“I was obsessed with comedy writing as a kid,” said Nicholas Stoller. “I remember watching Saturday Night Live and not wanting to be the actors, but wanting to write the sketches. I don’t even know how I knew that was a job.”

As a screenwriter, Stoller has credits for Fun with Dick and Jane, Yes Man, Get Him to the Greek, The Muppets, Sex Tape, The Carmichael Show, Night School and Bros, many of which he also Directed, including Neighbors and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. 

“I’m excited Bros is going to be theatrically released, but a weird thing happened a few years ago where [studios] were like, ‘Comedies don’t work in theaters.’ Which is not true. Judd [Apatow] always says, ‘If The Hangover came out this weekend, it would make a billion dollars.’”

For whatever reason, studios just stopped making as many theatrical comedies. They’ve instead gone to television, limited series, and leaned in to action comedies for a broader, global appeal. “I love going to see comedy in the movie theater. You get to have that experience with an audience, laughing and reacting.”

“People say it’s a business first, but it’s not run like a business. If anyone thought about it like a business, there’s a huge hole in the comedy department.”

Subscribe for video interviews on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/CreativePrinciples?sub_confirmation=1 

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep367 - Nicholas Stoller, Screenwriter ‘Bros,’ ‘Sex Tape,’ & ‘Yes Man’

Luke Barnett is an actor, writer, and filmmaker. On the acting front, Luke recently wrapped season 5 of AppleTV+'s critically acclaimed sci-fi drama FOR ALL MANKIND, where he recurs as suit supervisor Mike Shaw (we also spoke with the creators of this series back in Episode 363.)

This year, his short film THE CROSSING OVER EXPRESS, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, went viral on X (formerly Twitter) and is now being developed as a feature.

Luke's short, The Crossing Over Express, got nearly 2 million views in 30 days, for a personal gut-wrenching story (shot in just 1 day with a skeleton crew). 

Here's what else happened: 

-6 managers / agents reached out to rep him
-100s of fans reached out about the emotional core
-Countless industry pros re-shared the post 
-Featured in Variety, Deadline, No Film School, etc. 
-Currently developing a pitch for a full feature version 

If you haven't seen it yet, here's a link to Luke's Profile and the Short is pinned at the top:
https://x.com/LukeBarnett

In this interview, we talk about his breakthrough with FUNNY OR DIE, creating viral content, the success of THE CROSSING OVER EXPRESS, the importance of proactivity and positivity, the reality of film festival politics, and much more.

As a special note, this was part of our new LIVE interview series in partnership with Buzztown, a community for serious screenwriters, where students also participated in this interview. You can learn more or join the waitlist here: https://www.scriptmastermind.com/buzztown62993179

Want more? Steal my first book, INK BY THE BARREL - SECRETS FROM PROLIFIC WRITERS right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy!

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Ep633 - Luke Barnett, Writer-Director-Actor ‘The Crossing Over Express’

In ‘Day of the Dead: Bloodline,’ “A small group of military personnel and survivalists dwell in an underground bunker as they seek to find a cure in a world overrun by zombies.” In this interview, Director Hector Hernandez Vicens discusses the masters of suspense, his love for George Romero, what makes a film truly scary, and the importance of character.

Ep 27 - Hector Hernandez Vicens, Director ‘Day Of The Dead Bloodline’

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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.

Ep633 - Luke Barnett, Writer-Director-Actor ‘The Crossing Over Express’

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