Ep. 16 - Jack Lechner on Good Will Hunting, Blue Valentine and Regis Philbin How Did They Get There

Chair of Film at Columbia University, Jack Lechner is a veteran development executive, writer, producer and lyricist behind some of the most iconic films of our time. As head of development at Miramax between 1996-1999, Jack worked on incredibly impactful films such as Good Will Hunting, Guinevere and The Cider House Rules. In 1999, he wrote Can't Take My Eyes Off of You: One Man, Seven Days, Twelve Televisions, which chronicled his experience of being fully immersed into cable and network television for a full week - remarkably, he survived this undertaking, which was inspired by Charles Sopkin’s experience in the 1960’s. Throughout the years, he has been a Drama Desk Award-nominated lyricist for The Kid; producer of the pilot episode of Mad Men; executive producer of the Oscar Winning documentary The Fog of War and the web-series Group; writer of song parodies for the Independent Spirit Awards for 7 years; and frequent contestant on game shows including Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. We discuss these topics through the lens of his book, diverse life experiences and the career undertakings which had the biggest impact on his view of the industry.

Opening Credits: Duncan Reid and the Big Heads - 77; Closing Credits: Bisou de l'enfant sauvage - After midnight kiss