Interview, Fireside Chat
a16z Podcast | For the Billions of Creatives Out There
- Creative works produced with rigorous discipline are expected to yield delayed cultural rewards over a 21-year horizon rather than immediate box office success.
- Writing practices will continue to involve two hours of private, unencumbered creation each morning to shield the work from external opinions.
- The mid-budget film sector (specifically $14.5 million to $25 million) is predicted not to recover, with such projects likely repositioned as television series.
- The current production volume of 560 original scripted dramas annually is anticipated to expand, potentially creating a "golden age" of rising average television quality despite the volume.
- Development of Billions Season 7 will focus on testing the morality of character Taylor through temptation to reveal the true standing of highly competent individuals.
- Decision-making for Billions will remain driven by curiosity and obsession, relying on faith that audiences will engage with the specific projects pursued.
- Adherence to incredible rigor and discipline in the creative process is expected to improve personal character regardless of commercial outcomes.
- The creative labor is positioned as having a positive expected value, whereas the alternative of inaction is projected to result in zero future outcomes.
- A 50-50 partnership between Brian Koppelman and David Levine will be maintained by prioritizing the other's decision-making over the need to prove oneself right.
- Conflicts within the partnership will be addressed through a rational approach that actively seeks opportunities for the other partner to lead, building trust for healthy disagreement.
- Transcendental meditation for 20 minutes twice daily is expected to mitigate physical anxiety, enhancing clarity and creativity for solving complex story problems.
- Character writing will aim to feel incredibly real by ensuring the writing team maintains a curiosity to make every character smarter than the writers themselves.
- The show's creative methodology involves an initial phase of total freedom followed by a rewrite phase focused on total clarity regarding character choice ramifications.
- Specific music selections, such as Vince Staples' track in a pivotal scene, will continue to be essential for achieving precise visual storytelling and character deconstruction.
- Female and transgender characters will continue to be treated as the show's best, a result of the writing process being described as unintellectual and curiosity-driven.
- Suppressing creative impulses in blocked individuals is identified as a risk that causes the impulse to die and generates toxicity that negatively impacts personal relationships.
- The distinct voice of Billions is viewed as a unique construct replicable only by Koppelman and Levine, who are expected to continue writing the majority of the show's scripts.