Jac Venza

On his early life and influences; on getting into design for theater after he finished high school; on moving to New York

On his first job in television at CBS; on working on shows like Mama and on what he learned in those early years at CBS; on doing production design for several shows including Wonderful Town and The Blue Angel; on the Hollywood Blacklist; on Twenty-Four Hours in a Woman's Life starring Ingrid Bergman and Rip Torn

On re-designing the news set for CBS news; on producing Adventure

On working on a "History of Television" exhibit at MOMA; on producing the local Boston series A Time to Dance

On helping to create NET (National Education Television - the forerunner of PBS); on producing dance documentaries for NET and on working with George Balanchine; on the creation of NET Playhouse and on acquiring BBC programming for the show

On some of the early memorable NET Playhouse productions, including "The Journey of the Fifth Horse" starring Dustin Hoffman; on the fate of NET after the Public Broadcasting Act was passed; on the creation of Masterpiece Theatre and Theatre in America

On PBS' early cinema programming, including shows on the history of cinema and foreign films; on The Adams Chronicles

On the creation of Great Performances; on the logistics of getting cameras, lights, and sound equipment in theaters to tape Great Performances; on sponsorship by Exxon and Texaco; on programming and choosing plays for Great Performances

On the challenges of making a stage performance compelling for television audiences on shows like Great Performances; on bringing George Balanchine's ballet to the Grand Ole Opry on Great Performances: Dance in America; on tracing the history of dance on Great Performances: Dance in America

On making opera more palatable to modern audiences on shows like Live from Lincoln Center; on his role as producer of Great Performances; on commissioning new operas like "Nixon in China" by John Adams for Great Performances; on corporate sponsorships

On the creation of American Masters; on becoming director of culture and arts programs at PBS; on producing "Itzhak Perlman: Fiddling for the Future" and "Itzhak Perlman: In the Fiddler's House" for Great Performances (for which he won an Emmy); on the qualities that make a good producer; on bringing musical theater productions from Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber to Great Performances

On awards he's won throughout his career; on executive producing the first hour of the Tony Awards

On executive producing City Arts; on executive producing Broadway: The American Musical, his final project; on advice to an aspiring television producer