#597: Morgan Fallon — 10 Years on the Road with Anthony Bourdain, 9 Emmy Nominations, Lessons from Michael Mann, Adventures with Steven Rinella, High Standards, Wisdom from West Virginia, and More

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Morgan Fallon (@diamondmofallon) is a
nine-time-Emmy-nominated executive producer, director, and
cinematographer. He was born and raised in New England and
studied film at Emerson College in Boston. After graduating, he
spent three years working for his mentor, director Michael Mann,
and in 2007, he began a long-term working relationship with
producers Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia and their New
York-based production company, Zero Point Zero
Productions.


Through his tenure at ZPZ, Morgan focused primarily on work with
ZPZ creative partner Anthony Bourdain on several episodic series
and documentaries produced by Bourdain, including the
Emmy-winning Mind of a Chef, the theatrically distributed
documentary The Last Magnificent, and the Emmy-, Peabody-,
PGA-, TCA-, and ACE-award-winning series Anthony Bourdain:
Parts Unknown, which Morgan shot, directed, and produced
throughout the series’ one-hundred-and-three-episode run.


Currently, he is a director and executive producer for the
Emmy-winning series United Shades of America with W.
Kamau Bell.


He lives in California with his wife and production
partner Gillian Brown and his two children.


Please enjoy!


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[04:19] How has Morgan’s decision to take up endurance mountain
biking in his mid-40s been going so far? As someone who’s still
recovering from injuries sustained years ago, am I one to make a
judgment call?


[10:52] After being on track to further develop his talent in
ceramics, what compelled Morgan to study film at Emerson College,
and how did he get in after his application was initially
rejected? What did he take away from his time there?


[16:47] Who is Michael Mann, and how did Morgan come to work with
him? What made him such a rare cinematic force in the early 2000s
when they met?


[29:24] How did Morgan go from dining with the rich and famous at
Nelson Mandela’s house in Mozambique to living in his parents’
New Hampshire basement, and what did he do to regroup after this
detour and find his niche?


[33:52] How did Morgan connect with Chris and Lydia at ZPZ, and
what did he do to make himself indispensable to the projects he
was lucky enough to land during this time?


[39:48] As someone who worked with and knew the late Anthony
Bourdain fairly well, what did Morgan think of Roadrunner: A Film
About Anthony Bourdain? Is there anything about it he wishes had
been handled differently?


[43:46] On going into the wild with conservationist, hunter,
writer, living encyclopedia, and former guest on this show Steven
Rinella, what it means to get “cliff hung,” and the transferable
skills Morgan picked up from documenting their wilderness treks
for television.


[59:38] How did Morgan get the call to first work with Anthony
Bordain in Egypt, and what moderately reckless stunt endeared him
to Tony and secured a place for him on future runs?


[1:04:14] Morgan talks about that time he traveled to Ethiopia
with Anthony Bordain and Marcus Samuelson to direct an episode of
Parts Unknown during a tuberculosis outbreak. How did he prepare
for it, what did he do to manage the anxiety disorders he
experienced while there, and why will he probably never watch a
John Wick movie?


[1:14:17] What are the responsibilities of a director of
photography (DP), and why does Morgan tend to drive them crazy?


[1:15:39] On Tony’s high standards, why Morgan appreciated them,
and the different types of standards one might expect to
encounter over the course of a career in Hollywood — or fine
dining — depending on the caliber of the people in charge.


[1:25:54] What Morgan knows about that time Tony went snorkeling
with dead cephalopods in Sicily and how it was made into a
hilarious scene for the viewing audience while simultaneously
bringing the man himself to the brink of a nervous breakdown.


[1:30:52] Why Morgan’s house is filled with memorable detritus.


[1:34:20] What tools has Morgan found to be most effective for
dealing with the symptoms of his own bipolar disorder? Are people
in his line of work prone to coping with similar struggles, and
might the condition carry certain benefits for the creatively
inclined?


[1:39:05] Why did Morgan stop drinking when Tony died, and what’s
been his most effective therapy for staying on the wagon?


[1:45:17] Morgan explains how he and another cinematographer used
two cameras to “dance with geometry” and make scenes more dynamic
for The Tim Ferriss Experiment.


[1:59:57] What advice would Morgan give his younger self
regarding the journey from DP to director to showrunner and
transitioning from a narrowly creative role to a broader creative
role with more managing responsibilities? What has he learned
about delegating constructively — rather than destructively —
during his time in this field?


[2:05:48] Why was the West Virginia episode of Parts Unknown so
special to Morgan?


[2:12:51] How does Morgan choose the projects he works on now?
What prompted his involvement with United Shades of America?


[2:19:06] What’s next for Morgan?


[2:19:48] How has Morgan successfully navigated working with his
wife?


[2:25:42] The best day of Morgan’s career, appreciation for being
able to do the work that keeps him constantly in awe of the
world, and other parting thoughts.


*


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