DreamPath Podcast

Screenwriter Bettina Gilois, who was interviewed on the show in July of last year, passed away on July 5 at the age of 58. She was an immensely talented screenwriter, as well as a professor of screenwriting at Chapman University. She was also the mother of two brilliant children. As a tribute to Bettina, we are replaying her episode from last July. The show notes from that episode are below:

Bettina Gilois is an award-winning screenwriter and author, whose awards and nominations include the Humanitas Prize, the Black Reelz Award, the Movieguide Award, an ESPY Award, and a nomination for an Emmy. After acquiring an art history degree from Columbia University and working at Andy Warhol’s Factory, she began her writing career with Joel Silver and Warner Brothers, and has since collaborated with such notable artists and producers as Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Mann, William Friedkin, Queen Latifah, James Coburn, Kevin Costner, Christian Bale, and many others. Her films include Jerry Bruckheimer’s GLORY ROAD for which she was nominated for the Humanitas Prize, MCFARLAND, USA starring Kevin Costner, as well as BESSIE for HBO, starring Queen Latifah, for which Bettina was nominated for an Emmy for Best Screenwriting. Her other produced projects include uncredited work on THE HURRICANE for which Denzel Washington won the Golden Globe, and THE MISTS OF AVALON with Anjelica Huston. In addition to writing screenplays, Gilois has authored several books, MI VIDA LOCA: THE CRAZY LIFE OF JOHNNY TAPIA and BILLION DOLLAR PAINTER: THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF THOMAS KINKADE, both of which are being made into movies. She writes about Arts and Culture for the Huffington Post. Her current active projects include her writing and creating the series MUSCLE SHOALS with Johnny Depp producing at ABC and Nancy Wilson as the music composer.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Bettina’s experience working in a variety of creative endeavors, including alongside the likes of Andy Warhol and other famous people
• Bettina’s interesting perspective on stories, the life trajectories of humans, and the energy that ties it all together
• Bettina’s tips to aspiring screenwriters and the story of how she broke into the industry
• Bettina’s approach to storytelling and character development, supported by evidence from her own body of work
• Important skills for all creatives to have if they want to ascend to the top of the field
• Why you need to be thinking about your brand as a young writer
• The risks and rewards of sticking to genres and how to carry your brand through your characters
• How Bettina cooperates with the other members of film or TV production teams to construct coherent and meaningful stories

Additional resources:

• Bettina’s recommended resources: www.scriptcity.com
• Bettina’s Website: www.bettinagilois.com
• Bettina's IMDB

Roger Fisher

Born in Seattle, Washington on February 14th, 1950, Roger Fisher was the founding guitarist of the rock group Heart, globally known through the sales of more than 40 million albums. Roger has played in every major city in North America many times. He has also toured Europe, Japan, Australia, Uzbekistan and Russia, and performed at massive events in the Czech Republic, Japan, Canada and the United States for more than 300,000 people at a single rock show. He has appeared on a multitude of television shows including Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, and television broadcasts for more than 60 million people in Europe. Songs featuring Roger’s songwriting and iconic guitar riffs have been used in numerous TV commercials, TV shows, Guitar Hero (3 songs), and in several movies, including Charlie’s Angels and Shrek 3. Other artists have covered his material, including Eminem. His timeless anthem guitar intro to Barracuda is frequently used as the lead in for America’s number one rated radio talk show, Rush Limbaugh. Tony Robbins refers to it as part of the turning point in his life. It was also controversially featured by Republican presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, John McCain and Sarah Palin in the 2008 election.

The original line-up of Heart was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. His new albums, All Told and Heart Of The Blues are the first of many new releases with brother Mike, aka Magic Man. The brothers are creating a massive multimedia endeavor, the One Vision Project.

Michael Fisher

Ever since the ’60’s, Mike has been involved in artist development, recording and producing, event production, and designing and building audio systems for touring groups, concerts, and large venues. He was one of the founders of Heart where he oversaw the business until his departure in about 1980. His roles included chief visionary, management, FOH sound engineer, and a producer of Heart. After leaving Heart Michael and his brother Roger built a recording studio and spent several years creating original music and recording other groups while also managing a series of performing bands featuring Roger and other notable musicians. Roger left with former Heart drummer Michael Derosier and bassist Steve Fossen to join a Canadian duo called Alias. Michael formed a sound company, Proshow USA which gave him an opportunity to work alongside some of the greatest entertainers of our time such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and other notables such as Bill Gates and presidents Bush and Clinton. His company has worked with many of the major artists in the music industry including providing sound production for Nirvana from their first theater shows continuing to their last show. More recently Proshow has focused on very large outdoor events around the country.

Michael and Roger have committed to creating THE ONE VISION PROJECT, an ambitious endeavor that encompasses their life’s work, including an interactive web portal, four albums which draw from a catalog of more than a hundred songs, music videos, an autobiography and more. ALL TOLD was the first release to be followed by Heart Of The Blues, an album inspired by many wonderful trips to the deep south. Their band Human Tribe is performing on tour.

The Brothers have created a brand, Human Tribe, and are promoting quality products that offer something beneficial such as their Human Tribe Tea and Heart Of The Blues whiskey.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Mike reads a chain of emails he shared with Ann Wilson with regards to being inducted into the Hall of Fame and getting the band back together for the ceremony
• Mike discusses some of the tensions and problems that took place around the induction ceremony and the issue of having other musicians play Barracuda rather than the original group
• Roger discusses the hurt feelings that were felt due to the induction and the tensions between original and later members of Heart, due to the later members not being considered a part of the induction
• Mike discusses feeling as though he should have been invited to sit at the band tables at the induction
• Roger discusses his former housekeeper Kelly Curtis’s involvement with the band during their touring days
• Roger talks about being voted out of the band, and he shares why he used that experience as a push to become a better musician
• Roger discusses struggling against feelings of entitlement after he was removed from the band, and he shares how it taught him humility and authenticity
• Roger shares when he realized that he was going to work toward becoming a rock musician through a clear vision he had at age 15
• Roger talks about his One Vision project and its origins, and he shares the overarching t...

Jeffrey Paul King is the creator and showrunner of the CW’s The Republic of Sarah, and was a writer and producer for all seven seasons of the acclaimed TV series Elementary starring Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.

What you will learn:

• How Jeffrey’s work on Elementary led to the creation of his show The Republic of Sarah. He also shares about the inspiration behind the original concept for The Republic of Sarah and the research it required. [0:00-8:22]
• What success means in the television industry, and the importance of understanding what creativity means to you. How the constraints placed on a series by a television network can be beneficial to the creative process. [8:22-16:37]
• Why writing pilot episodes can be especially difficult to write and shoot and how a particular, accelerated plot structure in a pilot can make for a successful start to a series, using The Republic of Sarah as an example. [16:37-21:37]
• How Jeffrey’s music and theater background evolved into him writing plays and eventually led him to UCLA to study screenwriting. How opportunities he had as an intern on beloved shows like Brothers and Sisters and Grey’s Anatomy blossomed into writing and producing opportunities on other shows, including Elementary. [21:37-30:08]
• Why Jeffrey chose to focus so specifically on showrunning in film school, why he is personally drawn to television vs. film, and why he values diversity in his writers’ room. [30:08-40:58]
• Advice Jeffrey would give to young people hoping to start a career in the entertainment industry, and the passion and determination it takes to become successful in this business. An anecdote about Shonda Rhimes that highlights the importance of being helpful in any way you can when first starting out in Hollywood. [40:58-46:59]
• Jeffrey’s perspective on the values of younger generations, and why he views their work ethic as different (not worse) than the work ethic of older generations. The charity work Jeffrey is involved in, and what the future holds for The Republic of Sarah. [46:49-54:30]

Resources:

• Jeffrey Paul King’s: IMDb, Instagram

Rae Deslich is an Emmy-nominated set decorator whose film Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan. was nominated for five academy awards and took home one for best original screenplay. They have also worked on notable shows such as Party of Five, Drunk History, Alone Together, and the upcoming HBO Max reboot of 1980s Head of the Class.

What you will learn:

• How Rae approached the set decoration on Promising Young Woman, how they worked with the director and production designer to create the look and feel of the film, the importance of color palette in the film, and why the choice to use bright pinks and blues worked with such dark subject matter. [0:00-11:58]
• How they collaborated with director Emerald Fennell on Promising Young Woman, how the various set and design departments work together on films, and the importance of being versatile from production to production. [11:58-19:15]
• How much work Rae does before, during, and after a production, how mood boards were used during the production of Promising Young Woman, and the inspiration Rae draws from other films and shows. [19:15-26:41]
• How Rae got into the film industry, starting with film school, building a portfolio, and building their way up the industry. Advice Rae would give to anyone wishing to work in the film industry. [26:41-32:36]
• What Rae enjoys most and least about working in set decoration, and their preference of film or television. Rae’s future plans, and why there are so many work opportunities on television reboots in the last few years. [32:26-44:00]

Resources:

Rae Deslich’s: Website, IMDb, Instagram, LinkedIn

Andrea Sooch is a successful actress, licensed drama therapist, and social worker. A native Hungarian, Andrea came to the US after receiving a scholarship from the American Musical and Dramatic Arts Academy. Many fans know Andrea from her recurring role as Russian mob boss Riva on the TNT series Claws. She has also appeared in hit shows such as The Blacklist, Broad City, Gotham, and Boardwalk Empire, as well as in films like John Wick 3, with Keanu Reeves.

What you will learn:

• How Andrea is coping with the pandemic in the Jersey Shore, and how she focuses on hope and living in the moment. [0:00-14:45]
• The importance of mindfulness during the time of coronavirus, from both an actor’s and therapist’s perspective. [14:45-23:36]
• The impact that Broadway and Hollywood shutting down has had on the entertainment industry, and why it's important to remain hopeful about our future. [23:36-32:59]
• How everyone has their own part to play in the world, and why it's important not to pile expectations onto others. Also, how she relates (and doesn't relate) personally to the characters she plays (like Riva, on Claws). [32:59-46:59]
• Her perspective on the concept of "learned hopefulness" and how she found acting as a profession after modeling. [46:59-57:15]
• How a midlife crisis, which included losing her father, her husband, and watching the Twin Towers fall on 9/11 helped her realize she needed a sense of control, leading her to grad school and through a period of significant "post-traumatic growth" (as opposed to post-traumatic stress). [57:15-1:03:08]
• Advice Andrea would give to young people interested in acting - doing it, “for the right reason.” [1:03:08-1:09:03]
• What’s on the professional horizon for Andrea and what her ideal job would look like. [1:09:03-1:18:07]

Resources

• Andrea's Website: andreasooch.net
• Andrea Sooch’s: Instagram, LinkedIn, IMDb