KCRW's The Business

James Andrew Miller has worked on in-depth oral histories of Saturday Night Live and ESPN. His newest book Powerhouse, traces the history of CAA, the dominant, but secretive Hollywood talent agency. He tells us how he got notoriously press-shy agents, including Michael Ovitz, to go on the record. 

Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been on ABC for almost 14 years, making Kimmel one of the "grizzled veterans" of late night. Kimmel tells us about the struggle of the early years of the show, accidentally creating the first late night viral video and his plan for hosting the upcoming Emmy awards.

When comedian Louis C.K. created and self-financed his new web series Horace and Pete, he kept the production a secret and did absolutely no advertising. He tells us about risking his own money and making Horace and Pete completely on his own terms.

Writer-producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields had never even met before they were teamed up to work on the FX spy series The Americans. What started as a blind date, of sorts, led to a creative friendship and one of the most critically acclaimed dramas on cable. Now Fields and Weisberg, as well as the stars of their show, are Emmy nominated for the series' fourth season.

Thomas Kail won a Tony for directing Hamilton on Broadway. Now he’s up for an Emmy after directing the TV musical Grease: Live on Fox. He tells us how having a specific vision for your project up front can save money in the long run. Then, actor Sterling K. Brown, also Emmy-nominated for his portrayal of Chris Darden on the FX limited series The People vs. O.J. Simpson, shares how he transformed into the complicated prosecutor.

Robert Smigel and his foul-mouthed puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog have been harassing unwitting subjects for almost 20 years. It's no surprise that in this election year, they found fertile ground (for Triumph to poop on). A two-part special on Hulu takes Triumph on new adventures on the campaign trail and at the conventions.

Comedian Mike Birbiglia's new film Don't Think Twice follows a close-knit improv group that starts to feel the strain when one of its members gets a big break on a hit TV show. Birbiglia tells us what improv and directing have in common, and how he's set out to "hand-deliver" his film to theaters.

James Schamus was a successful producer of independent films with his company, Good Machine, and then as the CEO of art-house label Focus Features for 13 years. In 2013, he was fired and decided to try something new. Schamus tells us about calling the shots on his directorial debut, Indignation.

Joe Berlinger says his mind is boggled by the criticism of his new film, Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru. Some critics think Berlinger should have approached his subject with a more skeptical eye, but the a ward-winning veteran documentarian  says that was never the point of the movie.

Writer-producer Noah Hawley, recently Emmy-nominated for both writing and directing in season two of Fargo, tells us how he gets so much writing done, why he doesn’t ever want to work in broadcast TV again, and what he knows so far about Fargo season three.

Jerrod Carmichael’s NBC series The Carmichael Show takes an old-fashioned approach to the sitcom--complete with a live studio audience. Still, the show tackles topical issues from guns to religion. He tells us why he loves the multi-cam set-up and what other modern day sitcoms are missing.

The dramedy UnREAL, now in its second season, is a major departure from the typical Lifetime fare. The series co-creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro tells us how her past experience working on The Bachelor led to the creation of a show all about the behind-the-scenes machinations of a reality TV producer.

In the new Netflix series Lady Dynamite, comedian Maria Bamford plays a version of herself, trying to regain her footing following a battle with mental illness. Bamford and show co-creator Pam Brady talk about how they developed the show and keep the real Bamford sane on set while she plays the semi-fictional Bamford on TV.

Director Tim Miller and producer Simon Kinberg tell us how Deadpool went from being almost dead at Fox to an R-rated box office sensation. And as for the leaked test footage that made fans go wild and got the movie made? Miller swears it wasn't him.

Directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg set out to make a documentary about what could have been Anthony Weiner's comeback campaign. When everything tanked, they kept their cameras rolling. And actors Timothy Simons and Matt Walsh tell us about working with a new showrunner in Season 5 of HBO's Veep.