Dr. Steven Pritzker – Wild Business Growth Podcast #315: Encyclopedia of Creativity, Creativity for Entrepreneurs

“You’re more creative than you think.”

That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth podcast guest, Dr. Steven Pritzker. Steven is the Creativity Professor, TV Writer, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Creativity. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth podcast Summary

Episode 315: Dr. Steven Pritzker – Encyclopedia of Creativity, Creativity for Entrepreneurs

Dr. Steven Pritzker, the Creativity Professor, TV Writer, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Creativity, joins the show to share his journey from writing for The Mary Tyler Moore Show to teaching college students how to stay creative. Hear what makes a great writers’ room, why creativity is important for entrepreneurs, how to think outside-the-box, how to create a long creative work, and how creativity has changed over the years. This episode covers everything from studying creativity to Curb Your Enthusiasm. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How did Steven start writing for The Mary Tyler Moore Show
• What does a story editor do
• How did Steven write the Encyclopedia of Creativity
• What’s his favorite thing to teach students about creativity
• The Three-teens
• What’s the best use case for AI
• Who’s the funniest writer Steven’s ever met
• Dancing with the Trickster

Connect with Steven at

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Creative Writing
  • [0:32] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:41] Connect with Steven at
  • [2:41] How did he write an episode of Breaking Away
  • [2:56] IU (Indiana University), Breaking Away, Little 500 aka Little 5
  • [4:02] Where did Steven live in Indiana
  • [4:31] How did he start writing for The Mary Tyler Moore Show
  • [4:52] The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show
  • [5:48] Room 222, Emmy
  • [6:32] Who was on the writing staff for The Mary Tyler Moore Show
  • [6:38] Jim Brooks, Allan Burns
  • [7:40] SNL (Saturday Night Live)
  • [7:51] What are writers’ rooms like
  • [8:33] What is a story editor
  • [10:50] The White Lotus, Shameless
  • [11:00] How do you write a dramedy (comedy drama)

• Creativity
  • [13:13] Why is creativity important for entrepreneurs
  • [13:58] You know
  • [16:51] How has creativity changed over the years
  • [19:14] Technology (Tech)
  • [19:25] Podcasts
  • [19:52] AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  • [20:12] Advertising
  • [20:25] Xylophone
  • [22:23] Modicum
  • [23:20] B-roll
  • [23:33] Insurance Commercials
  • [23:48] What’s your favorite side effect
  • [24:32] How do you start thinking outside-the-box
  • [25:58] 3M
  • [26:52] Working From Home (WFH)
  • [27:24] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Steven
  • [27:25] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [28:10] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• Encyclopedia of Creativity & Teaching Creativity
  • [28:42] It’s a big book
  • [29:08] Infinite Jest, A Prayer for Owen Meany
  • [29:40] How did Steven write the Encyclopedia of Creativity
  • [30:00] Mark Runco
  • [30:35] Academic Press, Elsevier
  • [32:24] American Psychological Association (APA), The Education Coalition (TEC)
  • [34:15] How do you create a long creative work
  • [36:38] What’s Steven’s favorite thing to teach students about creativity
  • [42:02] The Three-teens
  • [42:08] Brendan O’Marra – Wild Business Growth podcast #2: Digital Marketing Director at Bic, Coolest Guy in the World
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [43:20] What’s the best use case for AI
  • [44:10] This Old Marketing with Joe Pulizzi & Robert Rose
  • [44:52] What surprised Steven about becoming a professor
  • [46:00] What’s his favorite thing about teaching college students
  • [47:04] Who’s the funniest writer he’s ever met
  • [48:00] What’s the best comedy TV show of all time
  • [48:15] Carl Reiner, All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Friends
  • [49:22] Shoutout, Dana!
  • [49:28] Seinfeld, Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm
  • [50:25] Dancing with the Trickster
  • [50:38] Connect with Steven at
  • [51:34] What are Steven’s Final Thoughts
  • [51:51] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [51:56] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Steven
  • [52:02] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [52:04] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [52:08] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [52:13] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Dr. Steven Pritzker on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And do something creative with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!