ProducerCA's Blog : March 2009

by producercz
Description: A producer's perspective behind-the-scenes at The Oprah Show
Posts (7)

Smelling the roses

Posted on Mar 30, 2009 4:29 PM

Hi everybody -

If you read my blog from last week you know 3 things:

thing 1) I like mint chip ice cream

thing 2) I like kittens

thing 3) I had a really tough week.

Several of you were surprised this blog isn't a sugar-coated description of life here at Harpo. We do have lots of perks here - no question - but putting on our show sometimes (like last week) was a tough slog. I wanted to write that blog smack dab in the middle of the mud because if you're reading this, I assume you want to know the real deal. Anyway, as I had hoped, the show was great. (We don't have an airdate for it yet - but when we do I'll tell you all about it. The show was about how people live and we profiled three VERY, VERY different lives...one of which I know will be controversial. But one of Oprah's missions - and my team's - is to open our minds to lifestyles different from our own - by seeing what we have IN COMMON. The hope is the more we can see ourselves in others, the less likely we are to criticize or even hate people for being different from us. )

We taped that show last week so now my team is in a bit of a chill mode. ("Chill" being relative.) The production teams generally work in two-week cycles. We get a show topic anywhere from 3 days to more or less two weeks out - and in that time we figure out how we're going to approach a topic and who our dream guests would be.

The first week is the slow one in the cycle - we're coming up with ideas and writing links for oprah.com specific to the guests we're looking for. ("Do you have a messy house? or "Do you have an unusual occupation?" or "Were you once married to a man but fell in love with a woman?" that kind of thing.) If we're not getting a great response on Oprah.com, we'll tap other resources looking for guests. We'll call contacts, support groups, experts, troll the internet, read newspapers and magazines. Then, we dive in and start calling. We'll often talk to dozens - sometimes hundreds - of people looking for the perfect fit. What we're looking for in a guest is pretty simple - someone who is articulate, thoughtful, HONEST, a good talker, with an interesting story. I've been doing this for a long time and I can often tell within 5-10 minutes of talking if I've found someone great. Most producers will tell you the same thing - you'll be on the phone for only a few minutes and - BAM! - you know you've found your Segment One guest. "She's great! Love her! Fantastic!" Before I was in my current job, when I found "the" person, I would run my notes into my producer's office yelling "I've got her! Our segment one guest. Love her. LOVE her!! Gotta book her, gotta book her, GOTTA book her! " and shove my notes under my boss's nose (still need to work on my delivery even now.) The thrill of finding that perfect guest is still there.

Thanks for sticking with me during my last tough week. This one has been great - and I'm back to eating almonds and I'm having a green tea right now...

- Caroline

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Someone Pinch Me!

Posted on Mar 11, 2009 6:20 PM

When I heard we were going to start blogging about the show, I have to tell you I got a little giddy. I think people are so curious about the show and how we put everything together - and I LOVE the fact that I can open a small window and let you all see inside.


OK, so first two questions I get about WHENEVER people hear I work here - "What's Oprah like?" Let's be clear here - we're not exactly hanging out having tea together! I work here - and she's my boss, not my "buddy." BUT she's brilliant, and funny (she cracks herself up a lot), creative and really, really generous.

Second question I get - "What's it like to work there?". The HONEST, HONEST answer (hand on heart) - it's the hardest job I've ever had and it's the best job I've ever had. I remember eight years ago when I moved back to Chicago and got a call-back from The Oprah Show after dropping off my resume (I had worked in TV in NYC for years). I was staying at my parents' house (in the same room I grew up in - stuffed animals and all) and I SQUEALED. I literally squealed...and I think I chirped a little ... and then danced a little jig ... and then I yelled downstairs to my parents - "I just got a callback from The Oprah Friggin' Winfrey Show!!!" Mom: "Great, honey!" Pause. Then my dad turned to my mom when he didn't think I could hear him and said "Wow. Good to see her excited about something for a change." (Guess my being bummed about moving back to my childhood room was more obvious than I thought.)

So here I am, eight years later - and still excited. I still dance jigs in my office (and the senior production assistant on the team cringes and tells me I'm embarrassing myself.) Over the next few months, I hope I can share with you what makes it the most challenging and the best job I've had. Just to get us started - one of the best parts: talking to people I never, ever would have come across if I didn't work here. That goes for Hugh Jackman - (he's even better looking in person and I almost fainted when I went in to his greenroom to introduce myself) as well as the family who talked about what happened when their mom came out as a lesbian. (Stay tuned for THAT show - it was juicy!) I'll log on when I have something I think you'll be interested in ... and I'll log on when I need your help with something. I would love this to become an open dialogue. I'll tell you what's on my mind - and I hope you'll do the same.

That's all for now from my little corner at Harpo. Here's a little toast to new beginnings!

- Caroline

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