
ICONS
Ideas from the greatest makers — Host, Justin Campbell-Platt (@justincampbellp), dissects the biographies of painters, musicians, filmmakers (and more), to find ideas you can use for your creative work.
Latest episodes

Jan 28, 2025 • 1h 25min
Al Pacino
What creative insights I learned from Al Pacino by reading: Sonny Boy, a Memoir.
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Download the Bonus PDF (Al Pacino’s Best Performance + Insights Summary) here
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ICONS is now on YouTube - check it out!
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Art mentioned
Home Sweet Homicide — Theatre Production
Pulp Fiction, 1994 — Film
Creditors — Theatre Production
Dog Day Afternoon, 1975 — Film
The Indian Wants the Bronx — Theatre Production
Serpico, 1973 — Film
Sea of Love, 1989 — Film
Carlito’s Way, 1993 — Film
Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? — Theatre Production
The Godfather, 1972 — Film
The Godfather — Book
…And Justice For All, 1979 — Film
The Godfather, Part 2, 1974 — Film
Scarface, 1932 — Film
Scarface, 1983 — Film
Wall Street, 1987 — Film
Platoon, 1987 — Film
JFK, 1991 — Film
Natural Born Killers, 1995 — Film
Any Given Sunday, 1999 — Film
Mission Impossible, 1996 — Film
Heat, 1995 — Film
The Godfather, Part 3, 1990 — Film
Richard III — Theatre Play
Looking for Richard, 1996 — Film
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.
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Chapters
00:00:00 Life's on the Wire
00:01:24 Al Pacino as an ICON
00:07:52 Life Has Two Paths (Street Life)
00:17:33 The Other Path (Acting)
00:29:09 The Collaborators
00:44:37 Making The Godfather
00:56:05 Making Scarface
01:08:18 What Keeps Coming Back To You
01:20:56 The Greatest Word In English Language

Oct 29, 2024 • 1h 57min
Bruce Lee
What creative insights I learned from Bruce Lee by reading: Bruce Lee, A Life, by Matthew Polly.
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Download the Bonus PDF (Bruce Lee's Unmade Script + Insights Summary) here
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Check out the visual experience of this episode on YouTube now!
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Art mentioned:
Bruce Lee Screen Test (1965) — Video
The Children’s Paradise — Comic Book
#2 - Hayao Miyazaki — ICONS Episode
My Son-A-Chang — Film
An Orphan’s Tragedy — Film
Sins of the Father — Film
In the Face of Demolition — Film
The Guiding Light — Film
#1 - 50 Cent — ICONS Episode
The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin — Book
The Mind, Explored — Newsletter
The Orphan — Film
1000 True Fans, Kevin Kelly — Essay
Batman — TV Series
The Green Hornet — TV Series
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood — Movie
Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu — Book
Longstreet — TV Series
Bruce Lee Pierre Berton Interview — Video
The Big Boss — Film
Fist of Fury — Film
The Way of The Dragon — Film
Game of Death — Film
Enter the Dragon — Film
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.
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Chapters
00:00:00 How Bruce Lee was Found by Hollywood
00:01:41 Bruce Lee as an ICON
00:05:33 The Many Names of Bruce Lee (The Child Star)
00:18:28 Bad School Kid (Fighting)
00:25:14 Martial Arts - Wing Chun
00:38:52 Moving to the US and Cha-Cha
00:48:41 America & Teaching Wing Chun
01:02:52 What Robin was to Batman
01:13:59 Jeet Kune Do
01:21:44 Longstreet
01:29:09 The Hong Kong Films
01:41:38 Hollywood’s New Man: Enter the Dragon
01:49:54 The Passing
01:54:11 The Icon (Bruce Lee's Legacy)

Jun 26, 2024 • 28min
The Canvas Strategy — Turn Grunt Work into Greatness
BONUS EPISODE: How to turn your early-career frustrations into a great career.
What I learned from reading the 2008 blog post, The Canvas Strategy, and Ego is the Enemy, by Ryan Holiday.
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ICONS is now on YouTube! - Check it out
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Download the Bonus PDF (Canvas Strategy Checklist) here
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Art mentioned:
The Canvas Strategy, Ryan Holiday — Blog post
Perennial Seller, Ryan Holiday — Book
The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene — Book
Mastery, Robert Greene — Book
The Laws of Human Nature, Robert Greene — Book
The Baptism of Christ, Verrochio (Leonardo Da Vinci) — Painting
The 50th Law, Robert Greene — Book
The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi — Book
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.

Mar 4, 2024 • 1h 29min
Christopher Nolan
What creative insights I learned from Christopher Nolan by reading: The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan, by Tom Shone.
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Download the Bonus PDF (Christopher Nolan’s Best Work + Insights Summary) here
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Art mentioned:
Inception — Film
Christopher Nolan, Founders Podcast — Podcast
Memento — Film
#6 - Coco Chanel — ICONS Podcast Episode
2001: A Space Odyssey — Film
Blade Runner — Film
Alien — Film
Star Wars — Film
Day in the Life of a Knife Maker — YouTube
Interstellar — Film
First Man — Film
The Place Beyond The Pines — Film
Drive — Film
Blade Runner 2049 — Film
The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy — Book
Batman Begins — Film
The Dark Knight — Film
The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes The World — Book
Las Meninas, Piccaso — Paintings
Why So Serious? (The Joker Theme), Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard — Music
#5 - Charlie Chaplin — ICONS Podcast Episode
Samson and Delilah, Rubens — Painting
Following — Film
Pulp Fiction — Film
Reservoir Dogs — Film
Citizen Kane — Film
Tenet — Film
The Italian Job — Film
Ocean’s Eleven — Film
A Fistful of Dollars — Film
Oppenheimer — Film
American Prometheus — Book
Clear Thinking, Shane Parrish — Book
Searching for Bobby Fischer — Film
Hard Eight — Film
Bottle Rocket — Film
The Prestige — Film
Casino Royale — Film
How To Do Great Work, Paul Graham — Essay
Westworld, HBO — TV Show
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ICONS is now on YouTube! - Check it out
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.

Jan 31, 2024 • 1h 3min
Coco Chanel
What creative insights I learned from Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel by reading:
Coco Chanel - The Legend and The Life, by Justine Picardie
The Laws of Human Nature, Robert Greene
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Download the Bonus PDF (Coco Chanel's best work + insight summary) here
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Art mentioned:
Patterned paved corridors of Abbey, Aubazine
Interlocking knot and loops in window, Aubazine
La Pausa staircase side-by-side with Aubazine Abbey
Qui Qu’a Vu Coco — Song
Chanel logo in Mayfair lamppost
Palmy Days (1931) — Film
Chanel No. 5 — Perfume
#5 - Charlie Chaplin — ICONS Podcast Episode
#1 - 50 Cent — ICONS Podcast Episode
Lululemon ‘Dupe Swap’ Campaign
Westworld, HBO — TV Show
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ICONS is now on YouTube! - Check it out
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.

Jan 17, 2024 • 58min
Charlie Chaplin
What creative insights I learned from Charlie Chaplin by reading his autobiography.
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Download the Bonus PDF (Chaplin’s Best Work + Insights Summary) here
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Art mentioned:
The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Greene — Book
How To Make Movies, Charlie Chaplin — Short Film
#4 - Leonardo Da Vinci — ICONS Podcast
The Kid, Charlie Chaplin (1921) — Film
City Lights, Charlie Chaplin (1931) — Film
Devil Wears Prada (2006) — Film
Heat (1995) — Film
#3 - Anthony Bourdain — ICONS
The Idle Class (1921), Charlie Chaplin — Film
Modern Times (1936), Charlie Chaplin — Film
Morning Pages Journal, Julia Cameron — Book
#2 - Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) — ICONS
Mad Men (2008)— TV Show
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ICONS is now on YouTube! - Check it out
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.

Dec 27, 2023 • 1h 31min
Leonardo Da Vinci
Ideas I got from artist Leonardo Da Vinci from reading:
Leonardo Da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson
Mastery, by Robert Greene
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Download the Bonus PDF (Da Vinci's Best Work + His Letter to Ludovico Sforza + Insights Summary) here
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Art mentioned:
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, Walter Isaacson — Book
Einstein, Walter Isaacson — Book
Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson— Book
Elon Musk, Walter Isaacson — Book
Mona Lisa, Da Vinci — Painting
The Last Supper, Da Vinci — Painting
Assassin's Creed 2 — Video Game
Drapery Drawing from Verrocchio's Workshop
Relevance Realisation, John Vervake — Cognitive Science Problem
The Baptism of Christ, by Verrocchio & Da Vinci — Painting
The Flying Man — Model in Rome Airport
Map of Imola, Da Vinci — Map
The Grotesques, Da Vinci — Sketches
The Vitruvian Man, Da Vinci — Drawing
Memento, Christopher Nolan — Film
Saint Jerome In The Wilderness, Da Vinci — Painting
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ICONS is now on YouTube! - Check it out
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.

Dec 13, 2023 • 1h 6min
Anthony Bourdain
Celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain's fascinating career trajectory, his artistic journey as a writer and TV personality, his transition from fiction to nonfiction writing, the importance of finding an authentic voice, his advocacy for travel and experiencing other cultures, his charm and love for Vietnam, and his ability to empower his team while demanding excellence.

Nov 29, 2023 • 1h 1min
Hayao Miyazaki (Creator of Studio Ghibli)
Ideas I got from artist Hayao Miyazaki from reading Miyazakiworld, A Life In Art, by Susan Napier.
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Download the bonus PDF (Hayao Miyazaki's best art + summary) here
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Art mentioned:
The Last Samurai — Film, 2003
Spirited Away — Film, 2001
My Neighbour Totoro — Film, 1988
Princess Mononoke — Film, 1997
Howl's Moving Castle — Film, 2004
Ponyo — Film, 2008
The Boy and The Heron — Film, 2023
9 Shots — Song, 50 Cent
The Wind Rises — Film, 2013
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind — Film, 1984
Laputa: Castle in the Sky — Film, 1986
The Count of Monte Cristo — Book, Alexandre Dumas
The Three Musketeers — Book, Alexandre Dumas
The Prisoner of Zenda — Book, Anthony Hope
Gulliver's Travels — Book, Jonathan Swift
The Secret Garden — Book, Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett
Heidi — Book, Jeanne Willis
Panda and the Magic Serpent — Film, 1958
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ICONS is now on YouTube! - Check it out
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To learn from artists not covered in the podcast: Follow @theICONSpod on Twitter or ICONS podcast on LinkedIn.

Nov 18, 2023 • 1h 18min
50 Cent
Explore the calculated nature and fearlessness of rapper and author 50 Cent. Learn about his rise to success in the art world, his ability to channel anger into creating impactful art, the liberating effects of being dropped from a record company, and his understanding of the power of image and attitude. Discover how 50 Cent controls perception, uses language to his advantage, and how his prolific mixtape run ultimately led to the release of his successful debut album.