To Live & Dialogue in LA

Live from campus — pre quarantine — Sophie tells Aaron about the unique way she got her first staff job, what happens when Tim Cook walks into a table read of your script, and how she’s navigated the beginnings of an acting resume that already includes gems like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Other Two, … Continue reading Sophie Zucker — Writer/Actress (Dickinson on Apple TV) →

Live on campus!…before the quarantine…Aaron and Ben sit down in front of a packed audience to discuss Ben’s successful career as the star of three consecutive broadcast dramas. From The O.C., to Southland, to Gotham, Ben is on a remarkable run, recently adding writer/director/producer to his resume. Ben goes deep on his early days in … Continue reading Ben McKenzie — Actor, Director, Producer, Writer →

Hollywood legend Michael Douglas walks Aaron through highlights of his era-defining career. They pay particular attention to Michael’s working relationship with screenwriters, including those behind Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, The American President, and many others. Follow Aaron on Twitter @aarondtracy for show updates.

Dan Pink’s TED Talk on the science of motivation is one of the 10 most-watched TED Talks of all time, with more than 20 million views. Dan’s research and writing has a lot to say about how to navigate the creative life, which made Aaron jump at the chance to get him on the show. … Continue reading Daniel Pink — Bestselling Author →

Dr. Laurie Santos joins Aaron in the studio for a fascinating conversation about happiness research, and how it pertains to the creative life. Laurie is a professor of psychology and cognitive science here at Yale. She’s also the Creator/Host of the #1 trending podcast in the nation right now, The Happiness Lab. https://www.happinesslab.fm/ Laurie’s show … Continue reading Laurie Santos — Creator/Host of megahit podcast, The Happiness Lab. Yale Professor →

Aaron sits down with one of the great screenwriters of charming romantic comedies. Wait, no qualifier necessary. Aaron sits down with THE greatest screenwriter of charming romantic comedies. From Four Weddings and a Funeral…to Notting Hill…to Love Actually…to Bridget Jones’s Diary…Richard in a class by himself. Aaron asks Richard about various pieces of writing advice … Continue reading Richard Curtis — Screenwriter, Director (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually) →

Aaron welcomes the biggest name in books to the pod for a rare, career-spanning interview. Patterson is the best selling writer of the past several decades. He’s sold more than 300 million copies of his books, including 114 New York Times bestsellers. 67 of those have hit #1, which is a Guinness World Record for … Continue reading James Patterson — The World’s Best Selling Author →

Welcome to a new season of To Live & Dialogue! Aaron sits down with one of his filmmaking heroes, Ron Howard, for a wide ranging conversation about Ron’s legendary career, focusing on the extraordinary screenwriters and TV creators he’s worked with since Happy Days. Hear the origin stories of some of Ron’s most beloved films. … Continue reading Ron Howard — Director, Producer, Writer, Actor →

With Toy Story 4 just released, we’re reposting our great conversation with screenwriter Stephany Folsom. Stephany explains the multi year process of screenwriting at Pixar, working with animators, what it’s like on the Pixar campus, and the responsibility she feels to the billion dollar franchise.

Today we’re posting the most recent episode of Classic Movie Musts, which Aaron guested on. Aaron does a deep dive on one of his favorite movies, 12 Angry Men, with the show’s host, Max Baril. Follow Classic Movie Musts at: https://twitter.com/MovieMustsPod And find Aaron at https://twitter.com/aarondtracy

Join Aaron on stage at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY for a remarkable evening with legendary, Pulitzer-winning screenwriter and cartoonist, Jules Feiffer. Recorded on Jules’s 90th birthday, after a screening of his 1970s masterpiece, Carnal Knowledge (starring Jack Nicholson, Dir. Mike Nichols), Jules walks us through this extraordinary film, his collaboration with … Continue reading Jules Feiffer – Screenwriter, Cartoonist, Playwright →

In honor of the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest TV shows ever made, we’re replaying our very first episode of the podcast with a new introduction. Terry Winter worked his way up The Sopranos writing staff to become one of the three key contributors to the series. Terry went on to a 20 … Continue reading Terence Winter Redux! – The Sopranos 20th anniversary →

Dale has written some of the most memorable and enjoyable comedies of the last few decades, including two of the WGA’s 101 Funniest Screenplays Of All Time. From My Cousin Vinny to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to Ruthless People, Dale’s scripts poke fun at the class system, and champion the underdog against whatever ruling system is … Continue reading Dale Launer – Screenwriter (My Cousin Vinny, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ruthless People) →

To Live & Dialogue’s first-ever returning guest! Join Aaron and Michael in front of a packed crowd in New Haven to discuss Michael’s prolific career. A successful TV Creator and Showrunner, Michael’s current series is the CBS drama “Instinct,” starring Alan Cumming, which returns for its second season next month. Michael speaks about the nuts … Continue reading Michael Rauch is back! – TV Creator, Showrunner →

Emily is one of the sharpest, most innovative, most influential TV critics working today. She’s the TV critic at The New Yorker, and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Emily was kind enough to shlep up to New Haven where she spoke to Aaron’s class, then did a larger Q&A on stage, answering questions … Continue reading Emily Nussbaum – Pulitzer Prize Winning TV Critic at The New Yorker →

One of the biggest names in animated movies, Cinco Paul has co-written the screenplays for Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and 3, Horton Hears A Who, Hop, The Lorax, and The Secret Life of Pets, among many others. Cinco and his writing partner, Ken Daurio, are giants in the field, who have now turned their … Continue reading Cinco Paul – Screenwriter (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets) →

Nell Scovell has written on some of the most iconic TV comedies of the past few decades, including The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, Murphy Brown, Coach, The Muppets, Monk, and she’s Creator and Executive Producer of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. In books, Nell collaborated with Sheryl Sandberg on Lean In, which resulted in … Continue reading Nell Scovell – TV Creator/Writer (The Simpsons, Late Night, Sabrina) →

Gavin is an incredibly talented non-fiction writer.  Prolific on music and movies, he’s written entire books on Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, and River Phoenix.  This last one brought Gavin’s well-researched and insightful work to Aaron’s attention. Gavin’s writing has been published in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and Wired, among other outlets. Aaron is … Continue reading Gavin Edwards – Writer, Journalist, Biographer →

Live on campus, Paul Attanasio, one of the most respected and successful TV/screenwriters of our time. Paul has created four TV series that have gone to air…and counting. One of ’em is Homicide: Life on the Street, a forebear of our current golden age. Paul was also behind House MD, one the most popular shows … Continue reading Paul Attanasio – Oscar-nominated Screenwriter, TV Creator →

One of the most brilliant writers, reporters, and commentators on film, Mark Harris joins Aaron for the hour. Mark’s book, Pictures at a Revolution, about the Best Picture nominees of 1968 as a lens through which to view a cultural revolution and shift in filmmaking, is one of Aaron’s all-time favorites. Mark’s follow-up, Five Came … Continue reading Mark Harris — Film Journalist, Writer, Biographer →

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 … Continue reading Eleanor Bergstein – Dirty Dancing Screenwriter →

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

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

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.

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 … Continue reading Nancy Meyers — Oscar-nominated Screenwriter, Director →

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

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 … Continue reading Stephany Folsom — Screenwriter, Toy Story 4 →

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

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

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 … Continue reading Brian Koppelman — TV Creator, Showrunner, Screenwriter, Podcaster →

This week, Aaron welcomes into the studio one of his all-time screenwriting heroes, Jack Epps. Along with his partner Jim Cash, Jack wrote some of the biggest movies of the 1980s, including Top Gun, The Secret of My Success, Turner & Hooch, and Legal Eagles. Jack currently teaches screenwriting at USC.

Aaron is thrilled to welcome Craig Turk onto the show. Craig has written some of the best series on broadcast networks in recent memory, including Cold Case, Boston Legal, plus Private Practice and The Good Wife, both of which he ran. Aaron and Craig talk about the pain of produced pilots that don’t go to … Continue reading Craig Turk — TV Creator and Showrunner →

Aaron is thrilled to welcome Oscar-winning screenwriter Bobby Moresco onto the show. Aaron and Bobby discuss how training as an actor can help one’s writing, the TV project they collaborated on together, Bobby’s unique method of breaking story, and Bobby goes deep into the genesis of some of his most acclaimed works, including Million Dollar … Continue reading Bobby Moresco — Oscar-winning Screenwriter, TV Creator →

Aaron is thrilled to welcome acclaimed screenwriter, and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Donald Margulies, into the broadcast studio! Aaron talks to Donald about the brilliant structure of his great screenplay The End of the Tour, the creation of his many plays, and how he deals with the highs and lows of the life of a Hollywood … Continue reading Donald Margulies — Screenwriter, Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright →

Aaron is thrilled to have theoretical physicist and best-selling author Brian Greene on the pod to discuss a host of subjects, including Brian’s works of dramatic writing, Light Falls, and Icarus at the Edge of Time. Aaron tries not to embarrass himself when he asks Brian about the big questions of the universe, like why … Continue reading Brian Greene — best-selling author, theoretical physicist, dramatic writer →

Michael Rauch joins Aaron in person at the Yale Broadcast Studio to discuss the latest show he’s created, CBS’s Instinct, starring Alan Cumming. They discuss Michael’s extraordinary career in TV, from getting his first two series picked up on the same day, to his work creating and running Life is Wild, Beautiful People, Love Monkey, … Continue reading Michael Rauch — TV Creator and Showrunner →

TV Creator and Showrunner Dana Calvo joins Aaron to discuss her expansive writing career. Dana was the Creator and Showrunner on the beloved Good Girls Revolt on Amazon. She’s written on some of Aaron’s favorite shows, including Narcos, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Aaron geeks out with Dana about Aaron Sorkin, her writing … Continue reading Dana Calvo — TV Creator and Showrunner →

TV Creator and Showrunner Andrew Lenchewski joins Aaron to discuss his long-running, hit USA Network series, Royal Pains, as well all his many collaborations with Aaron. They mourn their recent pilot, The Tap, which was shot by USA, but very sadly never got ordered to series. On a happier note, they discuss their ongoing partnership … Continue reading Andrew Lenchewski — TV Creator and Showrunner →

Screenwriter and director Billy Ray joins Aaron to discuss his extraordinary Hollywood career. From writing and directing his first feature, Shattered Glass, which Aaron is obsessed with, all the way through Breach, The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips, and his Amazon series The Last Tycoon. They also discuss Billy’s all-time favorite scene from The Godfather.

Terence Winter joins Aaron at Yale to discuss being one of the key writers on The Sopranos, then following that up as Creator and Showrunner of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. His next job led to an Academy Award nomination for writing The Wolf of Wall Street for director Martin Scorsese. They also discuss Terry’s early days … Continue reading Terence Winter – Creator, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire; Oscar-nominated screenwriter, The Wolf of Wall Street →

Join Aaron on the campus of Yale University, as he previews his upcoming conversations with fellow TV and screenwriters.  Aaron will go deep into craft with the creators and writers behind series such as Narcos, The Good Wife, Boardwalk Empire, Royal Pains, House of Cards, and The Sopranos, as well as the screenwriters behind Top … Continue reading Introduction →