For this 4th episode of the podcast, we receive Danielle Olson.

Danielle is currently a Senior Entertainment Underwriting Specialist in the film and television insurance industry. Alongside her work in the industry, she is developing her first short animated film, Marbles, for which she serves as writer, director, and producer. The project is currently in development and is scheduled for completion in 2028.

Marbles is a deeply personal project for Danielle. The story is rooted in her own experiences with loss, including the sudden passing of her mother when she was nineteen.

Through Marbles' story, she explores the emotional reality of losing someone close, imagining a world in which people know when their final day will come. The story focuses on the importance of cherishing the time we have with loved ones before they are gone, and reflects her personal perspective on coping with the terminal illness of a family member.

Danielle holds a Master of Business Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Woodbury University. She is also pursuing a Master of Arts in 2D Animation at the Academy of Art University, with an expected graduation in 2027.

This episode features Monte, whose path to filmmaking took an unexpected turn after more than two decades in law and several more in real estate.

Born to a Guatemalan mother and a Texan father, Monte grew up in the rural hills near Napa, California. At 18, he left home to attend Claremont McKenna College, later earning a law degree from Harvard and a master’s in real estate from NYU.

Monte followed the traditional path into big law, but after a late-night philosophical debate, a flurry of notes in his iPhone, and an introduction to the screenwriting software Final Draft, everything changed. That moment led to the creation of *The Family Name*, an eight-episode drama series, and effectively another self-reinvention.

In "The Family Name", a revered New York real estate patriarch is tapped to chair a high-profile public safety initiative just as his company quietly begins to hemorrhage cash. When his lawyer daughter starts digging, she uncovers a shadow network of fixers and “security” vendors capable of fast-tracking permits, silencing lenders, and weaponizing philanthropy. As the Sterling family realizes the system using them could also destroy them, they must decide whether to expose the machine before it permanently rewrites their legacy.

Writers and screenwriters, if you wish to apply to be our next guest, please contact us at scriptandstoryboardshowcaseATATATgmail.

In this episode of the Writers’ Interview Series Podcast, we speak with an architect and writer who explores the question of legacy through historical drama.

Drawing on years of experience in the architectural world, including serving as President Elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects, our guest reflects on how great creators think about the work they leave behind.

His play is set in Florence in 1505 and centers on the rivalry between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, commissioned to paint opposing battle scenes in the Palazzo Vecchio.
Through their exchanges, the work examines ambition, personality, and competing visions of what it means to leave a lasting mark. The story also echoes a modern architectural rivalry, inspired by the contrasting approaches of Richard Rogers and Norman Foster.

Writers and scriptwriters, if you wish to apply to be our next guest, please contact us at scriptandstoryboardshowcaseATATATgmail.