Afterwards I share some updates about some possibilities on the horizon.

My conversation with Tom Piazza:

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My commentary about Treme and the interview with Tom:

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Related Episodes

On this podcast commentary from the 2018 Cutting Edge Music Conference, I share some takeaways about the New Orleans music community. My interviews episode from Cutting Edge 2018 includes a story about Clarence “Frogman” Henry.

The post Commentary: HBO’s Treme, The Wire, & Tom Piazza appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

I met Brian at SXSW 2019, during his book launch event for Lifescale: How to Live a More Creative, Productive, and Happy Life. As Brian explains in our interview, the book developed out of a conversation he had after speaking at SXSW 2018: He was challenged to provide an answer to the questions he had raised about the dark side of social media.

Lifescale became his answer. Writing the book made him rethink his priorities and pursue deeper, more meaningful connections with the people in his life. The book had a similar effect on me and helped me prepare for new creative possibilities, so I brought Brian on the show to discuss it.

Some of the things Brian and I discuss in this episode include

• How social media can rewire people and societies
• When the personal approach can be right approach
• Using design principles to create a more reading experience
• The life-changing impact of Walt Disney a certain animated short
• How to develop deeper, more meaningful connections with others
• Practical things we can do to rekindle our creativity

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Related Episodes

Todd Henry, founder and CEO of Accidental Creative, came on the show to discuss how to get past writer’s block, live with purpose, and discover our life’s work.

The post How to Rekindle Creativity and Find Purpose in a Distracted Age: Brian Solis appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

I met with Tom at the historic Columns Hotel in New Orleans to talk about his work and the city that has shaped so much of it. Some of the things we discuss in the episode include

• Highlights from the 50th anniversary of Jazz Fest
• How to write about a place like a local
• What not to do when writing music criticism
• Research that went into his album notes for Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues
• How the writing room on Treme worked together to flesh out challenging story points

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Related Episodes

One of the bands featured in Treme is Papa Gros Funk. On this episode I interviewed the filmmakers behind Do U Want It, a documentary about the band that focuses on their final performances before their indefinite hiatus.

This episode features an interview with Laura Cayouette, a New Orleanian actress who played Kay, a recurring character on Treme. Laura is often recognized for her role in Django Unchained, where she played the sister of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character.

The post Treme & Why New Orleans Matters: Writer Tom Piazza appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Producer Lindsay Doran won a Golden Globe for Sense and Sensibility, a film that she spent years trying to develop. Lindsay has an extensive background as a studio executive where she has overseen development on projects like This Is Spinal Tap, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Ghost. She was also the producer of one of my favorite films from the 21st century, Stranger Than Fiction. When not developing her own projects, Lindsay works as a script whisperer, doing secret consultation work on some of Hollywood’s biggest films.

Lindsay came on the show to share her story insights and her approach to creative collaborations. We discuss some of the key collaborative relationships in Lindsay’s career, including her work with Rob Reiner and Emma Thompson. Then we talk about developing Sense and Sensibility and Stranger Than Fiction. Towards the end of our Stranger Than Fiction discussion, Lindsay shares a passionate defense of movies with happy endings, explaining why they matter and are worthy of artistic acclaim.

Films & TV Shows Mentioned

• Baby Driver
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Dead Again
• Dunkirk
• Ghost 
• Harry Potter series
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Jacob’s Ladder
• The Lego Movie
• Love & Friendship
• Persuasion
• Pretty in Pink
• Schindler’s List 
• Sense and Sensibility
• Silence of the Lambs 
• Stand by Me
• Stranger Than Fiction
• This is Spinal Tap
• Thompson
• Wonder Woman
• The Zero Theorem 

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Books Mentioned

• The Body by Stephen King
• Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay & Diaries by Emma Thompson
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

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The post Golden Globe-Winning Producer Lindsay Doran on Power of Happy Endings appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

The 2nd edition of The Coffee Break Screenwriter just came out recently. Pilar Alessandra is the author and a script consultant who began her career as a script reader for Amblin Entertainment. She went on to provide story analysis for DreamWorks and Robert Zemeckis’s company ImageMovers.  Today she has her own screenwriting consulting company called On the Page. Her students have written for shows like The Walking Dead, Lost, and Grey’s Anatomy and have sold scripts to Disney, DreamWorks, and Warner Bros.

It might be perfectly well written, but it’s a movie character. It’s not your character.“ – Pilar Alessandra

Pilar came on The nsavides Podcast to discuss

• When it makes sense to use a script consultant
• Why writing elaborate backstories for characters can be a crutch
• The importance of setup and payoff and how it is used on Game of Thrones
• Some tired tropes in film and television shows that need to be retired
• A simple way to keep a writing habit going
• How filmmakers can give helpful feedback to writers
• How a small structural change could have made Star Wars into a different film

Listen to the Episode

Books, Films, and Shows Referenced

• Pilar’s book, The Coffee Break Screenwriter 2nd Edition
• Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
• Modern Man: The Life of Le Corbusier, Architect of Tomorrow by Anthony Flint
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Game of Thrones
• Little Miss Sunshine, which has a useful writing-specific commentary track
• Mad Dogs
• Stranger Things 
• Star Wars
• Up in the Air

The post Script Consultant Pilar Alessandra from On the Page on Structure, Star Wars, and Game of Thrones appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Photo of Phil, PhilKlay.com

In this episode we talk about his book, but also war stories as a genre, how war stories affect the ways our society thinks about war, and the light and dark tones that come with the territory.

Listen to the Podcast

The post On Redeployment & War Stories with Phil Klay, Writer & Marine appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Bo Burlingham’s Twitter pic:

Bo’s newest book is Finish Big, a look at what happens when businesses are sold and a continuation of the ideas found in Small Giants. The two books emphasize the importance of finding a higher purpose beyond the bottom line in our business endeavors.

I brought Bo on the show to talk about how his ideas relate to creative people who are pursuing careers in film, music, and the arts. Bo spends a lot of time talking about intangible aspects of a business, so there’s a lot of overlap with artists who do the same. We also discuss the PR problem that business faces and ways that creatives can help. Plus, Bo offers some suggestions to creatives who plan to approach others for funding.

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As if that weren’t enough, the above photo from Fast Company gets a mention. Do we believe the man in the photo is as saintly as he is depicted? Well, to find out…

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Related Things

(The book links below are Amazon Affiliate links. That means I get a small commission, but you don’t get charged extra. Buying from the links is another way to support the show.)

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• Bo’s website: boburlingham.com
• Small Giants, the book
• Free webinars from the Small Giants Community
• Finish Big
• Conscious Capitalism, the book from co-CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey
• A look at how David Simon pitched HBO on The Wire, from Stephanie Palmer’s blog

• To hear an extended discussion on the tradeoff between paying celebrities and paying visual-effects companies, check out our episode with visual-effects supervisor Mike Seymour.

• This is the Small Giants book promotion I ran on my blog. In it, I share the kind of small giant I want to be, and so do a few others.

 

Sponsor for this episode

• LA Film Prize, a short-film festival in Shreveport, Louisiana. Home of the $50,000 film prize. Viva La Film Prize!

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• Sign up for The nsavides Newsletter.

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The post Inc. Magazine Editor & Small Giants Visionary Bo Burlingham on Merits of Values-Driven Business appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

The book covers some challenging territory, and Mac and I disagree on some points, as you will hear, but the book is also one of the most original books that I’ve read on the topic. As a whole, it has much to add to the PTSD conversation. As Mac points out, unresolved trauma doesn’t just affect soldiers or rape victims, but those who live through natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, or accidents, or whose occupations involve prolonged exposure to emotional duress, like journalists or psychologists.

Even if there isn’t unresolved trauma in our own lives, there’s still a good chance that we know someone who is affected, and knowing how to engage that person in a helpful way can make all the difference in his or her life.  In other words, this discussion, while uncomfortable at times, is one that is relevant to most of us in some way.

Listen to the Podcast

The post A Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Discussion with Journalist Mac McClelland appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

I talk to Rick about how he weaves a sense of community into his stories, the responsibilities of a  journalist to those he profiles, and some of the themes he likes to revisit. Plus, banter on rock ‘n’ roll, heaven & hell, and whether alcohol is a prerequisite for any self-respecting Southern writer.

Listen to the Podcast

Related Things

• Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story

• All Over but the Shoutin, Rick’s first book is a classic and how many readers came to know his work. It’s his first attempt at documenting his troubled boyhood home.
• The Prince of Frogtown: In this one, Rick takes another look at his dad from those who grew up with him, and a more complex figure emerges. Intercut with this exploration is Rick’s attempts to bond with his stepson and move beyond his father’s shadow.
• I Am a Soldier Too: The Jessica Lynch Story: The severity of Jessica’s treatment while held captivity by the Iraqis was such that medical experts believe she repressed some of the memories, but in the book her recovery seems extensive.  Arguably Rick’s most optimistic book.
• Somebody Told Me, a choice selection of Rick Bragg’s newspaper stories, selected and arranged by Rick himself.

• Tried by Deadly Tornado, An Anchor of Faith Holds, Rick’s article about a tornado that hits an Alabama church on Palm Sunday.
• Rick’s coverage of the Elian Gonzalez case for The New York Times.
• Rick’s 2007 profile of Nick Saban for Sports Illustrated. Incidentally, LSU would go on to win the BCS Championship that season and the New York Giants (the embodiment of all that is good and as it should be in the world) would win the Super Bowl.

• To those who want to explore some of the challenges of our current health-care system, I recommend reading Catastrophic Care by David Goldhill, a Democrat and writer for The Atlantic. The book is a thoughtful, non-partisan look at some of systemic issues that keep costs high and innovation low. The documentary Wait Till Its Free is also worth watching.
• I Wish I Was (Sort of) More Like James Dean, my written exploration into the mysteries of James Dean and the number 23.

I got to meet Rick Bragg at the 2014 Louisiana Book Festival. See that hint of yellow by my collar? That’s my LSU shirt. Thanks to Sherry Verdel for the photo.

Sponsor for this episode

LA Film Prize, a short-film festival in Shreveport, Louisiana. Home of the $50,000 film prize. Viva La Film Prize!

If You Liked the Show

• Sign up for The nsavides Newsletter.

• Subscribe or comment:

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• Say hello on Twitter:  @nsavidesPRO

The post Rick Bragg on Jerry Lee Lewis, Journalism, & Big Questions appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

In this episode, we talk about some tips about getting more coverage in a publication, how to talk to movie stars at events, and ways that we can support the entertainment industry in Louisiana. (If you have a few dollars set aside and take action before Thursday, Nov 27, there’s even a way to get Scene to produce your next short film!)

Listen to the Podcast

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Update: Shortly after the interview happened, the Here’s My Two Bucks campaign reached its goal. They raised over $55,000, and the economic study will get commissioned in 2015.

Related Things

• Scene Magazine
• Here’s My Two Bucks campaign. The campaign ends on Thursday, Nov. 27.
• For additional discussion on how tax rebates impact the film industry, check out The nsavides Podcast interview with Celtic Studios’s Executive Director, Patrick Mulhearn

If You Like the Show

• Sign up for The nsavides Newsletter.
• Subscribe or comment: , 
• Say hello on Twitter.

Thank you for visiting!

The post Scene Magazine’s Editor in Chief, Micah Haley appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.