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A member profile by Chris Davison, davison@intellcap.com
Francesca Orsi is Manager of Drama Series at HBO. Francesca has worked as an actor, a writer and an executive. I recently had a chance to interview Francesca to discuss graduate school, Tony Soprano, and big love.
Q: Can you tell us about your background? what made you want to work in the entertainment industry?
-in many respects my career in television programming was fairly circuitous. I minored in Theatre while in college and pursued acting professionally for years after graduating however, with minimal financial success I was forced to reevaluate my career path. When I realized it was more the written word on the page than it was expressing those words on a stage that impassioned me, I knew I wanted to eventually work more closely with the fundamental development of stories. I went back to school and earned a graduate degree in Television and Cinema Writing at USC while simultaneously working at Paradigm and William Morris on talent and literary desks, respectively. Both my writing degree and experience working for a literary agent helped me to later obtain a position working for Miranda Heller, former SVP of Drama Series and Co-Head of Original Programming at HBO. Two years later I was promoted at HBO and I’m currently a Manager of Drama Series working in both Current and Development.
Q: As a Manager of Drama Series, what do you do on a daily basis? how does your work interrelate with that of a VP of Drama Series?
-I work very closely with Vice Presidents, Gina Balian and Michael Garcia who also Co-Head the Drama Department. I cover all the current shows they each spearhead such as THE WIRE, BIG LOVE, TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, IN TREATMENT and Alan Ball’s new show, TRUE BLOOD. No day is ever the same but my time typically consists of hearing pitches with my department, taking general meetings with both senior level and up-and-coming writers and directors for staffing and ODA purposes, giving notes on current and development scripts, reviewing cuts, reading and writing coverage on incoming submissions, spearheading website development for our one hour shows and assisting with any multiplatform endeavors or marketing demands. Additionally, I’m constantly reading a variety of material beyond the script format in an effort to unearth a project I can eventually spearhead through the development phase and to a series commitment.
Q: James Gandolfini has won many awards for playing Tony Soprano – what makes that character so compelling?
-many reasons have been attributed to what made Tony Soprano so compelling but what was most resonant for me was how acutely he evoked the complexities and duality of human nature. He might have been a vicious killer but he was equally a man with a moral code who took care of his family and made genuine attempts to take a step forward with every two he took backward. What I ultimately found most compelling by series end was Tony’s existential debate and inner turmoil and how little he changed from when we met him in episode one. The humanity of his arc couldn’t have been more truthful.
Q: You were a JHRTS Board Member, how does the organization integrate with the HRTS? what value did you get by coming up through the JHRTS?
-when I was a member, HRTS was instrumental in ensuring that many of JHRTS’ goals were successfully met. Several productive and highly rewarding JHRTS lectures with industry professionals, for instance, were facilitated with the help of HRTS members. Our annual holiday parties, in which we raised a significant amount for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, were prosperous given the support of the senior organization. We were also frequently invited to the HRTS Newsmaker Luncheons which were very informative and yet another opportunity for us to grow both as independent professionals and as an esteemed association. Being on the board of JHRTS allowed me to forge enduring relationships with my peers, many of whom have gone on to be successful executives, agents and writers and whom I continue to collaborate with today.
Q: What’s the best part about working in Hollywood?
-what I appreciate most about Hollywood is the opportunity I’ve had to work at HBO. Having had mindless jobs at various points in my life, it has been deeply rewarding and, often times, humbling to collaborate with Carolyn Strauss and her team of executives who are as profoundly intelligent and insightful as they are ferociously funny. This sounds terribly clichéd, but I learn something new from at least one of them every day. Overall, I’m just very proud to work for an organization that demands commercially viable, entertaining programming but never at the expense of richly woven, thought-provoking, moving stories.
Q: What is the worst part about working in Hollywood?
-as a happily married woman working in a competitive industry and who eventually wants to have a family I tend to grow irritated when I hear the popular expression “you can have it all, you just can’t have it all at once.” Call it hubris, but I hope to circumvent the adage and complete my picture of a truly rewarding life, and that for me is to be a mother in the years to come yet maintain the level of happiness I’ve achieved in my job and in my marriage.
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