Live from campus — pre quarantine — Sophie tells Aaron about the unique way she got her first staff job, what happens when Tim Cook walks into a table read of your script, and how she’s navigated the beginnings of an acting resume that already

Ben McKenzie — Actor, Director, Producer, Writer

May 7th, 2020 57m 13s

Live on campus!…before the quarantine…Aaron and Ben sit down in front of a packed audience to discuss Ben’s successful career as the star of three consecutive broadcast dramas. From The O.C., to Southland, to Gotham, Ben is on a remarkable run,

Michael Douglas — Oscar-winning Actor, Producer

Apr 30th, 2020 59m 30s

Hollywood legend Michael Douglas walks Aaron through highlights of his era-defining career. They pay particular attention to Michael’s working relationship with screenwriters, including those behind Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, The American P

Daniel Pink — Bestselling Author

Oct 31st, 2019 51m 38s

Dan Pink’s TED Talk on the science of motivation is one of the 10 most-watched TED Talks of all time, with more than 20 million views. Dan’s research and writing has a lot to say about how to navigate the creative life, which made Aaron jump at

Laurie Santos — Creator/Host of megahit podcast, The Happiness Lab. Yale Professor

Oct 24th, 2019 36m 25s

Dr. Laurie Santos joins Aaron in the studio for a fascinating conversation about happiness research, and how it pertains to the creative life. Laurie is a professor of psychology and cognitive science here at Yale. She’s also the Creator/Host o

Richard Curtis — Screenwriter, Director (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually)

Oct 17th, 2019 36m 52s

Aaron sits down with one of the great screenwriters of charming romantic comedies. Wait, no qualifier necessary. Aaron sits down with THE greatest screenwriter of charming romantic comedies. From Four Weddings and a Funeral…to Notting Hill…to L

James Patterson — The World’s Best Selling Author

Oct 10th, 2019 43m 12s

Aaron welcomes the biggest name in books to the pod for a rare, career-spanning interview. Patterson is the best selling writer of the past several decades. He’s sold more than 300 million copies of his books, including 114 New York Times bests

Ron Howard — Director, Producer, Writer, Actor

Oct 3rd, 2019 48m 42s

Welcome to a new season of To Live & Dialogue! Aaron sits down with one of his filmmaking heroes, Ron Howard, for a wide ranging conversation about Ron’s legendary career, focusing on the extraordinary screenwriters and TV creators he’s worked

Stephany Folsom Redux! – Toy Story 4 Screenwriter

Jun 27th, 2019 41m 9s

With Toy Story 4 just released, we’re reposting our great conversation with screenwriter Stephany Folsom. Stephany explains the multi year process of screenwriting at Pixar, working with animators, what it’s like on the Pixar campus, and the re

12 Angry Men (1957) w/ special guest Aaron Tracy

May 16th, 2019 1h 3m

Today we’re posting the most recent episode of Classic Movie Musts, which Aaron guested on. Aaron does a deep dive on one of his favorite movies, 12 Angry Men, with the show’s host, Max Baril. Follow Classic Movie Musts at: https://twitter.com/

Jules Feiffer – Screenwriter, Cartoonist, Playwright

Apr 18th, 2019 52m 27s

Join Aaron on stage at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY for a remarkable evening with legendary, Pulitzer-winning screenwriter and cartoonist, Jules Feiffer. Recorded on Jules’s 90th birthday, after a screening of his 1970s masterpiece,

Terence Winter Redux! – The Sopranos 20th anniversary

Apr 4th, 2019 57m 2s

In honor of the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest TV shows ever made, we’re replaying our very first episode of the podcast with a new introduction. Terry Winter worked his way up The Sopranos writing staff to become one of the three key

Dale Launer – Screenwriter (My Cousin Vinny, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ruthless People)

Mar 14th, 2019 29m

Dale has written some of the most memorable and enjoyable comedies of the last few decades, including two of the WGA’s 101 Funniest Screenplays Of All Time. From My Cousin Vinny to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to Ruthless People, Dale’s scripts poke

Michael Rauch is back! – TV Creator, Showrunner

Feb 28th, 2019 42m 31s

To Live & Dialogue’s first-ever returning guest! Join Aaron and Michael in front of a packed crowd in New Haven to discuss Michael’s prolific career. A successful TV Creator and Showrunner, Michael’s current series is the CBS drama “Instinct,”

Emily Nussbaum – Pulitzer Prize Winning TV Critic at The New Yorker

Feb 14th, 2019 51m 20s

Emily is one of the sharpest, most innovative, most influential TV critics working today. She’s the TV critic at The New Yorker, and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Emily was kind enough to shlep up to New Haven where she spoke t

Cinco Paul – Screenwriter (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets)

Jan 17th, 2019 40m 52s

One of the biggest names in animated movies, Cinco Paul has co-written the screenplays for Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and 3, Horton Hears A Who, Hop, The Lorax, and The Secret Life of Pets, among many others. Cinco and his writing partner,

Nell Scovell – TV Creator/Writer (The Simpsons, Late Night, Sabrina)

Jan 10th, 2019 24m 55s

Nell Scovell has written on some of the most iconic TV comedies of the past few decades, including The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, Murphy Brown, Coach, The Muppets, Monk, and she’s Creator and Executive Producer of Sabrina, the T

Gavin Edwards – Writer, Journalist, Biographer

Jan 3rd, 2019 37m 17s

Gavin is an incredibly talented non-fiction writer. Prolific on music and movies, he’s written entire books on Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, and River Phoenix. This last one brought Gavin’s well-researched and insightful work to Aaron’s attention.

Paul Attanasio – Oscar-nominated Screenwriter, TV Creator

Dec 20th, 2018 51m 15s

Live on campus, Paul Attanasio, one of the most respected and successful TV/screenwriters of our time. Paul has created four TV series that have gone to air…and counting. One of ’em is Homicide: Life on the Street, a forebear of our current gol

Mark Harris — Film Journalist, Writer, Biographer

Dec 13th, 2018 57m 51s

One of the most brilliant writers, reporters, and commentators on film, Mark Harris joins Aaron for the hour. Mark’s book, Pictures at a Revolution, about the Best Picture nominees of 1968 as a lens through which to view a cultural revolution a

Eleanor Bergstein – Dirty Dancing Screenwriter

Dec 6th, 2018 1h 4m

Coming to you live and in person from the Upper West Side of New York, Aaron joins screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein for an intimate chat about one of the most beloved movies of all time, Dirty Dancing. Eleanor is the screenwriter, producer, and p

Larry Karaszewski — Screenwriter, TV Creator (The People V. OJ, Ed Wood)

Nov 29th, 2018 42m 6s

This week, Larry comes on the pod to talk about the craft of writing about real people. He and his partner Scott Alexander have written some of the biggest biopics in Hollywood, including Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon, Th

Gina Gionfriddo – Playwright, TV writer (Law & Order, The Alienist, Cold Case, House of Cards)

Jul 26th, 2018 34m 40s

Award-winning playwright and TV writer Gina Gionfriddo joins Aaron for an extensive discussion about TV and theatre writing. They talk Law & Order, the politics of TV writers’ rooms, and how to tackle a scene. Gina is a recipient of a WGA award

Ken Levine — TV writer (Cheers, Frasier, MASH, The Simpsons)

Jul 19th, 2018 55m 16s

Join Aaron for his in-depth convo with the man who co-wrote 36 episodes (!) of Cheers, the greatest sitcom of all time. Behind the scenes stories, memories from production, and what made the show such a classic. Stick around for stories about w

Nancy Meyers — Oscar-nominated Screenwriter, Director

Jun 28th, 2018 1h 9m

In her debut podcast, Nancy joins Aaron for an in depth conversation, covering her entire legendary career. As the most commercially successful female filmmaker in history, Nancy is one of the rare directors to be a household name. She’s also o