Chuck Lorre might have a reputation for being bitter, especially after years of vanity card rants about the state of the entertainment industry (among other things), but during an hour-long talk with sci-fi graphic novelist Neil Gaiman, the conversation stayed focused on creativity and storytelling. While the two seem to approach the industry from very different places – Lorre’s hugely successful sitcom The Big Bang Theory is about as close to sci-fi as evening sitcoms get, and that’s not very close – they came out in nearly matching outfits (“The Hebrew version of Johnny Cash,” Lorre joked) and clearly had a friendly rapport and great respect for each other’s work. Gaiman even offered that he’d been pausing his VCR to read Lorre’s vanity cards since the 90s sitcom Dharma & Greg was on the air.
Also on hand to hear Lorre’s comments; Two and a Half Men star (and SXSW interactive’s favorite Hollywood investor) Ashton Kutcher.
Below are a few of the biggest takeaways from the talk:
