Podbit · Last Podcast On The Left
Dino DeLaurentis told Stephen King he was going to direct Maximum Overdrive despite King never having been to film school or directed anything before. King learned on the job and says he could do a better one next time.
Where this was said
At 36:30 · chapter starts 31:10
Ben Kissel delivers the Acorns pitch — framed around the app's 'potential screen' tool and a squirrel-burying-acorns metaphor — noting that over 14 million customers have invested over $27 billion through the platform, with a $5 new-account bonus on offer. Henry follows with IXL, an adaptive K-12 learning platform that personalizes to each child's pace, promoted with anecdotes about his household and aspirations for his kids to read To Kill a Mockingbird. The IXL deal offers listeners an exclusive 20% off via ixl.com/left.
Stephen King personally wrote every episode of Golden Years, Lisey's Story, and Storm of the Century — a level of creative control rarely seen in television.
Stephen King cited Mike Flanagan as the director who best understands his stories, with Jack Bender also praised for his ability to produce quality work on low budgets and tight schedules.
Steven Pressfield's insight: don't wait for the commitment to feel real before acting like a professional. Set up the studio. Make the schedule. Show up. Commitment doesn't precede action — it follows it. You act like a pro first, and your brain catches up with justifications after. The action is the commitment.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
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