Vince Gilligan is one of the world’s most sought after showrunners, having created the ground breaking series Breaking Bad and co-created its equally successful ‘spin off’ Better Call Saul.

It is undeniable Breaking Bad was a game changer in the premium television drama stakes, scoring no less than two Golden Globes, five Primetime Emmy Awards and countless other wins and nominations. Gilligan’s ability to create a world where characters leading ordinary lives find themselves in extraordinary situations, with each episode deftly crafted with moral complexity ensured audiences around the globe were lured back season after season.

A master craftsman Gilligan then teamed with fellow writer Peter Gould in 2014 to create ‘Jimmy McGill’, aka Saul Goodman from an earlier life, for the prequel Better Call Saul which again surprised and delighted audiences, receiving further critical acclaim for both the show and its creators.

Vince shares his insights into what it takes to create compelling drama for the international market.

Moderator
Stephanie Van Shilt

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Event Notes
1:14 How Breaking Bad began
4:09 Creating a character designed to change
7:52 From 2 seasons to 6 seasons
14:58 How Bryan Cranston strung Vince along
16:50 Why humour was important
20:35 How Jesse survived the writers chopping block
24:20 The final episode
28:16 The music and spotting sessions
30:55 Better Call Saul and how it came about
36:30 Nuclear family and Jimmy’s relationship with his brother
40:50 How Vince deals with fan reactions
45:00 Colour use and palette meetings
48:00 Learnings from the X files
50:20 What a show runner does
53:10 When he knew his show was a winner?
55:57 How Vince approaches casting
58:26 Making characters good

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