The people green-lighting films or TV series often want household names, but the smart ones realize that there are lightning rods who can make things happen, and they aren't necessarily the ones who are celebrated.

I'm gut all the way, which is why I think I'm so connected to shows like Falling Water and even The Walking Dead, which is all about the mortal consequences of our actions. Generally, we act first and realize the consequences later.

It's more important to get the right writer and the right take than it is to do something in a particular timeframe.

I think in television you have an ever-closer bond to the audience because they're inviting you into your living rooms and their bedrooms 16 hours a year. And they have that relationship with the characters and with the creators. And now, because of social media that's even a more significant connection.

You don't want people to look at something and think that was a fantastic special effect.

If I'm going to fail, let me fail with something that I care deeply about.

I'm a huge historical fiction and non-fiction fan.

I just like the comic book sensibility. If I can turn them into films and TV series, that's just icing on the cake.

I think that comic followers are always waiting for key iconic moments.

A key ingredient to success, I learned, is relying on not only the kindness of strangers, but the kindness of colleagues.

Generally I try to be on set as much as possible, especially during the early part of a season. I read all of the outlines and scripts and look at the auditions and the cuts for my other shows and give notes on all of that. There's a lot to do, but I enjoy nothing more than being on set because that's where the magic happens.

What's so wonderful about 'The Walking Dead' is that we're able to explore human nature in its most depraved as well as its most humanitarian in each episode.

We need to empower ourselves and believe in ourselves, and not allow the world to take that away from us. No matter how dark we may think our world is, it's been much darker in the past, and we will make it through this.

We tend to be more environmental at home than at work, regardless of the industry we're in.

I think that we can learn so much if we pay attention to our dreams, whether when we are asleep or in waking dreams. There are connections that are absolutely incredible.

Film-making is a business and at the bottom line people who don't make fiscally responsible decisions end up going into another line of work.