Episodes 31 &33: The Women of Brothers and Sisters

This was my first panel, and I loved it.  I sat down with the following women who ran the show Brothers and Sisters which aired on ABC for 5 years:

Sarah Caplan – Executive Producer

Suzanne Geiger – Unit Production Manager/Co-Producer

Cynthia Pusheck – Cinematographer/Director of Photography

Sally Sue Beisel-Lander – 1st Assistant Director/Co-Producer

Denny Dugally – Production Designer

Ida Lee Henderson-Williams – Production Accountant

Melina Root – Costume Designer

We talked about everything from what it was like to work on a female team, the changing landscape of the business, sexual harassment, salary negotiation, and getting the band back together.  They were very forthcoming and I really felt like they let me in on something special.

And Sarah baked us a cake.  As you do.

It will be presented in two episodes. 

Episode 29: Kathryn Leigh Scott, Actor / Writer

Kathryn is an actor and writer. She started her career in Dark Shadows and went on to act on television, in film and in theatre.  Some of her many credits include The Great Gatsby, The Turn of the Screw, Hawaii Five-O (the first one), Baretta, Cagney & Lacey, Knots Landing, Dallas, Matlock, Broadcasting Christmas…..I think you get the idea.  Here is a link to her IMDB if you want to see the whole list.

She is also a writer and started a publishing company.  Her books include Jinxed, Down and Out in Beverly Heels, The Bunny Years, Last Dance at the Savoy and the upcoming If Not Now, When?  You can read more about Kathryn on her website here.

We talked about the genesis of If Not Now, When? (my new mantra), how women must take control of their finances, and how close we all are to the edge. She discusses that period of life when women become invisible and have to come to terms with all the ticking clocks – not just the baby one.

And that time she took Gloria Steinem to task in the New York Times for giving up on romance after 50. I’m on Kathryn’s side on this one.  We must keep hope alive.

Episode 24: Karen Evans, Talent Manager

Karen is a Talent Manager. She manages mostly comedy writers, which makes sense, because she is very funny herself. Not to overplay it, but I think this episode is hilarious.  It’s like a little holiday treat, full of merriment and good laughs, more than it is a serious exposé of sexist Canadian radio hosts. 

Although it is that, too.  Karen started in radio, in Canada, with pink hair. She made it all the way to the morning show, where she laughed indulgently at whatever the male co-host said, and cheerfully took home 1/3 of the pay.

The way she tells it is much funnier.

She talks about her path to Los Angeles, to motherhood, and to a much more satisfying career, where she is the boss lady and works in her garoffice.  And did you know….whereas America is a melting pot, Canada is a mosaic?

Episode 20: Mary O'Leary, Producer

Mary is an award-winning Producer of General Hospital and The Young & The Restless. She was also nominated several times for Guiding Light, Another World and One Life to Live. Seven Emmy’s, people, seven. This woman knows how to run a Soap.

Interestingly, while nonchalantly rising in the ranks of daytime dramas, she also developed and produced a series of one-man shows with Jonathan Frid, of Dark Shadows fame.

As it turns out, asking for what you want and sharing your intentions can actually open doors, good mothering goes a long way, and having the arts in high school really can make all the difference. And the world of daytime drama moves very fast…

Episode 19: Lizzy Weiss, Executive Producer, Writer, Showrunner

Lizzy is the Creator and Executive Producer of the award-winning show Switched at Birth. She also wrote the surf-girl hit film “Blue Crush,” and is a prolific writer of pilots that have sold to every network you can think of.

We talked about her path from a bilingual Kindergarten teacher to MTV’s Undressed, through a very well timed writer’s strike, to creating her own show. 

Diversity is important, and sometimes a nudge is necessary.  Consent is important, as both lives are ruined without it. Yoga is important, and sometimes if you listen to podcasts while you do it, it changes everything.

I tried to keep my fangirling in check, but that is definitely an occupational hazard in my line of work.