Oscar-nominated actor Bryan Cranston, best known for his role as Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” didn't get his big break until age 40, when he was cast in the family TV sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." Now, he'll be playing the role of Howard Beale in the upcoming Broadway production of “Network.” He shares his brief but spectacular take on an unusual career trajectory and the role of luck.

Hasan Minhaj, a former correspondent for “The Daily Show,” grew up in California as the son of immigrants, experiencing childhood as a "brown kid in America." With his new show "Patriot Act" premiering this week on Netflix, Minhaj shares his brief but spectacular take on political satire, the "American Dream Tax" and the wisdom he gained working with Jon Stewart.

Phil Kaye is a Japanese-American poet and filmmaker and co-director of “Project Voice,” an organization that partners with schools to bring poetry into the classroom. He shares one of his poems, “Surplus,” for a brief but spectacular take on his grandfather, Cheerful Al, and the limitations of "traditional masculinity." Kaye's latest book Date & Time is available now.

Author, journalist and professor Walter Isaacson has delved into the lives of influential figures ranging from Leonardo da Vinci to Ada Lovelace. He believes that those who thrive at the intersection of arts and sciences are the ones who will become a part of history. Isaacson shares his Brief but Spectacular take on what’s it’s like to write about people.