Michael T. Starks

Category: Storytelling

  • Putting in the Time

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    We admire the lone cowboy who rides in to save the day. We celebrate the “overnight hero” who comes out of nowhere. We often search for a quick path to success. Here’s the reality. That lone cowboy spent many years getting to the point where he could save the day. That “overnight hero” didn’t come…

  • Rob Reiner

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    I’m so sad to learn that Rob Reiner and his wife have been killed. I’m curious to understand the possibility that his son may be responsible. I have admired Rob Reiner for many years. In fact, he’s one of my heroes. Here are a few of his movies that I LOVE. While looking at his…

  • Returning to Abandoned Projects

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    Some projects are not meant to be completed. Some projects are not meant to be completed at the time they are conceived. James Cameron gives us an example of this. The technology did not exist to achieve the level of detail he wanted for his movie, Avatar. However, without creating Avatar when he did, I’m…

  • The Last Class

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    Today, I had the pleasure of watching The Last Class, a new film featuring Robert Reich, one of my heroes. We see him teaching his Wealth and Poverty class at UC Berkley. We hear him talk about getting older and what it means to retire. (While he won’t stop teaching, he isn’t teaching at the…

  • Power Outage

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    I woke up this morning to a realization that the power was out. My CPAP machine wasn’t running, and I wasn’t breathing as easy as I otherwise might have been. Soon, I confirmed that I wasn’t able to turn on any lights. Next, I looked outside and realized that our entire neighborhood was dark. Not…

  • Screenwriting vs. Directing

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    This is a very personal post, because I enjoy both screenwriting and directing. Screenwriting is mostly the effort of ONE person. Directing depends on MANY people doing their jobs well. For me, Directing is the sweet spot. There is nothing like being on a set and doing the work to coordinate many people to tell…

  • Comfortable

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    Throughout most of human history, most humans have not been very comfortable most of the time. Humans want to be comfortable. In fact, much progress is made in an attempt to make our lives more comfortable. The child mortality rate is a good example. Less than a century ago, there were about a 140 deaths…

  • Doing vs. Being

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    When it comes to doing vs. being, I’m more of a Doing kind of a guy. I believe that just about every human is worth loving just for Being alive. Still, I admire the people in this world who manage to DO significant things. Raising kids is significant. Teaching and leading can be significant. Playing…

  • Birth of Ideas

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    I love the feeling when a new idea emerges from my tired, old mind. Call it inspiration. Call it an “ah-ha” moment. It’s not everyday that we come up with something new. That is, something new to us. It’s entirely possible that others have had very similar thoughts before. Today, while taking a walk, I…

  • Trickle-Down Nastiness

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    While we’ve learned that trickle-down economics doesn’t work, it seems that trickle-down nastiness does. When the President of the United States treats others poorly, many people in our society seem to think that makes it okay. We often look to our leaders to demonstrate the best qualities of human nature. Not all leaders live up…