Ep. 56 - Matt Williams on Glimpses, Roseanne and Tim Allen

Matt Williams utilizes a character-centric approach in creating and developing iconic television series, including Roseanne and Home Improvement. The Humanitas Prize and 6-time Emmy nominated Evansville native received graduate degrees in directing and acting, and embarked on a host of television commercials, as an actor, before realizing his talent and bliss as the driving force behind impactful, relatable film and television projects. After cutting his teeth as an actor (and de facto writer and re-writer) on the CBN soap, Another Life, Matt produced and joined the writing staff of The Cosby Show during its premiere season. It was there where he learned the relevance of inviting the audience to the family table — a concept that bore fruit with regard to the development of Roseanne. In the years which followed, Matt co-created and executive produced a number of television shows under the umbrella of Wind Dancer, the production company he founded with Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean, the latter whom Matt first met at University of Evansville, which include Home Improvement, Buddies, Thunder Alley and Soul Man. He directed and produced the films Where the Heart Is, starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd, about a young woman who delivers a baby in a Wal Mart after being abandoned by the latter’s father in the parking lot, and her journey of growth and self-discovery which follows; and Walker Payne, which he also co-wrote, and starred Jason Patric, Bruce Dern, Drea de Matteo and the legendary Sam Shepard and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Additional producing efforts include What Women Want, Bernie, As Cool as I Am and Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken. The focus of our discussion was his latest book, Glimpses: A Comedy Writer's Take on Life, Love and All That Spiritual Stuff.

Opening Credits: Lobo Loco - Room of Longing B (ID 2240) I CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; Anitek - Bricolage I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US. Closing Credits: Útidúr - Grasping for Thoughts I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.