV'. The book is a complete resource for anyone who wants to write and produce for television drama series or create an original series, as well as for teachers in screenwriting classes and workshops. It leads the reader step-by-step through every stage of the development and writing process, offering practical industry information and artistic inspiration. The Fourth Edition leads readers into the future and engages provocative issues about the interface between traditional TV and emerging technologies. It’s also the single most comprehensive source on what is happening in original television drama around the world, with surveys of 15 countries. As you will learn in this episode, Pamela’s passion for writing goes back to her childhood. Even though she’s dabbed in screenwriting for movies, she’s discovered throughout her career that television carries a bigger pull in terms of communicating ideas, stories, characters, life, and experience. Its essence allows for vertical story-telling, expansion, and continuity to reveal newer plots and characters. Star Trek: the next generation is a classic sci-fi series set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's five-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers set off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before - the exploration of the Milky Way galaxy.  The Ghostwriter is an American children's mystery television series that revolves around a circle of friends from Brooklyn who solve neighborhood crimes and mysteries as a team of young detectives with the help of a ghost named Ghostwriter who can only communicate through writing and words. Chatting with a seasoned screenwriter like Pamela, there is so much wealth of knowledge packed in every word. We talked about presentation reelers, the forex structure and her approach to it, and why she thinks the Wire is the best show of all time in terms of character, layering, and sterilized storytelling. Enjoy this conversation with Pamela Douglas.

I’m always looking for success stories in the film business to study and analyze. Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullan) Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi), Kevin Smith (Clerks), and Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) come to mind. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the cult indie film classic The Boondock Saints but many of you might not know the crazy story of its writer and director Troy Duffy. Well, prepare to get you mind BLOWN. I had an EXCLUSIVE discussion with Troy this week, and let's say, he did not hold back. Nothing was off-limits - from his instant rise to fame to the smeary fate he met - getting blacklisted, all of it. He wanted to set the record straight because there is always another side to the story, and what better side to hear than that of the man who lived this brutal Hollywood adventure? Of course there is two sides to every story. Troy took full responsibility for what he did and said in the documentary but as I told him editing can be a bitch. The filmmakers amplified the negative, manufactured storylines and really damaged Troy's film career. I mean the film made Troy look insane. Troy and I dive into the deep end of the pool in this conversation. He revealed things he never had before. We discuss the making of Overnight, his interactions with the now disgraced Harvey Weinstein and where he sees himself going from here. Enjoy my eye-opening and entertaining as hell conversation with Troy Duffy.

Welcome to the first conversation of the Next Level Soul Podcast. I want this episode to be special and I couldn't be more excited to bring you today's remarkable guest. On the show we have speaker, executive coach, and author Gary Buckmann. His comeback story is one for the ages. While in college, Gary Buckmann went from being a top-level gymnast to lying in a hospital bed paralyzed from a broken neck. By using the techniques he now teaches to clients, he went on to achieve a full recovery. Within 3 short years of his catastrophic injury he was able to compete again. In record time, Gary was asked to be on the National USA coaching staff for women’s gymnastics. He worked with 5 Olympic Gold Medal winners and traveled the world with the USA team. His new book Broken to Brilliant: Overcome Obstacles to Create Opportunities & Achieve the Impossible chronicles his miraculous story. "For anyone looking for a wise and powerful story full of inspiration, this book is a must!" As a speaker, executive coach, and author, Gary is passionate about sharing his techniques and experiences with athletes, business executives, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. His unique ability to inspire and motivate helped thousands of people to adopt new ways of thinking and in the process achieve national championship success. I hope Gary's story is an example to you that anything is possible. Enjoy!

Our guest today is a youtube sensation and many of you might already be fans of his. Darious Britt is a filmmaker, youtuber actor, and director. Following his graduation from the University of Arizona in 2012, he launched his Youtube channel where he shares educational filmmaking gems with his 350,000 subscribers since 2013 - sharing his journey and addressing the issues filmmakers are facing today. His channel D4darious a variety channel where he curates and releases features short films behind the scenes, videos, tips, tricks, and vlogs about filmmaking. I discovered Darious’s channel a long time ago. He was spewing out some amazing content and great knowledge bombs. I am captivated by the way he does it - an extremely entertaining and stylish presentation of his contents. We ran into each other at the 2020 Mammoth Film Festival, and we hit it off instantly. Darious is the winner of the 2015 Pan African Festival best Director award for his feature-length comedy-drama film, Unsound. He compacted all the advice he shares on his channel into this project. A captivating story that pulls at your heart and its low-budget quality adds essence to the dialogues, making them seem even more real. You get a sense of connection to the characters dealing with real mental issues and the struggles of navigating them. The film, written and directed by Darious is about an aspiring filmmaker who attempts to jump-start his career by creating a documentary about classic Volkswagen beetles. But when his mother - whom he cares for at home - suffers another schizophrenic episode, she places everything he’s worked for in jeopardy. You can even find his 2018 documentary, The Making of Unsound: the 7-year journey, on his youtube channel, D4darious. He’s truly the gift that keeps on giving. Since his directorial debut in 2012 for his first short film, Seafood tester, Darious has directed, produced, and written about fifteen other short films and documentaries. Seafood Tester is a dramatic short film about a son who is tired of bailing his mother out of trouble. In order to save her from herself, he must resort to extreme measures to confront her with the truth. At the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, Darious had a lot of time like the rest of us and wrote and directed his latest short film, Pandemic - An atmospheric take on what it's like to experience the Covid-19 pandemic. This conversation went deep into the psychology of independent filmmaking, the truth of what it is to be an independent filmmaker in today's world, and how to build value in the business. Enjoy my epic conversation with Darious Britt.

On the show today is LA native, music artist, filmtrepreneur, filmmaker and actor, Robert Schwartzman. Robert comes from a long line of musicians and film talents. He’s related to industry names like Nicolas Cage (cousin), Sophia Coppola (cousin), Jason Schwartzman (brother), Francis Ford Coppola (uncle), etc. Growing up with these influencers, he ultimately went the same route - acting, studying film editing, and directing music videos.  His career tipped slightly towards his passion for musical he became the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Rooney. We did a deep dive into Robert’s newest venture, AltaVOD, a self-distribution platform for feature films. It’s a split structure, direct-to-consumer video-on-demand platform that eliminates the middleman (buyer) to support creators directly. I put Robert to the test and asked him hard questions about AltaVOD and he passed with flying colors.  When he is not building tech companies to help filmmakers, Robert has been known to act a bit. He began his acting career in Sophia Coppola’s short film Lick the Star and her directorial debut The Virgin Suicides. Even though these were Robert’s first acting experiences, he had already learned much about behind-the-camera technical skills. He shadowed and learned from Sophia and other relatives as much as he could. A clique of school girls devise a secret plan that they code-name "Lick the Star". The Virgin Suicides is about a group of male friends who become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid-1970s. In 2001, director Gary Marshell offered Roberts a role on box office success, The Princess Diaries as Michael Moscovitz, Lilly's older brother, harbors romantic feelings for Mia (Anne Hathaway). Mia Thermopolis has just found out that she is the heir apparent to the throne of Genovia. With her friends Lilly and Michael Moscovitz in tow, she tries to navigate through the rest of her sixteenth year. He's utilized his music career to produce soundtracks for shows like Late Night With Seth Meyers, Pretty Little Liars, Switched At Birthed, Demi Lovato: Live at Wembley Arena, Princess Diaries, and many others. It was cool chatting with Robert and bringing you guys (tribe) new avenues and resources to share your work cost-effectively.  Enjoy my conversation with Robert Schwartzman.

We have for you on the show today screenwriter and director, Boaz Yakin, The writer behind The Punisher, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, The Rookie, & Safe and directing, The Fresh, Remember the Titans and the comedy-drama, Uptown Girl among others. Growing up in a talented theatrical family, it was only natural for Yakin to pursue a life in film or some sort of performing arts. His dad, who was a teacher at Juilliard and a theater director enrolled Boaz into the famous Stell Adler script analysis class when he was only 17 years old. Thereafter, he tried out film school at US City college, later transferred to NYU, before quitting school after his first script was auctioned and got him in the door at 19 years old. At age 22, Yakin wrote his first produced film, Marvel's The Punisher. When Frank Castle's family is murdered by criminals, he wages war on crime as a vigilante assassin known only as The Punisher. In 1990, Yakin co-wrote one of the action films of the times, The Rookie, starring star boy Charlie Sheen, and Clint Eastwood who also directed the film. But his big hit came right after, FRESH, Yakin’s directorial debut is an emotional coming of age story, that offers a realistic glimpse of the dangerous life in New York City's projects during the crack epidemic. Michael, nicknamed Fresh, a 12-year-old kid running drugs for gangsters, notably Esteban, inspired by the chess lessons of his father, an alcoholic speed-chess master played by Samuel L. Jackson. Fresh devises and executes a brilliant plan to extricate himself and his drug-addicted sister from their hopeless lives. Next up for Boaz was directing the box-office smash REMEMBER THE TITANS. Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington shines in REMEMBER THE TITANS. Based on real events, this remarkable story celebrates how a town torn apart by friction and mistrust comes together in triumphant harmony. After leading his team to fifteen winning seasons, beloved football coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) is demoted and replaced by tough, opinionated Herman Boone (Washington). How these two men overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions is a remarkable portrait of courage and perseverance. You and your family will never forget the Titans! His blockbuster smash, Now You See Me featured big industry names like Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, etc. The $75 million budget film grossed $351.7 dollars. The plot follows an FBI agent and an Interpol detective who track and attempt to bring to justice a team of magicians who pull off bank heists and robberies during their performances and reward their audiences with the money. Boaz continued his blockbuster ways by working on the $200 million tentpole film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. A young fugitive Prince and Princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time. Boaz and I chatted about his creative process, the business side and political side of screenwriting and directing in Hollywood during this conversation. He was extremely raw and honest about what it really is like working inside the Hollywood machine. Enjoy this conversation with Boaz Yakin.

You guys are in for a major treat. I'm always talking about those "lottery ticket" filmmaker stories that we all dream of happening to us one day. Well, today's guest's story is one of the mythological stories come to life. We have 90’s independent film icon, Scott Mosier. Scott is an indie film producer, editor, writer, director, actor, and podcaster of Smodcast, which he co-hosts with his long-term filmmaking partner, Kevin Smith. From Vancouver Film School to Hollywood, Scott's trajectory has been inspiring for many in the industry. He produced some of the best 90s classics like Clerks 1 & 2, Jersey Girl, the Oscar® Winning Good Will Hunting, Dogma, and many, many more. Scott acted in, edited the movie, original sound, and contributed to Clerk’s budget. After the massive hit they followed up with the embattled Mallrats. The film was not well received and did no money at the box-office. Kevin and Scott were essentially discarded and called a one hit wonders. For most filmmakers that would be all she wrote but not for Kevin and Scott. They decided to go back to their roots and make another low budget indie and prove to Hollywood that they were here to stay. Their next film was the brilliant romantic comedy-drama, Chasing Amy. The tells the unfortunate twist of a male comic artist who falls in love with a lesbian woman, to the displeasure of his best friend. After self-financing, the majority of their initial projects (Mosier & Smith), 2001, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was Mosier’s first big-budget ($20 million) production. Based on real-life stoners Jay and Silent Bob, so when they get no profit from a big-screen adaptation they set out to wreck the movie. If that wasn't enough Scott also co-executive produced the Oscar® Award-Winning Good Will Hunting in his spare time. Wanting a change Scott decided to branch out and start directing himself. His 2018 directorial debut was a stand-out project! A box office hit, grossing about $512 million globally and the highest-grossing holiday film of all time. Dr. Seuss: The Grinch became the third screen adaptation of the 1957 Dr. Seuss book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I had ball talking shop with Scott. We discussed the genesis of the independent film movement as we know it today, dealing with studios, what was it like being in the Clerks hurricane and much more. Enjoy my conversation with Scott Mosier.

We all need a kick in the butt sometimes on our filmmaking or screenwriting journey. This show will do just that. Never stop chasing that filmmaking dream. Keep on hustling. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

Welcome to the newest member of the IFH Podcast Network. May I introduce you to Inside the Screenwriter's MInd: A Screenwriting Archive. Have you ever wondered what it’s like inside a screenwriter’s mind? In this podcast, we explore how successful screenwriters tackle structure, plot, character, dialog, and the film business. Get ready to go down the rabbit hole of stories. Let’s travel inside the screenwriter’s mind. I wanted to create a new bi-weekly podcast that could not only highlight the in-depth conversations I have done with some of the world's greatest screenwriters in Hollywood but I also wanted to shine a light on other amazing interviews from the IFH Podcast Network. In this podcast, I will be your guide down the rabbit-hole of stories as I bring you interviews from the following podcasts: Indie Film Academy Podcast Dave Bullis Podcast Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast Film Trooper Podcast and others from the IFH Podcast Network As the network continues to grow I will hunt for the best screenwriter interviews and bring them to you on the Inside the Screenwriter's MInd: A Screenwriting Podcast. If you like the podcast please share with your friends, subscribe, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This really helps the show out a lot since we are a new show and I want these amazing interviews to reach as many screenwriters and filmmakers as possible. Thank you for listening and I hope this podcast truly helps you on your screenwriting path. Write. Rewrite. Sell. Repeat. Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com)

Our guest on today's episode is Emmy award-winning filmmaker, actor, Filmtrepreneur, best -selling author, and instructor Shane Stanley. Shane's been in the business way before he could walk. He started off as a child actor at 9 months old when his father, who was a working actor volunteered him for national TV commercials, starring in commercials and films and even going on to win his first two Emmy Awards at age 16  and 19 for his role in the Desperate Passage (1987) series. Along with his outstanding talents in front of the camera, Stanley also had an eye out for the producer's seat. He learned and honed camera and editorial skills and could comfortably find his way around behind the camera by age 10, and has since clocked directing, production, editing, and acting credits for over 58 shows, films, commercials, and music videos. In 2001, he launched his production company, Visual Arts Entertainment under which he executive produced culture hits like the sports drama, and Box Office #1, Gridiron Gang starring Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson as lead, and critically acclaimed film, A Sight for Sore Eyes which was Shane's directorial debut. The film won several awards in 2004. It bagged a Special Jury Award at WorldFest Houston, won two Telly Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Film & Television as well as winning top honors at the International Family Film Festival, and ultimately won dozens of prestigious awards, and was invited to screen at Cannes Film Festival in 2005. Shane's latest book, What You Don't Learn In Film School: A Complete Guide To (Independent) Filmmaking, offers a wealth of knowledge for anyone who wants an entertainment industry insider's professional guidance on how to create a movie. I loved the book so much I decide to publish the audiobook version through my company IFH Books. The book is an especially invaluable tool for anyone thinking of going to film school. It is an in-depth, no-holds-barred look at making movies from ‘concept to delivery in today’s ever-evolving climate while breaking down the dos and don’ts of (independent) filmmaking. Shane is a wealth of information and he drops some MAJOR knowledge bombs on the tribe in this conversation. If you are a filmmaker do yourself a favor and pick up his book What You Don't Learn In Film School: A Complete Guide To (Independent) Filmmaking, it is a GREAT companion book to Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Moneymaking Business. Get ready to take notes and enjoy my conversation with Shane Stanley.

On the show today veteran screenwriter, director, producer, educator, author, Paul Chitlik. Paul has worked on 80's show classics like the Twilight Zone, Small Wonder, Who's the Boss, and Perfect Strangers, among others. He spends his free time as a clinical assistant professor teaching Screenwriting at the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angelos. Small Wonder follows the zany adventures of a suburban family, their next-door neighbors, and an innovative robot designed to look like a human child. Chitlik’s best-selling book, Rewrite 2nd Edition: A Step-by-Step Guide to Strengthen Structure, Characters, and Drama in your Screenplay, is a gold mine of expert guidance for every aspiring screenwriter. Veteran screenwriting instructor and award-winning writer Paul Chitlik presents an easy-to-read, step-by-step process to take your script from first draft to submission draft. He reveals the hidden structure of screenplays, sequences, and scenes, as he guides you through the process of examining your draft, restructuring it, and populating it with believable, complex, and compelling characters. Along the way he outlines how to make your action leap off the page and your dialogue crackle. While the first edition was widely used in film school rewriting classes, it was also recommended as an introduction to screenwriting craft by a number of professors and professionals. Paul Chitlik has included, for the second edition, more examples, exercises, and applications for television, the web, and other media, using a wide range of citations in film, television, and the Internet to underline his approach.   Paul shared so much of his creative thought process during our conversation and how he approaches cutting his scene. You don’t want to miss it. Enjoy this conversation with Paul Chitlik.

I have an epic conversation in store for you all today. Our guest is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, filmmaker, John Lee Hancock. While working as a lawyer by day back in 1986, John moonlighted as a screenwriter, writing script after script. His spec script A Perfect World caught the eye of Steven Spielberg and eventually was directed by Clint Eastwood. After that success he went on to direct the crowd pleasing The Rookie. After the box-office success of The Rookie, John tackled the epic story of The Alamo. Hancock’s famous five-year hiatus comeback film, The Blind Side, an adaptation of Micheal Lewis’s 2006 book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game yield and performed outstandingly. The film received countless major awards nominations including an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and a win for Best Actress for Sandra Bullock. The Blind Side is the story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family. The Blind Side went on to make $309.2 million internationally on a $29 million budget. Not too bad. He shared how he usually starts with loose plots and very quickly thereafter, allows the process to becomes about the characters and then let the characters inform the plot. Just this year, Hancock released his latest HBO Max neo-noir crime thriller, The Little Things, starring Academy Award winners and heavyweights Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto. I had a ball talking with John about filmmaking, how he almost broke Steven Spielberg's Rosebud prop from Citizen Kane when they first met, and so much more. He really goes into detail about his creative process, how he was able to navigate Hollywood, how to deal with the highs and lows of the business and so much more. Enjoy my conversation with John Lee Hancock.