Ep597 - Michael Costigan, Producer 'Based on a True Story' & 'Brokeback Mountain'

Michael Costigan is a film and television producer based in Los Angeles. He is a partner at Aggregate Films, a production company he founded with Jason Bateman which creates film, television, documentary, and unscripted programming across all platforms. In this interview, we talk about the development process of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, challenges and opportunities in the current landscape, the importance of originality and character-driven storytelling, advice for aspiring writers and producers, and much more. As a special note, this was part of our new LIVE interview series in partnership with Buzztown, a community for serious screenwriters, where students also participated in this interview. You can learn more or join the waitlist here: forms.gle/RNaoVrdU9afWpykWA Want more? Steal my first book, INK BY THE BARREL - SECRETS FROM PROLIFIC WRITERS right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!