Glen Whitman's guest appearances

Glen Whitman

Economics Detective Radio

IHS Academic

Free Minds Film Podcast

Jeremy Horpedahl

David Friedman

Jason Brennan

Peter Jaworski

Steve Horwitz

Phil Magness

Ilya Somin

Mike Munger

Mark Blyth

Bryan Caplan

Zach Weinersmith

Alex Nowrasteh

James Madison

Robin Hanson

Thaddeus Russell

OwlTail

Today we’re talking to Glen Whitman, a television writer on the long-running Fox series Fringe, the El Rey series Matador, FX’s The Strain,  and he currently writes for The Blacklist: Redemption, the spinoff of the popular and long-running NBC series The Blacklist.   But what’s unusual about Glen is that he’s also a Professor of Economics at California State University, Northridge. In this episode, you’ll hear Glen talk about moving from a intellectual and logically rigorous field like economics to an intuitive and creative one like TV writing. You’ll learn how cultivating skills or acquiring expertise in fields uncommon in the entertainment industry could help your career and, in a similar vein, you’ll hear about the value of an outsider’s perspective. We’ll also discuss the evolution of TV story structure in a changing technological landscape, such as how on-demand viewing affects the creative process in the writer’s room. And you’ll get a peek into what it’s like to work in Hollywood as someone who holds views in the political minority.  And remember to follow Korchula Productions on Facebook and Twitter, and for a highly detailed look at film distribution visit freemindsfilm.com and download our free distribution guide, which is packed full of real-world examples of distribution successes. Please rate and review this podcast on iTunes!

Today we’re talking to Glen Whitman, a television writer on the long-running Fox series Fringe, the El Rey series Matador, FX’s The Strain,  and he currently writes for The Blacklist: Redemption, the spinoff of the popular and long-running NBC series The Blacklist. But what’s unusual about Glen is that he’s also a Professor of <a href="http://www.csun.edu/~economics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Economics</a> at <a href="http://www.csun.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">California State University, Northridge.</a> In this episode, you’ll hear Glen talk about moving from a intellectual and logically rigorous field like economics to an intuitive and creative one like TV writing. You’ll learn how cultivating skills or acquiring expertise in fields uncommon in the entertainment industry could help your career and, in a similar vein, you’ll hear about the value of an outsider’s perspective. We’ll also discuss the evolution of TV story structure in a changing technological landscape, such as how on-demand viewing affects the creative process in the writer’s room. And you’ll get a peek into what it’s like to work in Hollywood as someone who holds views in the political minority. And remember to follow Korchula Productions on Facebook and Twitter, and for a highly detailed look at film distribution visit <a href="http://freemindsfilm.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">freemindsfilm.com</a> and download our free distribution guide, which is packed full of real-world examples of distribution successes. Please rate and review this podcast on iTunes!

Economist and TV Writer Glen Whitman on Making It in the Industry as an Outsider

In this episode, Glen Whitman discusses Economics of the Undead: Vampires, Zombies, and the Dismal Science, a book he co-edited with James Dow. Glen is an economics professor at California State University and, unlike most academic economists, he moonlights as a TV writer. He first wrote for the TV show Fringe and now writes for the soccer spy drama, Matador. The book’s website provides the following description: “Whether preparing us for economic recovery after the zombie apocalypse, analyzing vampire investment strategies, or illuminating the market forces that affect vampire-human romances, Economics of the Undead: Zombies, Vampires, and the Dismal Science gives both seasoned economists and layman readers something to sink their teeth into. Undead creatures have terrified villagers and popular audiences for centuries, but when analyzed closely, their behaviors and stories—however farfetched—mirror our own in surprising ways. The essays collected in this book are as humorous as they are thoughtful, as culturally relevant as they are economically sound, and provide an accessible link between a popular culture phenomenon and the key concepts necessary to building one’s understanding of economic systems large and small. It is the first book to combine economics with our society’s fascination with the undead, and is an invaluable resource for those looking to learn economic fundamentals in a fun and innovative way.” Among the topics covered in the discussion are helpful hints such as how to meet the vampire man of your dreams, to choose what to bring on your trek across the zombie-infested wastelands you once called home, and to rebuild civilization after the undead apocalypse. Human capital will be particularly helpful in the zombie apocalypse; it has immense value and goes wherever you go. Doctors are often depicted among the survivors of the zombie apocalypse, possibly because survivor groups would rather recruit a doctor than kill him. There’s an analogy to pirates, who would press valuable seamen like surgeons or carpenters into service rather than killing them (for more pirate economics, check out Peter Leeson’s The Invisible Hook). Among the more unexpected chapters of the book is “Killing Time: Dracula and Social Discoordination,” by Hollis Robbins. Robbins connects the infamous Transylvanian villain’s ability to distort his victims’ senses of time to date- and time-keeping standards that some nations had adopted while others had not at the time the book was written. You can find Glen online at econundead.com where he posts about the latest in undead economics news or on twitter as @glenwhitman.

In this episode, Glen Whitman discusses <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442235020/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1442235020&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=economdetect-20&amp;linkId=G7TJVHFAONEB7DRI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Economics of the Undead: Vampires, Zombies, and the Dismal Science</a>, a book he co-edited with James Dow. Glen is an economics professor at California State University and, unlike most academic economists, he moonlights as a TV writer. He first wrote for the TV show Fringe and now writes for the soccer spy drama, Matador. The book’s <a href="http://econundead.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> provides the following description: “Whether preparing us for economic recovery after the zombie apocalypse, analyzing vampire investment strategies, or illuminating the market forces that affect vampire-human romances, Economics of the Undead: Zombies, Vampires, and the Dismal Science gives both seasoned economists and layman readers something to sink their teeth into. Undead creatures have terrified villagers and popular audiences for centuries, but when analyzed closely, their behaviors and stories—however farfetched—mirror our own in surprising ways. The essays collected in this book are as humorous as they are thoughtful, as culturally relevant as they are economically sound, and provide an accessible link between a popular culture phenomenon and the key concepts necessary to building one’s understanding of economic systems large and small. It is the first book to combine economics with our society’s fascination with the undead, and is an invaluable resource for those looking to learn economic fundamentals in a fun and innovative way.” Among the topics covered in the discussion are helpful hints such as how to meet the vampire man of your dreams, to choose what to bring on your trek across the zombie-infested wastelands you once called home, and to rebuild civilization after the undead apocalypse. Human capital will be particularly helpful in the zombie apocalypse; it has immense value and goes wherever you go. Doctors are often depicted among the survivors of the zombie apocalypse, possibly because survivor groups would rather recruit a doctor than kill him. There’s an analogy to pirates, who would press valuable seamen like surgeons or carpenters into service rather than killing them (for more pirate economics, check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691150095/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0691150095&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=economdetect-20&amp;linkId=JG62WTJSH4R5F6QL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Leeson’s The Invisible Hook</a>). Among the more unexpected chapters of the book is “Killing Time: Dracula and Social Discoordination,” by Hollis Robbins. Robbins connects the infamous Transylvanian villain’s ability to distort his victims’ senses of time to date- and time-keeping standards that some nations had adopted while others had not at the time the book was written. You can find Glen online at <a href="http://econundead.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">econundead.com</a> where he posts about the latest in undead economics news or on <a href="https://twitter.com/glenwhitman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">twitter as @glenwhitman</a>.

Vampires, Zombies, and the Dismal Science with Glen Whitman

In this Kosmos Online Podcast, IHS Philosophy Program Officer Bill Glod interviews Glen Whitman of California Statue University, Northridge and www.agoraphilia.blogspot.com. They discuss Dr. Whitman's current work on "nudge," otherwise known as "libertarian" or "new paternalism" within the broader scope of behavorial economics and the implications of these trends for liberty. 

In this Kosmos Online Podcast, IHS Philosophy Program Officer Bill Glod interviews Glen Whitman of California Statue University, Northridge and <a href="http://www.agoraphilia.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.agoraphilia.blogspot.com</a>. They discuss Dr. Whitman's current work on "nudge," otherwise known as "libertarian" or "new paternalism" within the broader scope of behavorial economics and the implications of these trends for liberty.

Glen Whitman On New Paternalism and Behavorial Economics