5 Questions With Dan Schawbel

5 Questions With Dan Schawbel


Episode 194: Dustin Lance Black

July 04, 2022

My guest today is Academy Award-winning writer, director, and producer, Dustin Lance Black. Dustin is known for writing the film Milk, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He has also written the screenplays for the film J. Edgar and the 2022 crime miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven. We talk about his life growing up Mormon, getting a film made and more during this episode.



This episode is proudly sponsored by isolved, a complete workforce management solution. Go to isolvedhcm.com for more information.





The 5 questions I ask in this episode:



  1. How did you reflect on your own life growing up Mormon while producing and directing the series “Under the Banner of Heaven”?
  2. How have you used your films to champion causes you believe in?
  3. Over the past few episodes of this podcast different actors explained how hard it is to make a film. What are some of the challenges you face while making yours and how did you overcome them?
  4. What can people learn from the complex relationship you had with your mom and wrote about in your memoir?
  5. What’s your best piece of career advice?

Video interview:



Follow Dustin’s journey: