4 ms·

I don't think people with no knowledge of entertainment productions typically "transition" into the highest position orchestrating the use of many millions of d

I don't think people with no knowledge of entertainment productions typically "transition" into the highest position orchestrating the use of many millions of dollars and hundreds of people.

CalChris 4y ago
No, Hollywood attracts talent broadly. You'll still serve an apprenticeship, reading scripts, ..., but my anecdote is walking across the parking lot on the way to a meeting at Paramount and seeing a US Naval Academy license plate frame.
- CyberDildonics 4y ago
  No, I don't think transitioning to an entry level position is the same as 'transitioning' to the highest possible position. That's like someone asking if they can 'transition' to being the CEO of a nationally known company.
tough 4y ago
If the millions are yours you can certainly do as you wish with them tho.
- dylan604 4y ago
  the old adage in show business was to never spend your own money. with the plethora of streaming options, that has been turned on its head. look at all of the shows where the lead talent is also an executive producer (the ones that write the checks).
  - rtsil 4y ago
    Most of these are either vanity credits, or just a way for the star to participate in the profits beyond salary and royalties.
    - dylan604 4y ago
      Or you have a project that as an actor you really want to perform a certain role so you show your commitment by putting up some money to get the project rolling. One of the common ways for financing media projects is where someone is willing to match someone else's contribution. The slimey parts come in when the original funding that is matched is guaranteed to be paid back first before others are paid, but that's not unique to the film industry
    - yamtaddle 4y ago
      I assume this is why everydamnthing has like 20 producers now.
  - klodolph 4y ago
    Writes the checks ≠ spending your own money. The executive producer is in some senses a liaison between the people providing the money and the people spending the money. I may be mixing this up. I know that “producer” and “executive producer” are somewhat different roles depending on whether you’re doing TV or film.
    - CalChris 4y ago
      Studio = Yale Investment Office, limited partner Producer = VC, general partner leading a funding Writer = Startup CTO, founder Director = Startup CEO It's a little different because studios greenlight and producers generally don't. But there are a lot more startups than movies or tv shows. Well, maybe studios don't greenlight development deals (seed startups).
      - dylan604 4y ago
        Depending on the studio, they can be much more than a limited partner. They can be providing the facilities to office out of for pre-production and development, the actual production work using their soundstages and other properties, and to do post-production.
      - gamblor956 4y ago
        No, sorry, you have it all wrong. Investors = Investors Studio = VC, etc. Executive Producer = CEO, COO, CLO, anybody with decision-making power Lead Writer = lead designer, i.e., the Johnny Ives Writer = designer Director = project manager or product manager Producer = the weird old guy who let you use their house during your ramen phase, that investor who thinks he cofounded your startup because he gave you a bunch of money, the salesperson who landed the really big client and was given the recognition for it
        dylan604 4y ago
        Wow, I think this is probably one of those things trying to be funny but just isn't. Maybe you're just totally misguided on what a producer does, which may be the joke you're trying to make that nobody knows what a producer does. The producer would be closer to the president of the board while the director would be the CEO. The producer and director work closely to get the project off the ground, with the director have say on who is hired for the key roles (the lead person for each craft). These keys then can staff out around them and the director rarely interferes unless there's just something personal going on. Who the creator/founder equivalent is really differs between projects. Sometimes, the producer has the idea and staffs around it. Sometimes, the director has the idea and also acts as a producer or just staffs the producer out to someone. Sometimes, it's the studio's idea and staffs everything out.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
swatcoder 4y ago
Nah, I don't know specific examples that satisfy the OP's original question, but writing for entertainment (and showrunning as a management-level tier of that track) is just a career transition like any other. People who've had one professional career and been grinding on their writing on the side absolutely make the leap and move their way up. Often, their break comes from writing from their expertise. If you dig through shows about medicine, law, policing, etc etc, you'll often find several writers who were worked in those fields. Not every writer was a barista until they made their break. Some of them were indeed lawyers and engineers.
- CyberDildonics 4y ago
  This sounds like you are talking about people transitioning to being a writer, not a show runner. That's like someone saying "has anyone transitioned to running cartoon network?" and someone else saying "people have transitioned to being an animator, which is almost the same thing".
  - swatcoder 4y ago
    No, there are many showrunners. It’s essentially just a management-like writing position for any of the thousands of scripted programs that produced each year. It’s an achievement to be proud of, just like being a partner at a law firm or an mid-high position at a high-profile FAANG, but it’s not as rarified as you seem to think.
    - CyberDildonics 4y ago
      No, it can't be a middle management position if you're the one in charge of the entire project. Also no, people don't transition from middle management in one industry to the top position of another industry.
      - swatcoder 4y ago
        They’re not in charge of the project any more than any other project/product manager. Somebody else is still making final go and stop decisions on their projects, setting their budget, demanding stupid details, etc. They’re just in charge of wrangling some of the creative and production processes and get to take credit for the overall creative vision of the project (or blame their execs/peers/staff if they’re unhappy with it). Literally the same as in any other industry. I don’t know why I keep replying, but any reasonably social 40+ adult who had lived in SoCal personally knows showrunners as well as people in most other roles in the industry. Some have even held some of those roles! This isn’t some made up basement-dwelled bs that I’m sharing with you; this is actual ground knowledge.

I don't think people with no knowledge of entertainment productions typically "transition" into the highest position orchestrating the use of many millions of dollars and hundreds of people.

CalChris 4y ago

No, Hollywood attracts talent broadly. You'll still serve an apprenticeship, reading scripts, ..., but my anecdote is walking across the parking lot on the way to a meeting at Paramount and seeing a US Naval Academy license plate frame.

CyberDildonics 4y ago
No, I don't think transitioning to an entry level position is the same as 'transitioning' to the highest possible position. That's like someone asking if they can 'transition' to being the CEO of a nationally known company.

tough 4y ago

If the millions are yours you can certainly do as you wish with them tho.

dylan604 4y ago
the old adage in show business was to never spend your own money. with the plethora of streaming options, that has been turned on its head. look at all of the shows where the lead talent is also an executive producer (the ones that write the checks).
- rtsil 4y ago
  Most of these are either vanity credits, or just a way for the star to participate in the profits beyond salary and royalties.
  - dylan604 4y ago
    Or you have a project that as an actor you really want to perform a certain role so you show your commitment by putting up some money to get the project rolling. One of the common ways for financing media projects is where someone is willing to match someone else's contribution. The slimey parts come in when the original funding that is matched is guaranteed to be paid back first before others are paid, but that's not unique to the film industry
  - yamtaddle 4y ago
    I assume this is why everydamnthing has like 20 producers now.
- klodolph 4y ago
  Writes the checks ≠ spending your own money. The executive producer is in some senses a liaison between the people providing the money and the people spending the money. I may be mixing this up. I know that “producer” and “executive producer” are somewhat different roles depending on whether you’re doing TV or film.
  - CalChris 4y ago
    Studio = Yale Investment Office, limited partner Producer = VC, general partner leading a funding Writer = Startup CTO, founder Director = Startup CEO It's a little different because studios greenlight and producers generally don't. But there are a lot more startups than movies or tv shows. Well, maybe studios don't greenlight development deals (seed startups).
    - dylan604 4y ago
      Depending on the studio, they can be much more than a limited partner. They can be providing the facilities to office out of for pre-production and development, the actual production work using their soundstages and other properties, and to do post-production.
    - gamblor956 4y ago
      No, sorry, you have it all wrong. Investors = Investors Studio = VC, etc. Executive Producer = CEO, COO, CLO, anybody with decision-making power Lead Writer = lead designer, i.e., the Johnny Ives Writer = designer Director = project manager or product manager Producer = the weird old guy who let you use their house during your ramen phase, that investor who thinks he cofounded your startup because he gave you a bunch of money, the salesperson who landed the really big client and was given the recognition for it
      - dylan604 4y ago
        Wow, I think this is probably one of those things trying to be funny but just isn't. Maybe you're just totally misguided on what a producer does, which may be the joke you're trying to make that nobody knows what a producer does. The producer would be closer to the president of the board while the director would be the CEO. The producer and director work closely to get the project off the ground, with the director have say on who is hired for the key roles (the lead person for each craft). These keys then can staff out around them and the director rarely interferes unless there's just something personal going on. Who the creator/founder equivalent is really differs between projects. Sometimes, the producer has the idea and staffs around it. Sometimes, the director has the idea and also acts as a producer or just staffs the producer out to someone. Sometimes, it's the studio's idea and staffs everything out.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

swatcoder 4y ago

Nah, I don't know specific examples that satisfy the OP's original question, but writing for entertainment (and showrunning as a management-level tier of that track) is just a career transition like any other. People who've had one professional career and been grinding on their writing on the side absolutely make the leap and move their way up. Often, their break comes from writing from their expertise. If you dig through shows about medicine, law, policing, etc etc, you'll often find several writers who were worked in those fields. Not every writer was a barista until they made their break. Some of them were indeed lawyers and engineers.

CyberDildonics 4y ago
This sounds like you are talking about people transitioning to being a writer, not a show runner. That's like someone saying "has anyone transitioned to running cartoon network?" and someone else saying "people have transitioned to being an animator, which is almost the same thing".
- swatcoder 4y ago
  No, there are many showrunners. It’s essentially just a management-like writing position for any of the thousands of scripted programs that produced each year. It’s an achievement to be proud of, just like being a partner at a law firm or an mid-high position at a high-profile FAANG, but it’s not as rarified as you seem to think.
  - CyberDildonics 4y ago
    No, it can't be a middle management position if you're the one in charge of the entire project. Also no, people don't transition from middle management in one industry to the top position of another industry.
    - swatcoder 4y ago
      They’re not in charge of the project any more than any other project/product manager. Somebody else is still making final go and stop decisions on their projects, setting their budget, demanding stupid details, etc. They’re just in charge of wrangling some of the creative and production processes and get to take credit for the overall creative vision of the project (or blame their execs/peers/staff if they’re unhappy with it). Literally the same as in any other industry. I don’t know why I keep replying, but any reasonably social 40+ adult who had lived in SoCal personally knows showrunners as well as people in most other roles in the industry. Some have even held some of those roles! This isn’t some made up basement-dwelled bs that I’m sharing with you; this is actual ground knowledge.