In Episode 78, we talk to screenwriter Brandon Martin about transitioning from working as a touring musician to writing movie trailers, creating a comic strip during quarantine, finding inspiration in life experiences and other artistic pursuits, and selling his first movie script for -$100.
We share a couple of announcements at the beginning of the episode, including the news that Writing Remix was awarded the 2021 John Lovas Award by Kairos for Outstanding Online Project in Writing Studies! If you want to jump straight to the episode, skip to 4:55.
Brandon Martin is an award-winning copywriter and screenwriter and an American Music Award-nominated musician. His hobbies include double-neck guitars, bingeing Vulfpeck videos on Youtube, (fitness) boxing, and watching any movie or TV series involving three-or-more ninjas. He is represented by Leyla Kader Dahm at Zero Gravity Entertainment.
Learn more at Brandon’s website and be sure to check out his animated web series, Gnat & Tina: Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3.
People and Texts Mentioned in the Episode
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- Carmen Kynard
- Kairos
- Joseph Campbell
- The Big Year
- Steve Martin
- Owen Wilson
- Jack Black
- Nancy Stohlman
- Over the Top
- MacGruber
- Will Forte
- Modern Family
- Hawkeye
- Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder
- Story: Style, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
- Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac
- Will Alexander
- Thelonious Monk
“I decided that writing was really what I wanted to do because I loved the idea of depending on myself for my future, as opposed to depending on a drummer.” -Brandon Martin
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“When you make decisions that are in line with who you are, these doors open that you would never have even imagined.” -Brandon Martin
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“[Making movie trailers] is more involved than anyone would imagine.” -Brandon Martin
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“We work the hardest on bad movies or TV shows.” -Brandon Martin
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“[Writing trailer scripts] is a really great job for someone who wants to be a screenwriter.” -Brandon Martin
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“Writing is like a muscle that you learn to flex.” -Brandon Martin
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“You want to learn and learn and learn so you can then forget.” -Brandon Martin
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“For me, [writing] is just a stepwise journey of internalizing.” -Brandon Martin
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“Everything informs everything, so I try to just keep being creative always.” -Brandon Martin
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“It’s the tiny little moments that really inspire me more than the big ones.” -Brandon Martin
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“Chase your dreams. Lose $100.” -Brandon Martin
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“This city is filled with jobs you never knew existed.” -Brandon Martin
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This episode was recorded on January 10, 2022. Because we recorded via Zoom, there may be occasional audio hiccups. Our theme song is “4 am” by Makaih Beats. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher and follow us on Twitter @WritingRemixPod.
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