HRTS eNews - 06/30/2009 (Plain Text Version)
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Mark ItkinHRTS Member - Co-Head, Worldwide Television, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment
A Member Profile by Chris Davison, chris@lthmedia.com Mark Itkin is Co-Head, Worldwide Television, at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. Mark began his career at the UCLA radio station and has since worked in many areas of the business, from music to law to television. I recently had a chance to interview Mark to discuss Jerry Katzman, Merv Griffin, and beaches.
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 was in drama in high school and then at UCLA I ran the radio station. I knew that my parents were trying to dissuade me from going into the entertainment industry since it is so unpredictable and so at their urging I went to law school and earned a JD. I went into the music business as an attorney and practiced for a few years but I didn’t love it. I took off a year to decide what I wanted to do next and one of my fraternity brothers was Marc Graboff. At that time Marc was in the first mailroom at CAA and then he became an agent so he convinced me to try and become an agent. I interviewed at CAA but they couldn’t believe that a guy who had been a practicing attorney would want to start out in the mailroom. Through another friend I interviewed at William Morris with Jerry Katzman, who was at that time at the head of the TV department. Jerry had been a lawyer so he understood where I was coming from and he hired me into the mailroom. As for the HRTS, Jerry was president for a while and so was Sam Haskell at another time. Gary Loder left and went to Gersh and so Sam appointed me to be on the HRTS Board as a representative for William Morris.
Q: In 1988, what prompted you to travel to London to scout unscripted shows?
Q: How has reality television changed since your first pioneering steps? It is now part of every network and viewer’s television menu, and the networks have permanent schedule slots for unscripted television. The most successful of the formats are probably scripted but there just aren’t as many of them anymore, and there are more of the successful non-scripted shows than before.
Q: The pilot process has taken a lot of flack, is there a more efficient, effective way to demonstrate a new show’s commercial potential?
Q: Talent deals are often less lucrative today than in past years, is that due to the recession or more to structural changes in the industry? both, perhaps? The process is becoming a bit more efficient but it’s a double-edged sword - it’s people taking fewer risks on new ideas and instead taking safer routes, which viewers reject because it doesn’t feel fresh. When networks go out of the box it can become a phenomenon, such as with “American Idol”; they’re formats we have known from the past but done in a new, clever way.
Q: What do you look for when considering a potential new client?
Q: As a WME board member, what is your vision? where would you like to be five years from now?
Q: Anything you would like to add?
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