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 A member profile by Chris Davison, chris@lthmedia.com
Kelly Goode is Senior Vice President, Programming at GSN. Kelly began her career as an intern and has since worked in many areas of the business, from development to programming to production. I recently had a chance to interview Kelly to discuss storytelling, interactivity and women in sparkly bikinis.
Q: Can you tell us about your background and what made you want to work in entertainment?
how did you get involved with the HRTS?
-I started out as an intern in the current programs department at Columbia Pictures Television when Herman Rush and Barbara Corday were there. I found out later that I got the internship because I happened to be the first one to follow up on the opening! I had always been interested in entertainment, but I really didn’t know much about the variety of jobs that existed in television. It was back then at Columbia that I first heard about the HRTS, but interns were too low in the pecking order to get an invitation to any of the lunches. It was only later, when I was SVP of original Programming at Lifetime that I was asked to be on the HRTS board.
Q: You worked in scripted at CBS and Lifetime, what are some of the similarities and differences
with unscripted in terms of development, scheduling, etc?
-I actually think there are more similarities. Great television is always about storytelling and personalities, so the best scripted or non-scripted shows deliver in both areas. A great game show or reality series simply uses story in a different way than scripted and highlights different kinds of personalities. And in both areas, you rely on the expertise of a terrific show-runner to really deliver on the execution of idea. In terms of scheduling, I don’t know that there are any secrets. In cable, whether it’s a scripted or non-scripted show, you want to find ways to market your show effectively and make sure you have enough runs so that the maximum audience finds your show.
Q: What’s the most interesting concept you’ve ever heard for a game show?
-one of the things I enjoy most about being in my job is seeing the variety of game show formats from around the globe. I especially like the Italian formats—they’re crazy and over the top. Invariably there’s a point in the show where a woman in a sparkly bikini comes out for no real reason.
Q: In what ways does GSN offer viewers an interactive experience?
-GSN offers a whole variety of ways for viewers to participate. We have a daily live show, GSN Live, where viewers can call in, we have a variety of online games associated with our series. We also have Bingo Blitz, where viewers can pick numbers online and win cash.
Q: Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
-right here at GSN!
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