writing

“It’s been informative and humbling”: My interview with Brad Marley about writing and podcasting

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of Brad Marley’s newsletter, which talks about writing and storytelling — notably from a marketing and corporate perspective. How companies tell their story is important in reaching clients and customers, and Brad has talked to a variety of writers about their work.

I suppose my writing fulfills a similar purpose, whether it’s for the outlets I work for or in promoting my own ventures, such as The Podcass and the Casselbloggy, my social media accounts and the LST Media shingle I’ve hung out for those endeavors.

So I was surprised and excited when Brad wanted to interview me for his newsletter and talk about, as he put it, the media niche I’m trying to create for myself. (It’s very niche.)

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Overzealous Recycling 011: Pain or damage don’t end the world

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

Has it really been 13 years since Deadwood was sadly, heartbreakingly canceled by HBO? What were you doing in 2006? Can you even remember?

— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —

Ask me to name my favorite TV shows of all time and Deadwood would be one of the three I list. Yet with each passing year, my memories of the series fade. I could go back any time and watch the show on HBO GO, but haven’t done so. There’s too much other TV to watch now, and I can’t keep with it. Adding an old favorite to the mix would just complicate matters.

But now, Deadwood fans are finally getting the ending we were deprived of 13 years ago. Unfortunately, it won’t be the finale we really wanted. It’s not a full fourth season. It won’t even be the two movies that series creator David Milch and HBO once agreed to. This will be whatever Milch (with the help of True Detective‘s Nic Pizzolatto) could distill into one two-hour movie which takes places years after we last saw Seth Bullock, Al Swearengen, and so many other residents of Deadwood, South Dakota.

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Overzealous Recycling 005: This world would be unlivable without art

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

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— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —

We usually save something inspirational for the end of these (not a) newsletters. But Steven Soderbergh has been doing quite a bit of press for the release of his new film, High Flying Bird, on Netflix. (I hope to post a review this coming week.) And in one interview, he responded to his 2001 Academy Award acceptance speech being used by Oscar telecast producers as an example for the ideal acknowledgement for winners.

— Steven Soderbergh talking to Bill Simmons is a fascinating conversation —

If you haven’t seen it, here’s the speech Soderbergh gave upon winning the Academy Award for Best Director. (Traffic was the film that earned him the honor.)

Weekly Affirmation

Succinct and to the point. It’s definitely a good example for other Oscar winners to follow. Here’s the key passage, the one which really spoke to me and so many others:

“I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating. I don’t care if it’s a book, a film, a painting, a dance, a piece of theater, a piece of music — anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. I think this world would be unlivable without art, and I thank you.”

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Always be checking your practice

/ Ian Casselberry / 1 Comment

snoopy_stormyHere we are at a new year, so here comes some new resolve. For me, that usually means some sort of resolution to write more — and especially keep this blog updated. In 2019, I’m hoping that sticks. And I hope you stick as a reader too.

During the last half of 2018, I really tried to achieve a better work-life balance. But I also spent much of that time grousing over how I wasn’t writing as much as I’d like. Getting into podcasting provided some fulfillment, and I hope to learn and do more there as people increasingly listen to podcasts, rather than read blogs.

But if I’m going to complain about not writing, well, I have an outlet for that — one which has led to some degree of professional success. I haven’t gotten much return on that investment in recent years, however. I can claim to be a writer, especially to prospective employers, yet can I really call myself that if I’m not writing?

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