Earl Newton.com » interview

Destin Log article

Earl Newton — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:20:21 +0000

An article about my entré into filmmaking was recently published in the Destin Log in Destin, Florida. It talks a lot about what first drew me into storytelling. Fraser Sherman penned the article, and you have to hand it to him: it has a killer opening line:

When Earl Newton was 10, he convinced his friends he was born on another planet.

The article hasn’t been posted on the Destin Log’s website, so I’m linking to a repost of it on TMCnet.com.

Read the full article here.

Unquiet Desperation: The Creative Process (interview)

Earl Newton — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:19:37 +0000

Chris Miller should get extra points for having this interview posted before I’d had time to even compose the blog post linking to it. We literally recorded this interview two hours ago. Madness.

In this piece, Chris and I talk about the creative process, about what I’ve learned since starting Stranger Things, and what’s gotten me into blogging regularly (short answer: a beautiful woman).

While you’re poking around Chris’ site, check out my favorite episode of his: Conversion, about a Southern Baptist preacher who converted to Judaism. Fascinating stuff, and his interview subject is very well-researched.

Disconnect, Screenwriting, and Storytelling (Interview)

Earl Newton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:38:05 +0000

A few weeks back, J.C. Hutchins invited me to come on his program “Hey Everybody!” to talk about our collaboration on Disconnect, the nature of storytelling, and the process of making a low-budget film.

It runs about 45 minutes long, and is one of the more in-depth discussions I’ve ever recorded about these topics. If you’re a filmmaker or know one, it’s worth a listen.

Click here for the interview.

While you’re at it, consider picking up a copy of J.C. Hutchins’ Personal Effects: Dark Art. This isn’t a paid endorsement, but I think as a storyteller it’s important to keep up with where the craft is going, and what J.C. is doing with Personal Effects is close to revolutionary. It’s worth your time, if only for a master class in storytelling.

Adapting Prose to the Screen (interview)

Earl Newton — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:41:00 +0000

Earlier this evening I was part of the Dead Robots’ Society roundtable discussion on adapting prose to the screen. Along with me were top-tier storytellers Matt Wallace and Patrick McLean.

Questions came both from the terrific hosts (PG Holyfield, Justin Macumber, Terry Mixon, and Ryan Stevenson) as well as the audience questions I had mentioned before.

The interview ranges from lessons learned in the world of commercials and advertising, the challenges in switching from prose to screenwriting, and what it takes to preserve a good story from the page to the screen.

You get a chance to get to know the hosts in the beginning, the actual interview begins around 15:20 in. You get to hear me at my most silly, so take it while you can get it.

For the original Dead Robot Society show notes, click here.

Submit Screenwriting Questions

Earl Newton — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:22:57 +0000

TOMORROW EVENING, I will be part of a Dead Robot Society roundtable interview with Matt Wallace (Varient Frequencies) and Patrick McLean (How to Succeed in Evil).

Esteemed author P.G. Holyfield (Murder at Avedon Hill) will be hosting the interview, which I firmly believe will descend into “shindig” and then devolve swiftly into “mob rule.” You can’t get three guys like ourselves in the same podcast and expect anything else.

And to add to the chaos: the clever Mr. Holyfield is opening up the forum. Email him with your questions, and they might get asked during the roundtable.

Remember, you’ve got four of the powerhouse podcast storytellers in the same room, ready to pick apart story theory and practice for your edification. This is more than just submitting a question: you’re getting second, third, and fourth opinions from people with a Ph.d. in “mind-exploding.”

Submit your questions here.

(I feel very promo-y today – I should be writing some copy.)

JC Hutchins and Geek Cred talk Stranger Things

Earl Newton — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:33:01 +0000

Just finished a great interview with JC Hutchins for his podcast Hey Everybody (great, a very in-depth piece that will be out next week), and while I was browsing around afterward, I found out JC had already been talking about Ep05: Disconnect on Geek Cred with Steve Riekeberg.

I’m posting this in my feed because I really think JC nails a lot of the challenges and the ideas we worked with on Disconnect, and if you enjoyed the episode, this little behind-the-scenes preview will be a fun snack before JC’s interview with me drops on Thursday. The whole interview is terrific, but if you want to fast-forward to the Disconnect talk, roll forward to about 29:50.

I think of Geek Cred as the NPR of geek podcasting, and host Steve Riekeberg is definitely living up to the name. If you like this episode, check out the interviews he did with Jonathan Coulton, Leo Laporte, and Wil Wheaton, among others. I think Terry Gross is the only one who has him beat for geek media guests.