Brian Koppelman on Making Art, Francis Ford Coppola, Building Momentum, and More (#424) - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss (2025)

“A lot of growing up is learning to shift the responsibility from the other to the self.”

– Brian Koppelman

Brian Koppelman (@briankoppelman) is a screenwriter, novelist, director, producer, and host of The Moment podcast. Prior to his hit show Billions, which he co-created and executive produced (and co-wrote on spec), he was best known as the co-writer of Rounders and Ocean’s Thirteen, as well as a producer of The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones. He has also directed films, such as Solitary Man, starring Michael Douglas.

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SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear Brian Koppelman’s first time on the show? Listen to our conversation in which we explore how he got started, how he handles rejection, his big breaks, creative process, and much more:

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

• Connect with Brian Koppelman:

Website | Podcast | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

• The Royale (All Proceeds go to Food Bank for New York City)
• Brian Koppelman, Co-Writer/Producer of Rounders, The Illusionist, Ocean’s Thirteen, The Tim Ferriss Show #13
• Billions
• Rounders
• Ocean’s 13
• What Would a Professional Do?, Seth’s Blog
• Where Are You Still Using Single-Ply?, tim.blog
• ‘Billions,’ ‘Rounders,’ and Andre the Giant with Brian Koppelman, The Bill Simmons Podcast
• Chernobyl, HBO
• Transcendental Meditation
• The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal: A Companion Volume to the Artist’s Wayby Julia Cameron
• Dom D’Agostino on Fasting, Ketosis, and the End of Cancer, The Tim Ferriss Show #117
• What’s the Difference Between Momentum and Inertia?, The Workshop
• Billions Season 4 Premiere Dedicated to Dennis Shields, The Hollywood Reporter
• How to Lose 100 Pounds on The Slow-Carb Diet, tim.blog
• Opioid Crisis Fast Facts, CNN
• Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research
• The Godfather
• The Godfather 2
• Runner Runner
• Brian Koppelman at Vine
• Brian’s March 16th Quarantine Royale Post
• The Royale (All Proceeds go to Food Bank for New York City)
• Food Bank For New York City
• The NBA
• Jack Dorsey Has Revealed the Secret Way to Get Verified on Twitter (Kinda), Nieman Lab
• How to Increase Your Luck Surface Area, Codus Operandi
• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
• The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss
• Spielberg
• Star Wars
• Jaws
• Apocalypse Now Final Cut — 40th Anniversary
• Hearts Of Darkness
• Sex, Lies, and Videotape Movie Edition Screenplay and Production Notes by Steven Soderbergh
• Making Movies by Sidney Lumet
• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel by Haruki Murakami
• Little, Big by John Crowley
• Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang
• Arrival
• The Monologue Brian Wrote for Vincent D’Onofrio
• Godfather of Harlem
• Full Metal Jacket
• Final Draft
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), CDC

SHOW NOTES

• As lifelong learners, Brian and I have tried to help each other maintain momentum, not inertia, in our individual voyages of personal growth. A lot of it has to do with learning to take feedback with a professional — not personal — mindset. [04:32]
• Brian admits he doesn’t always take feedback constructively in the moment. Here’s the question you should really ask someone when they solicit your feedback. [11:53]
• When given honest feedback that prompts an emotional response, how does Brian keep from saying something he might later regret? [17:16]
• We all get stuck at some point. Here’s how Brian got unstuck from one of his own struggles that may be familiar to many of us. [24:02]
• Why it’s never a mistake to tell people to be careful with opioids — even if they have no history of addiction. [33:15]
• To maintain the positive momentum of his own behavioral change, Brian checks in weekly with a supportive professional. What does this look like? [37:01]
• Why Brian is glad he started his weight loss regimen 10 weeks ago rather than in the middle of self-quarantining. [41:40]
• What led to Brian making an effort to close the gap between his public and private life, and how does he put this in practice? [43:48]
• What is The Royale, and how can visiting theroyalebk.com help feed hungry people in New York? [48:24]
• Is having a blue verification checkmark on Twitter really all it’s cracked up to be? [53:38]
• Brian has always been proactive in using his craft as a vehicle for expanding his circle of friends and his circle of influences. Here’s how we became friends and the free-range serendipity that happened as a result. [54:38]
• Brian’s favorite books and movies that showcase the messiness of the artistic process. [1:03:46]
• Brian talks about the monologue he wrote for Vincent D’Onofrio, how it came about, the process surrounding it, and what it supports. [1:10:08]
• When writing, how does Brian compose his first drafts? What does he tend to notice and refine on further drafts? [1:20:18]
• COVID talk and final thoughts. [1:22:33]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

• Seth Godin
• Bill Simmons
• Michael Johnson
• Penn Jillette
• Craig Mazin
• Julia Cameron
• David Levien
• Amy Koppelman
• Mike Tyson
• Dennis Shields
• Francis Ford Coppola
• Tom Kretchmar
• Jocko Willink
• Deontay Wilder
• Jason Roberts
• Steven Spielberg
• George Lucas
• Eleanor Coppola
• Steven Soderbergh
• Sidney Lumet
• Haruki Murakami
• Ted Chiang
• Vincent D’Onofrio
• Peter Attia

Related

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