I remember coming up in the business and seeing how the grind turned some executives into grizzled cynics. And I vowed to never become that guy. I have always believed it's incumbent upon network brass to bring a wide-eyed optimism to the chairs they rent. Talent deserves that. And frankly, the jobs are just no fun otherwise.
What the hell is pilot season? It's an artificial boundary that makes no sense, and it makes you do things under duress.
'Friday Night Lights' was never a break-out hit; I'll never regret doing that show.
Producing a one-hour show that has to reinvent musical numbers, and interpret those musical numbers with a large cast, is difficult.
Some of the greatest shows in history - 'Seinfeld,' 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'House' - had puny starts but the benefit of schedule protection, increasingly scarce in today's DVR world. Cable nets can tolerate small ratings, building hits in progress like 'Breaking Bad,' or marathon their way to a 'Duck Dynasty.'
I've spent a lot of time encouraging, corralling, protecting, and sparring with creative people.
The biggest move that put Fox on the map, from an entertainment perspective, was when 'The Simpsons' moved to Thursday night, and that was paired with 'Martin' and 'Living Single.'
Creating more direct relationships with consumers, utilizing the resulting data and insights, is increasingly more valuable - and an evolution of the traditional competency of ad-supported television networks.
TV has so many access points, so many availabilities. DVR, binge viewing.
'The Walking Dead' is an extraordinary thing.
Narrative storytelling is wired into our humanity.
