Maggie Cohn and her co-showrunner Antonio Campos knew that in adapting one of the most popular documentaries of all time (The Staircase), they had to have their own fresh take. And in finding this, Maggie discovered that she uncovered a unifying “thesis statement” to keep her story and emotional thematic on rails as they wrote.…

90 | Finding The Thematic “Thesis Statement” Of Your Script w/ Maggie Cohn

core/audio

core/classic-editor

Nick Dawson talks with filmmakers, musicians and comedians whose work he loves, avoiding the mundane, predictable questions they&#8217;ve heard numerous times and instead asking substantive, thoughtful questions that get to the heart of who they are.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That

Podcast

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Charles Lane

788: Everybody Has an Opinion About Dean’s with Jess Shadbolt

954. – Chris & Jason

How Long Gone Today: June 8, 2026

The Way Back with Alex Ross Perry

Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” w/ Hanif Abdurraqib

Creative

Footer Legal

Main

NavBar

Sections

Topics

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Talkhouse

Lily Lady is an artist from New York City. Lily&#8217;s journalism can be found in Office and Dirty Magazine. Their latest poetry collection is NDA (Far West Press, 2024) and their feature film, <a href="https://www.factorytwentyfive.com/sams-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sam&#8217;s World</a>, is available digitally on Tubi, Amazon Prime and more platforms via Factory 25. (Photo by Max Lakner.)

Lily Lady

Film

Fear Factor’s Animal Problem

Ian O’Neil is a musician and artist who plays with Deer Tick, Happiness, and by himself. He lives in Providence, RI. (Photo Credit: Shoji Van Kuzumi)

Ian O’Neil

Music

Deer Tick Like the Hustle

Erika Burke Rossa is a writer, director, producer and actor whose feature directorial debut, <a href="https://tribecafilm.com/films/rain-reign-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rain Reign</a>, starring Paul Rudd, Jeremy Sisto, Felice Kakaletris and Gretchen Mol and based on Ann M. Martin’s bestselling novel of the same name, is now playing at the Tribeca Film Festival. Born to a Moroccan Jewish mother and Irish Catholic American father, and raised in Hong Kong and Taiwan, her multicultural and multi-faith upbringing shaped her commitment to stories that reflect the world in all its complexity. She has also directed for the stage, most recently helming Sarah DeLappe&#8217;s Pulitzer Prize-finalist play The Wolves at the Piven Theater with young actors from the Actors Training Center, where she coached and mentored young performers. Erika has also volunteered with Have Dreams, supporting children on the Autism spectrum.

Erika Burke Rossa

The Anti-Anti-Hero

post

787: The Food Writer to Romance Novel Pipeline with Eliza Dumais & Julia Turshen