Today's episode is a little different because our guests are also our moderators, Bunim/Murray founder, Jon Murray and SpringHill CCO, Jamal Henderson. Jon and Jamal came together for an event that I was fortunate enough to have produced with some very talented friends and colleagues at the TV Academy and which I am now sharing in podcast form for all of you. These two prolific creators are proof positive that there is no one precise path to success in the entertainment industry, but I do hope y...
Jul 01, 2021•48 min•Season 5Ep. 38
Few companies have navigated the transition from linear to digital content production as well as B17. Founded and operated by Brien Meagher & Rhett Bachner, B17 has blazed their incredible path by looking forward and focusing on where their audience is going...not by digging their heels in and relying on where they have been. Not bad for an idea cooked up over a few beers on Venice beach. Enjoy!!!
Apr 19, 2021•51 min•Season 5Ep. 37
The TV Academy may be best known for giving out Emmy Awards each year, but membership in this esteemed group brings a great deal more than simply awards participation and eligibility, it creates a true professional community. Made up of a variety of peer groups for most every conceivable category and trade within the genre, the academy serves as the heart center of the TV world and never has an anchor been more necessary than in this year of social distancing. Joining me on the podcast today in ...
Apr 02, 2021•45 min•Season 5Ep. 36
The documentary boom is undeniable and today, we cover our first one, HBO's TRANSHOOD. Shot over 5 years in Kansas City, this incredible film showcases the triumphs and challenges for 4 transgender children - and their families - over this extended period of time. Directed by Sharon Liese and Produced by Sasha Alpert, TRANSHOOD is a story of patience, resilience and faith, both in front of and behind the camera. Enjoy!
Nov 12, 2020•45 min•Season 4Ep. 35
4 years ago, Aliza Rosen turned a job interview into her very own podcast... and she hasn't looked back. Her weekly show, REALITY OF REALITY, features the best from all corners of unscripted tv and has become a staple for reality fans and producers alike. As with all of her projects, Aliza jumped into the fray by DOING and her straight talk advice is vital for anyone figuring out their professional journey, podcast or otherwise. Enjoy!
Oct 16, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 34
Noelle Lindsay Stewart and Elizabeth Voorhees join me today as representatives from an incredible organization, DEFINE AMERICAN, whose primary purpose is to assist all corners of the media landscape in portraying a more accurate depiction of our nation and the people who inhabit it. By providing knowledge to creators and producers - a group of people with an outsized ability to impact culture - Noelle, Elizabeth and their colleagues amplify the more marginalized voices of society and make the st...
Aug 27, 2020•42 min•Season 4Ep. 33
My dear friend, Dr. Lisa Dabby, took some time off from saving lives in the ER to join the podcast and offer her guidance on how to re-open Hollywood production in as safe a manner as possible. No matter how much we will it to be, Covid-19 isn't going anywhere any time soon. Please enjoy this conversation with Lisa as she provides a great deal of meaningful and actionable advice on the measures industry professionals should consider taking in order to resume production in the summer of Covid-19....
Jun 30, 2020•37 min•Season 4Ep. 32
Andrew Fried founded Boardwalk Pictures with a goal of making premium unscripted programming at a time when the market for that type of content simply did not exist. Shortly thereafter, Dane Lillegard joined the team...and the market for their preferred type of content still did not exist. Throughout it all, they kept their heads down and stayed true to their mission, their hard work begat more hard work until finally, the winds began to blow with heavy force from behind. Today they find themsel...
May 14, 2020•58 min•Season 4Ep. 31
My old friend, Ari Ingel, is the Director of the Creative Community For Peace, an entertainment industry non-profit which aims to promote music and the arts as a bridge for cultural peace. Ari and the CCFP organized a zoom panel this week for their members about COVID's impact on the entertainment business and asked me to moderate - and I am now sharing a recording of the panel in podcast form. This episode is a bit different from our previous episodes (and please excuse any zoom related glitche...
Apr 04, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 30
Today, we discuss one of the most acclaimed new shows of the current television season, NBC's ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST. Extraordinary is the perfect adjective to describe this series and its multiple Broadway caliber song and dance numbers performed to mega-hit music each episode (to say nothing of its exceptional balance of both comedy and drama.) There is no show on television quite like this one and it was my absolute honor to discuss it's fantastic and personal origin story with series ...
Mar 12, 2020•50 min•Season 4Ep. 29
Our season 4 premiere features MIZ & MRS., a hilarious series which was 20 years in the making! The show itself didn't take 2 decades to develop, but the relationships at its core most certainly did. Driving the show are married WWE Superstars Mike "The Miz" Mizanin and Maryse Mizanin. Mike introduced his wrestling persona in 2001 as a breakout cast member on MTV's THE REAL WORLD and has subsequently willed himself into becoming one of the greatest WWE superstars of his generation. Maryse's ...
Jan 28, 2020•51 min•Season 4Ep. 28
I am thrilled to conclude our third season with the story of Path Content Group and two of its founders, veteran television producer, Andrew Jameson, and Turner Classic Movie host, Ben Mankiewicz. Path Content's model is to create broadcast quality legacy videos for anyone looking to document the story of their life. With Andrew in the producer's chair and Ben is the hosting seat, Path provides a modern day video memoir for those who can afford it. In a world where the traditional rules of media...
Dec 13, 2019•51 min•Season 3Ep. 27
Casey Kriley & Jo Sharon are the dynamic new leaders of one of the leading names in the history of unscripted television, the Magical Elves. Longtime lieutenants who took over after the departure of the company co-founders, Casey & Jo share their thoughts on leadership, maintaining the company culture and how to continue to grow a successful business in a climate that isn't nearly as open as it was even a few years ago. These two fantastic producers are just beginning their story as the ...
Nov 08, 2019•39 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Matt Belloni was an up and coming entertainment attorney who chose the road less traveled by ditching his law career at age 30 for the riskier path - but his true passion - journalism. That move paid off, as Matt methodically rose through the ranks and now finds himself as the Editorial Director for the most important news source in all of entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter. We discuss so much of what has changed in the media landscape since Matt made his move 13 years ago, including the stor...
Oct 04, 2019•52 min•Season 3Ep. 25
Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas are the dynamic writing and producing team at the core of Netflix's summer smash, MALIBU RESCUE. As industry forces continue to box creators into one specific genre/lane, Jed & Scott continue to defy those trends and labels. They've written both comedy & horror, created unscripted formats and now are go to creators in the world of kids and family. I've known and worked with and admired these 2 great talents for many years and am excited to share their wisdo...
Sep 03, 2019•57 min•Season 3Ep. 24
DESCENDANTS started as a mere notion about the progeny of the most famous Disney villains only to become the Disney Channel's most successful film of the decade. In anticipation of next week's 8/2 premiere of DESCENDANTS 3, I sat down with the movie's co-writer and producer, Josann McGibbon, as well as the executive who championed it, Wonderland Sound and Vision's Corey Marsh, to discuss the many twists and turns which eventually produced this mega hit franchise and Halloween costume staple. It'...
Jul 26, 2019•50 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Today's episode covers more than a show, it covers a business. More specifically, I sat down with the three founders of SIGNATURE TRACKS, one of the premiere TV & Film music companies working today. Russell Howard, David Lasman and Adam Malka are childhood best friends who in 2008, at the height of the economic downturn, went all in together on this business venture. Spoiler alert, but over a decade later, they're still going strong and were gracious enough to offer up some of their secrets ...
Jun 26, 2019•44 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Today's episode covers one of TV's greatest new trends, interactive storytelling. With streaming, viewers now have the ability to do more than simply watch a show, they can also "play" it and no show does a better job of that than Netflix's YOU VS. WILD. Produced by long time Bear Grylls' collaborators Del Shoopman and Rob Buchta, YVW takes Bear and the viewer on a "choose your own adventure" like never before. Enjoy!
May 31, 2019•53 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Today's episode features a philosophy and not just a show. Producer, Author, corporate speaker, philanthropist, podcast host and so much more, Brant Pinvidic took his sales acumen and philosophy towards living and created a brand, REJECT AVERAGE, which aims to thrust all of us out of our safe spaces and into the great big world. Your life, goals and career are so much broader than you believe them to be, if you simply open up your eyes and Reject Average. Brant's methodology most certainly appli...
Apr 29, 2019•51 min•Season 3Ep. 20
WAHLBURGERS is a ostensibly a comedy about a budding restaurant empire, but at its heart, it's a show about family...and it's no surprise that this family show is produced by a family company, 44 Blue. One of the pioneers of unscripted TV, 44 Blue is owned and operated by today's guests, the wife and husband duo, Stephanie and Rasha Drachkovitch. Business partners before they were even partners in life, these two producing legends are evidence that love and continued hard work pays off in the en...
Mar 27, 2019•57 min•Season 3Ep. 19
AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR is the little show that could. What started as a series of subtitled specials on the since departed G4 network is now a massive hit on NBC, entering its recently announced 8th season. Produced by sports producer turned unscripted titan, Arthur Smith and hosted by Doctor turned comedian, Matt Iseman, NINJA WARRIOR is not just a franchise, but the center of a global movement inspiring people of all ages, shapes and sizes that ANYTHING is possible. Enjoy!
Feb 22, 2019•51 min•Season 3Ep. 18
For the Season 3 premiere of EXEC/PRODUCER, I am proud to bring you one of the most iconic shows of the decade, THE VOICE. Both a critical darling and ratings juggernaut, THE VOICE exploded out of the gate in 2011 and hasn't missed a beat as it approaches its 16th season and 400th episode. Produced for the entirety of its run by Audrey Morrissey and launched/overseen by NBC's Meredith Ahr, their fantastic story of both trust and risk taking made television history has changed the relationship be...
Feb 01, 2019•46 min•Season 3Ep. 17
For Season 2 finale of EXEC/PRODUCER, I am pleased to bring you one of the only true breakouts of recent memory, LIVE PD. Created and produced by Dan Cesareo of Big Fish and launched/overseen by A&E's Shelly Tatro, LIVE PD takes the tried and true police show format and eventizes it by adding in the thrill of live TV. The logline may sound simple, but the production is anything but, as was the run up of bringing the concept to air. Shelly and Dan are both best in class creatives who I am luc...
Oct 31, 2018•52 min•Season 2Ep. 16
I've returned to my own vault of shows to bring you BASKETBALL WIVES, a show which I launched and oversaw during my time at Vh1. Sold to us by Tom Huffman, then of Shed Media, and produced since the beginning of its nearly 200 episode run by Sean Rankine, BASKETBALL WIVES survived a few near death experiences before becoming the network's #1 show earlier this decade. It hasn't been easy, but success never is and BASKETBALL WIVES is a prime example of that. This series has survived many cast chan...
Oct 11, 2018•49 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Joining me for my first one-on-one conversation is Sam Sokolow, President of EUE/Sokolow, and Executive Producer of Nat Geo's breakout series, GENIUS. Sam and his partners labored for years to bring Walter Isaacson's acclaimed biography of Albert Einstein to the screen, first as a feature and ultimately as a series. Not only did they hit paydirt with Nat Geo, but they created a format where different geniuses would be featured in subsequent seasons, following up with Picasso and currently preppi...
Oct 04, 2018•45 min•Season 2Ep. 14
The business shows keep coming with this week's episode, CNBC's flagship show, THE PROFIT. Joining me are Executive Producer, Amber Mazzola, and the star of the show, The Profit himself, Marcus Lemonis. Amber entered the series as its Season 1 showrunner and her drive and comittment catapulted her to become the production company of record for the series. She now owns and operates her own company, Machete, built quite significantly on the strength of this show and her partnership with Marcus. Ma...
Sep 27, 2018•50 min•Season 2Ep. 13
SHARK TANK originated as a hit overseas, but it struggled to find an American home and languished for some time as a format in the Sony catalogue. Mark Burnett Productions eventually caught wind of the idea and partnered with Sony to eek out a six episode order for the show on ABC. After surviving a near cancellation prior to premiere and an abysmal first week of ratings, the show ultimately found its footing and fought for and earned a second season before finally cementing its place as an Amer...
Sep 20, 2018•52 min•Season 2Ep. 12
You asked, I listened and today, I am proud to bring you COBRA KAI, the first scripted series discussed on our show. What began as a wild hair idea from 3 KARATE KID obsessed feature comedy writers became the signature series for Youtube's premium streaming service, Youtube Red. Today I welcome one of those creators, Jon Hurwitz, as well as Youtube Red's Head of Comedy development, Dustin Davis, for a incredible discussion of how they convinced various rights holders, wined and dined potentially...
Sep 12, 2018•47 min•Season 2Ep. 11
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH kicks off season 2 of EXEC/PRODUCER. This remarkable series showcases actress and former Scientologist, Leah Remini, in her journey to meet with other former members of the church and bring light to their heartbreaking stories. It has been no small feat for producer, Aaron Saidman and A&E executive, Devon Graham Hammonds, to successfully produce this series given all of its legal and procedural challenges, but they've not only walked the tightrope, ...
Sep 05, 2018•59 min•Season 2Ep. 10
EXEC/PRODUCER is back for season 2! I took your thoughts and feedback to heart and am proud to bring you 8 new and exciting episodes. I sit down with Emmy winners, network presidents, production company owners and even the stars themselves. I'll continue to discuss your favorite reality formats and also feature some exciting scripted series. Putting these episodes together was quite a ride and I hope you all enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoyed making them. The first episode of season 2,...
Sep 05, 2018•1 min
