How NOT to Make a Movie

Over the course of his writing and producing career, Alan Katz has written movies and TV shows like HBO’s iconic Tales From The Crypt. Entertainment Weekly called the first season of his “The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast” the “Best Film Podcast of 2022”. He realized at that point that he’d become the thing he always wanted to be when he grew up: a podcaster.

Website, LinkedIn, Patreon

NOTE: My conversation with Alan was so extensive that I have chosen to publish only the most important people, agencies, and entertainment in these show notes.

William Morris Agency

Gilbert Adler, Director, Producer

HBO productions Gil and Alan worked on: Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Bordello of Blood

Joel Silver, Producer

Walter Hill, Producer, Writer, Director

Robert Zemeckis, Producer,  Director

Richard Donner, Director, Producer, Actor

Kevin Yagher, Special Effects makeup

John Kassir, voice of the Crypt Keeper

William (Bill) Gaines, EC Comics, Mad (Magazine)

Lauren Shuler Donner, Producer, Actor

The Outer Limits (1995 – 2002)

“Dads from the Crypt”, podcast

Entertainment Weekly

“How NOT to Make a Movie”, podcast with Alan Katz

“The Donor” by Costard & Touchstone Productions, Inc.

“The Hall Closet” podcast, Hallcloset.com, Costard & Touchstone Productions, Inc.

“Sage Wellness Within” podcast with Dr. Andrea Thorpe

Karen L. Moran, Story-Power episode 111, October 9, 2024, Book, Forever Tourmaline

Barry Josephson, an Executive Producer of Bones

TCM, (Turner Classic Movies)

Singing in the Rain, Donald O’Connor

Coming podcasts, *A Secret War” with Manilla Chan, “Just the Photographer”, with David Swanson

Some of the links below are affiliate links.

PodMatch a Dating Service for Podcasters 

This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Alan Katz, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.

Story-Power on Patreon

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, who we want to be, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.

It Depends on Where You Look

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“When you change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” ~ Wayne Dyer

“When you want only love, you will see nothing else.” ~ A Course in Miracles

“Evil has its hour but God has his day” ~ Volodymyr Zelenskyy from his Easter message

We humans have a choice. As Einstein said, we can see the universe as a hostile place, or we can see it as a friendly place. For some reason for millennia we have chosen to see the world as a dangerous place to live. That’s obvious if you have studied any history at all. But … what if all the above quotes were true? What if we can change our minds and look for the good, the beautiful, the love, and caring that is all around us?

This is Friday as I write this post and today an Easter message of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his people surfaced in my YouTube feed. I caught a glimpse of it as I was switching pages to my meditation page and had to watch it. I was weeping by the end of it not only because of his message of hope, but his determination to lead his people to peace. I include it here at the end of this post in case you want to watch too. One of the things he says in the video is exactly what Wayne Dyer’s quote above says. We can choose to look for the dangerous, inhumane things going on around us and convince ourselves that’s all there is. Life sucks and then you die. Or, we can choose to look for beauty in all its forms, and believe that life is good no matter what happens because there is always something to learn and something to rejoice about. I believe he is right. The more I rejoice, the happier I am.

This is what I’ve learned in my 72 years, I am in control of what I think, feel, and see in the world. I know. That’s contrary to what we’re taught most of the time. But it’s true. My life is so much happier now that I actively seek out inspiring messages from the Universe. And as for the seemingly evil that’s happening in the world, I try to look at what I can learn from those people and events. They help me examine and refine what I want out of life and how I would like us all to interact with each other. I see a world in which we all love and honor each other.

That’s all I have for your consideration today. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you for reading, liking, and commenting.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2025

Make Bad Art

This post contains affiliate links.

Nancy Norbeck has been singing almost since birth, and she wrote her first story when she was in fourth grade. She is a Master Certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach who knows everyone is creative, including those who insist they’re not. Her podcast, Follow Your Curiosity, inspires listeners by exploring guests’ creative journeys and offering insights into the creative process. She lives in New Jersey and loves to travel, especially via a good book. For more information on current projects, the podcast and coaching opportunities, please visit fycurosity.com or follow her on Instagram and TikTok @fycuriosity or Twitter @fycuriositypod.

Get unstuck with my Creative Tune-Up, which helps anyone who’s blocked at any stage of their process reconnect with their creative energy. And check out the Follow Your Curiosity podcast for more inspiration and insights!

X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, The Spark Substack

Follow Your Curiosity, Creative Pep Talk

Make Bad Art course

Alan Katz, Hollywood writer and novelist, Story-Power guest May 7, 2025

Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters

Prolific Writers Life

9 Ways a Theatre Degree Trumps a Business Degree Repost of original post September 13, 2013

The Silver Child, Nancy Norbeck

Rahna Reiko Rizzuto

Rachel Pollack, Science Fiction, Comic book writer

The Space Between Time, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden

Nancy’s newsletter The Sparkon Substack

Doctor. Who, (1963 – 1989) Multiple movies and relaunch in (2005 – present)

xkcd Webcomic, (2005) Randall Munroe

The Year of Yes, Shanda Rhimes

Yes Man (2008) Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschnel, Bradley Cooper

Sage Woman Chronicles, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden blog and website

PodMatch a Dating Service for Podcasters

This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Nancy Norbeck, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.

Story-Power on Patreon

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

Prolific Writers Life

My husband, Barry and I recently joined Prolific Writers Life which offers members a variety of free online work sessions and discounts on coaching sessions with industry experts. They offer opportunities to hone your writing skills, develop your author brand, and connect with a supportive community in live events. You can participate in group chats or send private messages to members through Prolific Writers Chat. If you’ve got a writing project, or are an expert who can help members finish their writing projects, come join the community.

Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, who we want to be, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.

Love and Forgiveness

All the Love and Support We Need

I no longer call myself a Christian. Not because I don’t believe Jesus was an amazing teacher, but because I study and accept truths from lots of different spiritual sources. However, there are many teachings in the religious traditions I’ve studied, that have the same tenets. Love and forgiveness are among the strongest of these.

Because of nostalgia, my husband Barry and I decided to watch a bunch of epics set in Ancient Rome or during Biblical times to celebrate Easter. They are, Spartacus (1960) starring Kurt Douglas and Jean Simmons. It takes place long before Christianity and is about a famous slave uprising with strong themes of brotherhood and a desire for freedom. 

After that we watched The Robe (1953) starring Richard Burton and Jean Simmons. I remember watching it as a child and being enthralled by the story. Marcellus (Burton) is assigned to duty in Judea for some transgression or other. As a result he’s the Tribune who is in charge of Jesus’ execution, and that starts him off on a journey that changes his life completely.

The next was the sequel to The Robe, Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) starring Victor Mature and Susan Hayward. It’s about Demetrius, who was at one time Marcellus’ (Burton’s) slave, turned companion and fellow Christian. Marcellus dies in the first movie, but Demetrius travels with Peter spreading the word of the new religion.

The next night we watched Ben-Hur (1959) starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkings, Stephen Boyd, and Haya Harareet. This is one of our favorites because, even though some of the theological statements would have been developed much later than the story, it has very strong and relevant themes of love and forgiveness.

Tonight (Saturday) we are watching Quo Vadis (1951) starring Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, and Peter Ustinov. This one takes place after Jesus crucifixion and is about the growth of Christianity around the Roman Empire.

These films all have two themes in common, the importance of loving each other, and forgiveness as an important way to become free of the things that torment us. 

In all my studies and contemplations, I’ve learned two things. Love is the most powerful force in the Universe. And to find inner peace, I must forgive those who I felt abused me in some way. I must even forgive myself for mistakes I’ve made over the years. I love it when I find those themes in stories I consume.

Forgiveness is often misinterpreted. When we forgive we are letting go of the need for revenge. We seek out the lessons from what happened to us and we move forward with our lives.

Watching these movies have reminded me that my most favorite stories have these two themes in them, whether they are the MCU, Harry Potter, or Hunger Games series, or TV shows like Silo,Ted Lasso any of the Star Treks, Star Wars, or any other number of more modern stories.

It was good to be reminded that even old stories use themes that are timeless. What are your favorite story themes?

Thanks for reading, commenting, and liking. I’d love to hear about your favorite stories.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2025

Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, who we want to be, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.

Episode 4 of CCSS, The Majestic

I have not posted the first three episodes of Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters because I have only just figured out how to share the YouTube link. You can go to our YouTube channel and see, Love with the Proper Stranger, Born Yesterday, and Auntie Mame.

The Majestic (2001) is a bit newer than the other three, but Celeste and I think that any movie that is 20 years old, or older can be considered classics. That certainly applies to this movie. In this movie, Jim Carrey performs one of his compelling serious roles. He’s a Hollywood Screenwriter who is caught up in the McCarthy era House UnAmerican Activities Committee hearings when someone names him as a Communist. His budding career is in jeopardy even though he’s wrongly accused. This sends him on an unexpected journey which ends in the discovery of who he really is and what he really wants out of life. There are several older character actors in the movie that you may recognize. They give the movie gravitas with their wonderful performances.

We hope you will listen to our discussion about the movie and go watch it for yourself. We invite you to join our channel and comment on our videos. And feel free to share this with your friends.