Nobody is Normal in DTF St. Louis
About this Spotlight
Spotlights feature conversations with high-profile film and television industry professionals who share helpful advice and insights on their career experiences and creative processes.
“No one’s normal. It just looks that way from across the street.” Such is the theme established in DTF St. Louis, the darkly comedic hit starring Jason Bateman, Linda Cardelini, David Harbour, Richard Jenkins, and Joy Sunday. In this HBO Original Limited series, a love triangle between three adults experiencing middle-age malaise ends with one of them dead. Described as “deliciously dark” and “wonderfully bingeable” by The Guardian, the series goes beyond relationship troubles and murder mystery into the complicated dynamics of adult friendships amidst mid-life crises.
In this in-depth conversation with the writer, director, and showrunner of DTF St. Louis, Steven Conrad (The Patriot, The Weatherman, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), you’ll learn about directing a non-linear narrative, navigating a darkly funny tone, and writing deeply layered characters. We also discuss the memorable performances, the innovative use of ASL in and alongside each episode, and the precise way in which the show depicts male loneliness.
Whether you are a TV writer or an avid watcher, you won’t want to miss this event about one of the most intriguing shows of the year.
SpotlightTeam
Steven Conrad
Steven Conrad is the writer and director of the series Patriot (Prime Video), Perpetual Grace LTD (MGM+) and DTF St. Louis (HBO).
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer, Sundance Collab
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.
Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.
Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.