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Speaker 1: Welcome to Strictly Business, Variety's weekly podcast featuring conversations with

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Speaker 1: industry leaders about the business of media and entertainment. I'm

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Speaker 1: Cynthia Littleton, co editor in chief of Variety Today. My

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Speaker 1: guest is Arthur Smith, chairman of Tannapolis Group US, which

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Speaker 1: encompasses his A Smith and Co. Banner and other unscripted

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Speaker 1: production companies. The Smith's specialty is what he calls the

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Speaker 1: big show, a large scale reality production with elaborate setups

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Speaker 1: and physical stunts, the kind scene in NBC's American Ninja

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Speaker 1: Warrior and The Titan Games and Fox's long running Hell's

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Speaker 1: Kitchen franchise. Smith faced a cruel blow last year when

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Speaker 1: his company had six series poised to start production in

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Speaker 1: April of but he found himself energized by the ingenuity

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Speaker 1: his core team demonstrated in figuring how to get shows

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Speaker 1: back on their feet in the midst of a global pandemic.

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Speaker 1: He's quick to point out that all six series that

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Speaker 1: went down in April were produced in the second half

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Speaker 1: of last year. As Smith's marks his twentieth year as

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Speaker 1: head of A. Smith and Co. He's also reached the

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Speaker 1: tenure anniversary mark of his sale to UK's Tannapolis. In

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Speaker 1: our conversation, he discusses what the company has gained by

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Speaker 1: teaming with a larger entity, and he reflects candidly about

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Speaker 1: sometimes missing the environment from the era when he was

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Speaker 1: coming up as an executive at m c A Television,

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Speaker 1: Dick Clark Productions and Fox Sports, a time when series

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Speaker 1: orders could be landed on the strength of a title

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Speaker 1: and a handshake. That's all coming up on today's episode

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Speaker 1: of Strictly Business. M chairman of Tenopolous Us and founder

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Speaker 1: of A Smith and Company of very busy unscript production

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Speaker 1: company that has been behind numerous numerous HiT's long running franchises,

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Speaker 1: things like Hill's Kitchen with a crazy character named Gordon

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Speaker 1: Ramsey and American Ninja Warrior, which sends everyday people through

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Speaker 1: all kinds of incredible calistenics and challenges for the for fame,

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Speaker 1: glory and prizes. Um, it must be are there, It

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Speaker 1: must be. UM Quite a time to be a producer

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Speaker 1: with the long track record of producing really really successful franchises.

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Speaker 1: At this moment, with so much demand for content, what

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Speaker 1: is it like to be uh A Smith and Co?

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Speaker 1: Right now? I would imagine your phone is ringing off

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Speaker 1: the um. Well, I'm I'm very energized by it all. Um.

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Speaker 1: It is a great time to be a producer. And

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Speaker 1: and you know, I really I really think you know,

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Speaker 1: they talked about the golden age of television. I really

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Speaker 1: think it's the golden age of unscripted television right now.

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Speaker 1: I mean, there is so much happening, um, and there

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Speaker 1: are so many places to sell it. And you know,

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Speaker 1: the interesting thing about you know, the unscripted business, let's

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Speaker 1: say ten years ago, there was always a time when

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Speaker 1: things were in game shows, music shows, and then there

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Speaker 1: was a time when things were out. Game shows, music shows.

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Speaker 1: We're out. So now everything is in. Everything is in.

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Speaker 1: There was a way to sell something the what you know,

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Speaker 1: it's just about, um, how you package it and how

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Speaker 1: you get it out there, because the business has become

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Speaker 1: more business like. I mean, I remember years ago. And

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Speaker 1: you know, our company is one of the older companies,

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Speaker 1: twenty years old, A Smith and Co. The Magical Elves,

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Speaker 1: which is also under my purview, is also roughly twenty

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Speaker 1: years old. But I remember thirty years ago when I

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Speaker 1: was working at Dick Clark Productions and I would sell

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Speaker 1: something on a title. I would literally go in and

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Speaker 1: pitch NBC when stars were kids with a piece of

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Speaker 1: paper and we'll be doing the show within months. And

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Speaker 1: that's that's aged, that isn't you know? There was there

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Speaker 1: was more steps, there was more discussion about deals and

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Speaker 1: um that's changed. But on the positive front, there are, um,

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Speaker 1: you know, such a such a wide diverse, um, a

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Speaker 1: group of buyers right now. And there's such opportunity for

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Speaker 1: producers if you have a project and you have a reputation,

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Speaker 1: because you have you need project and the reputation to

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Speaker 1: get something made. Um, there's there's a great opportunity for

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Speaker 1: me personally. UM, I like it. I like a lot

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Speaker 1: of things. You know, I was a sports guy, you know,

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Speaker 1: it was with Fox Sports for four years before starting

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Speaker 1: my company. I was an entertainment guy and a variety

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Speaker 1: guy with Dick Clark and so I've been, you know,

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Speaker 1: going back between sports and entertainment and and it's it's

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Speaker 1: reflects its reflects in what we do because we are

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Speaker 1: all over the place. We do you know, a wide

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Speaker 1: variety of genres, you know, docs and docu soaps and

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Speaker 1: and competition shows like Ellen's Next Great Design or The

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Speaker 1: Titan Games in sports like American Ninja Warrior and and

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Speaker 1: d soaps like UM like Welcome the platforll On t

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Speaker 1: l C. And so for me right now, I'm I'm

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Speaker 1: really liking where we are. I'm really liking the opportunity

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Speaker 1: UM and I think it's an exciting time. It is trickier,

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Speaker 1: I will tell you. I know, I know you're gonna

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Speaker 1: ask me the tough questions about doing business in this era.

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Speaker 1: But but but but once you once you are able

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Speaker 1: to get it sold, or once you're able to develop

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Speaker 1: something you have, you do have a lot of opportunities

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Speaker 1: to sell it. How do you prioritize because again I

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Speaker 1: would imagine just from the conversations that I have with fires,

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Speaker 1: they're saying, you know, the most you know, the most

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Speaker 1: valuable thing is a showrunner, is a proven producer. How

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Speaker 1: do you prioritize because I'm sure people want somebody of

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Speaker 1: your experience to shepherd they're big thing. How do you

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Speaker 1: how do you decide what you say yes to and

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Speaker 1: what you say no? That's not quite for us, well

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Speaker 1: for me as a producer, because I mean a Smith

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Speaker 1: and Co. Is a company run by a producer. I'm

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Speaker 1: a guy from the trenches who went to film school

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Speaker 1: and TV school. You know, that's that's that was my upbringing.

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Speaker 1: That's and so you know, I still, um, no matter

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Speaker 1: how busy we are, I still need to be in

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Speaker 1: the control room as much as possible. It's it's part

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Speaker 1: of my it's my outlet, it's my everything. Now, when

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Speaker 1: you're a company of scale, you can't be there for everything.

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Speaker 1: So you need to have people who who are qualified.

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Speaker 1: And we have a great staff of showrunners and current

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Speaker 1: executives who watch over our shows. I still am on

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Speaker 1: a number of our shows. I'm still on set on

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Speaker 1: Health Kitchen every day because I want to be and

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Speaker 1: Gordon and I have this relationship. I was on set

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Speaker 1: every day on Titan Games. I was on set every

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Speaker 1: day on Mental Samurai. But you know, also within our company,

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Speaker 1: like I said, we have we have a number of

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Speaker 1: superstars who are executive producers and who oversee and you know,

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Speaker 1: over time, you know, when when I first started the

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Speaker 1: company with Kent Wade, at the time, um, you know,

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Speaker 1: we did everything. But over time we've added people and

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Speaker 1: brought people in and eventually a network gets comfortable with

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Speaker 1: those people. But there's not a cut of a show

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Speaker 1: that I don't see that that you know that if

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Speaker 1: a rough gut is going to a network, I'm going

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Speaker 1: to see it before. So I'm not I'm not day

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Speaker 1: to day on everything, but I am on everything, and

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Speaker 1: um that's um, you know, it is important, and I

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Speaker 1: think that's you know, so much of our work gets work,

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Speaker 1: and so much of our reputation gets work, and so UM,

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Speaker 1: I feel um the responsibility and the obligation to to

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Speaker 1: to um to be there and to watch over it.

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Speaker 1: And I love it. That's my that's my passion. You know.

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Speaker 1: I always say that developments of pain in the aus.

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Speaker 1: But production is my joy, you know, because you know,

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Speaker 1: do we develop it? And I develop everything just so

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Speaker 1: we can get it made. Once it gets it made,

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Speaker 1: it's I'm in heaven. Um. That's that's what keeps absolutely

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Speaker 1: what keeps you go because you have to love it.

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Speaker 1: Otherwise there's you know, where's the joy? Yeah, how are

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Speaker 1: you finding there's obviously so much demand, but how are

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Speaker 1: you finding Like, how are budgets right now? Are you

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Speaker 1: feel like there's as much of a there's much momentum

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Speaker 1: in spending, especially in the unscripted area, as there is

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Speaker 1: demand for you know, multi episode series. Um, yeah, I

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Speaker 1: mean listen, it's it's so you know, it's it's It's

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Speaker 1: hard to come up with a general answer as it

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Speaker 1: relates to budgets because it depends on which buyer and

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Speaker 1: and at what time. And I always believe that there

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Speaker 1: are certain times in a network or a platform's history

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Speaker 1: that they are dealing with different money. Sometimes they need

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Speaker 1: to launch, and sometimes they're willing to spend, which is

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Speaker 1: a very good time for producer to slight. That's that's

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Speaker 1: the meeting you want to be in exactly. I always

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Speaker 1: like when a network is starting because I, yeah, I

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Speaker 1: I feel like they're deal with different money at that time.

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Speaker 1: Then there are networks whose business proformat has changed. You know,

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Speaker 1: Fox is a different network than it was when it

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Speaker 1: was a part of the bigger company, and and and

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Speaker 1: and then there are you know, mergers and deals that

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Speaker 1: also affect your business because you know, when when somebody

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Speaker 1: acquires a number of networks already being an owner of

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Speaker 1: a number of networks a number of a number of times,

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Speaker 1: you get the business dealings of the acquirer and not

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Speaker 1: the people you're you were in business with, if that

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Speaker 1: makes any sense. So there's such an there's such an

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Speaker 1: ebb and flow, and there's also you know, um, you know,

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Speaker 1: the business has changed. I mean, you know, ratings aren't

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Speaker 1: what they used to be in the broadcast world, so

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Speaker 1: budgets are going to change and the pressure on budgets

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Speaker 1: are going to change. So um but like I said,

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Speaker 1: you know, there there is one thing that you know

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Speaker 1: that I I am kind of enjoying at this time

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Speaker 1: is that I you know, we we had a Smith

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Speaker 1: and Cold love to do the big show. We love

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Speaker 1: the big show. We love our little shows, but we're

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Speaker 1: also known for doing the big show. And you know,

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Speaker 1: there was a you know, years ago, there was a

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Speaker 1: there always is and there always will be a limited

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Speaker 1: amount of network real estate. There's just so many hours

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Speaker 1: of prime time and so just so many hours of

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Speaker 1: prime time that they're going to allow or not allow,

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Speaker 1: but have unscripted programming on their air. And um, but

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Speaker 1: now there are you know, with the streamers and and

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Speaker 1: and all the other platforms, there are a number of

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Speaker 1: places to sell the big show, which is a bigger

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Speaker 1: budgeted show. So um, so we we we like that.

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Speaker 1: We do like that. After twenty years and now being

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Speaker 1: part of Synopolis, have you been able to move into

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Speaker 1: an arena where some shows you're able to own or

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Speaker 1: own a significant chunk of Have you been able to

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Speaker 1: to diversify that way or would you say it's your

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Speaker 1: learn really a work for higher Um, you know we're

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Speaker 1: a blend. We're a blend, and and you know, prior

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Speaker 1: to even prior to being part of Tannopolis, we were

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Speaker 1: able to leverage deals where we maintained rights and maintained distribution.

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Speaker 1: So it wasn't because of Tannopolis that we were able

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Speaker 1: to do that. It started like I remember, you know,

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Speaker 1: two thousand and six and two thousand and seven, closing

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Speaker 1: network deals where we maintained ownership and and format rights, etcetera. Um,

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Speaker 1: it helps that we do have a distribution platform, a

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Speaker 1: distribution organization. I should say, uh, that is passion so

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Speaker 1: which is respected and and it's not does not only

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Speaker 1: distribute that Tannopolis programming, that distributes other companies programming. So

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Speaker 1: um it. You know, it really comes down to what

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Speaker 1: the show is and and you know, um how it originated.

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Speaker 1: You know, sometimes we'll get a call from a network

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Speaker 1: and we develop something together. You know, it's a different

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Speaker 1: type of deal. Sometimes they'll lay off a project on

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Speaker 1: our us or or put us together with somebody else.

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Speaker 1: That's a different type of deal. And then there's the

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Speaker 1: ideas that we developed, you know inside and we bring

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Speaker 1: it to them, and that's a different type of deal.

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Speaker 1: So you know we um so yeah. I mean, like

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Speaker 1: I said, I think it helps that we have the

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Speaker 1: distribution company because we didn't before. But we we've been

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Speaker 1: maintaining rights on certain things, um, you know for quite

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Speaker 1: some time now, so um so yeah. And I would

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Speaker 1: imagine that that ability is you know, one of the

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Speaker 1: things that has allowed you to prosper and you know,

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Speaker 1: to be around for twenty years and counting yes, yes, yes, yes,

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Speaker 1: doesn't been meaningful. It had Listen, are our greatest you know, UM,

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Speaker 1: sales tool is our track record. That really is our business.

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Speaker 1: That has been the core of our business for a

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Speaker 1: long time. You know. You mentioned long running series like

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Speaker 1: American and Jewer season thirteen, Health Kitchen, which is season

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Speaker 1: twenty is now airing. I hate that they're both on

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Speaker 1: Monday night opposite each other, but that's that's a guest

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Speaker 1: successful and um, but you know there's also Unsung which

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Speaker 1: is in season twelve, and you know, um, and there's

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Speaker 1: a number of other ones that are in multiple and

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Speaker 1: you know, going into multiple seasons and you know, um,

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Speaker 1: you know Top Chef on with the Magic Beal Elves

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Speaker 1: season nineteen and nailed it in season four or five.

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Speaker 1: I don't know, I mean, I'm not sure. I can't

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Speaker 1: keep track, but you know, um, and and they're good

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Speaker 1: quality shows and you know I I you know, um,

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Speaker 1: you know, a smith is where I spend most of

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Speaker 1: my time, but I take a lot of probabe on

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Speaker 1: what's happening at the Magical Elves. You know, Casey Priley

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Speaker 1: and Joe Sharn had done such a great job as

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Speaker 1: the co CEOs and you know they've got you know,

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Speaker 1: they're they've done. They've got two nominations in in in

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Speaker 1: the competition category for the Emmy Awards with with nailed

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Speaker 1: it in Top Chef and uh, you know, I it's

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Speaker 1: it's so great to see. And the great thing about

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Speaker 1: both companies is that, you know, our our culture is

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Speaker 1: very similar in terms of uh, nice places to work atmospheres, um,

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Speaker 1: you know, diverse, respectful and UM. You know it's it's great.

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Speaker 1: We're having we're having a really good time right now. Um. Listen,

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Speaker 1: the business is always tough, and there's always disappointments and

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Speaker 1: not everything works, but but you know, the overall headline

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Speaker 1: is that it's a it's a good time, good UM.

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Speaker 1: What else you mentioned the distribution company and that having

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Speaker 1: that platform has been been important. What else? What would

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Speaker 1: you say have been the benefits of your of your

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Speaker 1: sale too Tannapolis about ten years ago. Yeah, I mean

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Speaker 1: there have been there have been some formats like we

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Speaker 1: did America's Worst Driver, which was based on a UK format,

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Speaker 1: and there's been a couple of others. You know. Right

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Speaker 1: now we're developing UM idiot abroad for a network UM

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Speaker 1: which is based on a on a format so format it.

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Speaker 1: You know, formats from from your partners are great and

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Speaker 1: we have a couple of things that are in play overseas,

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Speaker 1: so that that exchange is is UM is probably a

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Speaker 1: UM you know, one of the biggest benefits and it's

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Speaker 1: you know, just the sharing of business dealings and and partnerships.

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Speaker 1: I'm now helping out Sunset and Vine, which is our

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Speaker 1: sports company, on a major international sporting project because of

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Speaker 1: my background in sports, and I'm on the board of that.

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Speaker 1: So there's this great free exchange that's going on h

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Speaker 1: I'd always like more from from from Europe and overseas.

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Speaker 1: I wish they had more stuff for us. Um. Um,

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Speaker 1: but there's been a few. There's been a few and

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Speaker 1: and you know, um, and I'm hopeful in the future

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Speaker 1: there will be more. Um. So UM yeah, do you

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Speaker 1: think is is Tinnopolis? Um? You know there there was

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Speaker 1: a wave of small companies being brought up by by

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Speaker 1: larger entities Tynopolis like Magical ls not but Magical Wells

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Speaker 1: as a small company. But um, do you think is

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Speaker 1: has that moment kind of passed or is Tinopolis still

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Speaker 1: in the market for her potential acquisitions? Um? You know

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Speaker 1: we're we're opportunistic. You know, we're not looking to acquire,

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Speaker 1: but if there's something, we will look at anybody that's

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Speaker 1: for sale and evaluate whether it makes sense. Um. So

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Speaker 1: it's all about quality and and you know, I was

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Speaker 1: the first American company to be part you know, to

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Speaker 1: be part of the Tanopolis group. And um, when when

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Speaker 1: I started, they asked me, you know what other companies

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Speaker 1: would would you think would we should go after? And

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Speaker 1: I always admired the quality of work that was done

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Speaker 1: by the Magical Elves and so it was a very

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Speaker 1: pointed like, let's go after them and let's try. Let's

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Speaker 1: try and get them to be part of us. It

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Speaker 1: so happened. At the time, they were all they were,

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Speaker 1: they were looking to be acquired and looking forward a deal.

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Speaker 1: So so it worked out. Um. You know, Um, like

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Speaker 1: I said, it's it's it's a opening opportunistic for us.

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Speaker 1: It's not about oh, we need to do this or

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Speaker 1: we must do this. It's more about you know, doesn't

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Speaker 1: fit is it right? Um? Doesn't make sense? Hang type, folks.

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Speaker 1: There are more tales from TV's Trenches to come from

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Speaker 1: producer Arthur Smith. After this break, and we're back with

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Speaker 1: more from American Ninja Warrior producer Arthur Smith. There's been, um, recently,

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Speaker 1: there has been a little bit of strain with Tannopolis

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Speaker 1: and some of the companies, some of the people involved,

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Speaker 1: some of the companies that they had purchased, some strain

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Speaker 1: with producers. Has that been Has that been challenging for

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Speaker 1: you to navigate as both of somebody who's a producer

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Speaker 1: and the Trenches and the head of Tannopolis US. Well,

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Speaker 1: you know, my really, my relationships and Apolis has been

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Speaker 1: has been great. You know. I I've been with the

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Speaker 1: you know, part of the group as as ten years.

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Speaker 1: You know, when people said, oh, you sold your company,

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Speaker 1: I go, no, yes, yes I did. But I feel

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Speaker 1: like I'm I'm part of a bigger group. I'm now

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Speaker 1: a part owner in a bigger group. So technically I'm

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Speaker 1: still one of the owners, one of the members. So

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Speaker 1: you know, it's it's yes, you know, there is the

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Speaker 1: check that you get up front and and and then

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Speaker 1: there is the remainder that you hope to get or

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Speaker 1: hope to you know, grow into something else. And but

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Speaker 1: you know, um my, like I said, my relationship is

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Speaker 1: solid and and you know, for a lot of producers,

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Speaker 1: you know this Cynthia from you know, um all the

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Speaker 1: independents who have sold, a lot of them leave after

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Speaker 1: four or five years. You know that's there's most of

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Speaker 1: them do most of them counting you know, I'm happy.

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Speaker 1: I mean this is you know, I I love what

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Speaker 1: I do. I love I love the shows that we do.

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Speaker 1: Um you know I came into this, you know, really

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Speaker 1: focused on a smith. I'm I'm I'm happy to work

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Speaker 1: with Casey and Joe, and I was happy to work

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Speaker 1: with Dan and Jane when they were at the Elves too,

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Speaker 1: So um and and it's yeah, it's it's it's been great.

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Speaker 1: I mean, listen, you know, um it COVID was a

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Speaker 1: very difficult It was a difficult time not just for

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Speaker 1: US but for but for a number of media companies.

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Speaker 1: And there was a lot of issues with cash flow

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Speaker 1: and everything else, and um and and um you know

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Speaker 1: it it hurt us like it heard everybody else. The

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Speaker 1: US business has always been thriving, but you know, we're

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Speaker 1: part of a bigger, bigger group, and and you know,

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Speaker 1: it wasn't easy, and it was it was a rough

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Speaker 1: It was a rough time. And you know, March to

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Speaker 1: July when we were all stuck in Neutral, I mean,

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Speaker 1: thankfully we had a lot of shows in posts. But

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Speaker 1: for us, there were six shows, six shows just with

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Speaker 1: an A Smith and Code that were about to start

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Speaker 1: in April. I mean it was incredible, like April bow

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Speaker 1: month for six shows. Now, the good news, the great

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Speaker 1: news actually is those six shows all happened between July

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Speaker 1: and October. We filled our way to make all those shows.

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Speaker 1: And it was American Ninja Warrior, it was Welcome to

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Speaker 1: plat Ville. It was Mental Samurai, which we shot in

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Speaker 1: Portugal and flew in a hundred contestants and did it

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Speaker 1: in Portugal. There's a story behind that. Um, there was Unsung,

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Speaker 1: there was an American Gangster. UM. There was The Ellen's

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Speaker 1: Next Great Designer, which we did for HBO Max. The

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Speaker 1: interesting thing is that, you know, all those shows are

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Speaker 1: kind of different in a way. One's a game show,

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Speaker 1: one's a docu show, one's a sports entertainment. So we

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Speaker 1: we figured a plan on how to make all those,

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Speaker 1: how to make all of those during this time, and

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Speaker 1: and and it was tricky. It was tricky. And I remember,

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Speaker 1: you know something, I remember having a meeting like it

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Speaker 1: was yesterday. What allows you guy? Yesterday was like like

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Speaker 1: like it was yesterday, and and and when we sat

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Speaker 1: down actually a zoom meeting, um, and I said, I

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Speaker 1: said to our our our production manage, we have two

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Speaker 1: amazing women who are who are e vps of our company,

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Speaker 1: who are heads of our production Shaye and Kristen. And

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Speaker 1: we were sitting around and were saying, you know, we're

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Speaker 1: stuck here and the network's not going to figure out

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Speaker 1: how we're going to make these shows happen. But they

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Speaker 1: want us to make these shows happen because they've ordered them.

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Speaker 1: So we have to figure it out. So one of

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Speaker 1: the things that we can do, how do we create

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Speaker 1: our own safety masageres, How do we create our own

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Speaker 1: safety bible? How do we create a bubble? How do

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Speaker 1: we test? And how do we do this? We did,

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Speaker 1: and we did. Ninja was one of the first big

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Speaker 1: scale shows that we get in a dome stadium in St.

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Speaker 1: Louis and created our own bubble with the hotel across

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Speaker 1: the street from the stadium. And you know, it was

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Speaker 1: good business. It was like we can sit around and say,

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Speaker 1: oh jeez, what do we do or we could or

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Speaker 1: we could try and figure it out. And that's how

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Speaker 1: we got back into production. How did the network help

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Speaker 1: you did they step up with because all that you know,

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Speaker 1: testing and ppe and additional housing and all that that

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Speaker 1: must have cost a fortune it, you know, would listen,

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Speaker 1: it added a cost to every show. And the networks

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Speaker 1: were by and large great great, They really understood the issue.

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Speaker 1: They were, you know, I remember you know how appreciative

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Speaker 1: you know, NBC was for us delivering Ninja Warrior. I mean,

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Speaker 1: they they they were, they were impressed, and they were

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Speaker 1: supported of and um certainly UM. They were also cautious

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Speaker 1: because for all of us. You know, as much as

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Speaker 1: I wanted to get into production, you know, safe, it's

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Speaker 1: safety first, you know, you know, these are you know,

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Speaker 1: these are are people who who have been part of

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Speaker 1: our family for years and and and you know, it

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Speaker 1: was always about we have to do the safely. How

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Speaker 1: you know, how do we do it? How do we

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Speaker 1: protect everybody? And I would say the safest place that

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Speaker 1: the safest place during COVID was being on a set.

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Speaker 1: I was always I always felt good being on a set.

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Speaker 1: I felt more safe there than going to going to

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Speaker 1: a store. I mean I can imagine knowing, knowing that

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Speaker 1: you had set your own protocols of it, they were

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Speaker 1: being applied. Yeah. I mean when we were we were

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Speaker 1: you know, tested, going in tested every couple of days.

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Speaker 1: Everybody wore a mask. We we you know, the control

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Speaker 1: room And the funny thing is the control room for

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Speaker 1: American Ninja Warrior was so massive, you know, because we

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Speaker 1: had everybody was so spread apart. It was it was funny.

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Speaker 1: I remember walking into the control and it was like,

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Speaker 1: oh my god, they're like way off in the distance,

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Speaker 1: and you know, we all wore headsets, we all were masks.

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Speaker 1: We communicated, we didn't you know, normally in a control

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Speaker 1: and you just need you you talked to the guy

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Speaker 1: beside you. Now you're talking on a headset. So it's

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Speaker 1: a little trick here. And and you know, we created

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Speaker 1: these zones, the special zones where people you can only

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Speaker 1: go in this zone and you can go only go

426
00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,000
Speaker 1: on that zone. And and I mean, I'm sure you've

427
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,040
Speaker 1: heard the stories, and it's evolved, and certainly we are

428
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,400
Speaker 1: not the only ones. I mean, everybody did it. It's

429
00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,000
Speaker 1: amazing to see what the community was able to do.

430
00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,520
Speaker 1: But but but I listen, I'm very proud of proud

431
00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,200
Speaker 1: of what we were able to do. And like I said,

432
00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:34,679
Speaker 1: you know, we had these six shows and I was going,

433
00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,760
Speaker 1: oh my god, you know, I I don't know if

434
00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:39,000
Speaker 1: we're gonna come back. I don't know. And then and

435
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:40,520
Speaker 1: then we figured out how to do them. And like

436
00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,120
Speaker 1: all those shows that were put on hold all got

437
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,240
Speaker 1: ended up being done. So that that's a rare. I mean,

438
00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:48,960
Speaker 1: many people, you know, things people were happy to get

439
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,200
Speaker 1: half of their slate back up on its feet within

440
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,560
Speaker 1: a few months. That really speaks well of your organization. Um,

441
00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,639
Speaker 1: let me ask you, what is there anything any any

442
00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,000
Speaker 1: innovations or any learned things from the having to produce

443
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,560
Speaker 1: in the height, in the teeth of the COVID of

444
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,840
Speaker 1: anything that you've learned that you will continue even when

445
00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:18,800
Speaker 1: blessedly these pandemic conditions ease. Well. Um, yes, yes, um, listen,

446
00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:21,280
Speaker 1: you know, as much as I am proud of what

447
00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:25,400
Speaker 1: we've been able to do, it's not optimal. It's not

448
00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,439
Speaker 1: you know, it's functional. It's functional, right, it's functional. You

449
00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:30,000
Speaker 1: get it done, you find a way to do it.

450
00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:34,040
Speaker 1: But it's much better not dealing with this stuff. Um.

451
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,359
Speaker 1: But the one thing, you know, um, that that we

452
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,800
Speaker 1: had to do is is we were we had just

453
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,959
Speaker 1: completed The Titan Game Season two, which we shot in February,

454
00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:49,879
Speaker 1: and we came back and our other show, American Engine Warrior,

455
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:53,239
Speaker 1: could not be done and it was supposed to go

456
00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,719
Speaker 1: on the air in May. So all of a sudden

457
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:57,960
Speaker 1: we had an air date at the Titan Games, which

458
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:01,680
Speaker 1: was several months away. All of a sudden got moved

459
00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:04,200
Speaker 1: up dramatically and we were all, you know, they wanted

460
00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,760
Speaker 1: us on the air within two or three months, and

461
00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,160
Speaker 1: you know, we weren't set up to edit remotely. We

462
00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:14,879
Speaker 1: were set up too. So we have to figure that

463
00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:17,800
Speaker 1: out on the fly and and and you know, there

464
00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:20,359
Speaker 1: was this one week where we were trying to figure

465
00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:23,520
Speaker 1: out this system on how to do it, and and

466
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:27,239
Speaker 1: it it's difficult, it's it's it's it's very difficult with

467
00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,920
Speaker 1: producers who now have to set up zoom meetings to

468
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,919
Speaker 1: meet with the editor and you know. But but remote editing,

469
00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:36,439
Speaker 1: I think is is is one of the one of

470
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:41,399
Speaker 1: the things that we've learned um um has been a

471
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,240
Speaker 1: benefit because I think there are things that you want

472
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:47,320
Speaker 1: that that editors may choosday to remotely or or in

473
00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:50,080
Speaker 1: a pinch, you could send something to somebody that you know,

474
00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,080
Speaker 1: if you have a fast turnaround on a show and

475
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,639
Speaker 1: that needs to be edited remotely. So um So I

476
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:59,200
Speaker 1: think that's that's one of the benefits. I think that's

477
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,040
Speaker 1: gonna stay with us, is that, you know, I think

478
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,399
Speaker 1: a lot of our shows will continue to be at least,

479
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,280
Speaker 1: if not completely at a remotely, at least partially at

480
00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,080
Speaker 1: it remotely um and at least for the foreseeable future,

481
00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:12,359
Speaker 1: most of our stuff, if not all of our stuff,

482
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,399
Speaker 1: is being edited remotely right now. There's also I also,

483
00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:20,840
Speaker 1: like was thinking about this, there's probably some international production

484
00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,120
Speaker 1: that you would do with multiple countries where zoom and

485
00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:27,560
Speaker 1: at a remotely would come into effect and it would

486
00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,159
Speaker 1: just be much easier to do because we learned how

487
00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:31,240
Speaker 1: to do it because we had to. I don't know

488
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:33,080
Speaker 1: what the show is, but now I'm thinking now, I'm

489
00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,359
Speaker 1: thinking there is. I think that they were just starting

490
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,040
Speaker 1: to scratch the surface of the innovation and the on

491
00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,919
Speaker 1: the fly, you know, on the fly just ingenuity that

492
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,280
Speaker 1: it took to create these kinds of these kinds of workarounds.

493
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,680
Speaker 1: And you know, you all had, you and the networks

494
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,280
Speaker 1: have the ultimate motivation. You didn't want to be You

495
00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,960
Speaker 1: didn't want to have dead air, as they say, didn't

496
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:55,359
Speaker 1: We didn't want to have dead air. And one of

497
00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:59,280
Speaker 1: the things that that that, um we also decided that

498
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,200
Speaker 1: we didn't want to do, is we would we didn't

499
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,480
Speaker 1: want to do COVID programming. You know, we wanted to

500
00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:08,560
Speaker 1: provide programming that didn't feel like it was a zoom

501
00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,680
Speaker 1: show and listen, there were a number of things that

502
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,680
Speaker 1: they had no choice. The talk shows, the the you know,

503
00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:17,960
Speaker 1: the the you know, yeah, the talk shows and the

504
00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:21,719
Speaker 1: and and the daily shows, the syndicated shows. They had

505
00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,520
Speaker 1: no choice. It it looked like a zoom show. It

506
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,239
Speaker 1: felt like a zoom show. So you know, when you

507
00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,560
Speaker 1: watch Mental Samurai from Portugal, it looks like it was

508
00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,240
Speaker 1: done in a studio in l A. You watch, um,

509
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:35,880
Speaker 1: you know our docu, so welcome to platforll Onto. I'll

510
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,679
Speaker 1: see it looks like season one, Season two looks like

511
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,040
Speaker 1: season one. So um. That was a goal of us

512
00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,399
Speaker 1: because we felt like, you know, people wanted to just

513
00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,680
Speaker 1: watch the show. They didn't want to be reminded of

514
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:53,600
Speaker 1: what was going on right right, Um, Arthur, you have,

515
00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:55,560
Speaker 1: as you said, you've been doing this a long time,

516
00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:57,520
Speaker 1: and we've been we've been doing a little a lot

517
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,560
Speaker 1: of compare and contrast. I would love to, you know,

518
00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:04,359
Speaker 1: going back even further. You know, pre COVID also seems

519
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,520
Speaker 1: like a long time ago. But go back ten or

520
00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,320
Speaker 1: twenty years ago. Tell me something that something about the

521
00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,520
Speaker 1: way business was done or the way production was done

522
00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:15,639
Speaker 1: and twenty years ago that you miss and something that

523
00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:18,439
Speaker 1: you don't miss, something that that you know that you

524
00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:20,359
Speaker 1: don't have to do anymore in the present day that

525
00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:24,080
Speaker 1: you don't miss. Uh what I what I miss about

526
00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:26,920
Speaker 1: what was going on ten to twenty years ago was

527
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,400
Speaker 1: the speed in which things used to happen. Things just

528
00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:35,200
Speaker 1: happened much faster. Um. You know, I talked about thirty

529
00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:37,760
Speaker 1: years ago selling a show on a on a title

530
00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:42,040
Speaker 1: and and you know you literally walked in there. But

531
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,440
Speaker 1: but you know, when we first started our company, UM,

532
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,560
Speaker 1: it wasn't unreasonable to pitch a show to a network

533
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:52,560
Speaker 1: and beyond within a number of months, you know, beyond

534
00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:57,240
Speaker 1: the air with every month. So now, UM, things just

535
00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:02,200
Speaker 1: move slower. There's just more there's more steps, there's more discussion,

536
00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:07,760
Speaker 1: there's more negotiation. You know, business affairs is significantly slower,

537
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,880
Speaker 1: significantly slower, and maybe the deals are more complex, or

538
00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:16,200
Speaker 1: maybe people are just more analytical or um. But but

539
00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,040
Speaker 1: but I do miss it. I do miss it because

540
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:20,440
Speaker 1: I you know, we're to me. It's like when you

541
00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:25,080
Speaker 1: develop an idea. You know, you you're developing for the

542
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:26,960
Speaker 1: time that you're living in and you wanted to get

543
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,120
Speaker 1: on because you feel the time is right and so

544
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,000
Speaker 1: and you're you know so um, and it's it's just

545
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,120
Speaker 1: it's just it's just you know, you're passionate about it.

546
00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,800
Speaker 1: So you know the idea of spending you know, years

547
00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,920
Speaker 1: in development or um, you know, a longer a long

548
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:47,560
Speaker 1: period of time and development. It's just, um, it's just harder.

549
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,200
Speaker 1: It's just harder, and and and the other thing is,

550
00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:52,400
Speaker 1: you know, when you spend a lot of time and development,

551
00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:58,960
Speaker 1: things happen, People change networks, people use their jobs. And

552
00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:03,080
Speaker 1: so I I'm sure every producer has lived through this.

553
00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,800
Speaker 1: You have a show, you have someone at a network

554
00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:07,920
Speaker 1: who loves it, the show has been in development a

555
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,560
Speaker 1: long time, and then he leaves or she leaves, and

556
00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:15,400
Speaker 1: then you and then your project dies, and um, that's

557
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,920
Speaker 1: you know, that's destrikes the frustration of waiting for your

558
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,040
Speaker 1: show to get through all these steps and everything like that.

559
00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:26,080
Speaker 1: There's is if it's not in production, you may not

560
00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:28,760
Speaker 1: necessarily be making it because because you know, there are

561
00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:31,960
Speaker 1: other factors that are completely outside of your control. Or

562
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:35,280
Speaker 1: they get acquired, a deal happens, and then they stopped

563
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:38,920
Speaker 1: making deals. You know, they stopped doing business because they're

564
00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:43,200
Speaker 1: in that state of of you know, being acquired and

565
00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:45,720
Speaker 1: and and not sharing what direction they want to go.

566
00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:48,800
Speaker 1: There's something that is breaking out all over these days.

567
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,880
Speaker 1: So right right right, and by the way, it's affecting business,

568
00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,520
Speaker 1: it is it is you know, anybody who's in business

569
00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,320
Speaker 1: with someone who's being acquired and not mentioning who and what.

570
00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:02,800
Speaker 1: But you can figure out there's yeah, right, you're right,

571
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,000
Speaker 1: So it's it's it. It does, it does. It does

572
00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:08,160
Speaker 1: affect the next time you speak to them, because they're

573
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:11,520
Speaker 1: coming at it from a different place. So so, um,

574
00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:12,720
Speaker 1: I spent a lot of time in this, so you

575
00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,880
Speaker 1: can see it really bothers me. The speed in which

576
00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:20,480
Speaker 1: things used to happen was bad, was bad. Um. What

577
00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:26,240
Speaker 1: I what I don't miss um is um you know,

578
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,920
Speaker 1: much smaller group of networks you can sell shows, right,

579
00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:33,200
Speaker 1: So I'm kind of used to this now it's big

580
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:36,600
Speaker 1: hard to go back to you know, the big you know,

581
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:39,280
Speaker 1: the Big four and and and a few cable networks

582
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,840
Speaker 1: who did unscripted programming. So um, because that's that's what

583
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:44,640
Speaker 1: it was. That's what it was like. There was only

584
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:47,080
Speaker 1: you know, there was the Big Four with a limited

585
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:49,840
Speaker 1: amount of real estate and all of us trying to

586
00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,400
Speaker 1: grab it. And then there were a bunch of cable

587
00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:55,680
Speaker 1: networks who did unscripted programming, some who dabbled in it,

588
00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:57,760
Speaker 1: but not to the degree of which it is what

589
00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:01,600
Speaker 1: it is now. The other the other thing that I

590
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,320
Speaker 1: that I don't miss and and and the thing that

591
00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:10,560
Speaker 1: I'm kind of UM happy to see is I think, um,

592
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:12,840
Speaker 1: the business has evolved in terms of how it treats people.

593
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:16,280
Speaker 1: I just think that people are more conscious of how

594
00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:21,360
Speaker 1: A being more respectful, um and and and and thinking

595
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:25,680
Speaker 1: about the importance of diversity and um it's something that

596
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,920
Speaker 1: you know at our company, are you know, priorities with us.

597
00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:30,320
Speaker 1: It's one of the reasons why I wanted to start

598
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,200
Speaker 1: a company is that I love production so much, and

599
00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,480
Speaker 1: I wanted to create an environment where people felt good

600
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:41,160
Speaker 1: and respected and um and and and I and I'm

601
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:44,680
Speaker 1: happy to see that. And it's not like you know, UM,

602
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:47,320
Speaker 1: I don't want to get to preachy here, but but

603
00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:50,520
Speaker 1: but it but it is something that that I I'm

604
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,560
Speaker 1: enjoying about now about now and what I don't miss

605
00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,640
Speaker 1: about some of the things that happened, you know, twenty

606
00:32:56,800 --> 00:32:59,240
Speaker 1: or so years ago. And and I'm happy to see

607
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:01,880
Speaker 1: it evolving. And we all everyone could do better, but

608
00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,040
Speaker 1: it's it's it's good to be it's good to see

609
00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:06,960
Speaker 1: that we have evolved. We could always do better. Signs

610
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:11,000
Speaker 1: of progress are good. Arthur, thank you very much for

611
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,240
Speaker 1: your time and for for letting me lave a lot

612
00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,720
Speaker 1: of tough questions as at an independent businessman. But I do,

613
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:21,760
Speaker 1: I do really respect the just you know, the the

614
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:24,880
Speaker 1: the expanse of the of your catalog and just you know,

615
00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,480
Speaker 1: your longevity. We've all seen really successful companies come and go.

616
00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:30,640
Speaker 1: It takes something to be you know, to be around

617
00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:33,640
Speaker 1: for twenty plus years. So thank you, and thank you

618
00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:36,560
Speaker 1: so much. I I appreciate I really enjoyed it. I

619
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,400
Speaker 1: love talking about our business. You know, it's it's fun

620
00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,040
Speaker 1: and it's it's always evolving and it's always changing and um,

621
00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:45,120
Speaker 1: you know, for me still there's still no greater joy

622
00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:48,240
Speaker 1: than than you know, making a show and uh um

623
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,320
Speaker 1: sometimes it's hard, but but but but you know, it's

624
00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:59,800
Speaker 1: it's still rewarding. Thanks for listening to Variety Strictly Business.

625
00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:02,920
Speaker 1: Please be sure to leave us a review at Apple Podcast.

626
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,160
Speaker 1: We love to hear from listeners, and be sure to

627
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:10,480
Speaker 1: tune in next week for another episode of Strictly Business