logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2021
1h 21m

32 | Writer Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted, MIB)...

MEG LEFAUVE & LORIEN MCKENNA
About this episode

Ed Solomon is one of Hollywood's most recognizable writers, who represents a rare intersection of critical and commercial success. His 16 feature films have grossed over 1.6 Billion Dollars at the Box Office, and he's the creator or co-creator on three of Hollywood's biggest franchises: Bill & Ted, Men in Black, and Now You See Me.

But he'll be the FIRST person to tell you that he's not a "fancy" writer. He bristles at the idea, and argues that ego is one of the quickest ways to tank a career, especially a creative career. Instead, he feels that humility, curiosity, and daring are the keys to success, especially as a writer. Ed is a disarming orator, passionate teacher, and a great dude. So much to learn.

Up next
Jul 3
255 | From Finalist to Staffed: How Austin Film Festival Helped Us Break In (ft. Sylvia Batey Alcalá & Mac Smullen)
This week, we’re spotlighting two incredible TV writers whose journeys were meaningfully shaped by the Austin Film Festival. Sylvia Batey Alcalá (A MAN ON THE INSIDE, PRIMO) and Mac Smullen (SOUVENIR, ALASKA) share how AFF helped get their names out there —building momentum, spar ... Show More
1h 19m
Jun 26
254 | "I'm Stuck": What to Do When the Writing Just Isn't Working
In this episode, Meg gets real about where she’s at in her writing process — the doubts, the stalls, and the honest truth of feeling stuck. We answer listener questions about momentum, mindset, and the tough question of when it’s time to move on from a project that just isn’t wor ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 19
253 | Producing a Hit Studio Movie: What Writers Should Know ft. Sheila Hanahan Taylor (Final Destination: Bloodlines)
Fresh off the massive critical and commercial success of FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES, friend of the show Sheila Hanahan Taylor is back to share the ins and outs of producing a studio movie. What can writers do to develop a good relationship with a producer? How does a producer ... Show More
1h 13m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Maestro with Josh Singer
The acclaimed new Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro is about more than just the life and times of arguably America’s most famous composer. It’s about the idea of genius and what allowances those in the presence of gifted creatives sometimes permit, at great personal cost, to allow ... Show More
1h 19m
Oct 2021
How Edgar Wright makes original movies in an industry obsessed with franchises
KCRW revisits its conversation with filmmaker Edgar Wright. His music documentary “The Sparks Brothers” celebrates two musicians whose work he loves. Ron and Russell Mael are brothers who make up the band Sparks, and they’re a pair of complete originals. Wright is an original, to ... Show More
30m 2s
Nov 2018
Ed Helms: Hollywood Hangovers
Who says there's no nice guys in Hollywood? Todd Garner chats with actor / comedian / producer Ed Helms about his time in film school and Upright Citizen's Brigade, managing to shoot The Office and The Hangover simultaneously AND Ed & Todd share their experiences working together ... Show More
54m 54s
Sep 2023
Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks is one of the few actors who has succeeded enormously in just about every part of the silver and small screens: he’s written, directed, and produced; done summer stock theater, sitcoms, blockbuster movies, prestige TV, Broadway, and worked more than credibly in both dra ... Show More
2 h
Jul 2022
Bill Hader - 'Barry'
The ‘SNL’ standout turned HBO auteur reflects on why he owes his career to Megan Mullally, what prevented him from enjoying his eight years in 30 Rock’s Studio 8H and how his work in the indie film ‘The Skeleton Twins’ led to the opportunity to co-create, write, direct and star i ... Show More
1h 4m
Mar 2024
Dunkirk (2017) and Dangerous Minds (1995)
With Christopher Nolan now an Oscar-winner, this particular episode of Film Stories begins by zipping back to 2017, when he had a his first serious drive-by of the Academy Awards. That'd be with Dunkirk, the first time he told a true story on film. It took him a long time to be i ... Show More
56m 19s
Sep 2023
BILL HADER - Actor / Director / Showrunner
SEASON 2 - EPISODE 54 - BILL HADER - ACTOR / DIRECTOR / SHOWRUNNER Actor, director, and showrunner Bill Hader (BARRY, INSIDE OUT, THE SKELETON TWINS) joins Team Deakins to discuss his multi-faceted career in one of our funnier conversations. Reared in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bill descri ... Show More
1h 17m
Nov 2023
Maestro with Bradley Cooper and Todd Phillips (Ep. 448)
Director Bradley Cooper discusses his new film, Maestro, with fellow Director Todd Phillips in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses working with Bernstein’s children and how he was given the project, the practice that went into major performa ... Show More
33m 13s
Jun 2021
Edgar Wright on ‘The Sparks Brothers’ and embracing originality
Filmmaker Edgar Wright's new music documentary “The Sparks Brothers” celebrates two musicians whose work he loves. Ron and Russell Mael are brothers who make up the band Sparks, and they’re a pair of complete originals. Wright is an original, too. His hit movie “Baby Driver” and ... Show More
30m 2s
Feb 2023
Hollywood's Black List (Classic)
This episode originally ran in 2020. In 2005, Franklin Leonard was a junior executive at Leonardo DiCaprio's production company. A big part of his job was to find great scripts. The only thing — most of the 50,000-some scripts registered with the Writers Guild of America every ye ... Show More
23m 7s