Two New Books About Creativity From Filmmakers: Judd Apatow and Brian Grazer

Two of Hollywood’s top filmmakers have new books out, and both, unusually, are compilations of interviews with creative people.

Judd Apatow, one of the most influential writer/director/producers of the last twenty years, has written Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy. A true “comedy nerd,” Apatow started pestering performers to let him interview them when he was still a teenager. The conversations recorded in this book include Mel Brooks, Steve Martin, Spike Jonze, Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen, Jon Stewart, Roseanne, Jerry Seinfeld, Harold Ramis, Louis C.K., Chris Rock, Lena Dunham, and Amy Schumer.

Oscar-winner Brian Grazer is one of the most successful producers in Hollywood, with dozens of award-winning films from “A Beautiful Mind” to “Frost/Nixon,” “Inside Man,” “Friday Night Lights,” and television series like “24” and “Arrested Development.” Like Apatow, he has had a passion for interviewing interesting people, what he calls “curiosity conversations.” His book is A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life.