How Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail is adapting the hit podcast Homecoming into an utterly original TV series.
“I’m controlling over anything I create,” says Sam Esmail. “I’m very precious about it.” The writer, director, and show runner is used to constructing worlds purely of his own design, most successfully with his Golden Globe– and Peabody Award– winning USA Network series, Mr. Robot, a dizzying descent into the mind of a brilliant, paranoid hacker. Esmail’s latest project—the 10-episode Home coming—is a psychological thriller that lands on Amazon in early November and stars Julia Roberts in her television debut. It also marks the first time he has directed someone else’s material, and a podcast no less. Translating an audio driven narrative for the screen inspired Esmail to loosen his notoriously tight grip on creative control, while maintaining a firm grasp of his own vision. Here’s how he found the right balance.
STATE YOUR MISSION
This story is from the November 2018 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2018 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Reimagining the ways we work and meet
As business leaders rethink their real estate footprint, they're embracing smaller, high-quality, amenity-rich spaces that are more focused on human connection.” In other words, Convene.
10 Trend
From the Most Innovative Companies | Plus 606 Honorees From Advertising to Video
The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies
"The 1920s, water went into a generator, and DC Power came out. Now electrons go into a generator, and intelligence comes out."
Orange Crush
Y Combinator was designed to be a supercondensed version of Silicon Valley. Now that it's at full potency, can it maintain its outsider pose while being the ultimate insiders' network?
Hollywood
AI is going to transform Hollywood But it won't be the horror story everyone's afraid of.
Chick-Fil-A's New Testament
Boycotted for years by liberals - and now by conservatives, too - a christian-driven brand is trying to walk the narrow path toward growth. What happens next could be enlightening for businesses everywhere.
The Office You Want
Business leaders want workers back. Workers are loath to resume their commutes. We asked five leading design firms to create plans that might make leaving home seem worthwhile.
Fan With a Plan
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin parlayed a ski shop in suburban Philly into a $31 billion sports apparel juggernaut. Now, he's adding trading cards, gambling, live events, and more.
The Helpful Hardware Man
Marques Brownlee has rewired the way people shop for gadgets-and how companies sell them. Inside the humble factory with the power to shape the $1 trillion consumer electronics industry.
PIZZA, ROBOTS, and MONEY
THE ZESTY TALE OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST FLOPS IN SILICON VALLEY HISTORY
