Story and Craft with Marc Preston

Marc Preston sits down with Writer and Director Thom Harp from "The Donor Party" and "Home Delivery" to discuss his new project, career, and personal stories.
Thom brings a fantastic energy to the conversation, sharing how his background as a cinematographer in Seattle eventually shaped his approach to humane comedy. We talk about the importance of giving actors the space to just play and trust their instincts on set. It’s always fun getting to hear about the process behind creating those incredibly messy, yet hilariously relatable human moments that define his style.
We also get into some great stories about his unique writing methods and the undeniable influence of an "explosive diaper" moment changed the trajectory of his creative choices. Thom reminds us that life is pretty ridiculous, and sometimes the best way to deal with the madness is just to point a camera at it and embrace the laughs.

[00:02:19] - Guitars, The Cars, and safely navigating a midlife crisis.
[00:09:31] - How Monty Python's Flying Circus completely rewired his creative brain.
[00:21:28] - Cultivating a safe, playful environment on set for actors.
[00:23:48] - The strategic genius of casting dramatic actors in comedic roles.
[00:30:10] - Thom’s unique "magnet" method for developing script ideas.
[00:34:35] - Why the best comedy requires putting your hero in the absolute worst situation.
[00:38:57] - Casting Joe Pantoliano against type to find the moral heart of the film.
[00:46:24] - The "explosive diaper" moment that forever changed his view on comedy.
[00:55:33] - The Seven Questions.

On this episode of Story & Craft, Marc sits down with actor Meaghan Rath.  We take a moment to discuss the Zen of all things Hawaii, as Meaghan looks back on living on Oahu for “Hawaii Five-0,” sharing favorite beaches, island food takes, and the unique experience of filming with locations shut down just for the crew. She also talks about landing AMC’s “The Audacity,” playing Anushka Bhattachera-Phister, a chief ethicist in a corrupt tech world, and what the show taught her about privacy and data. Along the way, they cover her Montreal upbringing, mixed Jewish/Indian-Catholic heritage, early discovery as a teen actor, creative interests, a haunted childhood home, and her go-to comforts like ramen, the ocean, and a great TV binge.

03:36 Hawaii Five-0 Memories
05:55 Beaches and Island Food
09:30 How She Got Cast
11:56 Canada Roots and Family
16:25 Finding Acting Early
19:59 Meeting Her Husband
23:43 The New Series “Audacity”
28:50 Tech Culture and Social Media
34:14 Privacy Wake Up Call
35:29 Haunted House Memories
37:48 Drama Comedy Balance
39:14 Dense Scripts And Accent
42:50 The Seven Questions

On this episode of “Story and Craft”, Marc sits down with actor and writer Johnny Ray Gill (“Cross” Season 2 on Prime Video) for a wide-ranging conversation about Gill’s Portland roots in an all-Black Northeast community, his working-class family, and early artistic start in spoken-word poetry inspired by the film “Slam.” Gill shares how a rites-of-passage program shaped his cultural awareness, how an internship with writer Mike Rich opened doors, and how his path led from USC film school to Temple and then UC San Diego’s theater program. He recounts booking “Harry’s Law,” reflects on hip hop’s shift as commerce overtakes art, and explains why he feels artists owe audiences truth. Gill discusses his climate-focused script “Laying Pipe,” his love of animals and nature, learning Spanish, and the serendipitous way he was offered his role in “Cross.”

02:24 From Portland to LA
03:23 Working Class Roots
04:48 Choosing the Arts
08:09 Spoken Word Origin Story
11:28 College Path and Drama School
15:10 Hip Hop and Early Influences
17:10 Art Versus Commerce
20:25 Screenwriting and Truth
22:03 Pitching Laying Pipe
29:45 How Cross Came Together
34:31 Persistence and Knowing Your Vocation
36:31 New Passions Nature and Animals
40:03 Plants Pets Travel
41:40 Indigenous Symbiosis
44:26 Cross Writing Process
45:17 Bobby Trey’s Capitalism
48:34 Shreveport Food Authenticity
51:06 The Seven Questions

On this episode of “Story and Craft,” Marc sits down with actor, producer and comedian, Rob Corddry to talk about his new AMC show “The Audacity”. We explore a career that spans projects such as “The Daily Show,” “Children’s Hospital,” “Ballers,” “Top Gear America,” and films like “Old School,” “The Heartbreak Kid,” and “Hot Tub Time Machine.” We learn about Rob’s story, such as moving from moving from Massachusetts to L.A., what it was like acting alongside Ben and Jerry Stiller, the pace of working on “The Daily Show”, and some of his favorite projects. He also discusses early ambition to be a Shakespearean actor, to working in clown makeup on “Children’s Hospital”, and everything in between!

03:39 East Coast to LA Move
04:05 Seth MacFarlane The Winner
05:40 Ben Stiller Family Scene
09:51 Cedar Rapids and Dark Horses
11:45 Daily Show Era Origins
16:06 Daily Show Grind Today
18:47 Playing Ari Fleischer
20:41 Shakespeare Dreams New York
24:37 Parents Support and Naivete
28:39 Kids and Clown Makeup
31:26 Top Gear America Cars
34:04 First Car Gen X Nostalgia
35:33 Brat Pack Inspirations
36:30 Cusack and Chevy Stories
38:15 Why “Arthur” Hits Hard
40:08 Grounded Absurd Comedy
41:57 Choosing Roles and Auditions
43:29 Writing Mysteries and Spies
44:35 Lynch and Weird Worlds
45:53 Children's Hospital Logic
47:31 Indie Film Comeback Hopes
52:48 The Seven Questions

On this episode of “Story and Craft,” Marc sits down with actor and voiceover veteran DB Sweeney (“The Cutting Edge,” “Eight Men Out,” “Memphis Belle”) to talk career pivots, creative choices, and the long game of working in entertainment. DB shares what it was like training for “Memphis Belle” with retired SAS guys, flying in real B-17s. He opens up about growing up on Long Island, chasing baseball dreams at Tulane, discovering acting through theater, and getting launched by Francis Ford Coppola in “Gardens of Stone.” They also dig into DB’s work in voiceover run (Bud Light, Lincoln, Oprah’s network, and “Mountain Men”), his love of cooking, directing projects like “Two Tickets to Paradise,” and what he’s working on now, including “Red Ink,” and his current film, “Protector.”

03:20 Memphis Belle Bootcamp
05:13 B17 Death Star Tactics
10:03 Voiceover Career Highlights
12:34 Origin Story Long Island
13:21 Tulane Baseball And New Orleans
15:39 Cooking Signature Dishes
19:54 Broadway Breakthrough
21:10 Coppola Casting Break
22:44 Baseball Roles and Heroes
26:15 The Cutting Edge
28:30 Movies Then and Now
31:33 Directing and Next Projects
33:52 The Seven Questions