• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Farnam Street Logo

Farnam Street

  • Articles
  • Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Courses
  • Log In
  • Become a Member
TweetEmailLinkedInPrint

The Knowledge Project Podcast

Brian Koppelman: What Really Matters [The Knowledge Project Ep. #83]

Writer and director Brian Koppelman talks about his career ups and downs, dealing with fear, and learning to live a meaningful life.

Now available on: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Transcript

Here are a few highlights from our conversation:

All of us, or most of us, are afraid of exposing that part of ourselves that we hold most dear for fear that it will be rejected. But the artist has a duty to risk that. And it’s a duty to risk it so that you’re able to be better.

You start to really think about who these characters are, what made them who they are. And then you start to think about a story structure that would bring these forces into opposition because you need conflict, sort of in every scene of a screenplay or teleplay.

Figuring out how to get on the wavelength of an audience is again, that’s also something that all of us do in life. I’m just a professional at it, knowing how to do it in a fictional context.

I made the decision while I was 30 that I was going to follow my curiosity and the things that fascinated me. And as long as I’m doing that, I feel like a version of myself that I want to spend time with.

If you look at the great expanse of time, we’re not even a dot. The dot is already over, it’s already in the past. And so we may as well be super connected to the fact that we’re here and alive right now.

All of us go through periods of time where we are going after the more thin pleasures than the thicker, deeper, richer pleasures. So you can’t hold yourself out to a standard that’s impossible to achieve, either.

And if we don’t remind ourselves of first principles consciously, we can just drift. So you have to remind yourself of first principles and then you have to lock down again and then you have to move forward.

Transcript

Get transcripts, early access, ad-free episodes, and so much more. Learn more or sign up now.

Already a member? Head over to the Members Only area to access transcripts and other Member Only content.

Become a Member

More Episodes

Aaron Dignan: Change The Way You Work [The Knowledge Project Ep. #158]

What if you could change the way your company operates, even if you’re not the CEO? Aaron Dignan believes it’s possible, and in this episode …

Listen NowAaron Dignan: Change The Way You Work [The Knowledge Project Ep. #158]

Carolyn Coughlin: Become A Better Listener [The Knowledge Project Ep. #157]

Executive coach Carolyn Coughlin calls on more than a decade of experience to help you become a better listener. She goes in-depth on why …

Listen NowCarolyn Coughlin: Become A Better Listener [The Knowledge Project Ep. #157]

Jack Kornfield: Finding Inner Calm [The Knowledge Project Ep. #156]

Author and Buddhist practitioner Jack Kornfield sits down for a candid, in-depth interview to help you suppress self-doubt and find inner …

Listen NowJack Kornfield: Finding Inner Calm [The Knowledge Project Ep. #156]
The Knowledget Product podcast cover

The Knowledge Project

A podcast about mastering the best of what other people have already figured out. The Knowledge Project focuses on insights and lessons that never expire. You’ll walk away from every episode with actionable insights that help you get better results and live a more meaningful life.

Listen now onApple Podcasts
More Options
  • Spotify
  • Google Podcast
  • Overcast
  • g id="Pocket-Casts-Roundel---Red">Pocket Casts
  • RSS

Never miss an episode

A podcast about mastering the best of what other people have already figured out.

Farnam Street Logo

© 2023 Farnam Street Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Proudly powered by WordPress. Hosted by Pressable. See our Privacy Policy.

  • Speaking
  • Sponsorship
  • About
  • Support
  • Education

We’re Syrus Partners.
We buy amazing businesses.


Farnam Street participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commissions by linking to Amazon.