When John Hill was about 8, he woke up to discover 6 inches of newly fallen snow covering his family's Kansas City backyard, which was about the size of a big movie screen. He promptly went outside and stomped his name in it, in huge, can't-miss-em letters.

Fast forward to his adult life, after he spent nearly 25 years as a writer for Hollywood -- TV and the silver screen -- and was featured in both Time and The New York Times magazines. He also has an Emmy sitting on his desk.