The Smarter Artist Show

Sterling & Stone

Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant, and David W. Wright—the trio behind the legendary Self-Publishing Podcast—are back. But the world of storytelling has changed, and so have they. It's the same three voices you know, talking about the craft and commerce of storytelling — from the work we're creating to the TV and movies we can't stop thinking about. Shop talk for artists playing the long game in a creative world that never slows down. If you've been here since the early days, welcome back. If you're new, pull up a chair. You're listening to The Smarter Artist Show.

  1. 3d ago

    The Smarter Artist Show-33: Alternate Endings--Ratatouille

    This week the guys talk about Pixar's Ratatouille, a movie Dave had actually not seen before.  Pixar's love letter to creativity is a must-watch for anyone who tells stories or creates art. Sign up for our Dispatch, a weekly column to inspire your creativity at https://smarterartist.net/dispatch

  2. Sep 4

    The Smarter Artist Show-32: Dave Screws Up the Show

    This week's Smarter Artist didn't go to plan. It was supposed to be (fittingly enough) a brainstorming episode. But Dave realized partly into it that his concept sucked.  So, back to the drawing board. Instead, the guys talked about the subject of last week's Dispatch, which was what you can get out of bad movies.  And they talked about Netflix's The Last House. But the highlight of the episode was when Sean's webcam died and Dave threatened to replace his face on the video with an AI atrocity thumbnail that did NOT turn out as planned.  If you ever wondered what Sean would look like if he was more…um, Davey, then you'll want to see the thumbnail in the video, at around the 10:20 mark. Get your free weekly writing column, The Dispatch, at https://smarterartist.net/dispatch

  3. Aug 28

    The Smarter Artist Show-31: Printer Has "Issue" With Johnny's Book

    In this episode Johnny talks about an incident when he was about to get his Kickstarter book, Terminal, printed. Just one problem … the printer had an issue with the content. And you'll never guess why. Then the story gets even weirder. 0:00 — Dave cold open 3:07 — Johnny's censorship story 10:50 — Sean talks about using Obsidian as a second brain 17:00 — Dave rants about Adobe's Creative Cloud slowing his computer down to a crawl. 21:00 — Dave attempts to start the brainstorming session but Sean drives him crazy and they're running out of time. 23:31 — They give up on useful content and Sean and Johnny try to trick Dave into ranting about a personal situation he doesn't want to talk about. 26:00 — Sean talks about some recent movies he's seen.  36:50 — Dave's watching Scrubs with his son and Sean spoils the new season. 38:00 — Dave talks about reaction to last week's Alternate Endings episode on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  44:25 — Ending theme song Sign up to get our free weekly Dispatch at https://smarterartist.net/dispatch

  4. Aug 21

    The Smarter Artist Show-30 (Alternate Endings: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

    This week's podcast is another Alternate Endings, a show we recorded in 2021 and never released… until now, where we each make the others watch a movie we loved. Think of it like Oprah's Book Club, if she chose books to piss off the others in the club. This week's pick was from Sean. And it was his hero, Quentin Tarantino, and his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  Sean LOVES Tarantino. Dave does not. Let the arguments begin!  Sign up for our Dispatch, a weekly column to inspire your creativity at https://smarterartist.net/dispatch

  5. Aug 14

    The Smarter Artist Show-29: What Should I Write?

    This week we responded to a recent conversation I had with a struggling writer. Which led me to ask Sean and Johnny what made them start writing, why they chose the books they wrote as their first books, and how do they decide what to write next.  Despite knowing one another for 15 years, this is the first time we actually talked about our early inspiration. And, oddly enough, we all share one common writer in common as being the most influential on us. Can you guess who? We also talked about discovering your voice versus imitation of your favorites, how to decide between commercial success and what you actually want to write, and how to find a happy medium and what to do when you can't.  This conversation is one to check out for writers and other creators trying to decide whether to build for the audience, the algorithm, or themselves.  Subscribe to our weekly Dispatch for a free copy of the Smarter Artist Method and our weekly inspirational and useful writing column. https://smarterartist.net/dispatch

  6. Jul 31

    The Smarter Artist Show: Episode 28 - Alternate Endings: Train to Busan

    This week we bring you the third episode of Alternate Endings, the show between the Smarter Artist episodes, where we force each other to watch a show or movie and then talk about it.  These episodes were recorded in 2021, then promptly hidden in a vault for reasons unknown, never before aired.  This week we talk about my pick, the zombie thriller Train to Busan. Additionally, we argue about Stephen Kind and Quentin Tarantino.

  7. Jul 24

    The Smarter Artist Show 27: Alternate Endings - Gone Girl

    Sean's out of town this week, so time to dig into the archives of unreleased episodes of Alternate Endings. This week we talk Gone Girl, what we liked, what we didn't like, and then compare it to another author who attempted to write their own screenplay with wildly different results.  Want more Smarter Artist delivered every week to your inbox? Sign up free at https://smarterartist.net/dispatch and never miss an episode.

  8. Jul 17

    The Smarter Artist Show-26: The Future of Story

    There's never been a better (or more difficult) time to be a creator it seems. With existential threats of AI, a population that isn't reading as much, and cost cutting at the studios, what does the future of story look like?  In today's episode we look at the landscape of books, film, and video games, and give our guesses as to what's next, what we're worried about, and what we look forward to.  TIMESTAMPS 6:00 — Johnny gets annoyed 6:30 — Johnny's talks about his upcoming thriller, Terminal, and the Kickstarter he's doing for it.  11:40 — Dave talks about the old Better Off Undead and Worst Show Ever podcasts 21:42 — The topic of the show. What's next for stories? 28:40 — declining readership? 37:01 — Navigating the "AI revolution" and the need for real art 50:00 — Dave closes with a pessimistic thought… because of course he does.   **LINKS** Johnny's Kickstarter for the thriller Terminal. https://johnnybtruant.com/thriller The Lady of the Library Video — "The End of Reading Panic Is Missing the Real Problem" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Th-i2RTv3A

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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant, and David W. Wright—the trio behind the legendary Self-Publishing Podcast—are back. But the world of storytelling has changed, and so have they. It's the same three voices you know, talking about the craft and commerce of storytelling — from the work we're creating to the TV and movies we can't stop thinking about. Shop talk for artists playing the long game in a creative world that never slows down. If you've been here since the early days, welcome back. If you're new, pull up a chair. You're listening to The Smarter Artist Show.

Information

  • Creator
    Sterling & Stone
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    998
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sterling and Stone
  • Show Website
    The Smarter Artist Show

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