Kyle Long is a Hollywood feature film and television writer, producer, and the showrunner of the recent limited series ‘Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & the Notorious B.I.G.’ He has also worked on the popular USA series ‘Suits.’
For those who may already know, I edited the pilot, the finale, and two more episodes of the series Unsolved, and Kyle and I spent A LOT of time together working on a very complex story for months on end. And during that time we both learned a lot about each other. And what I was most impressed about with Kyle was his work ethic…not to mention his creative abilities, his ideas, and his unwillingness to compromise when he knew exactly what he wanted. And that’s what we talk about in this interview today:
What does it take to get something made in Hollywood?
What does it take to become a successful writer?
What is the magic formula for delivering high quality work project after project?
Hint: The answer to all three is just one thing. Consistency.
Kyle and I talk about the whole process of going from brainstorm to idea to pitch to being in production on a multi-million dollar tv series. We also chat about his habits and systems for consistently writing every single day. And we also talk about the cost of prioritizing work above everything else including sleep, wellness, health, and even family.
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Here’s What You’ll Learn:
- Getting a film from spec to being made
- The importance of consistency in writing
- The tension between working long hours and doing good work
- Appreciating negative and positive aspects of the creative process
- Developing productive writing habits
- How losing sleep is sabotaging your own work
- Mortgaging and blocking your time
Useful Resources Mentioned:
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Our Generous Sponsors:
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Guest Bio:
Twitter
Kyle has made a living — sometimes good, sometimes far from it — in film and television for almost twenty years. If you know him at all, it is for creating the USA show Unsolved or working on the Queen’s favorite show Suits.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared and published by Elyse Rintelman. The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
Note: I believe in 100% transparency, so please note that I receive a small commission if you purchase products from some of the links on this page (at no additional cost to you). Your support is what helps keep this program alive. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Zack Arnold
Zack Arnold (ACE) is an award-winning Hollywood film editor & producer (Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, Unsolved, Glee), a documentary director, father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of Optimize Yourself. He believes we all deserve to love what we do for a living...but not at the expense of our health, our relationships, or our sanity. He provides the education, motivation, and inspiration to help ambitious creative professionals DO better and BE better. “Doing” better means learning how to more effectively manage your time and creative energy so you can produce higher quality work in less time. “Being” better means doing all of the above while still prioritizing the most important people and passions in your life…all without burning out in the process. Click to download Zack’s “Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Creativity (And Avoiding Burnout).”