Become a more inventive, imaginative you. Every week, Guy Raz (creator of How I Built This) leads a deep dive conversation with someone at the top of their game. From conquering stage fright to learning to be more present and focused, you'll learn how each guest mastered their craft and ultimately became more successful in life. The result? An arsenal of tools and techniques you can apply to your own life and work, allowing you to harness your talent and become a better version of yourself.
Giovanni Ribisi, the versatile actor known for his roles in “Saving Private Ryan,” “Avatar,” and “Friends,” reflects on his life growing up in the heart of Hollywood and his enduring passion for filmmaking.
He also discusses the emotional toll of “living” in intense roles; why he thinks “humiliation” is an important element of every creator’s journey; and going to extreme measures to push his career forward — like spending his last $700 on a plane ticket to an audition.
See Giovanni’s cinematography work in the psychological thriller "Strange Darling," available now: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22375054/
Links from the Show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Eric Goode is a filmmaker, conservationist, and a former nightclub owner. His Netflix docuseries Tiger King, about zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic, became a massive cultural phenomenon at the start of the pandemic.
In this episode, Eric joins Guy to discuss his eclectic career path - from pinning dead flies to canvas as an eccentric young artist to opening the infamous Area nightclub in 1980s New York, frequented by the likes of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michael Basquiat, and Keith Haring.
He also shares how his lifelong fascination with animals led him to conservation work and filmmaking, and behind the scenes of documenting Joe Exotic and the murder plot that unfolded while filming for Tiger King.
Watch Eric Goode’s latest documentary “Chimp Crazy” on HBO Max here: https://www.hbo.com/chimp-crazy
Links from the Show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mark Foster is the frontman for Foster the People, which rocketed to fame in 2011 on the strength of their very first single, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’.
Mark talks about growing up as a pastor’s son in Cleveland; nearly joining the military but choosing instead to move to L.A. to pursue his music dreams; falling into addiction and getting sober; feeling afraid to perform on SNL after becoming famous overnight; and his process for getting into a flow state in the studio.
Mark also reflects on the meaning of ‘Pumped Up Kicks’, more than a decade later – and shares how current events influenced the themes on the band’s newest album, ‘Paradise State of Mind’.
Check out the new album here: https://store.fosterthepeople.com/products/paradise-state-of-mind-cd
Links from the Show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Singer Ellie Goulding has had 35 different songs chart in the UK, the most of any female artist ever. In this conversation from 2023, Ellie shares how she first broke out of her shell performing original songs to her college classmates. She also talks about finding her own sound by using her unique voice in collaboration with some of the biggest producers in the world of EDM. And she explains why she calls her album ‘Higher than Heaven’ her “least personal” record yet.
Links from the show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live, Good Burger, Kenan & Kel, All That) is perhaps the most consistently funny TV performer of his generation. He’s the longest-running SNL cast member, and is beloved for early roles in Good Burger, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and the TV shows All That and Kenan & Kel.
In this conversation from 2023, Kenan joins Guy to talk about his Nickelodeon days, why some of his big breaks have felt like kismet, his awkward SNL audition, impersonating celebrities, and whether – given the chance – he'd consider taking over for SNL creator Lorne Michaels.
Links from the show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Bjork, a singular artist whose work extends beyond music to include acting and conceptual art, discusses her career and artistic vision in this wide-ranging interview from 2022.
She talks with Guy about forming her unique vocal style; recording her first album at 11 years old; her album, Fossora, which features a bass clarinet ensemble; and why she uses symbols from nature to define each of her albums.
Links from the show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jim Parsons is an actor who’s best known for starring as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. While many know him as the on-screen super-nerd, he is also a classically trained stage actor. And in this conversation from 2022, Jim reflects on his entire creative journey: from playing the same character for 12 years to embracing new challenges (Hollywood, Spoiler Alert, A Man of No Importance) that have allowed him to flex some different creative muscles.
Plus, the uncertainty Jim felt when he came out; his love of New York City; and the first, scary steps involved in taking on new roles.
Links from the show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Alfred Matthew Yankovic, when he was six years old, was told by his parents to choose between accordion and guitar lessons. “And my parents being the visionaries that they were said, ‘Oh, young Alfred would love to play the accordion.’”
Alfred, better known as the chart-topping musician, satirist, and beloved nerd Weird Al Yankovic, told Guy in 2022 how that decision had changed his life and decades of popular music to come.
They also discussed how Kurt Cobain had saved Weird Al from a lifetime of spoofing Michael Jackson songs and how intense the process of writing silly songs can be.
Links from the show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Rashida Jones is an actor, writer, and filmmaker best known for her work on ‘The Office’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’. She sits down with Guy to talk about growing up with dreams of being the President, how acting saved her during a bout of depression in college, and almost quitting acting right before the biggest break of her career. Plus, how becoming a parent and losing her own mother has changed the way she sees her work.
Rashida stars in ‘Sunny’ on Apple TV+, out July 10: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/sunny/umc.cmc.7c5t9dde8dxoaxwyl5rkuw38p
Links from the Show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt spends a lot of time thinking about creativity, technology, and how the two collide. In this episode, Joseph shares his thoughts on a not-too-distant future in which AI-generated content will be able to “make people laugh, make people cry, and win all the likes and awards”. He also talks about theater programs in school, why he used to worry that Hollywood would “infect” him, which of his characters he personally identifies with, and why his toughest day as an actor came on the set of a Pop Tarts commercial.
Joseph’s latest film is “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F”.
Links from the Show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – scroll down in this feed or go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ben Gibbard is the voice of the bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. He talks about Death Cab’s scrappy start, recording their classic album Transatlanticism, how the band learned to defuse internal tensions, and how he approaches songwriting in middle age. This episode was recorded in 2023.
Links from the Show:
For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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