Show Creators


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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Highlights
Darren Star on the difference between being a screenwriter and being the creator/writer of a television show
06:08
Michael Moye on creating and casting Married...With Children
07:51
Richard and Esther Shapiro on their pitching style
01:06
Agnes Nixon on creating One Life to Live and then reviving All My Children
00:46
Phil Rosenthal on the network having doubts about him as a first time show-runner for Everybody Loves Raymond
05:32
Tom Fontana on constructing the stories for Homicide: Life on the Street
05:40
Who talked about this profession

Alan Ball

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Alan Ball on his role as showrunner on True Blood
00:22
Alan Ball on the writing process on True Blood
01:03

Samantha Bee

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Samantha Bee on the blind hiring process on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
04:58

Donald P. Bellisario

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Donald Belisario on writing Quantum Leap
01:44

Steven Bochco

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Steven Bochco on his pitch to NBC for L.A. Law
03:24

Vin Di Bona

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Vin Di Bona on his producing style for America's Funniest Home Videos
01:44
Vin Di Bona on advice to aspiring producers and show creators
03:20

Joshua Brand

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Joshua Brand on writing the pilot for Northern Exposure, and on his writing process with writing partner John Falsey
04:10
Joshua Brand on his writing process
09:31
Joshua Brand on dealing with writers block and on the general process of writing
04:16
Joshua Brand on what he loves about writing
03:05
Joshua Brand on advice to an aspiring television writer, and on dealing with studio politics
03:19
Joshua Brand on dealing with writers block and on the general process of writing
04:16

Alton Brown

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Alton Brown on believing cooking shows in the late '80s were dull, and getting the idea that would become Good Eats
01:23

Allan Burns

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Allan Burns on co-creating My Mother The Car
03:03

Stephen J. Cannell

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Stephen J. Cannell on his knack for casting the right people in the right roles
02:35

Chris Carter

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Chris Carter on the characters' motivation in the first season of The X-Files
06:26
Chris Carter on keeping track of the story arc on The X-Files
05:28
Chris Carter on the process of collaborating with other writers and producers on The X-Files
06:20
Chris Carter on how they handled Gillian Anderson's pregnancy on season 2 of The X-Files, which led the the "Scully abducted" storyline
01:52
Chris Carter on the decision to move The X-Files from Canada to Los Angeles starting with season 6
01:31
Chris Carter on advice to aspiring television writers and show creators
00:54

Glen Charles

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Glen and Les Charles on being their own bosses on Cheers and their initial plan for the series
01:51

Les Charles

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Glen and Les Charles on being their own bosses on Cheers and their initial plan for the series
01:51

David Crane

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David Crane and Marta Kauffman on how they worked with the actors on Friends
02:34
David Crane and Marta Kauffman on what they looked for when hiring writers on Friends
01:28
David Crane and Marta Kauffman on how they worked with the actors on Friends
02:34
David Crane and Marta Kauffman on what they looked for when hiring writers on Friends
01:28

Julian Fellowes

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Julian Fellowes on the structure of Downton Abbey
03:59
Julian Fellowes on plotting out Downton Abbey  and his writing process
04:20
Julian Fellowes on advice to those starting out in the television business 
02:57

Tom Fontana

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Tom Fontana on doing extensive research in prisons for Oz
04:41
Tom Fontana on advice to aspiring television writers and producers
01:37

Larry Gelbart

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Larry Gelbart on putting an acutal epsiode of M*A*S*H together; the process, technical considerations; the writers, directors and crew 
03:45

Vince Gilligan

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Vince Gilligan on how his unfamiliarity with meth helped him write "Walter White's" character on Breaking Bad

Gary David Goldberg

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Gary David Goldberg on the atmosphere of the writers' room on Family Ties
01:59
Gary David Goldberg on assigning writing credits on Family Ties
01:58
Gary David Goldberg on hiring inexperienced writers on Spin City
04:25

Paul Henning

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Paul Henning on the writing process for The Beverly Hillbillies
03:12

Silvio Horta

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Silvio Horta on being showrunner on Ugly Betty
03:05
Silvio Horta on the process of writing for Ugly Betty
02:58

Roy Huggins

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Roy Huggins on coming up with stories and producing for television 
01:03

David Isaacs

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Ken Levine and David Isaacs on assembling writers' rooms for Almost Perfect and Mary
05:09

David E. Kelley

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David E. Kelley on creating Picket Fences
02:55
David E. Kelley on creating and exiting Chicago Hope
03:38
David E. Kelley on the idea behind creating Ally McBeal
03:52

Barry Kemp

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Barry Kemp on the writing process on Coach and the comedy of the show
03:47

Rita Lakin

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Rita Lakin on the premise of Flamingo Road, and on her duties as showrunner
02:49

Glen A. Larson

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Glen A. Larson on the writing process for Battlestar Galactica
02:15

Norman Lear

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Norman Lear on the rigorous schedule writers had in the Golden Age of Television and on his personal life at the time
05:30
Norman Lear on starting a production company with Bud Yorkin
04:55
Norman Lear on casting being critical to a show's success, and on the "magical" casting of Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, and Sally Struthers on All in the Family
02:17
Norman Lear on the business aspects of All in the Family and Tandem Productions
01:44
Norman Lear on juggling so many successful shows in the '70s
03:12
Norman Lear on making his audience laugh
02:58
Norman Lear on starting TAT Productions
01:27

David Lee

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David Lee on developing ideas for Frasier
04:30
David Lee on writing the first episode of Frasier
03:38

Ken Levine

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Ken Levine and David Isaacs on assembling writers' rooms for Almost Perfect  and Mary
05:09

Daniel Lipman

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Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their responsibilities as executive producers and showrunners on Sisters
01:41
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their push to have as many female directors and writers on Sisters as they could
01:31
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on what they look for when hiring writers on their series
04:13
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their responsibilities as executive producers and showrunners on Sisters
01:41
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their push to have as many female directors and writers on Sisters as they could
01:31
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on what they look for when hiring writers on their series
04:13

Christopher Lloyd

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Christopher Lloyd on coming up with story ideas for Modern Family; borrowing "real life" stories from the cast and writers

Chuck Lorre

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Chuck Lorre on balancing producing/creating three shows at once
01:53

David Milch

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David Milch on his writing process
05:31
David Milch on the key to creating a series
01:48
David Milch on advice to aspiring television writers
00:38

Michael Moye

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Michael Moye on the writing staff of Married...With Children
00:50
Michael Moye on creating and casting Married...With Children
07:51

Agnes Nixon

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Agnes Nixon on creating One Life to Live and then reviving All My Children
00:46

Phil Rosenthal

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Phil Rosenthal on the network having doubts about him as a first time show-runner for Everybody Loves Raymond
05:32

Esther Shapiro

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Richard and Esther Shapiro on their pitching style
01:06

David Shore

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David Shore on creating the series House
16:38
David Shore on the advice he would give to young writers
00:58
David Shore on the key to creating a successful series
02:35

Sam Simon

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Sam Simon on his advice to aspiring writers
00:30

Darren Star

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Darren Star on the difference between being a screenwriter and being the creator/writer of a television show
06:08
Darren Star on adapting books for television
01:56
Darren Star on the difference between being a screenwriter and being the creator/writer of a television show
06:08

Leonard Stern

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Leonard Stern on how a pitch meeting went in the 1960s; how he sold a show
04:46

J. Michael Straczynski

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J. Michael Straczynski on the process of writing Babylon 5 episodes 
03:40
J. Michael Straczynski on dealing with the network while producing Babylon 5
02:31

Matthew Weiner

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Matthew Weiner on his ability to remember dialogue and moments vividly, which he later used in writing for television shows like Mad Men
01:22
Matthew Weiner on how he had difficulty differentiating between fantasy and reality with his childhood exposure to TV and film; on how that translates to his writing being "dreamlike"
01:48
Matthew Weiner on why it's easier to hustle your work than actually write and finish a product
02:06
Matthew Weiner on his first job punching up scripts for TV shows
05:23
Matthew Weiner on how invaluable it is to be funny as a writer
00:39
Matthew Weiner on his design choices for Mad Men; on the attention to detail for the period
03:20
Matthew Weiner on the emotional toll of writing
06:58
Matthew Weiner on his writing process and how much he reveals to others
06:33
Matthew Weiner on using The Beatles' song "Tomorrow Never Knows" on the Mad Men  episode "Lady Lazarus"
02:25
Matthew Weiner on plotting out stories and themes for Mad Men,  the suicide of "Lane Pryce" (Jared Harris), and other elements of season five 
10:51
Matthew Weiner on making viewers cry at Mad Men  and confounding viewers' expectations 
04:04
Matthew Weiner on the time lapse between seasons 7a and 7b on Mad Men  and updating the styles and fashions
02:48
Matthew Weiner on dealing with writing and directing the final scenes of Mad Men
01:52
Matthew Weiner on Mark Moses as "Herman 'Duck' Phillips" on Mad Men  and stories they never got around to doing
05:03

Larry Wilmore

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Larry Wilmore on what he enjoys about writing and producing
01:59

Hugh Wilson

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Hugh Wilson on the atmosphere in the writers' room on WKRP in Cincinnati  and what he looked for in a writer
04:43
Hugh Wilson on his writing process and the then-current state of writing for features and for television
06:33
Hugh Wilson on the cancellation of Frank's Place  and the difference between writing for television and writing for film
02:09
Hugh Wilson on advice to an aspiring writer and an aspiring director
01:21

Terence Winter

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Terence Winter on his development deal with HBO that led to the creation of Boardwalk Empire
05:30

Dick Wolf

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Dick Wolf on his process of creating a show
03:08
Dick Wolf on the pilot process
07:08
Dick Wolf on negotiating with actors over their salaries, and on casting actors in multiple series across roles
02:39
Dick Wolf on how he is able to balance multiple series' on the air at the same time
01:54
About

This category consists of writers and producers who have created television shows.