Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
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Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
Ep. 44 - Dana Kuznetzkoff on Omara, Forrest Gump and The Wire
How Did They Get There
1 hour 1 minute 18 seconds
2 years ago
Ep. 44 - Dana Kuznetzkoff on Omara, Forrest Gump and The Wire
As a versatile producer and assistant director, Dana Kuznetzkoff has worked on legendary projects which include Forrest Gump, 2 Days in the Valley and The Wire. Dana wears several hats in the film industry, and her approach toward selecting projects has a lot to do with the value of the collaboration to take place. The Bronx native was in the midst of taking a significant role in the world of advertising when a chance encounter, one that didn’t go so well, veered her off onto a different path in a different industry — Film and Television. And through the years, Dana moved up the ranks from DGA trainee, when she worked on Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild, to being head of the first unit. Along the way came important experiences on The Equalizer, Law & Order and Ron Howard’s Far and Away. 1993 saw the first of several collaborations Dana has had with Robert Zemeckis, which, in addition to Gump, included Death Becomes Her; and Flight, the latter on which she was First Assistant Director. In television, Dana has worked as unit production manager of shows like Fringe, This is Us, and Monk, and has produced shows like The New Yorker Presents and the Steven Spielberg executive-produced Smash. In the non-fiction world, Dana has produced several impactful documentaries with a social activism bent; these include Thread, which surveys the life of female entrepreneurs in Afghanistan; and Tolerance and Acceptance, which takes place in the context of educating inner city kids in South Central, Los Angeles and East London. She serves on the Producers Council of the PGA, and is a member of NY Women in Film and Television and the DGA. Dana also recently taught at Columbia School of the Arts as an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Film. In our conversation, we discussed the climate of movie theaters and streaming; the WGA strike; the freelance film and television lifestyle; her favorite Jonathan Demme film; and why you should visit the Bronx Zoo. We also discussed her new documentary, Omara, about the surviving Cuban lead female vocalist of the Ry Cooder-produced Buena Vista Social Club.
Opening Credits: Plastic Flowers - Lucy I Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0); A Banda de Joseph Tourton - #3. Closing Credits: So Cow - Front Row Seats I Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
How Did They Get There
Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
