The Smarter Artist Show

Sterling & Stone
  • 4.4 (7)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

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. 22h ago

    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.

  2. 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

  3. Jul 10

    The Smarter Artist Show: Episode 25 - Alternate Endings - Tenet (Bonus Podcast)

    Remember when Brandon Sanderson revealed a bunch of books he'd written? Well, this is our version of that. We're revealing a podcast we recorded in 2021 or 2022 called Alternate Endings. A show that we recorded a year's worth of episodes!  It's a show where Sean, Johnny, and I (Dave) force each other to watch a different show or movie each week and then get together and talk, argue, and discuss. Up first, the super easy to understand Tenet.  If you like this episode, let us know. We'll release more bonus shows like this every so often when we're in a pinch. Or maybe add them as a second podcast. Or even revive it! Who knows?

  4. Jul 3

    The Smarter Artist Show: Episode 24 - The Books We'd Build Different Now

    In this episode Sean, Johnny, and Dave go back through four of their own series (Available Darkness, Karma Police, Cursed, and Robot Proletariat) and ask what they'd do differently now. Not with the stories themselves, but the surrounding architecture, to ensure that each series had a better shot at success.  SOMETHING COOL 9:00 — Johnny finally created an Instagram account (@johnnybtruant) 14:40 — Sean talks about when Quentin Tarantino appeared in a Muppets movie. 18:00 — Topic of the show — Dave talks about he and Sean's first book together, Available Darkness, and what he'd do now with it. 25:00 — Sean talks about redoing their Karma Police/ Jumper series.  32:00 — Johnny's favorite writer. 34:00 — Johnny talks about how he thinks differently now on packaging and positioning.  35:00 — Johnny and Sean talk about their Chupacabra Outlaw series (now known as Cursed). 38:00 — Talking about serialization of Cursed, coming up with a "forever series."  46:40 — Dave asks Johnny a question about side stories.   LINKS IN THIS EPISODE Johnny's Instagram  https://instagram.com/johnnybtruant Get our weekly Dispatch and a free copy of The Smarter Artist book.  https://smarterartist.net/dispatch

  5. Jun 26

    The Smarter Artist Show 23: Hypotheticals 2: Electric Boogaloo

    In this week's episode of The Smarter Artist Show, Sean, Dave, and Johnny take turns answering Dave's latest batch of hypothetical questions.  Dave also talks about how one of the questions inspired a script idea.  Join the guys for an assortment of amusing, weird, and intriguing hypothetical questions which you can play along at home!  Note: In efforts to get to the nonsense sooner, we shortened the intro. The outro full song is still there for your listening enjoyment.  0:00 — Intro 14:00 — Question 1: You have a difficult neighbor. How do you deal with it? 24:25 — The nude question 26:00 — The zoo animal question 29:50 — If you could speak to one kind of animal which would you choose to speak with? 33:20 — If you had to pick another job other than writing and you'd be guaranteed success, which would you choose?  34:39 — A Beam question. Would you rather be Enterprise or Directorate?  39:20 — The dumbest question in this set!  40:50 — Could you take a job where you're paid $2 million per year to do nothing? 46:00 — the suitcase question.  49:00 — Would you rather be reincarnated as yourself with some of your memories and reliving your life, or a fresh start as someone else? 54:00 — The Unicorn question. 55:00 — The Three Body Problem question. 57:00 — You can reboot or continue any series or movie you want, which would you choose, and what would you do with it? 100:04 — Which of your properties would you most like to see made into a TV show or movie? Never miss an update of our podcast and get a new essay and bonus content delivered every Friday with our free weekly newsletter, The Dispatch. Get it at https://smarterartist.net/disptch

  6. Jun 19

    The Smarter Artist Show: Episode 22 - 20,000 Covers, One Lesson.

    In this episode, Sean, Dave, Johnny, and guest Matt Stone of 100 Covers talk about the number one thing successful books have in common. Spoiler: it has to do with the cover! Stay tuned to the end, or just go to the show notes, for a limited time offer from 100 Covers. **Special Promotion:** Special 50% offer at https://100covers.com using the coupon code ASS from Friday June 19, 2026 to 11:59 PM EST Monday June 22, 2026. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to the episode and guest Matt Stone  00:26 - The importance of showing your work and applying experience to your brand  02:30 - Something Cools: Johnny and Sean talk the Backrooms movie. Dave talks about the upcoming movie on Netflix "The Last House" and Matt's is … a Milli Vanilli song.  14:55 - An amazing segue to the topic of the show and how Dave is trying to sabotage the show. 16:00 - The origins of 100 Covers. 18:40 - What Matt discovered while researching their 20,000 book covers. 24:58 - Targeting successful book covers and utilizing Bookbub ads. 31:05 - Balancing creativity and market trends, short game versus long game. 37:57 - working with clients on how to research for their book cover. 41:00 - non-fiction book cover designs 46:00 - Evergreen vs. ephemeral design trends 51:00 - Special 50% offer to get your own covers.   ⠀**Special Promotion:** Special 50% offer at https://100covers.com using the coupon code ASS from Friday June 19, 2026 to 11:59 PM EST Monday June 22, 2026.

  7. Jun 12

    The Smarter Artist Show: Episode 21 - The $800 Movie

    This week Sean, Dave, and Johnny dig into the indie horror moment happening right now in Hollywood, two breakout films, Obsession and Backrooms, both made by filmmakers who came up on YouTube with almost no budget. They trace the path from Curry Barker's $800 film to a theatrical release that's earned around $250 million (at press time), and talk about why horror rewards resourcefulness in a way most genres don't. Sean talks for the first time on air about the horror script he and Dave have been developing, and the conversation he had with a friend that talked him out of a $5 million budget and into a $1 million one. It's the first public mention of a project that's going to keep coming up. Timestamps: 7:00 — Something Cools 12:40 — The topic of the week. 15:30 — Talking about Backrooms 19:00 — Horror movies being held to a different standard 22:45 — Sean's $1 million movie announcement 24:48 — Dave talks about low budget horror and the upcoming Ice cream Man movie trailer. 26:00 — Benson and Moorehead's low budget Lovecraftian movies which led to them working on Marvel shows.  30:00 — constraints in movies versus having too big of a budget. Discussion about Christopher Nolan's work, and Dave's fave movie, The Fountain.  41:36 — More low budget movie success stories: Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, Blair Witch, and Saw.   Resources mentioned: Obsession (dir. Curry Barker) that's a bad idea channel — https://www.youtube.com/@thats_a_bad_idea Backrooms (dir. Kane Parsons, A24) The Endless, Synchronic, Resolution (dir. Benson and Moorhead) The Ice Cream Man Redband trailer — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiS6TWj4nV0  Milk and Serial — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbzGQ1lszv4   Subscribe to the Dispatch: https://smarterartist.net/dispatch Next week: we're talking book covers

  8. Jun 5

    The Smarter Artist Show: Episode 20 - The Thing We Haven't Written Yet

    Dave opens by holding up five completely filled journals to the camera, all devoted to a fantasy novel he's been building in his head for at least five years. That kicks off an hour-long conversation about the creative project you haven't written yet: the idea that's too big, too personal, or too risky to touch until you're ready. Sean's version is the very first book he ever wrote in 2007, a 600-page narrative nightmare with, in the words of Cindy's professor friend, "long passages of staggering genius." Both projects are alive, neither is finished… yet. Timestamps 00:00 — Cold open: Dave shows the journals.  03:30 — Something Cool (Sean): *The Next RenAIssance* by Zack Cass, recommended by Joanna Penn. AI in education and medicine, the case for augmentation, and why Sean thinks school would have worked for him in a different era. 11:36 — Sean publicly praises Dave's screenplay draft as the best rough draft he's ever turned in. 14:30 — What the screenplay feedback was actually about: showing vs. telling, and why a narcissist villain should never be too honest too fast. 16:40 — Something Cool (Dave): *Office Space* (1999), rewatched with his son. Beavis and Butt-Head, the Beavis reboot, and how Winger got cancelled by a cartoon. 25:55 — The actual topic: what is the thing you haven't written yet? Dave's project: a fantasy novel five years in journals, mythology without a single borrowed framework, an ensemble cast, and a central story element he won't reveal on air.  40:15 — Sean's project: the first book he ever wrote, started in 2007 during rest time at the preschool. A 600-page novel that tried to be a fictional *A Short History of Nearly Everything*.  Books and Resources Mentioned The Next RenAIssance by Zack Cass (Joanna Penn recommendation) A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman The Dark Tower series by Stephen King The Smarter Artist Method by Sean Platt (leave a review on Amazon) Sign-Off CTA If this conversation gave you something to think about, you won't want to live without the Dispatch. Head to https://smarterartist.net/dispatch. Sign up and you'll get a copy of *The Smarter Artist Method* and the workbook. We'll see you in your inbox.

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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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