Pamela Fryman

Director

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In her two-hour interview, Pamela Fryman talks about her early life, and her first jobs in television on The Mike Douglas Show, The John Davidson Show, and The New Hollywood Squares. She discuses her first television directing job on the daytime drama Santa Barbara. She recalls advice she got from veteran television director James Burrows, and directing the comedies Friends and Cybill. She recounts her time as a director on Frasier, and details working with the cast and crew of the show. Fryman chronicles directing Just Shoot Me, and Two and a Half Men, and goes in depth about her long stint as one of the sole directors of How I Met Your Mother. She sums up by giving advice to aspiring directors, and discussing career highlights and regrets. Nancy Harrington conducted the interview on May 8, 2017 in North Hollywood, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

“[As a director], be kind, be strong. Empower people. Don’t feel like you have to know everything. That’s the most important thing, because that's what I thought at the very beginning and I realized that I was wrong, and that sort of saved my life."

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Highlights

Pamela Fryman on the shooting style of How I Met Your Mother, and on a typical production week

04:33

Pamela Fryman on directing Frasier

04:13

Pamela Fryman on her directing style

01:18

Pamela Fryman on the production of Santa Barbara, and on becoming a director for the show

03:25

Pamela Fryman on interning on The Mike Douglas Show

06:45

Pamela Fryman on what she loves about directing, and on fulfilling her dreams

02:06

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On interning on The Mike Douglas Show; on her first industry job as an assistant on The John Davidson Show; on working on The New Hollywood Squares

On working on Santa Barbara, and on becoming an assistant director on that show; on the production of Santa Barbara, and on becoming a director for the show; on what she learned from directing Santa Barbara

On finding work as a director; on advice she received from James Burrows; on directing Friends and Cybill

On directing Frasier; on working with David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee on Frasier; on preparing to direct Frasier

On the cast of Frasier; on directing Frasier; on directing Just Shoot Me

Chapter 2

On becoming an executive producer on Just Shoot Me, and on her favorite episodes of the show; on directing Two and a Half Men, and on working with Chuck Lorre on the show; on working with the cast of Two and A Half Men

On directing How I Met Your Mother; on casting How I Met Your Mother; on working with the cast of How I Met Your Mother, including Neil Patrick Harris and Bob Saget

On working with the guest stars of How I Met Your Mother, and on coming into her own as a director; on being the sole director of How I Met Your Mother for its entire run; on her directing style, and on working with the crew of the show

On the few other people who have directed How I Met Your Mother, and on her input into the content of the show; on the shooting style of How I Met Your Mother, and on a typical production week; on the logistics of shooting the show

On shooting specific episodes of How I Met Your Mother; on standards and practices issues on How I Met Your Mother, and on her involvement with post-production on the show; on shooting specific episodes of the show, and on the "Pineapple Incident" episode

Chapter 3

On extending the run of How I Met Your Mother to 9 seasons, and on finding the "mother" for the show; on the end of How I Met Your Mother; on the legacy of How I Met Your Mother

On what she likes about directing pilots; on directing The Odd Couple and One Day at a Time; on how the industry has changed since she started, and on women in the industry

On how technology has impacted directing; on the enduring popularity of the sitcom, and on mentors in her career; on what she loves about directing, and on fulfilling her dreams

On career achievements and regrets; on advice to aspiring directors and producers

Shows

Cybill

Pamela Fryman on directing Cybill

02:25

Frasier

Pamela Fryman on directing Frasier

02:09

Pamela Fryman on working with David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee on Frasier

01:04

Pamela Fryman on preparing to direct Frasier

01:19

Pamela Fryman on the cast of Frasier

02:27

Pamela Fryman on directing Frasier

02:39

Pamela Fryman on memorable episodes of Frasier

01:34

Friends

Pamela Fryman on directing Friends

01:10

Hollywood Squares, The

Pamela Fryman on working on The New Hollywood Squares

01:12

How I Met Your Mother

Pamela Fryman on directing How I Met Your Mother

04:11

Pamela Fryman on casting How I Met Your Mother

01:32

Pamela Fryman on working with the cast of How I Met Your Mother, including Neil Patrick Harris and Bob Saget

05:22

Pamela Fryman on working with the guest stars of How I Met Your Mother, and on coming into her own as a director

02:51

Pamela Fryman on being the sole director of How I Met Your Mother for its entire run

03:41

Pamela Fryman on working with the crew of How I Met Your Mother

03:34

Pamela Fryman on the few other people who have directed How I Met Your Mother, and on her input into the content of the show

04:30

Pamela Fryman on the shooting style of How I Met Your Mother, and on a typical production week

04:33

Pamela Fryman on the logistics of shooting How I Met Your Mother

02:57

Pamela Fryman on shooting specific episodes of How I Met Your Mother

04:04

Pamela Fryman on standards and practices issues on How I Met Your Mother, and on her involvement with post-production on the show

00:53

Pamela Fryman on shooting the musical episodes of How I Met Your Mother, and on the "Pineapple Incident" episode

04:13

Pamela Fryman on extending the run of How I Met Your Mother to 9 seasons, and on finding the "mother" for the show

05:29

Pamela Fryman on the final episode of How I Met Your Mother

05:30

Pamela Fryman on the legacy of How I Met Your Mother

00:47

Pamela Fryman on a proposed spin-off to How I Met Your Mother

02:53

Just Shoot Me!

Pamela Fryman on directing Just Shoot Me

04:03

Pamela Fryman on becoming an executive producer on Just Shoot Me, and on her favorite episodes of the show

01:30

Mike Douglas Show, The

Pamela Fryman on interning on The Mike Douglas Show, and on moving to Los Angeles

06:45

One Day at a Time (2017-)

Pamela Fryman on directing One Day at a Time, and on working with Norman Lear

04:26

Pamela Fryman on working with the cast of One Day at a Time, and on rebooting the show

02:47

Santa Barbara

Pamela Fryman on working on Santa Barbara, and on becoming an assistant director on that show

03:30

Pamela Fryman on the production of Santa Barbara, and on becoming a director for the show

03:25

Pamela Fryman on what she learned from directing Santa Barbara

01:47

Two and a Half Men

Pamela Fryman on directing Two and a Half Men, and on working with Chuck Lorre on the show

01:41

Pamela Fryman on working with the cast of Two and a Half Men

01:18

Topics

Advice

Pamela Fryman on advice to aspiring directors and producers

01:23

Creative Influences and Inspiration

Pamela Fryman on the enduring popularity of the sitcom, and on mentors in her career

01:15

Historic Events and Social Change

Pamela Fryman on how the industry has changed since she started, and on women in the industry

03:49

Pivotal Career Moments

Pamela Fryman on the enduring popularity of the sitcom, and on mentors in her career

01:15

Representation on Television

Pamela Fryman on how the industry has changed since she started, and on women in the industry

03:49

Television Industry

Pamela Fryman on how the industry has changed since she started, and on women in the industry

03:49

Pamela Fryman on advice to aspiring directors and producers

01:23

Women

Pamela Fryman on how the industry has changed since she started, and on women in the industry

03:49

Professions

Directors

View Profession

Pamela Fryman on the style of directing soap operas

01:49

Pamela Fryman on finding work as a director

03:03

Pamela Fryman on her directing style

01:18

Pamela Fryman on what she likes about directing pilots

02:13

Pamela Fryman on how technology has impacted directing

00:47

Pamela Fryman on what she loves about directing, and on fulfilling her dreams

02:06

Pamela Fryman on advice to aspiring directors and producers

01:23

Genres

Comedy Series

Pamela Fryman on directing Friends and Cybill

03:35

Pamela Fryman on directing Frasier

11:13

Pamela Fryman on directing Just Shoot Me

04:03

Pamela Fryman on directing Just Shoot Me and Two and a Half Men

04:30

Pamela Fryman on directing How I Met Your Mother

43:54

Pamela Fryman on the enduring popularity of the sitcom, and on mentors in her career

01:15

Pamela Fryman on directing How I Met Your Mother (Part 2)

14:41

Pamela Fryman on directing the One Day at a Time reboot

07:14

Daytime/Primetime Serials

Pamela Fryman on directing Santa Barbara

10:32

Game Shows

Pamela Fryman on working on The New Hollywood Squares

01:12

Talk Shows

Pamela Fryman on working on The Mike Douglas Show and The John Davidson Show

08:41

People

David Angell

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Pamela Fryman on working with David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee on Frasier

01:04

James Burrows

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Pamela Fryman on advice she got from James Burrows for directing Cafe Americain

03:37

Peter Casey

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Pamela Fryman on working with David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee on Frasier

01:04

John Davidson

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Pamela Fryman on her first industry job as an assistant on The John Davidson Show

01:56

Mike Douglas

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Pamela Fryman on interning on The Mike Douglas Show

06:45

Kelsey Grammer

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Pamela Fryman on the cast of Frasier, including Kelsey Grammer

02:27

Neil Patrick Harris

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Pamela Fryman on working with the cast of How I Met Your Mother, including Neil Patrick Harris and Bob Saget

05:22

Norman Lear

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Pamela Fryman on working with Norman Lear on the One Day at a Time reboot

00:54

David Lee

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Pamela Fryman on working with David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee on Frasier

01:04

Chuck Lorre

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Pamela Fryman on directing Two and a Half Men, and on working with Chuck Lorre on the show

01:41

Bob Saget

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Pamela Fryman on working with the cast of How I Met Your Mother, including Neil Patrick Harris and Bob Saget

05:22