Media Carnivores
89 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 6 years ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsMedia news and opinion, fresh off the bone
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Episodes
Where Are Brent And Michael Going?
July 26, 2018 04:25 - 19 minutes - 26.2 MBBrent shares his newest project—being a digital nomad! He and his husband Michael are traveling the world as digital nomads. They do their normal writing work, except they get to do it from Miami, Italy,...
What’s Up With Our Writing? – Episode 088
May 11, 2017 05:02 - 36.7 MBWe haven’t checked in about our own writing and publishing. Brent talks about the possibility of a new Geography Club TV show and what it was like to be nominated for an Edgar Award for...
What Does Stephen King Have That We Don’t? – Episode 087
April 13, 2017 03:30 - 41.3 MBWriters exist on a sort of continuum: the best selling phenomenons at the top, and then a long tail of writers of various success as you go lower and lower on the continuum. What truly...
What Is The Otto Digmore Difference? – Episode 086
February 24, 2017 07:31 - 31.5 MBThis special bonus episode of Media Carnivores is about Brent’s new book, The Otto Digmore Difference. Otto is a recurring character from the Russel Middlebrook series (he appears in both the original series and the...
What Do Movies Get Right (And Wrong) About Love? – Episode 085
February 14, 2017 16:03 - 58.2 MBMovies can make us fall in love all over again. But they also can show us terribly inaccurate stories about love. Brent and Erik talk about movie love stories—the good, the bad, and the fantasy. Brent and...
Does The Lord of the Rings Hold Up? – Episode 084
January 27, 2017 05:58 - 48.8 MBThe Lord of the Rings was an important moment in recent cinema: the scope of its filmmaking and audacity in filming three movies at once, the elevation of the fantasy genre, its pioneering special effects,...
Should Movies And TV Be ‘Politically Correct?’ – Episode 083
January 13, 2017 06:38 - 85.1 MB“Political correctness” is an unfortunately-named shorthand description for how we talk about gender, race, privilege, and more. As it applies to stories like movies and TV, questions can arise about how certain tropes, characters, or stereotypes...
How Is Technology And Science Portrayed in Movies and on TV? – Episode 082
December 06, 2016 20:31 - 55.9 MBHow technology and science are portrayed in movies and TV is always changing. Science fiction writers have dealt with this for years, but what about non-science fiction stories. How are these things treated in stories...
Why Do We Spend So Much Time Watching Food? – Episode 081
November 16, 2016 17:39 - 36 MBFood is everywhere in movies, TV, and books. Why does the camera linger so much on a grilled cheese sandwich in the movie Chef? Why do meals create such good drama? In preparation for Thanksgiving, Brent...
Why Do Alien Invasions Make For Good Movies? – Episode 080
November 02, 2016 20:43 - 44.8 MBIn this episode, Brent and Erik talk about alien invasions—when are the aliens the monsters and when are we the monsters? We cover the fear alien invasions inspire, and the deeper issues about how aliens can force us to...
What Are The Best Movies And TV Shows About Politics? – Episode 079
October 19, 2016 18:20 - 57.2 MBIn this episode, Brent and Erik talk about how politics and power are portrayed in movies and TVs. How are US politics portrayed? How does Game of Thrones speak to our modern politics? We also talk...
Would You Rather Be a Bestselling Hack Or A Critical Darling Who Never Sells? – Episode 078
October 12, 2016 20:54 - 41.4 MBIn this episode, Brent and Erik talk about the choices writers face as they consider their future career. “Would you rather be a bestselling hack or a critical darling who never sells?” How writers approach...
Is One Great Thing The Secret to Success? – Episode 077
September 23, 2016 17:17 - 44.9 MBIn this episode, Brent offers up a theory about how to write something that will be successful over the long run: either write something perfect or write something with just one great thing that outweighs any...
Was Summer 2016 Different? – Episode 076
September 08, 2016 05:02 - 53.4 MBSummer 2016 felt a little different, especially when it came to movies. Sequels bombed, and Netflix killed it with Stranger Things. So did something change? Was Summer 2016 a tipping point somehow? Brent and Erik...
What Makes Calvin and Hobbes So Great? – Episode 075
August 03, 2016 17:27 - 48.1 MBCalvin and Hobbes ran for ten years from 1985 to 1995. Bill Watterson, its creator, is famously protective of his creation. He retired at the top of his career, he has never authorized any merchandising...
What Is Three Truths and a Lie? – Episode 074
July 27, 2016 21:24 - 29.5 MBWe’re talking about Brent’s new book, Three Truths and a Lie, published August 2, 2016, by Simon and Schuster. The YA/psychological thriller/horror is a new direction for Brent. Four teenagers go for a weekend vacation to...
Has Fandom Gone Too Far? – Episode 073
July 23, 2016 06:18 - 51.6 MBFandom brings artists and storytellers the opportunity to create art for a waiting and eager audience. Fans can be brought in to give feedback early, which helps both the fans and the creator. But sometimes fans...
Is Spielberg America’s Best Director? – Episode 072
June 30, 2016 06:48 - 31.5 MBIt is easy to say that Steven Spielberg is the most successful American director. Just look at the box office of the movies he’s directed. But is he the best? That’s a much trickier question....
Why Do We Love Scary Movies? – Episode 071
June 22, 2016 23:27 - 41.9 MBWhat is it about humanity that makes us enjoy watching scary movies? Why do we pay to go into a dark movie theater and watch terrible things? Brent and Erik delve into horror films and look at...
Is Shawshank The Best Movie Ever? – Episode 070
June 08, 2016 17:21 - 36.4 MBSince 2008, The Shawshank Redemption has been at the top of the IMDb Top 250 Films. It is a fixture on cable television. It is one of the most commonly cited “favorite films.” Why is...
What Are Some Good Beach Reads? – Episode 069
May 25, 2016 22:12 - 37.3 MBIt’s summertime, and that means it’s the season for a vacation to the beach (or the pool). We love reading on vacation—a good read that can just suck you in for hours at a time in...
What’s The Deal With Twist Endings? – Episode 068
May 11, 2016 16:49 - 45.3 MBWe are continuing our two-part format for our episodes! First, Brent and Erik check-in about writing and publishing. Brent shares his experience selling a script to a film producer in China and Erik asks whether he’s confusing readers by...
Should Books Be Turned Into Movies? – Episode 067
April 27, 2016 17:16 - 38.8 MBWe’re experimenting with a new segment on Media Carnivores. We start with a check-in about our writing and publishing. We talk about what we’re working on, ask for advice, and generally open up about the “behind the...
Should You Self-Publish? Part III – Episode 066
April 13, 2016 23:19 - 30.4 MBMedia Carnivores has asked this question before, but a lot has changed since we recorded Part I and Part II of “Should You Self-Publish?” in 2014. Brent and Erik check in on how publishing (both...
What Classic Films Still Hold Up? – Episode 065
March 31, 2016 05:16 - 29.3 MBWhy do some classic movies hold up to a modern audience, but others just don’t work? We talk about why some work and some don’t, and also name our favorite classic films that still work as...
Do You Need Sex To Sell Books? – Episode 064
March 17, 2016 05:42 - 27.1 MBSex is becoming more and more prevalent in books, especially self-published ebooks. Is it necessary to sell a book? How much sex should writers be putting into their books? Brent and Erik check out this steamy...
What Is The Road To Amazing? – Episode 063
March 10, 2016 06:02 - 33.5 MBBrent’s third book in his The Futon Years trilogy is finally out and we’re talking about not only this book but the entire trilogy. What is “Amazing?” What is happening with Russel Middlebrook now that he’s an adult? And what...
Why All The TV Reboots? – Episode 062
March 03, 2016 05:34 - 32 MBRemakes, reboots, new seasons after a long break, spin-offs, and franchise shows are pouring into TV—in a very similar way that blockbuster films have become dominated by the same things. So: is what’s happening on TV the...
What Would You Tell Your Younger Writing Self? – Episode 061
February 17, 2016 06:54 - 23 minutes - 27.6 MBIf you could go back and meet your younger self, what advice would you give? Brent and Erik give advice to their younger writing selves about the craft of writing, publishing, ego, seizing the brass ring...
What Makes A Teen Movie Great? – Episode 060
February 03, 2016 20:03 - 35.8 MBHollywood might be marketing to adolescents and teenagers more than ever before, but that doesn’t mean they are making more “teen movies.” Some movies targeted toward teenagers have been classics for decades (American Graffiti and The...
What is The Iron Harvest? – Episode 059
January 26, 2016 05:49 - 23.8 MBGuess what? Erik’s new book, The Iron Harvest is out! We talk about the world of the trilogy he’s created, how writing a second book in a planned trilogy differs from writing the first or the third, and...
Does The Force Awakens Live Up To The Hype? – Episode 058
December 21, 2015 06:42 - 28 minutes - 34.2 MB[Caution: Here there be spoilers.] How is Episode VII? After asking only a few episodes ago whether Star Wars had “gone to the Dark Side” we decided we needed to follow up once we’d seen the movie....
What Was The Best Media of 2015? – Episode 057
December 18, 2015 20:13 - 48 minutes - 56.8 MBBrent and Erik rank their top ten books, movies, TV shows, and even podcasts of 2015 (as well as a few big disappointments). You will almost certainly find something you’ll want to bookmark and check out on one...
What Makes A Character Great? – Episode 056
December 08, 2015 21:01 - 22 minutes - 26.6 MBWhether a hero or a villain, we all love great characters. And they often stay with us longer than the story they helped create. We look at what drives a great character and more. Brent and Erik explore the...
Has Star Wars Gone to the Dark Side? – Episode 055
November 22, 2015 23:00 - 31 minutes - 35.8 MBA long time ago, and in a galaxy far, far away… Luke and his band of rebels became cinema and cultural legends. And forty years later, they are coming back to the big screen. Is...
Should writers move to New York or LA? – Episode 054
November 16, 2015 06:06 - 23 minutes - 27.8 MBCan a writer make their living anywhere? Or should they move to one of the two entertainment capitals of the United States (if not the world) ? Are the tools of the Internet enough to fuel your...
What’s The Point of the New Amazon Bookstore? – Episode 053
November 06, 2015 07:01 - 28 minutes - 33.3 MBBrent and Erik went on a field trip to the new Amazon retail bookstore in Seattle today. The store is called simply “Amazon Books” and it’s already the subject of furious commentary around the country (though by...
What Is Authenticity? – Episode 052
October 21, 2015 21:38 - 23 minutes - 27.6 MBIs Anne Hathaway more “authentic” than Jennifer Lawrence? Do we have any way of knowing for sure? (And why do we care?) Why do we want our artists (and our politicians and everyone else with a...
Has Disney Sold Out? – Episode 051
October 15, 2015 17:50 - 26 minutes - 31.1 MBDisney is re-releasing many of its animated films as live action. They are investing in sequels and franchises to what many think is a startling degree. So, has Disney lost its magic? Have they sold...
What Are Ebooks Worth? – Episode 050
October 08, 2015 21:22 - 26 minutes - 31.4 MBWith the rise of ebook subscription models like Kindle Unlimited and the question of how authors should price their books, we decided to take a look at this thorny question with our guest: bestselling author Annie Bellet. Check...
Is There Too Much Good TV? – Episode 049
September 26, 2015 03:40 - 25 minutes - 30.1 MBAre you caught up on Game of Thrones? What about Orange is the New Black? The Americans? The Good Wife? Oh, and The Wire was so good, you should go back and watch that too. Can...
How Do You Write A Novel? – Episode 048
September 15, 2015 23:21 - 26 minutes - 30.9 MBHow do you write a book? How do you get from Chapter 1 to those magical two words … The End? (Not to mention writing 80,000 words or so in the middle.) Brent and Erik tackle the...
Is Tom Cruise The Last Great Movie Star? – Episode 047
August 29, 2015 19:16 - 24 minutes - 28.9 MBTom Cruise has been a movie star for more than thirty years. We have to figure that’s not an accident. How has he done it (often in the face of some pretty bad personal publicity)?...
What Is Barefoot In The City of Broken Dreams? – Episode 046
August 20, 2015 04:01 - 27 minutes - 32.1 MBGuess what? Brent’s new book is out. It’s called “Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams” and it’s the second book in “The Futon Years” series that follows Russel into adulthood. Brent and Erik talk...
Are You Crazy To Produce Your Own Movie? – Episode 045
August 13, 2015 17:10 - 37 minutes - 44 MBIt’s never been easier to create and distribute your own movie. But should you? Are you crazy to produce your own movie? Brent and Erik bring on movie producers Julia Verdin and Matt Dean—our first guests!—to...
When Is Evil Good? – Episode 044
July 31, 2015 21:57 - 26 minutes - 31 MBWhen is it good to be bad? When do you root for the villain, and when you root against? When does evil come from within and when does it come from without? Brent and Erik look at...
What Does It Mean To Be Gay in Movies and Television? – Episode 043
July 22, 2015 19:20 - 33 minutes - 39 MBThe portrayal of gay and lesbian characters in movies and TV has changed over time—and quite dramatically over the last few years. With the recent Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality, we thought it was time to look...
Is Netflix The New Black? – Episode 042
July 03, 2015 04:08 - 25 minutes - 30.4 MBWith a slate of new programming and several Emmys, Netflix is taking TV by storm. Which leads to the question… Is Netflix the new black? Are they the model that everyone should be looking to...
Should Writers Kill Their Characters? – Episode 041
June 24, 2015 20:38 - 5 MBSometimes when books, TV shows, and movies kill key characters, fans get outraged. And sometimes a great death scene will make a character even more memorable. What’s the difference? Brent and Erik investigate. Your Hosts Brent Hartinger Erik...
What Makes A Good Sequel? – Episode 040
June 18, 2015 19:44 - 20 minutes - 24.9 MBWhy are so many sequels so much worse than the original? Why do they retread the same group? Brent and Erik visit (revisit?) sequels and look at the “rules” that make the great ones great. Your Hosts...