American filmmaker and producer
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The amazing writer Winnie Holzman talks with Jay about hard word and being lucky, Wicked the Musical, Stephen Schwartz, My So Called Life, laying in bed depressed about writing, fighting your fear, tricks of staying in the creative process, Marianne Williamson, studying Broadways musicals even when she didn't know she wanted to, being driven towards showbiz at 13, taking the train to acting classes, mentors: Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, loving acting, being married to the great actor, Paul Dooley, how her daughter Savannah is a great writing partner, and Jay's feud with Ted Danson.Bio: Winnie Holzman is the writer (with renowned composer/ lyricist Stephen Schwartz) of the musical Wicked, which is now the 4th longest running show in Broadway history, and has been performed in over a hundred cities around the world. After graduating from Princeton University, she studied acting, joined a comedy group, got accepted into the newly formed NYU Musical Theatre Program, (where she studied with such luminaries as Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim) wrote a musical (Birds of Paradise, which had a short run off-Broadway) then joined the writing staff of the TV drama thirtysomething, and went on to create the series My SoCalled Life, starring Claire Danes. Other TV credits include Once and Again, (reuniting with her mentors, Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz) Huge (with her daughter, Savannah Dooley) and Roadies (with Cameron Crowe.) She's written two plays with her husband, actor Paul Dooley: Post-its: Notes on a Marriage, and Assisted Living. Most recently, she completed both screenplays for the movie adaptations of Wicked
This week Dr. Waitman Beorn drops in to talk about Defiance (2008) and his work researching the Holocaust in Europe during World War II.About our guest:Dr. Waitman Wade Beorn is an associate professor in History at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Dr. Beorn was previously the Director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, VA and the inaugural Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. His first book, Marching Into Darkness: The Wehrmacht and the Holocaust in Belarus (Harvard University Press) Dr. Beorn is also the author of The Holocaust in Eastern Europe: At the Epicenter of the Final Solution (Bloomsbury Press, 2018) and has recently finished a book on the Janowska concentration camp outside of Lviv, Ukraine. That book Between the Wires: The Janowska Camp and the Holocaust in Lviv was released in August 2024 from Nebraska University Press. Between the Wires was recognised as a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in the United States.
Filmmaker Ed Zwick joins Frank Mackay on this episode of The Frank Mackay Show!
In episode 38, Johnny talks to soundtrack nut, Aliens fan, and all-round good guy from Iowa, Joe Foster. Their chat includes a lengthy discussion on Ripley's return to LV-426, they talk about James Horner, Ed Zwick and Michael Biehn, and they discuss whether wearing a pith helmet somehow makes you able to drink beer faster.This conversation was recorded online in mid-March of 2025.Thanks to James Van As who wrote and performed the brilliant podcast music (check out James' Loco Looper game) and to Willow Van As who designed the amazing artwork and provided general podcast support.You can contact My Movie DNA on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @mymovieDNA or email mymovieDNA@gmail.com.
In his new memoir, "Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions," director Ed Zwick opens up about his life and career in Hollywood with unprecedented candor and insight. In this episode, Ed shares some of the most memorable stories from the book, from his early days as a struggling filmmaker to his collaborations with some of the biggest names in the business. If you're looking for a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the world of filmmaking, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Prolific Hollywood Producer, Director, Writer Ed Zwick guests on this brand new Fake Show podcast with host Jim Tofte...enjoy!!!
February 21st - Stewart Dobson, Carl Lumbly, Ed Zwick
Ed Zwick is the man behind many of the movies and tv series you know by heart: Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, Shakespeare in Love, thirtysomething, My So Called Life, and more. And this week, he stops in to talk about his 40+ years of working in Hollywood- the hits, the flops, and everything in between. We talk about our mutual love of history, as well as his thoughts on how history informs his storytelling. There's so much in this conversation and I am so excited to bring it to you.About our guest:Ed Zwick is an Academy Award– and Emmy Award–winning director, writer, and producer of film and television. A graduate of Harvard and the AFI Conservatory, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Liberty Godshall.
Richard Rushfield sits down with Winnie Holzman, creator of the beloved but short-lived teen drama My So-Called Life, which ran for one 19-episode season from 1994-95 and later became a cross-generational cult hit. The show that launched Claire Danes and Jared Leto also captured adolescent angst onscreen in a totally new way — “School is a battlefield for your heart,” anyone? — that made ABC execs “deeply nervous,” says Holzman, though she was fiercely protected by her EPs and mentors, Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick. A student of poetry and the Stanislavski system, Holzman, in a candid, hilarious and nostalgic conversation, unpacks the emotion and humor that propelled her through multiple 1990s TV successes to the Broadway hit Wicked (she wrote the book of the musical) and its two-part film adaptation, whose first installment is in the Oscar hunt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This episode originally aired on Feb. 14, 2023 “I moved on to the next thing I was going to write,” says the noted dramatist and television writer Winnie Holzman, recalling the cancellation of her critically-acclaimed series “My So-Called Life,” after just one season. “That's what we do as writers. We move on to the next thing.” Indeed. In Winnie Holzman's case, one of those “next things” turned out to be the book for the hit Broadway musical “Wicked,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz—one of the longest running shows in Broadway history. The collaboration earned her a prestigious Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical, as well as a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical. Prior to her Emmy-nominated work on “My So-Called Life,” which she created for executive producers Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, Winnie wrote several scripts for the Zwick-Herskovitz drama “Thirtysomething,” and she would go on to serve as executive producer of “Roadies,” created by Cameron Crowe, and as co-creator of the series “Huge,” with her daughter Savannah Dooley. Join us as Winnie reflects on her wickedly successful career writing for the stage and the small screen, the many ways writers measure their successes, and the give-and-take that has fueled her collaborations with some of the most creative minds in theater and television. Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters/ASJA “Andy Awards” Guidelines Ritani Jewelers Chelsea Devantez's I Shouldn't Be Telling You This Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount
This week on "BETA," award-winning filmmaker and TV creator Ed Zwick on his fortysomething years in Hollywood. Plus, comedian Laurie Kilmartin on her new special and actor Priya Guns on her new novel, “Your Driver is Waiting.”
Over four decades, legendary director, writer and Oscar-winning producer Ed Zwick built an enviable body of work, from acclaimed films (Courage Under Fire, Legends of the Fall) to zeitgeisty TV series (Thirtysomething, My So-Called Life). Ankler CEO Janice Min spoke to Zwick about his best-selling memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, a page-turner that's packed with revealing stories about what it took to bring his iconic movies over the finish line, including his battles with Julia Roberts, Matthew Broderick, and Hollywood bigwigs who “messed with the wrong hippie.” Transcript here. Subscribe to The Ankler here for more entertainment news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Winnie Holzman's so-called writing career began innocently enough, writing and performing sketch material with the comedy group “Serious Bizness.” Next came an MFA from NYU in musical theatre, as well as a musical: “Birds of Paradise,” which was produced Off-Broadway and directed by her teacher, Arthur Laurents. She soon shifted gears, (and coasts) joining the writing staff of the ground-breaking television series “thirtysomething” and then creating theseries, “My So-Called Life,” which starred Claire Danes and which, thanks to MTV (and now HULU) has been seen all over the world. She collaborated “once and again” with her mentors Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz on their critically acclaimed series “Once and Again;” and later collaborated with her daughter Savannah Dooley on their one hour drama series “Huge;” as well as with Cameron Crowe on the Showtime series “Roadies.” She is the book writer of the international hit musical Wicked, which has a score by the acclaimed composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Wicked celebrated 20 years on Broadway this past fall. She recently completed both screenplays for the film adaptation of Wicked. Her play Choice, an early version of which had its world premiere at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, in 2016, will be produced this spring at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. She is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America West, and the Dramatists Guild, and has been married to the wonderful character actor Paul Dooley for only 39 years. Paul Dooley is an actor, writer, and comedian, and has appeared in hundreds of movies, TV shows, and plays. His films include Breaking Away, Sixteen Candles, Runaway Bride, Popeye, Insom-nia, Waiting for Guffman, and the Cars franchise. His television appearances include roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm, My So-Called Life, Star Trek, Dream On (Emmy-nominated), and The Practice (Emmy-nominated). He lives in Burbank, California, with his wife Winnie Holzman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Host Jeff Goldsmith chats with writer-director-producer Ed Zwick about his memoir: Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions. Download my podcast here Copyright © Unlikely Films, Inc. 2024. All rights reserved. For more great content check out Backstory Magazine @ Backstory.net
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLERThis heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.“I'll be dropping a few names,” Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. “Over the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints.”He has encountered these Hollywood types during four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, he's known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people he's worked with, especially the actors. In those intense collaborations, he's sought to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full.Talents whom he spotted early include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Claire Danes, and Jared Leto. Established stars he worked closely with include Leonardo DiCaprio, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. He also sued Harvey Weinstein over the production of Shakespeare in Love—and won. He shares personal stories about all these people, and more.Written mostly with love, sometimes with rue, this memoir is also a meditation on working, sprinkled throughout with tips for anyone who has ever imagined writing, directing, or producing for the screen. Fans with an appreciation for the beautiful mysteries—as well as the unsightly, often comic truths—of crafting film and television won't want to miss it.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/writers-on-film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Larry is joined by Oscar and Emmy Award-Winning filmmaker and producer Ed Zwick to discuss his new memoir ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood'. They begin by examining the state of the film industry against other forms of modern media and reflect on the importance of the movie-going experience in the 1970's and 80's. Next, Ed expounds on some of the remarkable moments he experienced working with geniuses like Woody Allen, Matthew Broderick, and Denzel Washington, and on legendary projects like ‘Special Bulletin', ‘Glory', and ‘Thirtysomething' (12:40). After the break Ed offers tools to young creatives on dealing with fame, overcoming career lulls, and the finished script (45:37). Larry and Ed end the pod by talking about their favorite parts of filmmaking and the effect of streaming culture on Hollywood (54:46). Host: Larry Wilmore Guest: Ed Zwick Producer: Chris Sutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you've ever wondered how directors convince stars to appear in their films, or what they do when an actor committed to a lead role suddenly starts throwing up roadblocks, you can ask Ed Zwick. He's a writer, director and producer who's been making TV and movies for decades. His new memoir is Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood. Also, we'll hear from Eugene Levy. He's appeared in dozens of films, including four satirical movies by Christopher Guest, which he co-wrote. He also starred in the hit comedy series Schitt's Creek. Levy currently stars in The Reluctant Traveler, a series in which he visits distant lands and tastes exotic foods that aren't exactly in his comfort zone.David Bianculli will review the new documentary about Paul Simon.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
This week on The Treatment, Elvis sits down with actress and writer Paula Pell to talk about season three of her comedy series Girls5eva, now available on Netflix. Next, Oscar winner Ed Zwick talks about the long arc of his writing, directing, and producing career as recounted in his memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood. And on The Treat, Reptile director Grant Singer talks about a mesmerizing classic thriller.
On this week's episode of You Are What You Read, we are joined by Academy Award and Emmy-Award winning director, producer, and writer Ed Zwick with his instant New York Times bestselling autobiography, Hits, Flops and Other Illusions. Ed directed some of the greatest movies of our time: Glory, Legends of the Fall, Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Courage Under Fire, Love & Other Drugs, and Defiance; and produced Steven Soderbergh's Traffic and Shakespeare in Love. With his longtime creative partner, Marshall Herskovitz, Ed co-created Emmy-award winning television shows, thirtysomething and Once Again. He's directed Hollywood's biggest stars from Denzel Washington to Julia Roberts, and in this conversation, Ed unpacks his intimate memoir about his career behind the movie camera. We'd also like to thank our sponsor Book of the Month. Head over to bookofthemonth.com and use Promo Code ADRI to get your first book for just $9.99. Thank you for listening, and thank you for reading.
Writer/Director Ed Zwick talks to us about his new book and making movies. A partial list of his credits include: "Thirtysomething" (Co-Creator)"About Last Night" (Director)"Glory" (Director)"Shakespeare in Love" (Producer)"Courage Under fire" (Director)"Defiance" (Director, Co-Writer)"Legends of the Fall" (Director)"The Last Samurai"(Director, Co-Writer)"Blood Diamond" (Director)"Jack Reacher: Never Go back "(Director, Co-Writer) Support the show
Writer, director and producer Ed Zwick has made dozens of films and TV shows including Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, and Blood Diamond. In his memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, he writes about studios, actors and the frustrations and joys of the business. John Powers reviews the pulpy noir crime film Love Lies Bleeding.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Hosted by Jane Pauley. In our cover story, Kelefa Sanneh talks with the scientists whose research in messenger RNA and immunology led to the development of COVID vaccines, for which they received the Nobel Prize. Plus: Jim Axelrod talks with stand-up comedian Kevin James; Luke Burbank interviews Oscar-winning producer-director Ed Zwick, who's just published a memoir of his decades in Hollywood; Erin Moriarty dives into the federal and state criminal trials facing former President Donald Trump; and Conor Knighton sits down with Grammy-winning musician and arranger Jacob Collier.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today on What's My Frame I'm joined by Casting Director and Casting Fairy, Stacey Pianko. Stacey began her career in the Feature Film department at Disney/Touchstone Pictures, working on projects like Cool Runnings, Significant Other, The Three Musketeers, A Far Off Place and The Mighty Ducks. During her stint as Director of Casting at Disney Channel, stars such as Shia LaBeouf, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan and Kaley Cuoco found their launching pad early in their careers. Stacey entered the independent casting world with her partner Orly Sitowitz, CSA and has cast many Independent Feature Films, including VIOLET which premiered at TIFF. Stacey has worked with prominent directors/producers like Troy Miller, Adam Shankman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Marshall Herskovitz, Ed Zwick, Ed Harris, Matthew Carnahan and Howard Gordon. One very notable collaboration was working with James Cameron on AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Where Stacey coordinated a Worldwide Young Actor Search for the film. Now let's get to the conversation! Learn more about: The Casting Fairy Casting Fairy on IG Adam Driver's GIRLS Audition ----- What's My Frame, hosted by Laura Linda Bradley Join the WMF creative community now! Instagram: @whatsmyframe TikTok: @whatsmyframe IMDb What's My Frame? official site Join our monthly newsletter! What's My Frame? merch --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whats-my-frame/support
He has multiple awards working with the likes of Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Denzel Washington, and Tom Cruise to name a fewEd Swick spent four decades - directing, producing, and writing projectsHe has multiple awards working with the likes of Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Denzel Washington, and Tom Cruise to name a fewHis new book is entitled, HITS, FLOPS AND OTHER ILLUSIONS: My Fortysomething Years in HollywoodEd Talks:-About Last Night with Demi & Rob-Thirtysomething Working with:-Denzel-Meg Ryan-Tom Cruise -Ed sued Harvey Weinstein and won Order Ed's book here To subscribe to The Pete McMurray Show Podcast just click here
This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood."I'll be dropping a few names," Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. "Over the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints."
This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood."I'll be dropping a few names," Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. "Over the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints." He has encountered these Hollywood types during four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, he's known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people he's worked with, especially the actors. In those intense collaborations, he's sought to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full.Talents whom he spotted early include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Claire Danes, and Jared Leto. Established stars he worked closely with include Leonardo DiCaprio, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. He also sued Harvey Weinstein over the production of Shakespeare in Love-and won. He shares personal stories about all these people, and more. Written mostly with love, sometimes with rue, this memoir is also a meditation on working, sprinkled throughout with tips for anyone who has ever imagined writing, directing, or producing for the screen. Fans with an appreciation for the beautiful mysteries-as well as the unsightly, often comic truths-of crafting film and television won't want to miss it.
This week, award winning filmmaker Ed Zwick discusses his memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood, a heartfelt and wry career memoir that gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Zwick is interviewed by Carey Cranston, President of the American Writers Museum. This [...]
The podcast returns for a fifth season with Ed Zwick, writer-director of 2003's Tom Cruise war epic, THE LAST SAMURAI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Well fellow daydreamers, another sixteen episodes in the can! In this season's final episode, Charlie shares some thoughts on the actor Barry Keoghan and his performance in Saltburn, the movie American Fiction, and a new book called Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, by the director Ed Zwick. Of course it would not be a season finale without some of the best clips from all of Charlie's guests. Creating Behavior will take a few months off, and be back in early summer for season 5. In the meantime, stay resilient, play full out with yourself, and don't ever settle for your second best. You can follow CBP on Instagram @creatingbehavior, and Charlie's NYC acting conservatory, the Maggie Flanigan Studio @maggieflaniganstudio. Theme music by https://www.thelawrencetrailer.com. For written transcripts, to leave a voicemail on SpeakPipe, or contact Charlie for private coaching, check out https://www.creatingbehaviorpodcast.com
Ed Zwick's career as a director, writer and producer in Hollywood lends itself to the full memoir treatment, complete with stories about stars behaving badly and development disasters. But Ed's new book also serves as a guide to mentorship in a business where every bit of help counts. Ed and Marc discuss some of his most successful productions, like Glory, The Last Samurai and thirtysomething, as well as some of the lumps he took along the way. Plus, Marc pays tribute to the late Mojo Nixon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kim Masters and Matt Belloni take a look at the big surprises revealed during Disney's Q1 earnings call. They also dive into the announcement of ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox's joint sports streaming service set to debut this year. Plus, Masters speaks to writer-director Ed Zwick about his new memoir, Hits, Flops and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood. The filmmaker shares lessons learned from his decades-spanning career in the industry, and he reads excerpts from the book, including stories from the making of the 1989 film Glory and how he nearly directed an early iteration of Shakespeare in Love, which he would later end up producing and winning an Oscar for Best Picture.
"My intention was to write about my experiences, obviously, but also I felt that there was a little bit of a counterintuitive approach, which is to talk about some of the inner experiences of the creative process and being a director, being a writer, and I felt that that would open the window a little bit wider. I liked that it wasn't just a behind-the-scenes look. It is that, and I think it's full of fun anecdotes and little reveals, but it is to be a real book. It presumes to be a memoir, like many of the memoirs that I have loved of creative people in the past."Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast
Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. "My intention was to write about my experiences, obviously, but also I felt that there was a little bit of a counterintuitive approach, which is to talk about some of the inner experiences of the creative process and being a director, being a writer, and I felt that that would open the window a little bit wider. I liked that it wasn't just a behind-the-scenes look. It is that, and I think it's full of fun anecdotes and little reveals, but it is to be a real book. It presumes to be a memoir, like many of the memoirs that I have loved of creative people in the past."www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastImage Courtesy of Dick Thomas JohnsonCreative Commons 2.0
"Actors are remarkable teachers. They are often brilliant in their unique way, often not in a way that is schooled necessarily. They often don't have the language some of us who are more academically inclined have, but you underestimate their brilliance at your peril. And, in fact, you are missing an opportunity if you presume that they are just reading words. They are performing a very particular kind of magic in their process when they are great. And they save you constantly. They find solutions to your weaknesses in the words. They help you make implausible situations more plausible in your staging.""I've, like anyone, always had a fascination with movie stars, an attraction to the romance of who they are, men and women. So I wasn't immune, but what I realized very quickly is that I could acknowledge that and try to take those things that had always drawn me to the movies and provide them to the audience and have them really lift up these stories that I wanted to tell because finally, it was the stories themselves that I was trying to serve. There were ideas in those stories. Some of the ideas were about the characters and personal, but some of the ideas were a larger canvas. They were often about subjects. And the subjects could have been historical, they could have been political, they could have been social, cultural subjects, but they had some other agenda in them. And yet, that's not why people go to the movies. They go to the movies because they want to see relationships. They want to see - whether it's beautiful people or powerful people - they're drawn to relationships. In some sense, you're creating a kind of stew where you're doing more than one thing at a time."Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast
Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. "Actors are remarkable teachers. They are often brilliant in their unique way, often not in a way that is schooled necessarily. They often don't have the language some of us who are more academically inclined have, but you underestimate their brilliance at your peril. And, in fact, you are missing an opportunity if you presume that they are just reading words. They are performing a very particular kind of magic in their process when they are great. And they save you constantly. They find solutions to your weaknesses in the words. They help you make implausible situations more plausible in your staging.""I've, like anyone, always had a fascination with movie stars, an attraction to the romance of who they are, men and women. So I wasn't immune, but what I realized very quickly is that I could acknowledge that and try to take those things that had always drawn me to the movies and provide them to the audience and have them really lift up these stories that I wanted to tell because finally, it was the stories themselves that I was trying to serve. There were ideas in those stories. Some of the ideas were about the characters and personal, but some of the ideas were a larger canvas. They were often about subjects. And the subjects could have been historical, they could have been political, they could have been social, cultural subjects, but they had some other agenda in them. And yet, that's not why people go to the movies. They go to the movies because they want to see relationships. They want to see - whether it's beautiful people or powerful people - they're drawn to relationships. In some sense, you're creating a kind of stew where you're doing more than one thing at a time."www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastImage Courtesy of Dick Thomas JohnsonCreative Commons 2.0
Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. "We often talk in our work about the octane of truth, when you're at the gas station and they say, do you want low octane, middle octane, or high octane, and it's a very interesting set of decisions that one makes because it's actually not hard to know the truth of any circumstance or the truth of any story, but to actually partake of it, to actually come closer to it, and still be respectful of the audience's experience. Because obviously, 100 percent octane, we would fall asleep within five minutes because nothing happens. You know, it's about trying to reconcile the compression of drama, the reductionist nature, how things stand in for other things. And in that regard, screenwriting and film are much more like poetry than they are like prose.Things stand in for other things. A close-up, as someone looks at someone and things change, could have been three pages of an introspective narrative in Proust. A little bit of action that takes place in three minutes could have stood in for a war in Tolstoy. So some of it is sleight of hand, but it becomes about trying to understand how to use compression so as to give the simulacrum of real life, so as to give an approximation of verisimilitude.And often that's something you learn because audiences do want to feel that they're seeing something that's real because when it's just pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, then it's comic books without exposition, without introspection, without internal sense. So it's trying to find some middle space between those, some liminal space."www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastImage Courtesy of Dick Thomas JohnsonCreative Commons 2.0
"My intention was to write about my experiences, obviously, but also I felt that there was a little bit of a counterintuitive approach, which is to talk about some of the inner experiences of the creative process and being a director, being a writer, and I felt that that would open the window a little bit wider. I liked that it wasn't just a behind-the-scenes look. It is that, and I think it's full of fun anecdotes and little reveals, but it is to be a real book. It presumes to be a memoir, like many of the memoirs that I have loved of creative people in the past."Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast
This week on "BETA," award-winning filmmaker and TV creator Ed Zwick on his fortysomething years in Hollywood. Plus, comedian Laurie Kilmartin on her new special and actor Priya Guns on her new novel, “Your Driver is Waiting.”
"I went to film school, But at the end of two years, I think you've only begun the learning. I think it's very hard in school, and particularly in graduate school, to take in all that's coming at you because you're being barraged with information, and you're trying to listen, and you're trying to internalize. At the same time, you're very anxious, and you're very fervent, but you're also furtive about what can I do and how do I get ahead and how do I do this?And I think those things are in contradiction, and what happens After you get out of school, as you begin to try to put into practice some of those things that they've been talking about, especially as you try and fail, unbelievably important to have somebody there with you or on off whom you can bounce ideas.And notions or with whom you can analyze the thing that someone else has done, or you can analyze your own failures. It's a kind of continuing education that happens with a collaborator that as you grow, he grows. You grow together, and you have an observation about something, or he does, and you begin to work, and then you. It was never our intention to work. Our intention was just as friends. It never became about my idea or his idea, but it was the creation of a third idea that somehow evolved."Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast
Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. "I went to film school, But at the end of two years, I think you've only begun the learning. I think it's very hard in school, and particularly in graduate school, to take in all that's coming at you because you're being barraged with information, and you're trying to listen, and you're trying to internalize. At the same time, you're very anxious, and you're very fervent, but you're also furtive about what can I do and how do I get ahead and how do I do this?And I think those things are in contradiction, and what happens After you get out of school, as you begin to try to put into practice some of those things that they've been talking about, especially as you try and fail, unbelievably important to have somebody there with you or on off whom you can bounce ideas.And notions or with whom you can analyze the thing that someone else has done, or you can analyze your own failures. It's a kind of continuing education that happens with a collaborator that as you grow, he grows. You grow together, and you have an observation about something, or he does, and you begin to work, and then you. It was never our intention to work. Our intention was just as friends. It never became about my idea or his idea, but it was the creation of a third idea that somehow evolved."www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastImage Courtesy of Dick Thomas JohnsonCreative Commons 2.0
The Creative Process in 10 minutes or less · Arts, Culture & Society
"My intention was to write about my experiences, obviously, but also I felt that there was a little bit of a counterintuitive approach, which is to talk about some of the inner experiences of the creative process and being a director, being a writer, and I felt that that would open the window a little bit wider. I liked that it wasn't just a behind-the-scenes look. It is that, and I think it's full of fun anecdotes and little reveals, but it is to be a real book. It presumes to be a memoir, like many of the memoirs that I have loved of creative people in the past."Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast
Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastImage Courtesy of Dick Thomas JohnsonCreative Commons 2.0
Ed Zwick is a writer, director, and producer who's been active in the film industry for over 40 years. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for directing the films Glory and Legends of the Fall and received an Academy Award as one of the producers of Shakespeare in Love. Zwick continues to work with his longtime friend and partner, Marshall Herskovitz, at their company Bedford Falls, where they created the widely loved TV show Thirtysomething. His memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions details many of his greatest experiences in the film industry. www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Ed-Zwick/212290077https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001880/www.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast
Director Ed Zwick joins the show to promote the release of his new memoir, “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.” His book is filled with incredible stories from across his career in the industry, and we dive right in. Check out his memoir: https://bookshop.org/p/books/hits-flops-and-other-illusions-my-fortysomething-years-in-hollywood-ed-zwick/20165529?ean=9781668046999ReelBlend PremiumSign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium.ReelBlend on YouTubeBe sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form.Follow The ShowReelBlend - @ReelBlendSean - @Sean_OConnellJake - @JakesTakesKevin - @KevinMcCarthyTVGabe - @gabeKovacsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/reelblend/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Author Ed Zwick joins Rick Kogan to talk about his book about his time in Hollywood titled “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.”
Rob and filmmaker Ed Zwick have so many great memories from shooting their 1986 film “About Last Night!” Filmmaker Ed Zwick (creator of “thirtysomething” and director of “The Last Samurai” and “Legends of the Fall”) joins Rob to revisit “About Last Night,” and discuss Ed's work with Tom Cruise, the death of a certain kind of adult drama film, advice from Morgan Freeman, and Ed's new book, “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood” (out February 13th). Got a question for Rob? Call our voicemail at (323) 570-4551. Your question could get featured on the show!
We were joking before, but now we really do have a Professor with us. It's Patrice Oppliger, PhD (for real this time) of Boston University and we are wrapping up season 5 of Single Season Record with this Krakow-friendly episode. So, so Krakow friendly. Why do you make it so easy to say goodbye, My So-Called Life?
Director Ava DuVernay discusses her new film, Origin, with fellow Director Ed Zwick in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses constructing the metalayers of the narrative, her intentional choice of the film format and look, and working with her composer to reflect music from multiple eras. The film follows author Isabel Wilkerson as she sets out on a path of global investigation following a tremendous personal tragedy. In what would become her novel, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, she chronicles how lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions. See photos and a summary of this event below: https://dga.org/Events/2024/January2024/Origin_QnA_1223.aspx
LOOK OUT! It's only Films To Be Buried With! Join your host Brett Goldstein as he talks life, death, love and the universe with legendary writer, director and producer ED ZWICK! You will have seen Ed's work at some point in your life. Whether or not you saw the first hand movies and series he was behind, you will have most certainly seen the after effects and ripples of his work in a huge amount of media that has followed. From Thirtysomething onwards, to Blood Diamond, and SO many more, plenty of which you will have heard cited on this very podcast, Ed has had a part to play in a huge amount of popular works. It's a treat to listen in on so many gems and jewels he has to offer, and - how you might say - "soak up game" from this awesome chat with Ed and Brett. Enjoy and share! Video and extra audio available on Brett's Patreon! IMDB TWITTER HITS, FLOPS & OTHER ILLUSIONS BRETT GOLDSTEIN on TWITTER BRETT GOLDSTEIN on INSTAGRAM TED LASSO SHRINKING SOULMATES SUPERBOB (Brett's 2015 feature film) CORNERBOYS with BRETT & SCROOBIUS PIP DISTRACTION PIECES NETWORK • FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Marshall Herskovitz Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Masterclass! I've had many stimulating, fascinating, brilliant, talented, fun guests. None more so than writer, director, and producer, Marshall Herskovitz. There's a reason this human has won more Emmy, Golden Globe, Writers Guild, Directors Guild, Peabody, and Humanitas Awards than I can count… not to mention an Academy Award nomination. Wow, just wow! You don't get all those awards for writing, creating, and making great television and movies without being a great storyteller, and boy is Marshall that! From his eighth-grade short story to his first attempt at filmmaking, AFI––miracle-ing his way in, meeting Ed Zwick the very first day––a partnership that would change both their lives and all of ours… Snuffy's specifically and significantly. We talked thirtysomething from throw-away lack of interest to the cataclysmic creative shift in what was possible on series TV. From Day 1 to the present commitment to the reboot usurped by the pandemic. Marshall and Ed are still passionately committed to seeing it through to air and I don't doubt with these two at the helm it will come to pass. Marshall talked about My So-Called Life, Claire Danes, Special Bulletin, and the NBC backlash on his Emmy-winning debut, Jack the Bear, Dangerous Beauty, The Last Samurai, and Tom Cruise––wonderful inside scoop there. Likewise, DiCaprio and Blood Diamond. We talked Marshall's environmental activism and seemingly sensible solution and concluded with the political race and what 2024 may hold. A rare guest I didn't know going in, Marshall quickly felt like a dear treasured friend. The conversation was effortless, exciting, insightful, and inspiring. Loved it!Can't wait for more… on and off the screen. Marshall Herskovitz Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wednesday, November 8, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/40yB9aE