'Apollo 13' writer shares advice on success

Broyles, perhaps most famous for writing the screenplay of the 1995 blockbuster Apollo 13, shared insights into success, failure, and how to be successful in the notoriously elusive world of Hollywood.

Among other anecdotes, Broyles spoke on his inspiration for writing a screenplay of the Apollo 13 mission which was a near disaster for NASA. As a marine in the Vietnam War, Broyles would lie awake at night watching the stars, and one night he saw a flash of light across the sky which he later found out was Apollo 13 orbiting the earth before its trip to the moon.

"At the same time I was failing by not going to school with my peers. Jim Lovell [the commander of the Apollo 13 mission] was failing, too. Failure has definately been a necessary component of my success," Broyles said.

In addition to his recent screenwriting, Broyles has also had a successful carrer as a print journalist, which culminated with a two-year stint as the editor-in-chief of Newsweek magazine.

--Hugh Hunter