Today's episode is a little different because our guests are also our moderators, Bunim/Murray founder, Jon Murray and SpringHill CCO, Jamal Henderson. Jon and Jamal came together for an event that I was fortunate enough to have produced with some very talented friends and colleagues at the TV Academy and which I am now sharing in podcast form for …

Few companies have navigated the transition from linear to digital content production as well as B17. Founded and operated by Brien Meagher & Rhett Bachner, B17 has blazed their incredible path by looking forward and focusing on where their audience is going...not by digging their heels in and relying on where they have been. Not bad for an idea co…

The TV Academy may be best known for giving out Emmy Awards each year, but membership in this esteemed group brings a great deal more than simply awards participation and eligibility, it creates a true professional community. Made up of a variety of peer groups for most every conceivable category and trade within the genre, the academy serves as th…

The documentary boom is undeniable and today, we cover our first one, HBO's TRANSHOOD. Shot over 5 years in Kansas City, this incredible film showcases the triumphs and challenges for 4 transgender children - and their families - over this extended period of time. Directed by Sharon Liese and Produced by Sasha Alpert, TRANSHOOD is a story of patien…

4 years ago, Aliza Rosen turned a job interview into her very own podcast... and she hasn't looked back. Her weekly show, REALITY OF REALITY, features the best from all corners of unscripted tv and has become a staple for reality fans and producers alike. As with all of her projects, Aliza jumped into the fray by DOING and her straight talk advice …

Noelle Lindsay Stewart and Elizabeth Voorhees join me today as representatives from an incredible organization, DEFINE AMERICAN, whose primary purpose is to assist all corners of the media landscape in portraying a more accurate depiction of our nation and the people who inhabit it. By providing knowledge to creators and producers - a group of peop…

My dear friend, Dr. Lisa Dabby, took some time off from saving lives in the ER to join the podcast and offer her guidance on how to re-open Hollywood production in as safe a manner as possible. No matter how much we will it to be, Covid-19 isn't going anywhere any time soon. Please enjoy this conversation with Lisa as she provides a great deal of m…

Andrew Fried founded Boardwalk Pictures with a goal of making premium unscripted programming at a time when the market for that type of content simply did not exist. Shortly thereafter, Dane Lillegard joined the team...and the market for their preferred type of content still did not exist. Throughout it all, they kept their heads down and stayed tr…

My old friend, Ari Ingel, is the Director of the Creative Community For Peace, an entertainment industry non-profit which aims to promote music and the arts as a bridge for cultural peace. Ari and the CCFP organized a zoom panel this week for their members about COVID's impact on the entertainment business and asked me to moderate - and I am now sh…

Von Noah Pollack

Von Noah Pollack

I am thrilled to conclude our third season with the story of Path Content Group and two of its founders, veteran television producer, Andrew Jameson, and Turner Classic Movie host, Ben Mankiewicz. Path Content's model is to create broadcast quality legacy videos for anyone looking to document the story of their life. With Andrew in the producer's c…

Casey Kriley & Jo Sharon are the dynamic new leaders of one of the leading names in the history of unscripted television, the Magical Elves. Longtime lieutenants who took over after the departure of the company co-founders, Casey & Jo share their thoughts on leadership, maintaining the company culture and how to continue to grow a successful busine…

Matt Belloni was an up and coming entertainment attorney who chose the road less traveled by ditching his law career at age 30 for the riskier path - but his true passion - journalism. That move paid off, as Matt methodically rose through the ranks and now finds himself as the Editorial Director for the most important news source in all of entertai…

Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas are the dynamic writing and producing team at the core of Netflix's summer smash, MALIBU RESCUE. As industry forces continue to box creators into one specific genre/lane, Jed & Scott continue to defy those trends and labels. They've written both comedy & horror, created unscripted formats and now are go to creators in the…

DESCENDANTS started as a mere notion about the progeny of the most famous Disney villains only to become the Disney Channel's most successful film of the decade. In anticipation of next week's 8/2 premiere of DESCENDANTS 3, I sat down with the movie's co-writer and producer, Josann McGibbon, as well as the executive who championed it, Wonderland So…

Today's episode covers more than a show, it covers a business. More specifically, I sat down with the three founders of SIGNATURE TRACKS, one of the premiere TV & Film music companies working today. Russell Howard, David Lasman and Adam Malka are childhood best friends who in 2008, at the height of the economic downturn, went all in together on thi…

Today's episode covers one of TV's greatest new trends, interactive storytelling. With streaming, viewers now have the ability to do more than simply watch a show, they can also "play" it and no show does a better job of that than Netflix's YOU VS. WILD. Produced by long time Bear Grylls' collaborators Del Shoopman and Rob Buchta, YVW takes Bear an…

Today's episode features a philosophy and not just a show. Producer, Author, corporate speaker, philanthropist, podcast host and so much more, Brant Pinvidic took his sales acumen and philosophy towards living and created a brand, REJECT AVERAGE, which aims to thrust all of us out of our safe spaces and into the great big world. Your life, goals an…

WAHLBURGERS is a ostensibly a comedy about a budding restaurant empire, but at its heart, it's a show about family...and it's no surprise that this family show is produced by a family company, 44 Blue. One of the pioneers of unscripted TV, 44 Blue is owned and operated by today's guests, the wife and husband duo, Stephanie and Rasha Drachkovitch. B…

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR is the little show that could. What started as a series of subtitled specials on the since departed G4 network is now a massive hit on NBC, entering its recently announced 8th season. Produced by sports producer turned unscripted titan, Arthur Smith and hosted by Doctor turned comedian, Matt Iseman, NINJA WARRIOR is not just …

For the Season 3 premiere of EXEC/PRODUCER, I am proud to bring you one of the most iconic shows of the decade, THE VOICE. Both a critical darling and ratings juggernaut, THE VOICE exploded out of the gate in 2011 and hasn't missed a beat as it approaches its 16th season and 400th episode. Produced for the entirety of its run by Audrey Morrissey an…

For Season 2 finale of EXEC/PRODUCER, I am pleased to bring you one of the only true breakouts of recent memory, LIVE PD. Created and produced by Dan Cesareo of Big Fish and launched/overseen by A&E's Shelly Tatro, LIVE PD takes the tried and true police show format and eventizes it by adding in the thrill of live TV. The logline may sound simple, …

I've returned to my own vault of shows to bring you BASKETBALL WIVES, a show which I launched and oversaw during my time at Vh1. Sold to us by Tom Huffman, then of Shed Media, and produced since the beginning of its nearly 200 episode run by Sean Rankine, BASKETBALL WIVES survived a few near death experiences before becoming the network's #1 show e…

Joining me for my first one-on-one conversation is Sam Sokolow, President of EUE/Sokolow, and Executive Producer of Nat Geo's breakout series, GENIUS. Sam and his partners labored for years to bring Walter Isaacson's acclaimed biography of Albert Einstein to the screen, first as a feature and ultimately as a series. Not only did they hit paydirt wi…

The business shows keep coming with this week's episode, CNBC's flagship show, THE PROFIT. Joining me are Executive Producer, Amber Mazzola, and the star of the show, The Profit himself, Marcus Lemonis. Amber entered the series as its Season 1 showrunner and her drive and comittment catapulted her to become the production company of record for the …

SHARK TANK originated as a hit overseas, but it struggled to find an American home and languished for some time as a format in the Sony catalogue. Mark Burnett Productions eventually caught wind of the idea and partnered with Sony to eek out a six episode order for the show on ABC. After surviving a near cancellation prior to premiere and an abysma…

You asked, I listened and today, I am proud to bring you COBRA KAI, the first scripted series discussed on our show. What began as a wild hair idea from 3 KARATE KID obsessed feature comedy writers became the signature series for Youtube's premium streaming service, Youtube Red. Today I welcome one of those creators, Jon Hurwitz, as well as Youtube…

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH kicks off season 2 of EXEC/PRODUCER. This remarkable series showcases actress and former Scientologist, Leah Remini, in her journey to meet with other former members of the church and bring light to their heartbreaking stories. It has been no small feat for producer, Aaron Saidman and A&E executive, Devon …

EXEC/PRODUCER is back for season 2! I took your thoughts and feedback to heart and am proud to bring you 8 new and exciting episodes. I sit down with Emmy winners, network presidents, production company owners and even the stars themselves. I'll continue to discuss your favorite reality formats and also feature some exciting scripted series. Puttin…

BORN THIS WAY's journey from passed pilot to Emmy gold was years in the making. Produced for A&E by the legendary Jon Murray, AKA the Godfather of the industry, BTW masterfully tackled the tricky subject matter of Down Syndrome with a series that is both incredibly informative AND entertaining. Overseen by Jon's longtime friend and colleague, Drew …

This episode is dear to my heart because we're covering CELEBRITY REHAB WITH DR. DREW, a show which I oversaw during my time at VH1. Produced by my close friend, John Irwin, CELEBRITY REHAB was an monumental team effort which translated into countless saved lives, in addition to multiple seasons, spin-offs and ratings success. Much of the soul of t…

Bruce Jenner's transformation to Caitlyn dominated the headlines like few other stories have before or since. From Diane Sawyer and the ESPY Awards to the tabloids and KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS, Bruce/Caitlyn's journey was EVERYWHERE for the better part of 2015. Bruce/Caitlyn ultimately decided to document the transition from him to her in th…

Most celebrities on reality television set strong boundaries as to what they will allow the cameras to capture. In addition, most shows have a multi-month post-production window, so by the time this already controlled content premieres, the show runs the risk of being dated. TRUE TORI was neither of these things, featuring Tori Spelling and her fam…

Adam Greener spent all of his remaining development money on a self funded pilot, only to see it go up in smoke. Months later, after being left for dead, Adam resurrected the project and his persistence paid off with an incredible 8 network offers! One of those offers came from Heather Olander at the USA Network who shared his vision and went strai…

I'm thrilled to welcome both the smartest and hardest working people in unscripted tv. Brian Graden co-created SOUTH PARK before embarking on a legendary 13 year run as the President of Entertainment for MTV, VH1 and Logo. Cris Abrego co-founded the wildly prolific company, 51 Minds, before selling it to Endemol Shine, where he now serves as CEO of…

Lisa Vanderpump burst onto the scene as a breakout star on THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS, but as a mega successful restranteur, she wanted more. One of her HOUSEWIFE producers, Alex Baskin, emailed a screen grab to Bravo from the website of one of Lisa's restaurants, Sur, and what was an immediate "yes" turned into a nearly year long adventu…

Damla Dogan walked into the halls of E! over a decade ago and her VERY FIRST PROJECT was KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS!!! The channel quickly ordered a show about this little known family, but with one caveat, it had to be produced and on the air in only 8 weeks. Enter Farnaz Farjam, showrunner extradorinare, who returned from her honeymoon to la…