Category: To Live & Dialogue in LA

Eleanor Bergstein – Dirty Dancing Screenwriter

Eleanor Bergstein – Dirty Dancing Screenwriter

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Coming to you live and in person from the Upper West Side of New York, Aaron joins screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein for an intimate chat about one of the most beloved movies of all time, Dirty Dancing. Eleanor is the screenwriter, producer, and principal creative force behind that movie, which she has since adapted into an internationally successful stage show. Hear gripping behind-the-scenes stories about the screenplay and production.

Larry Karaszewski — Screenwriter, TV Creator (The People V. OJ, Ed Wood)

Larry Karaszewski — Screenwriter, TV Creator (The People V. OJ, Ed Wood)

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This week, Larry comes on the pod to talk about the craft of writing about real people. He and his partner Scott Alexander have written some of the biggest biopics in Hollywood, including Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon, The People V. OJ, and many others. They’ve written for Jim Carrey, John Travolta, Ed Norton, Amy Adams, Johnny Depp, Sarah Paulson, often giving that actor the best role of their career.

Gina Gionfriddo – Playwright, TV writer (Law & Order, The Alienist, Cold Case, House of Cards)

Gina Gionfriddo – Playwright, TV writer (Law & Order, The Alienist, Cold Case, House of Cards)

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Award-winning playwright and TV writer Gina Gionfriddo joins Aaron for an extensive discussion about TV and theatre writing. They talk Law & Order, the politics of TV writers’ rooms, and how to tackle a scene. Gina is a recipient of a WGA award, an Outer Critics Circle award, a Guggenheim fellowship, and she’s a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

Ken Levine — TV writer (Cheers, Frasier, MASH, The Simpsons)

Ken Levine — TV writer (Cheers, Frasier, MASH, The Simpsons)

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:16 — 101.2MB) | Embed

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Join Aaron for his in-depth convo with the man who co-wrote 36 episodes (!) of Cheers, the greatest sitcom of all time. Behind the scenes stories, memories from production, and what made the show such a classic. Stick around for stories about working with Tom Hanks, rewriting Mannequin, and Ken’s love for The Producers.

Nancy Meyers — Oscar-nominated Screenwriter, Director

Nancy Meyers — Oscar-nominated Screenwriter, Director

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:05 — 126.5MB) | Embed

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In her debut podcast, Nancy joins Aaron for an in depth conversation, covering her entire legendary career. As the most commercially successful female filmmaker in history, Nancy is one of the rare directors to be a household name. She’s also one of the last filmmakers standing who gets to tell original stories for adults about recognizable human beings, starring A-list actors. From Private Benjamin to Baby Boom to Father of the Bride to Something’s Gotta Give…hear Nancy and Aaron discuss her truly remarkable and unique career.

Dave Itzkoff – Journalist, The New York Times. Author, “Mad As Hell” and “Robin.”

Dave Itzkoff – Journalist, The New York Times. Author, “Mad As Hell” and “Robin.”

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:23 — 112.4MB) | Embed

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Celebrated journalist for The New York Times, Dave Itzkoff joins Aaron to discuss the life and work of Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. Dave wrote an extraordinary book about Chayefsky, “Mad As Hell,” which goes in depth on the making of Chayefsky’s most celebrated film, “Network.” Aaron and Dave discuss Chayefsky’s impact on film, his naturalistic stories, his great farces, and why he’s often regarded as the greatest screenwriter of all time. Dave is also the author of the bestseller, “Robin,” a biography of Robin Williams.

Stephany Folsom — Screenwriter, Toy Story 4

Stephany Folsom — Screenwriter, Toy Story 4

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:42 — 76.4MB) | Embed

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Curious about how Pixar movies are written? Aaron welcomes Stephany Folsom onto the podcast to discuss her work as sole screenwriter on the 4th installment of the Toy Story franchise. Stephany explains the multi year process, working with animators, what’s it like on the Pixar campus, and the responsibility she feels to the billion dollar franchise. They also discuss Stephany’s writing for Marvel, and how she was ready to quit Hollywood before her spec script landed her on the Black List.

Ed Solomon – Part 2 – Screenwriter (Men in Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, many more)

Ed Solomon – Part 2 – Screenwriter (Men in Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, many more)

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:08 — 58.8MB) | Embed

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Join Aaron and Ed — in person at the Yale Broadcast Studio — for the conclusion of their conversation about Ed’s incredible screenwriting career. Ed was catapulted onto the A-List with Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Ed co-wrote the blockbusters, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and Now You See Me, among many others. On TV, Ed was on staff for the ground-breaking series, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and, this year, after decades writing mega-budget studio films, Ed turned to TV drama, teaming with director Steven Soderbergh for the original interactive long-form branching narrative Mosaic, starring Sharon Stone.

Ed Solomon – Part 1 – Screenwriter (Men in Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, many more)

Ed Solomon – Part 1 – Screenwriter (Men in Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, many more)

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:00 — 67.8MB) | Embed

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Join Aaron and Ed — in person at the Yale Broadcast Studio — as Ed discusses his incredible screenwriting career. Ed was catapulted onto the A-List with Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Ed co-wrote the blockbusters, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and Now You See Me, among many others. On TV, Ed was on staff for the ground-breaking series, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and, this year, after decades writing mega-budget studio films, Ed turned to TV drama, teaming with director Steven Soderbergh for the original interactive long-form branching narrative Mosaic, starring Sharon Stone.

Brian Koppelman — TV Creator, Showrunner, Screenwriter, Podcaster

Brian Koppelman — TV Creator, Showrunner, Screenwriter, Podcaster

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Brian’s podcast, The Moment, has been a big influence on To Live & Dialogue. Join Aaron and Brian as they dive into the kinds of issues facing screenwriters that Brian talks about on his pod, including the importance of morning pages, and tuning out the Hollywood gatekeepers. The wide-ranging discussion also touches on Brian’s Showtime series, Billions, as well as his many screenplays, most notably, Solitary Man. In addition to breaking down a scene from that movie, Brian also talks about the craft behind one of his all time favorite film moments, from Donnie Brasco.