Creative Principles
Welcome to Creative Principles, I'm your host Brock Swinson. Here I'll be speaking with writers, directors, actors, musicians and more. We'll discuss the habits, routines, and methods of a creative life.
Episodes
August 1, 2025 • 25 mins
Kristina Stanley is the bestselling author of SECRETS TO OUTLINING A NOVEL, SECRETS TO EDITING SUCCESS, and SECRETS TO WRITING A SERIES, as well as the award-winning STONE MOUNTAIN MYSTERIES SERIES.
In 2019, she developed a brand-new structural editing software, Fictionary. After years of outlining and editing in complex Excel spreadsheets, she designed the program she always wished she had. Since then, Fictionary has grown fast,...
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July 30, 2025 • 40 mins
Julie Christeas is the founder and CEO of Tandem Pictures. Her recent films include NUKED, a comedy starring Justin Bartha and Anna Camp, and BLACK BEAR starring Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, and Sarah Gadon.
She also Executive Produced three original, short-form comedy series for NBCU/Peacock, all are slated for release Spring 2025, and produces original short-form content for some of the biggest brands in the world -- Amazon...
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James DeMonaco is the writer and director of the feature films THE PURGE, THE PURGE: ANARCHY, and THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR, as well as co-founder of the Man in a Tree production company along with his producing partner Sebastian LeMercier.
His upcoming horror film THE HOME, starring fellow Staten Islander Pete Davidson, follows Max, who realizes that the residents and caretakers in the retirement home where he started working at h...
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July 24, 2025 • 31 mins
Sam Lansky is making his feature film screenwriting debut with Sony's I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. This highly anticipated new installment of the cultural phenomenon franchise boasts an all-star cast, including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Tyriq Withers, Jonah Hauer-King, and Sarah Pidgeon. Additionally, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. will reprise their iconic roles from the original films.
Sam is the author ...
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July 18, 2025 • 22 mins
Widely recognized for his roles as Lucius Malfoy in the HARRY POTTER film series, Jason Issac’s extensive career includes various film and television appearances such as THE OA, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, and the third season of THE WHITE LOTUS.
In this interview, we talk about shadowing people for roles and asking "awkward" questions, THE WHITE LOTUS and his character Timothy Ratliff, speculation on what happens to the family after th...
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July 17, 2025 • 25 mins
Tony McNamara is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and playwright, whose most recent film, POOR THINGS, earned his second Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
POOR THINGS marked the second creative collaboration between McNamara and director Yorgos Lanthimos, and it is the third collaboration for McNamara and star Emma Stone. The film was released in theaters in December 2023 and was the second-most Oscar-no...
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July 11, 2025 • 27 mins
Stephen Murphy is a cinematographer known for his work on MR. & MRS. SMITH, ATLANTA, and HEART EYES.
In 2025, Murphy received a BAFTA TV Craft nomination for Photography & Lighting in Fiction for the mini-series SAY NOTHING, as well as a nomination for Best Cinematography from the Irish Film and Television Awards for the same project.
He currently presides on the Board of Governors for the British Society of Cinematographers and ...
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July 10, 2025 • 27 mins
Matt Tyrnauer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose acclaimed works include the Oscar-shortlisted VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR, STUDIO 54, and WHERE'S MY ROY COHN?
Chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa is a globally renowned Japanese chef who revolutionized modern cuisine by blending traditional Japanese techniques with Peruvian ingredients. His partnership with Robert De Niro created the Nobu empire, which now encompasses over...
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July 3, 2025 • 28 mins
Shannon Lewis is making her Broadway debut as choreographer for the musical JUST IN TIME. The show stars Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin in an immersive experience featuring iconic hits like "Beyond the Sea" and "Mack the Knife."
As a choreographer, she's well-known for her work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, creating viral video dances, and has choreographed projects for THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JIMMY FALLON and LAST WEEK T...
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June 27, 2025 • 27 mins
David Koepp is a highly successful screenwriter best known for his work on some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. With a career spanning decades, he has worked on the scripts for iconic films such as JURASSIC PARK, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, SPIDER-MAN, and WAR OF THE WORLDS.
His latest work, JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH, follows the story five years after JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION. In it, an expedition ventures into isolated equatorial r...
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June 26, 2025 • 31 mins
Justin Spitzer is a co-creator and executive producer of ST. DENIS MEDICAL. Prior to that, he created and ran NBC comedies SUPERSTORE and AMERICAN AUTO.
Eric Ledgin is the showrunner and co-creator of ST. DENIS MEDICAL. He is an Emmy award-winning writer and producer, whose TV credits include SUPERSTORE, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, AMERICAN AUTO, and LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON.
Their show ST. DENIS MEDICAL follows an un...
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June 20, 2025 • 28 mins
Peter Craig is behind some of the biggest box office successes of the past decade writing screenplays for such hits as THE TOWN, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY (part 1 and 2), BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, THE BATMAN and TOP GUN: MAVERICK which earned Craig an Oscar and WGA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Craig also wrote GLADIATOR II, which received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film of the Year. Craig’s films have generat...
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June 19, 2025 • 27 mins
Luke Cormack is a skilled GSS, Shotover, U-Crane Arm, Aerial, and Phantom operator, and is at home shooting underwater, in the air, long lens, macro, or with A-list celebrities.
He has won an Emmy, Panda, and Grand Teton Awards for cinematography and has had the pleasure of working on many Emmy and BAFTA-nominated shows.
His latest work was on DAVID BLAINE DO NOT ATTEMPT, where Magician David Blaine travels globally, connecting ...
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June 13, 2025 • 31 mins
Aaron B. Koontz is a filmmaker, writer, and founder/CEO of Paper Street Pictures, a leading force in independent genre cinema. He has directed CAMERA OBSCURA, THE PALE DOOR, and the cult-favorite SCARE PACKAGE series on Shudder. As a producer, he has worked on projects like THE ARTIFICE GIRL, THE REQUIN, OLD MAN, and BLOOD RELATIVES.
Most recently, he worked as the co-showrunner of the series REVIVAL. The show follows a rural town...
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June 12, 2025 • 29 mins
Kim Rosenstock is an Emmy and WGA-nominated TV writer, producer, and playwright, best known for shows like NEW GIRL and ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, for which she received Emmy and WGA nominations.
Elizabeth Meriwether is a screenwriter, playwright, and producer best known as the creator of the hit TV sitcom NEW GIRL, starring Zooey Deschanel. She also gained attention with her screenplay for the romantic comedy NO STRINGS ATTAC...
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June 6, 2025 • 22 mins
Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the creative minds behind the beloved animated series PHINEAS AND FERB, are back as co-creators and executive producers for its new season. Both will also reprise their voice roles, with Povenmire once again lending his voice to the hilariously villainous Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, and Marsh returning as Major Francis Monogram, Perry the Platypus's commanding officer.
With over 25 years of expe...
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June 5, 2025 • 28 mins
Seth Meyers is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer, producer, and television host. He is currently the host of NBC's LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS, where he delivers a nightly blend of political commentary, celebrity interviews, and clever comedic segments.
Alex Baze is a highly respected comedy writer and producer, best known for his extensive work on NBC's LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS. As the show's head writer, he plays a pivot...
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May 31, 2025 • 30 mins
Emmy and PGA award-winning screenwriter and producer Charlie Brooker created the critically acclaimed anthology series BLACK MIRROR. The highly anticipated seventh season premiered April 10th on Netflix.
In this interview, we talk about the conception and evolution of BLACK MIRROR, his writing process and habits, advice on writing pilots/standalone episodes, and much more.
Want more? Steal my first book, INK BY THE BARREL - SECR...
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May 30, 2025 • 24 mins
Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor best known for films like AMERICAN SPLENDOR, SIDEWAYS, and THE HOLDOVERS. Most recently, he appeared on Episode 5 of the newest season of BLACK MIRROR, called “Eulogy,” where an isolated man is introduced to a groundbreaking system that allows its users to step inside old photographs.
In this interview, we talk about BLACK MIRROR, such as how they stepped into those photographs, his general ...
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May 23, 2025 • 25 mins
Anna Camp is an actress best known for her role as the unforgettable Aubrey Posen in the PITCH PERFECT film series. She has built an impressive resume with notable roles in popular television shows such as THE MINDY PROJECT and TRUE BLOOD, and most recently, she played Maddie & Reagan Lockwood in the last season of Netflix’s YOU.
In the epic fifth and final season of YOU, Joe Goldberg returns to New York to enjoy his happily ever ...
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