TV’s are getting bigger while television productions are gearing up for the smallest screen in the arsenal of viewing devices – the mobile phone. Albie Hecht, the man behind SpongeBob SquarePants is rolling out his latest animated series Bigby to an iPhone near you. Animation isn’t cheap to produce. An episode of The Simpsons can … Read more
There are really only two tricks to producing on a small budget – hire the right people and do as much as you can yourself. Gone are the heady days when budgets were plentiful and the Brinks Truck backed up to your office and spilled piles of money onto your doorstep. We’re living in a … Read more
When I hire a DP I have a couple of musts – they must have a terrific eye, they must have a personality, and they must be braver than I am. I’ve found myself producing some unlikely scenarios over the years, and the brave qualification has come in very handy. For a Discovery Channel series … Read more
Producers by nature are supposed to be good communicators. Remarkably I’ve found many who aren’t. Shocker, right? It’s astounding how many production companies don’t let their ‘rank and file’ know what’s going on day-to-day in a production. Productions are alive with lots of moving parts and I liken it to several dozen people rowing a … Read more
Today I’m talking with Emmy award winning Executive Producer David P. Levin. David’s work includes TV Land Confidential, Inside the Kid’s Choice Awards, MTV’s Uncensored and most recently the VMA 2009: What You Didn’t Know. David is also known in many circles as the master of the interview. He has the uncanny knack of getting … Read more
Before you can produce a show, you have to have a show to produce. That starts with an idea and a script. When it comes to writing the script – I sometimes agonize. Yes, agonize. There are other producers who just sit down and write and write and write. It seems to effortlessly flow from … Read more