First off, what projects if any are you working on now?
Not to be a downer but I have retired now. I’m doing a lot of mentoring for kids trying to get into the business – so I stay active that way.
I’m also doing a lot of golfing and travelling. I did my last sitcom after Covid but everyone was still in masks and gowns – it’s hard to be funny that way. You can’t see expressions and there’s no audience. So after 35 years in L.A. I moved back to Pittsburgh with my family. I don’t know what’s in store for me now – some get bored in retirement and some stay active. I’m somewhere in-between, trying to figure out what to do next.
How did you get started in the TV production business – what captivated you and where/how did it begin?
My father was Lloyd Kaiser – he was the former president of WQED. I used to go with him to watch the taping of Mr. Rogers – he was so friendly to a kid like me. He would look you in the eyes and ask how you were doing and what I thought of this. He’d let me mess with the cameras and studio equipment. I used to beg my dad to go to the studio and watch. I got hooked when I was eight. We’d go to California for studio tours at times – little did I know I was driving by buildings I’d later have an office in!
I was a running back at Oakmont and at Westminster College. I got Telecommunications major and knew and some point I needed to move to the West Coast to work.
How would you define the job of a TV producer?
You’re really like the manager of a baseball team, with some GM mixed in.
I’d break down pilots – what they’d cost and then get writers in a room with punch-up people to create a writing room for the show. I’d add cinematographers and was the liason between the show and network. I worked on every aspect, from the script to the editing room to making sure the show got on the air with a network. Then as shows got big and actors got more famous I’d work on the negotiations with the actors and their agents.
Who were some of the mentors and how did they impact your career?
I started off in Kentucky for two years then decided I needed to go to Hollywood next. My dream was to work in the number one sitcom. I took my wife and cat in or beat-up car and went to Hollywood. Two years later, at 24, we had the number one show with Seinfeld. It was a dream come true.
I went into it not knowing anything. This mic is called what? At Westminster I learned a little about everything. I got hired on the set of Mary Tyler Moore and picked the brains of the different producers on the lot. I’d knock on doors and asked to speak with them and filled legal pads of notes. I was faking it until I made it.
I was supposed to tell Mary Tyler Moore what to do but I had no idea then what to do. I took a sound guy for lunch and asked him questions. After about five or six shows I felt like I had bene doing it for years. You don’t get there on your own. You make friends along the way that open doors for you, and you then open doors for others.
Growing up in Pittsburgh – how did the city influence you as a person and producer?
People there are humble and proud and are hard workers. They believe that you get what you put into it. When I was living on the West Coast people there were more flashy and had bigger egos. People would tell me they knew I wasn’t from around there – that I didn’t have an ego and wasn’t pushy. That I didn’t get jobs by climbing over others.
I’m proud of the city. After I won a few Emmy’s and told people I was moving back to Pittsburgh, they told me there was no way I’d leave L.A. But when my kids were old enough to make the adjustment to move back, we moved back to the North Hills. We got out of L.A. and we love it here. People ask me if my kids hate me for taking my kids out of L.A. but they don’t – they love it here.
It’s a testament to the city that I moved back from L.A. Not many people leave L.A. to go back to their hometown.
You’ve produced some of the biggest shows on TV from Seinfeld and (Bleep) Things My Dad Say to Will & Grace. How do you choose what shows to work on – what goes into that for you and why comedies?
I wanted to do sitcoms from day one. I wanted to do work in front of a live audience. One week to prepare then your live in front of 200 people. Going through that process all week and feeling that adrenaline flowing – that’s a great way to cap a long production that builds into an exciting night.
We laugh all week long. That was the goal – funny is the money! Day one Jerry Seinfeld said “We’re here for the laughs. The minute we lose that focus, we’re done!”
After Seinfeld you get a lot of next chances – so then it’s a matter of deciding what creators you really want to spend time with and what you think the chances are of the sow making it.
What were some of the biggest hurdles/innovative things you had to accomplish for a show?
Ratings are everything, and when ratings drop networks notice. Sometimes when that happens shows introduce new characters to get ratings up. On Will & Grace when ratings fell the network said we had to do something. So I started working on guest stars. We went and enticed heavyweight A-listers to do the show – back then they didn’t do that kind of thing. Sean Hayes played on a softball team with Matt Damon, so I went to a game and pitched Matt on the idea. He said “Yeah!”. I called his agent and his agent snuffed it until I told him to talk to Matt – that he was a go.
The first big one was Cher – that made the cover of magazines. That blew up. I reached out to Madonna – I knew she loved White English Roses so I kept sending her some with funny notes. Her agent called me and asked me why I was sending her flowers and I told them I wanted her on the show! After a while people were pitching us to be on the show – people like Gene Wilder! The list was long. No show had done it like this before.
After a while the cast got upset – they didn’t love it. They felt like “Hey, we’re here too!” We had others – Brittany Spears, Janet Jackson … the advertisers really liked that.
You produced some iconic episodes like “The Soup Nazi” and Steinbrenner on Seinfeld, and Madonna, Cher, Michael Douglas, Elton John and Matt Damon and many others on Will & Grace. How do you recognize what is going to work in a show to make it successful? How much do you rely on focus groups and how much is “gut”?
It boils down to the writing room. You need the right writers in the right combinations. It’s either a cheesy 80s sitcom or something more sophisticated and you need different writers for different palates. Having an interesting story while still being funny is a real challenge. Some writers are story people and some are there to be the funnier ones that punch up the jokes. Lots of shows have people they pay to come in and add one-liners as they are shooting, if they see the jokes are falling flat and the audience isn’t responding.
One of the most popular episodes ever of Seinfeld is the one where Jerry forgets his date’s name. It was supposed to rhyme with a body part – well you can imagine some of the ideas there. Well when we were shooting in front of the audience we tried a number of different names and they all fell flat. Well, not a lot of people know this. Then, an audience member yelled “Deloris! Usually we kick someone out if they yell like that. But the writers all fell on the floor laughing! That was one of the biggest Seinfeld episodes ever!
Did you compensate the audience member?
It’s funny – I know you’re joking but some producers are too egotistical and wouldn’t accept anyone else’s idea! But I don’t care where an idea comes from – I don’t care if it comes from under s manhole. It’s just about being funny. Jerry ended up shaking his hand and we gave him a basket of swag!
What are some of the funniest or most poignant behind the scenes moments for you – and why?
I had an interview early in my career for a sitcom – an Uncle Buck spinoff – and got the job. It was 13 episodes – that was six months of work. That was hard to come by. Then a friend of mine called and said that there was this Steinfeld guy doing a show and I should go and talk to them. No one really knew who Seinfeld was at the time.
Well, I went and spoke to Larry David and Jerry – they knew nothing about TV. When they described the show they started arguing with one another. Jerry was talking about what the show was about and Larry was getting angry, telling me the show was about “Nothing”. Just stupid things that happen. Larry finally stormed out. But I thought the whole thing was hysterical.
I went back and prayed with my wife. This was just a one-show pilot – not 13 episodes. But I took the job and we shot it in the bowels of an old building for practically no money. I rolled the dice. But I got nine years of work out of that and it was the turning point in my career. Professionally it was the best decision I ever made.
You’re also a huge music fan and do work in the music industry as well correct? Is that still going on?
I took a break after Will & Grace and before Two Broke Girls. I did a documentary called Rock Prophecies about photographer Roger Knight. After that the father for Tyler Bryant called me and asked if I manage his kid. I was a huge music fan – I said yes and moved him to Nashville – he was 17 at the time. He has since toured with AC/DC, Heart and other big bands.
Lastly – are you a sports fan? I know you were a good running back and played in the WPIAL and at Westminster. Any of your sports experience and interest find its way into your work?
I always tried to add sports and music into scripts when I could. We had Elton Brand and Kareem Abdul Jabbar on Boston Commons. George Steinbrenner and Keith Hernandez were on Seinfeld. One story on Steinbrenner – we actually had to fire him, he was so bad. We couldn’t use any of his stuff.
We ended up bringing in a look-a-like and shot him from behind and had him stand still – Larry dubbed his voice. It would have embarrassed him to use him. He was not thrilled when I told him, but the show was huge and the Yankees were everywhere because of it.
Of course – Will & Grace wasn’t good for sports figures – it didn’t lean into it as well.
Any good Pittsburgh-sports stories/experiences to share?
Well, I’m on the board of the Clemente Musuem. I was there when he got his 3,000th hit. I am obsessed with him – my dad wasn’t a big sports fan but my mother and I would go see 40 games a year. We went the last couple of days to see him get 3,000. The next to last game he didn’t play. The last day we saw him get his 3,000th hit. I still have the ticket. Everyone says they were there when he got his hit but there were only 12,000 people there that day!
I was also there when Tony Dorsett had that big game against Notre Dame. I’m still a frustrated Pirates fan – they need to sell the team. And I’m a big Steelers fan to and am hoping for better days!