“Ready Player One” author and fanboy Ernest Cline

Summary

Ernest Cline, a self-proclaimed fanboy and author of "Ready Player One," has lived a life that mirrors the unlikely hero of an 80s movie. Despite his initial lack of published work, Cline's debut novel became a bestseller, leading to a movie adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg. Growing up in a trailer park, Cline drew inspiration from pop culture and video games, paving the way for his success. His story emphasizes the importance of embracing one's passions to achieve greatness.

Highlights

• Ernest Cline's first novel, "Ready Player One," became a bestseller and caught Steven Spielberg's attention for a film adaptation. 📖🎥
• Cline was raised in rural Ohio with his brother, nurtured by grandparents and an Atari console, which fueled his dreams. 🕰️🏡
• The novel envisions a dark future, but the protagonist’s journey of using 80s pop culture to solve a virtual scavenger hunt captivated readers and filmmakers. 💾🕹️
• Cline's life exemplifies how embracing your love for specific interests—like 80s movies—can lead to extraordinary achievements. 🌟📼
• Despite mobile success, Cline remains in awe of collaborating with icons like Spielberg, showing that dreams can come true. 🌠

Key Takeaways

• Embrace your geekiness - it can lead to great things! 🤓
• Steven Spielberg's magic can turn dreams into reality! 🎬
• A love for 80s pop culture can change your life! 🕹️
• Unexpected paths can lead to success beyond imagination! 🚀
• Celebrate your passions - they might just make history! 📚

Overview

Growing up in a small town in Ohio, Ernest Cline was surrounded by the vibrant culture of the 80s, with dreams as big as his Atari-fueled imagination. From a trailer park upbringing, he charted a magical journey into storytelling, turning his love for pop culture into a literary and film phenomenon with his debut novel, "Ready Player One."

Cline's novel paints a captivating picture of a future dominated by virtual reality, where the protagonist embarks on a thrilling scavenger hunt bolstered by a deep knowledge of 1980s pop culture. This unique blend of nostalgia and adventure resonated with readers and eventually caught the eye of legendary director, Steven Spielberg, who brought the story to the big screen.

Despite his rise to fame and fortune, Cline retains the wonder and excitement of a true fanboy. His journey is a testament to the power of following one's passions with unabashed joy and enthusiasm, and reminds us all of the possibilities that unfold when we dare to dream with the heart of a geek.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction: Steven Spielberg's Interest The chapter explores Steven Spielberg's decision to make a movie based on a book by a novice author, highlighting Spielberg's interest in new talent. It ties in with the experiences of Ernie Klein, who seems to be living a life reminiscent of an 80s movie where unexpected dreams come true. The narrative sets the stage for understanding the connection between Spielberg and the unconventional, admirable success story of Ernie Klein.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Ernie Cline's Connection to the 80s Ernie Cline reflects on the impact of the DeLorean car, famously featured in 'Back to the Future.' He muses about time travel and imagines what it would be like to meet his younger self, who would likely be incredulous about his current success. In 2011, Cline's first novel, 'Ready Player One,' became a best-seller, marking a significant achievement in his career.
• 01:00 - 01:30: From Novel to Film The chapter titled 'From Novel to Film' discusses the transition of a novel into its movie adaptation, particularly focusing on the collaboration with director Steven Spielberg. The author, whose primary qualification for the adaptation job was being a devoted fan of Spielberg's work, reflects on their journey. They note that 'Ready Player One' was their first published literary piece, emphasizing their relative inexperience in the field prior to this project.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Plot and Themes of Ready Player One Ready Player One envisions a dark future where people are immersed in a virtual online world most of the time. The plot revolves around a high-stakes scavenger hunt with clues drawn from 1980s pop culture. This setting promotes the film heavily, integrating pop culture artifacts into the real world, illustrated by a massive interactive exhibit in Austin, Texas.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Cline's Background and Beginnings Ernie Cline grew up in a trailer park, which felt limiting and undesirable, encouraging him to imagine a future better than his circumstances. Raised in rural Ohio, he and his brother Eric were brought up by their grandparents and spent much time with an Atari console. They developed a love for Star Wars and dreamed of working in the film industry. However, Ernie's early attempts to break into the industry only led to a job as a video store clerk when his screenwriting efforts fell short.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Selling the Book and Film Rights The chapter 'Selling the Book and Film Rights' describes the author's journey to success after starting a novel nine years prior while raising a baby daughter. The author unexpectedly sold the book's rights the very next day for more money than imagined, significantly changing their life in just 24 hours. There also arose a bidding war in Hollywood for the film rights, and eventually, Steven Spielberg signed on, affirming the story's suitability for an adventurous film.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Collaboration with Spielberg The chapter titled 'Collaboration with Spielberg' discusses the experience of working alongside Steven Spielberg on a movie. Kline, described as the ultimate fanboy due to his deep knowledge and authority on popular culture, became a key collaborator in the project. The team frequently consulted him to gather insights and ideas. Despite his expertise and involvement, Kline remained starstruck, often in disbelief about working with Spielberg, who is portrayed as a legendary and commanding presence. This sentiment is echoed by the thrill Kline feels even during simple phone conversations with Spielberg.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Impact of Success The chapter titled 'Impact of Success' reflects on personal connections and the material gains that come with success. It opens with a reference to Steven Spielberg, highlighting the lofty circles of acquaintances to which Ernie now belongs. Although he doesn't frequently communicate with Spielberg, the underlying message is the impressive network he's gained due to his success. Ernie is now represented as an action figure, symbolizing his significant accomplishments. However, despite these material achievements, Ernie remains nostalgic and appreciative of the simpler things that brought him joy, evidenced by his affection for the Atari console he received in 1978 and playing the vintage game 'Adventure,' noted for being an early form of virtual reality. This reminiscence serves as a reminder of the humble beginnings and the passion that fueled his journey to success.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Inspiration from Video Games The chapter explores the inspiration derived from video games, specifically focusing on a moment from a game played by a young Ernie. He discovered a secret room with the designer's hidden name, sparking a profound moment for Ernie. This experience later inspired Cline in creating the plot for 'Ready Player One,' which revolves around a virtual scavenger hunt. The story is about leveraging one's love and knowledge of 80s pop culture to attain fame and fortune.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Cline's Message: Passion and Success The chapter emphasizes the importance of being open and unashamed about one's passions. It suggests that by boldly celebrating what you love and not worrying about others' opinions, amazing things can happen. The speaker feels like a testament to this belief, highlighting the success that can come from being passionate and true to oneself.

“Ready Player One” author and fanboy Ernest Cline Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 when Steven Spielberg no less decided to make a movie based on a book by a novice author our brook silva-braga just had to find out why there we go it's pretty good Ernie Klein's life looks like something out of a certain kind of 80s movie I've been waiting like a week to do this the implausible kind say hello KITT we're a geeky hero gets to live out his wildest dreams pull it down with the
• 00:30 - 01:00 strap and then you push down like that the car of course was immortalized in Back to the Future you tell me you built a time machine out of a DeLorean a film and a concept Ernie Cline has thought a lot about if I traveled back in time to talk to my younger self he just he wouldn't believe any of this no who would I have a hard time believing it now and who can blame him in 2011 Klein's debut novel ready player one became a best-seller and now he's just
• 01:00 - 01:30 finished work on the movie version alongside none other than director Steven Spielberg Klein's main qualification for the job was well being a big fan of Steven Spielberg movies the official yeah when you started ready player one how much fiction had you even published I had not ready player one is my first published work in a literary magazine the short story nothing I'd you
• 01:30 - 02:00 were just going out you having to destroy ready player one envisions a dark future in which people spend most of their time plugged into a virtual online world the plot involves a high-stakes scavenger hunt the clues come from 1980s pop culture this is great promotion of the film has taken over the real world so much stuff in here I want to steal including a massive interactive exhibit in Klein's hometown of Austin Texas so these are the stacked trailers from the
• 02:00 - 02:30 book well I grew up in a trailer park and living in a trailer park feels not great and so I imagine like in the future like what's the what would be worse than a trailer park climb and his brother Eric were raised in rural Ohio by a mix of their grandparents and an Atari console a love for Star Wars a Fed dreams of working in the movies but for years the closest Ernie came was a job as a video store clerk when writing screenplays didn't quite work out he
• 02:30 - 03:00 started a novel nine years later with a baby daughter to support Kline sent the book to publishers and then the very next day we had sold the rights to ready player one for more money than you know I ever imagined I would make or anyone in my family had ever made my whole life had just changed in that first 24 hours and then he said oh by the way now there's a bidding war going on in Hollywood for the film rights why do you think he would make a good movie well because it was a great adventure I wanted to make movie cuz I had made an adventure film like this my god for decades when Steven Spielberg signed on
• 03:00 - 03:30 to direct Kline the ultimate fanboy became his collaborator so he's an authority on popular culture and when we made the movie we kept going back to Ernie just to pick his brain was he able to play it cool around you you know yeah I think he was hanging on a little bit you know even now just talking to him it'll hang up the phone having a conversation with him just talked to Steven Spielberg it never goes away you know because he was such a giant figure
• 03:30 - 04:00 in my child Steven Spielberg's number in your phone no he calls me I don't I'm sure I can you know I could get ahold of him if I need to but he doesn't hate it success has given Ernie bigger toys now he's an action figure but it's love for the little ones that got him here to make the point he brought out the Atari console he got for Christmas in 1978 and started playing a game called adventure it was the first virtual reality game
• 04:00 - 04:30 that I ever played very virtual him the flashing fuzzy pixels young Ernie found a secret room in the game where the designer had hidden his name and that was just a profound moment years later that moment gave Cline the idea for a virtual scavenger hunt the plot of ready player one are you willing to fight it's a story about someone trying to use their love and knowledge of 80s pop culture to achieve fame and fortune and
• 04:30 - 05:00 you're the person who did that I know I feel like I am a testament to what happens if you be free about what you love and why you love it and not not afraid or worried about what other people think about your love or your passions just be bold and and celebrate the things that you're passionate about and amazing things can happen