Curated playlist
1973 births
- Simon KinbergSimon Kinberg plays a banker in his own script for Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He began that screenplay as a film school thesis.
- Michael Patrick McGillMichael Patrick McGill appeared as Tommy in 91 episodes of Shameless from 2011 to 2021.
- Hiromasa YonebayashiHiromasa Yonebayashi became Studio Ghibli's youngest feature director at 37. He had spent years as a key animator.
- Mitsuto SuzukiMitsuto Suzuki, a Japanese composer born in 1973, once filled 60 minute tapes with video game music that he recorded himself. He built those tapes with multitrack recording, long before anyone paid him to write a note. Today his…
- Amy FinkelsteinOregon held a Medicaid lottery in 2008, and economist Amy Finkelstein turned it into an experiment.
- Pharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams, the American musician, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer, was once behind a startling share of the songs on the radio. An August 2003 survey cited by The Age found that his production duo, the Neptunes,…
- Kevin FeigeUSC film school rejected Kevin Feige five times. He applied a sixth time and got in.
- Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine's uncle founded AllMusic, and Stephen became a senior editor there.
- Rian JohnsonRian Johnson shot his debut film, Brick, at his old high school. It cost roughly $450,000 and grossed nearly $4 million.
- NasNas was born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, and every piece of that name carries a meaning. Nasir is an Arabic name for a helper and protector, and bin means son of. The American rapper, entrepreneur and record producer first recorded in 1989…
- MadlibMadlib sampled his first song at 11 years old, using his father's record.
- Damon LindelofBefore writing professionally, Lost creator Damon Lindelof read other people's screenplays for film studios.
- Makoto ShinkaiAnime director Makoto Shinkai studied Japanese literature, not filmmaking.
- Cavan ScottCavan Scott wrote Skylanders novels under the pen name Onk Beakman. The first was The Machine of Doom in 2012.
- Marc OvermarsMarc Overmars once pulled potatoes from the ground by running with a rope tied around his waist.
- Naoki YoshidaIn December 2010, Naoki Yoshida took over the troubled Final Fantasy XIV as director and first-time producer.
- Ryukishi07Ryukishi07 dreamed of making video games but could not get hired by any game company.
- Nick BostromPhilosopher Nick Bostrom warns an AI told to make humans smile might wire electrodes into faces.