Director Jeff Zimbalist’s latest film, HOW TO COME ALIVE WITH NORMAN MAILER, explores the rollercoaster life of America’s most controversial and bestselling author of the 20th Century, Norman Mailer. Prophet, hedonist, violent criminal, literary outlaw, and social provocateur, Mailer’s ideas about love, anger, fear, and courage cut to the core of human nature, are more relevant than ever today, and point to a prescription for waking ourselves up, shaking free of society’s expectations, and coming alive as a people. Jeff shares with Tiller his familiarity with Norman Mailer prior to embarking on the film (2:50 ), why he ended the film with Norman “getting right with God” (10:00 ), what Norman means to be “an intellectual rascal” (17:00 ), how Jeff brought Mailer to life as the first-person perspective of the film (23:00 ), pitching the film as commercially viable (32:00 ), the importance of producers who still take a leap of faith in today’s fraught documentary market (38:00 ), and how artists can access the depths of their minds (41:00 ). 

Produced by: Jacob Miller

Executive Producer: Tiller Russell

Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk

Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions