Episode 128: Shirley Davis, Production Executive

This episode is brought to you by:

Shirley Davis is a film and television production executive, lecturer and speaker.

As of this publishing, Shirley is consulting with Imagine Television as they begin to rollout their production arm. 

Prior to this, Shirley was the Executive Vice President and Head of Physical Production at Alcon Entertainment, where she oversaw projects such as Blade Runner, Point Break Prisoners and Dolphin Tale 1 and 2.

In addition to numerous film and television credits, Shirley was Co-Executive Producer for several digital projects for Mark Burnett Productions, MTV Networks, AOL, and Yahoo, where she had an inside view of tech first meeting entertainment.

Shirley has served as Guest Professor at the Graduate Producers Program at the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, and is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America and a Board Member of Outfest. 

Episode 121: Liz Gutierrez, Physical Production Executive

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Liz is a Physical Production Executive. She started out in makeup, then moved over to the camera department, until she started producing and working as an executive. Formerly the VP of Physical Production at Alcon Entertainment, she is now working with Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. Her credits include Point Break, Blade Runner, Dear Dumb Diary, Journey to the Center of the Earth and many many more.

We talked about how it is to grow up as the child of immigrants, and be the embodiment of the American dream. And this: we should all be much more transparent about money.

Episode 115: Monica Levinson, Producer, Production Executive

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Monica is the President of Production for ShivHans Pictures and comes from a long line of working women in her family. In fact, her grandmother owned a liquor store and her mother started the First Women’s Bank of Maryland.

Monica produced Bruno, Borat and Zoolander (to name a few), and she was the production supervisor on Private Parts. Check out her IMDB, you will be impressed.

We got real about the business and how to balance self-preservation with ambition in this male-dominated industry.  When do you speak up vs when do you send your message through other channels? Do you want to be right or do you want to be effective?

Episode 112: Allegra Clegg, Production Executive, Producer

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Allegra is the Senior Vice President of Physical Production at Paramount Pictures. Before becoming an executive, Allegra was a Producer and Production Manager on no less than four Transformer movies, along with Paranormal Activity 4 and a favorite of mine, The American President. If you need to see even more credits, here is the link to her IMDB page. She is a serious badass. One might even call her the Michael Bey whisperer.

We talked about what it took to rise to the top of the production world and how she made the shift to a studio job. What is important? What matters? What factors into your important career decisions?

Episode 99: Hilary Wagner, VP Production Finance, CBS

Hilary is the Vice President of Production Finance at CBS Studios. Here’s a story about how the entertainment industry lures you in. If your first couple of jobs are Seinfeld and Waiting for Guffman, are you really going back to corporate audit? Of course not.

Hilary tells her story of how she worked her way up through production accounting, to production finance on the studio side with a brief stint in the production department.

She’s now at the point in her career where leadership and mentorship has become as important as getting the numbers right. It’s legacy time, and when you can see big trends in the industry and are positioned to make a difference, you do.

Episode 68: Alex Schwartz, Producer, Executive

Alex was Head of Production for Alpha Animation at the time of this recording.  Since then, she has begun producing an all animated Addams Family feature film for MGM. She is a Producer with an amazing list of credits.  Some of them include: Bridge to Terabithia, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Holes, Rushmore, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion…you get the idea. She is legit.

We talked about her unlikely journey to the top.  Moving to LA and back to NY and back to LA.  As you do. Even the worst job you can think of might lead to something real and something big. Take every opportunity.

Alex came up through development as a creative executive, after starting out as a reader at $30 a pop. She walks us through the incredibly collaborative process of animation.

And this - we need to hear the voices of women for our very survival.

Episode 65: Fran Lucci, Production Consultant, Options Trader

Fran is currently a Production Consultant, with a background in Production, Accounting, Marketing, and Music. She is also an options trader and she explains the whole thing. It’s a bit intimidating. Fran is both brilliant and talented. I have always said math and music are different sides of the same coin, and she proves this out.

Some lessons from musical theatre stick with you forever: when someone asks you if you can do something, the answer is always YES! (And then you sure better figure it out for real.)

If you agree to take something on, you take it on 100%.

…..and we may or may not sing.

Episode 59: Melissa Harper, SVP Production

Melissa is the SVP of Physical Production at Starz. And like many in this town, she started out as an actor. It’s actually excellent training for life – as is waiting tables – which goes with pursuing acting. She worked her way up producing films until she went in house and rose to the top of the production ladder.

She has sage advice for all of us…such as take every opportunity that is presented.  You never know what may happen, and the joy of life is in the unexpected journey. And if you have a dream – pursue it.  Don’t end your life full of regrets as to what might have been.

And let’s take a little pressure off of mothering and perfection. Amen to that!

And gratitude is everything.