The Story First Podcast
From award-winning podcaster and filmmaker Brian McDonald (Invisible Ink, Land of the Dead), whose work has been embraced by Pixar, HBO, and Disney. Building on his acclaimed show You Are a Storyteller, this series features high-level conversations with writers, filmmakers, and creators—real exchanges between craftspeople on how and why stories work.
Long before Jim Uhls wrote the screenplay for Fight Club, he was a young writer trying to find his way in Hollywood.
In this week’s archive episode of Story First, Brian McDonald revisits a conversation with Jim, a friend of more than 40 years, about their early days as aspiring storytellers, the people who influenced them, and the conversations about craft that helped shape their understanding of how stories work.
Jim went on to write Fight Club, a film that became a cultural touchstone for a generation. But before the credits and recognition, there were friendships, creative communities, and countless conversations about writing and storytelling.
Brian and Jim reflect on those formative years, the importance of learning from other creative people, and the pursuit of understanding what makes a story work.
It’s a conversation about friendship, craft, and the experiences that shape us long before we know where they’ll lead.
30 Oct 2026
Stories for Healing: Teaching, Writing, and the Red Badge Project
In this episode of Story First, Brian McDonald talks with novelist and longtime teacher Shawn Wong about writing, Asian American literature, teaching, and the ways stories can help people heal.
Shawn began teaching in 1972. That same year, he started teaching Asian American literature at Mills College, when the field was only beginning to take shape. In 1974, he co-edited Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian American Writers, a landmark collection that helped bring Asian American writing to wider attention. He joined the University of Washington faculty in 1984.
Brian and Shawn also talk about the Red Badge Project, where they taught storytelling to veterans. The project brought them together through actor Tom Skerritt, known for Alien, Top Gun, and Picket Fences. Skerritt co-founded Red Badge to help veterans tell their stories.
Brian is dedicating this episode to Tom Skerritt.
22 Oct 2026
Directing Q&A
A lot of aspiring directors spend their time learning about cameras, lenses, lighting, composition, and how to make beautiful images. But one of the most important skills a director can develop is often one of the least discussed: knowing how to work with actors.
How do you communicate what you need from a performance? How do you help an actor understand the story they’re telling? And how do you create an environment where actors can do their best work?
In this archive episode of Story First, Brian McDonald answers questions about directing, with a particular focus on working with actors.
Directing requires more than technical knowledge. It requires communication, an understanding of human behavior, and a clear sense of what the story needs.
After all, the audience isn’t there to admire your equipment. They’re there to experience a story.
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