Stories had always been told about male genies coming out of bottles, but they were usually fat, old men. Never had the genie been a gorgeous woman, so that idea really appealed to me, and I created the series based on that premise.

Women's value has been under-recognized for far too long.

Try to leave the Earth a better place than when you arrived.

My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place - police, firefighters and members of our armed forces.

When I was a little kid, I looked up to other people, so I hope that I can inspire little kids.

I always start from scratch with a character - they're never based on anyone else. You get ideas of what people look like, and I'm a great people watcher. You can draw inspiration from people.

Everyone in our clique rocks a black bandana with the print 'EST 19XX' on them 24/7. As the underdog, you are expected to lose or give up and 'wave the white towel,' so that is why our flag is black. We never give up - never surrender. EST means 'Everyone Stands Together.' The '19XX' is to represent any age.

I certainly understand that we're all trying to make a living, but I'm not thinking about that when I'm making it. And if that's your sole motivation, it's going to reflect that narcissistic greed, and you're going to hear it in the music.