Today we’re going to be discussing three game-changing lessons you can learn from interviewing others - both to enrich your writing and your life.

This skill, which I developed as a freelance arts journalist for Village Voice Media amongst others, has directly impacted my screenwriting and fiction writing over the years. But it's also helped bring me closer to loved ones I was struggling to understand better.

Links:

• Become a subscriber to the ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠⁠ to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and all episodes of this podcast – including paywalled bonus episodes
• Read the 5AM StoryTalk essay this minsode was inspired by here
• In this minisode, I discuss my disappointment over how poorly my pilot episode of "Dracula", a TV series I created, was mangled by the head writer. You can read a detailed breakdown of what happened to my script here, because its journey from my laptop to screens is a Master Class in how not to make good TV

Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk! I'm joined by screenwriter LIZ HANNAH whose script for The Post was so phenomenal it was sold and released in just 15 months - with Steven Spielberg as the director. Her credits also include the films Long Shot and Lee, TV series like "Mindhunter", and co-creating “The Girl from Plainville”.

A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s amazing paid subscribers, is also available here. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you’ll get more of Liz and I discussing a seminal piece of art from her life – David Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Show notes. Liz and I discuss the following (amongst many other things):

• Craft, craft, and more craft

• Her current struggle over how best to use her own creative voice to confront what’s happening in the U.S. and world, which is complicating her new spec script
• Why she couldn’t have written The Post at this point in her career (or: the advantage of being young, dumb, and fearless as an artist)
• What went into writing two pivotal scenes in her career, a monologue performed by Sarah Paulson in The Post and the interrogation of Charles Manson in Season 2 of “Mindhunter”
• The unintended resonance of The Post in Trump’s America, which provokes a heartbreaking observation about how her success was achieved
• Why she can’t rewatch films or TV she’s written
• The pivotal role of journalism in democracy, highlighted in her script for The Post and work on Lee
• Whether Hollywood is up to the challenge of confronting the major challenges of our day, from fascism to climate change (or: her thoughts on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners)

Links:

• ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠ (become a paid subscriber here to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and podcast
• Listen to my bonus episode with Liz here
• Watch The Post trailer
• Read Liz’s script for The Post here
• Watch the Lee trailer
• Watch “The Girl from Plainville” trailer
• In my introduction, I reference John August’s observations about a unifying theatrical experience. You can listen to my conversation with him here
• Liz and I discuss my traumatic experience creating “Dracula” (2013), which you can read about here

Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk! Today I'm joined by ERICA LEE (partner, Thunder Road Films; producer, the John Wick universe, Sicario, Monkey Man) and BLYE PAGON FAUST (partner, Story Force Entertainment; Oscar-winning producer, Spotlight, Belly of the Beast,“LulaRich”). They’re two of my favorite Hollywood, and I’ve asked them to discuss the state of the Hollywood film/TV industry – are they as scared as I am? – and their advice for screenwriters looking to break into the business today.

Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter ⁠here⁠.

A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s amazing paid subscribers, is also available here. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you’ll get more of Erica, Blye, and I discussing the state of Hollywood, how they know a project is right for them, and much, much more.

Show notes. Erica, Blye, and I discuss the following (amongst many other things):

• What era they would choose to work in if given the chance to climb into a time-traveling DeLorean
• The impact of establishing themselves as producers in a still incredibly male-dominated industry, especially for Erica who works primarily in action
• How the film/TV landscape has transformed over the past 20 years…and not for the good, from the death of the mid-budget financier to the streamers
• Erica’s initial reaction to the John Wick script when it was still called Scorn, how the film evolved, and her surprise at the extent of its success
• Blye’s difficult journey to getting Spotlight made, a film about the systemic cover-up of sexual abuse by priests against children that would go on to win the Best Picture Oscar
• How both Erica and Blye have had to dramatically pivot in how they pursue their careers
• The power of the “undeniable” script and great ideas in general
• Advice for aspiring and emerging screenwriters and producers
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Links:

• ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠ (become a paid subscriber here to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and podcast
• Learn more about Erica Lee here
• Learn more about Blye Pagon Faust here
• Erica says We Are Marshall, written by my friend Jamie Linden, is one of the best she’s ever read. You can read it here
• Blye says Liz Hannah’s screenplay for The Post is one of the best she’s ever read. You can read it here
• You can listen to my own conversation with Liz, who was a guest on the 5AM StoryTalk Podcast, here

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Welcome back to 5AM StoryTalk — a place to talk about stories in all their forms, the craft that goes into them, and the role that art plays in our lives. Today we’re going to be discussing how I broke into the Hollywood film/TV industry and how I learned to trust myself in a business where nobody knows anything, but everybody insists they know everything.

Put another way: I’m going to tell you about my first script sale, how it almost didn’t happen because of some questionable advice I received from my reps, and what the experience taught me about how to pursue my dreams of becoming a produced screenwriter – which I achieved a few years later when a TV series I created, “Dracula”, premiered on NBC and Sky.

Links:

· ⁠⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠⁠ (become a paid subscriber here to gain access to both hundreds of arts articles, essays, and resources at the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter as well as all episodes of its podcast days, weeks, and sometimes even months early)

· Read more about my first screenplay sale here: “The Untold Horror Story of My First Screenplay Sale”

· Read more about my experiences creating “Dracula” – which I describe as a cautionary tale about what can happen when all your dreams come true in Hollywood

Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk! I'm joined by the brilliant AMBER TAMBLYN ("Joan of Arcadia", Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, "House", Paint It Black). Amber is an actress, writer-director, author and poet, Substacker, and activist who doesn’t sleep. You can learn more about her and her work at her website, but you can also find links to what we discuss in the links list below.

Oh, and be sure to listen to my bonus episode with Amber, in which we discuss a seminal piece of art from here life - Ridley Scott's LEGEND (1985) - here.

In this conversation, we discuss (amongst so many other things):

· Amber’s perspective on the self-doubt and anxiety that racks all artists

· How her uniquely bohemian childhood shaped her into the artist — and person — she is today

· The complicated dissonance between the hope of her 2019’s non-fiction Era of Ignition Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution and the explosive culture war that has taken over the United States since Donald Trump’s re-election

· The role of persistence and perseverance in allowing your art to become its most authentic self — including Amber’s feature directorial debut Paint It Black (2016) and her concept book of poetry Dark Sparkler (2015) — but also as we fight for social change

· Nostalgia as both a form of solace and a way of mourning the loss of communal experiences

Bonus episode:

In this follow-up conversation, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s wonderful paid subscribers, Amber and I dive into a seminal film in her life — Ridley Scott's LEGEND (1985). Listen here.

Additional links:

· 5AM StoryTalk newsletter (become a paid subscriber here to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and podcast

· Amber Tamblyn’s website (includes info on all books and articles discussed)

· Amber’s Listening in the Dark Substack

· Trailer for Paint It Black (currently available to stream on Amazon and Apple in the U.S.; consult your platforms outside of the States)

· Trailer for Legend

Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk! I'm joined by VERONICA SULLIVAN – the director of the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival. You can learn more about her extensive career in fiction, publishing, and the arts in general at her website, but you can also find links to what we discuss in our artist-on-artist conversation in the links list below.

Buy tickets to the Melbourne Writers Festival taking place from May 8th to 11th, 2025 here.

Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter here.

A bonus episode, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s rock-star paid subscribers, is also available. If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, you’ll get more of Veronica and I discussing a seminal piece of art from his life – C.S. Lewis’s Narnia novel The Magician’s Nephew (1955). Listen ⁠here⁠.

Show notes. Veronica and I discuss the following (amongst other things):

· The influence of an artist's biography (both good and bad) on the reception of their work in today’s information-rich society, but also the larger problem we have in which we often appraise work based on what we know about it rather than our personal experience of it

· How Australia’s unique geographic and cultural dynamics shaped the country’s vibrant and robust literary culture and publishing traditions

· Festival curation as a form creation not dissimilar from storytelling

· The Melbourne Writers Festival’s focus on diverse forms of storytelling and events beyond traditional literary conversations – including the necessity for provocative cultural conversations that might challenge many attendees

· How platforms like Substack are reshaping how authors connect with their audiences, what it means for the future of publishing, and how literary festivals might adapt to these innovations to recognize Substackers’ achievements

· The role of writers and readers festivals – and arts festivals in general – in communities like Melbourne, enhancing cultural engagement and happiness.

Links:

· 5AM StoryTalk newsletter (become a paid subscriber here to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and podcast

· Veronica Sullivan’s website

· Description of The Magician’s Nephew

Welcome to 5AM StoryTalk! I'm joined by DR. KEVIN PETER HAND, director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s Ocean World’s Lab and one of the scientists leading the hunt for life elsewhere in our solar system – especially on icy moons such as Europa and Enceladus. He’s a planetary scientist, an astrobiologist, and real-life adventure. His wonderful book, Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space, was published in 2020. And oh yeah, he’s also an old friend.

Be sure to listen to the bonus episode with Kevin, in which we discuss a seminal piece of art from his life – Steven Spielberg’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND – ⁠available to my paid subscriber here or at Substack: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/bonus-podcast-kevin-peter-hand-director

Subscribe to the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter here: https://colehaddon.substack.com/

In this conversation, we discuss:

· His work with the Ocean Worlds Lab andthe search for life within our solar system.

· Carrying this work out in such an incredibly turbulent time that challenges even the optimism of someone who operates at galactic timescales.

· Why humankind is on the verge of one of the most important scientific revolutions in its history (aka, why the search for life elsewhere in our galaxy matters so much).

· The intersection between science and art/creativity in his life and the life of most scientists.

· The roles of science and art in understanding anything about our existence (aka, why science is not good at explaining the meaning of anything).

· The potential value of bad science in art. You might get a kick out of his answer.

Bonus episode:

In this follow-up conversation, exclusive to 5AM StoryTalk’s wonderful paid subscribers, Kevin and I dive into a seminal piece of art from his life – Steven Spielberg’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND – ⁠available to my paidsubscriber here or at Substack.

Links:

Additional links:

· ⁠5AM StoryTalk newsletter⁠ (become a paidsubscriber here to gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and podcast.

· ⁠Learn more about Kevin’s book AlienOceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space.

· ⁠Learn more about NASA's Ocean Worlds Lab.

· Check out The Struggle Climbing Show, hosted by my brother-in-law Ryan Devlin, here.