Kevin Bright

In his three-hour interview, Kevin Bright discusses his childhood in New York City, and his father, Vaudeville comedian turned talent manager, Jackie Bright. He talks about attending Emerson College, and, after graduation, working for producers Joseph and Gilbert Cate and producing David Copperfield specials. Bright shares stories of producing the syndicated series Madame’s Place and cable comedy specials, before working on the pilot of In Living Color. He talks about his work on Dream On, where he met Marta Kauffman and David Crane, with whom he created Friends. For Friends, he describes the pitching and development of the show, casting, shooting the pilot and the famous opening sequence, directing episodes, and ending the show after ten seasons. He touches on Veronica’s Closet, Jesse, and the Friends spin-off, Joey and concludes by sharing his greatest career achievements and regrets, advice to aspiring television professionals, and why he decided to return to Emerson College, where he now serves as the Founding Director of Emerson College Los Angeles. Jenni Matz conducted the interview in partnership with the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College on March 29, 2016 in Los Angeles, CA.