Authors In The Media With Ralph Pezzullo
Last week I did a Q&A with New York Times Bestselling Author Ralph Pezzullo which you can read by clicking this link https://booknotions.com/qa-with-ralph-pezzullo/ . We briefly spoke about his screenwriting career and his podcast titled Heroes Behind The Headlines and I’m happy to do this edition of Authors In The Media going more in depth discussing the podcast and screenwriting!
Q: Welcome back to Book Notions Ralph! I’m excited about interviewing you again! You mentioned in our Q&A that Hollywood Producers approached you about your podcast Heroes Behind The Headlines 5 years ago and you’ve interviewed many people over the years including writers, victims of human trafficking, detectives, victims of crimes, etc. What was it like hearing their stories?
A: It’s been a tremendous education and has given me lots of insights into what’s going on in our world. Many of the people I’ve interviewed are not public figures, but people who have played a role in important events. Some have been victims of crimes like human trafficking and have had to deal with lots of trauma. Some of what they’ve experienced is difficult to listen to. Anneke Lucas is someone I’ve interviewed several times. She grew up Belgian and was sold by her mother at six years old into satanic cult that was run by the political elite. I had heard that such cults exist, but I had never spoken to an actual victim until I interviewed Anneke.
Q: Which episodes on your podcast would you say had the most impact on you? Can you name some of the guests that appeared on the podcast?
A: Certainly Anneke. Others include Christopher Fulton who inherited a watch that President John F. Kennedy was wearing when he was assassinated. I’ve been very moved by the heroism of various members of MACV-SOG who performed secret missions mostly in Cambodia and Laos during the Vietnam War. The missions were designed to disrupt the North Vietnamese supply along the Ho Chi Minh trail. Medal of Honor winner Paris Davis, Also, World War II hero Phil Larimore, who remains the youngest person to graduate from officer training school and fought valiantly at Anzio and up through France, and Elżbieta Zawacka, aka ‘Agent Zo’, who fought bravely behind the lines with the Polish resistance. And Janina Melberg a brilliant mathematician who during World War II hid her Jewish identity and posed as a Polish Countess Janina Suchodolska to help incarcerated in the infamous Majdanek Concentration Camp.
There are incredible people that most of us have never heard of. They inspired me and I hope will inspire listeners, too.
Q: Who will appear on this season of Heroes Behind The Headlines? What advice do you have for anyone wanting to start a podcast?
A: Bryan Stern, founder and chairman of Grey Bull Rescue, Dr. Eugene Lipov, best known for his treatment of post-traumatic (PTSD) using a technique called stellate ganglion block, foreign policy expert Brandon Weichert to talk about the stalemate in the war in the Ukraine and former Navy SEAL David Rutherford to name a few.
In terms of advice to someone wanting to start a podcast, I would say: Pick interesting guests and subjects and be consistent in terms of how frequently you release your episodes.
Q: In our Q&A when it came to your screenwriting career, you mentioned Writing screenplays is a much more collaborative process. I did an Authors In The Media Q&A with Peter Blauner who writes for television shows such as the Law & Order Franchise and Bluebloods who said something similar. What was it like working with famous directors Oliver Stone, Antoine Fuqua, George Gallo. Yves Simoneau & Francois Giroux?
A: I know Peter Blauner and he’s a very talented writer. Writing for the screen is different form of storytelling. You’ve less dependent on prose and dialogue and more on visuals. Where there’s a director involved, it’s very collaborative. They often have their own ideas on how to tell a particulate story and which characters and scenes they want to emphasize. Sometimes, as was the case with Oliver Stone, they want you to write the initial draft and then they participate in subsequent drafts. Sometimes like with Francois Giroux, they want to write with you, scene by scene.
Q: Are you currently writing a screenplay for The Great Chinese Art Heist? I believe many would love to see something like that as a movie and of course read the book! If not, are you writing screenplays for other movies and tv shows? Which directors are you currently working with?
A: There’s no deal for the screenplay version of The Great Chinese Art Heist at this time. But I hope I am offered one and I get to write the screenplay. Currently, I’m writing a video game and TV series that is based on the activities of MACV-SOG in Vietnam. Kind of like HBO’s Band of Brothers based in Vietnam.
Q: What is your advice for anyone wanting to write screenplays for Hollywood whether they are authors wanting to write screenplays for their own work, or film lovers wanting to write their own work?
A: Structure is key when writing a screenplay. If you’re adapting a book or writing an original screenplay, identify the dramatic structure first and build around that. Make sure there are primary and secondary conflicts. Conflict is what creates both drama and comedy. Then choose the key characters you need to bring the story to life.
Q: Would you please provide a link to your podcast Heroes Beyond The Headlines?
A: Sure. Our website is www.hbhpod.com and we are found on all the major podcast networks – Apple, Spotify, Amazon, etc.
