It's sink or swim for ex-exex
Trick is to sidestep traps of prod'n deals while taking the indie route
For most execs eased out of their chair after a long career, that usually means securing a sweet production deal somewhere within the company they just left.
Indeed, both Stu Bloomberg (who departed ABC as entertainment TV group co-chair) and Kerry McCluggage (who left Paramount TV as chairman) are expected to remain with their longtime employers, segueing into roles as indie producers.
Still, both ex-execs are aware that the TV biz is littered with development deals that wound up being little more than financial cushions.
Golden parachutes disguised as production pacts usually don't amount to much. It's not until ex-execs make a break from their old stomping grounds that they're able to carve a fresh start.
"If you look at deals where someone went from executive into production deals at the same organization, historically, those don't seem to work," admits former NBC Entertainment prexy Warren Littlefield.
After all, it's lower-profile execs -- who more often voluntarily leave the exec ranks -- that generally encounter more success as indie producers.
Ex-Fox exec Bob Greenblatt and ex-WB exec David Janollari, for example, have landed a slew of series as the Greenblatt-Janollari Studio.
Former WB Entertainment prexy Susanne Daniels, meanwhile, is off to a strong start under her new production deal at Turner. Her untitled company, which she runs with partner Kate Juergens, has a number of pilots in the works at the WB, including a new take on "The Lone Ranger."
Nonetheless, it's hard for former top execs to pass up that initial production offer.
"There's a false sense of security," says former Universal TV prexy Tom Thayer. "To some extent, being in the same sandbox for that long of time can hurt you."
When Littlefield cleared his office to make way for Scott Sassa in 1998, he initially hung his Littlefield Co. shingle at NBC Studios.
"I continued to be an NBC and GE employee, and that was financially very attractive because of compensation and stock," he says. "It provided a very good transition for where I am today."
But the former Peacock programmer encountered more than a few bumps while stationed at NBC Studios. His deal there yielded pilots at Fox and NBC, but no series.
"Part of it was you just had a massive management shift over there at NBC," he says. "In all that chaos, it just wasn't a place that ended up being all that fruitful for me."
When his NBC deal expired, Littlefield moved over to Par where he has two pilots in play this season.
The same was true for Thayer, who signed a three-year deal at the studio for his Traveler's Rest shingle after leaving the top job. But it wasn't until going fully independent that Thayer found his way; since then, he's produced projects such as A&E's "The Great Gatsby" and Sci Fi's upcoming "Firestarter."
Former WB TV prexy Tony Jonas went through a similar transition period.
"There is clearly in our town this stereotyping that takes place," Jonas says. "No matter if you're a writer, producer or business affairs exec, what you're known for is what has been your past. When you get into the real world, your resume starts at zero."
Execs who stick around with production deals must also then interact with the people who took over their old job and the company that made the change -- a potentially sticky situation.
"In the first year there was a sense of awkwardness," Jonas says. "I wasn't quite sure in trying to establish an identity for this company whether it was important to make sure we didn't do a co-production (with WB TV) or if it was a good thing to start with as many co-prods as possible."
Jonas wound up setting his Tony Jonas Prods. shingle within AOL TW but outside WB TV. That gave Jonas more independence yet a chance to interact with the same staff he'd worked with for 11 years.
"I've been able to do the kind of deals with Showtime that WB TV might not have been able to make," says Jonas, who exec produces "Queer as Folk."
As for Littlefield, he says his move to Par sent a signal to the industry.
"The change of stepping away, going somewhere else has been a healthy and good one," Littlefield says. "Everybody responded to the move to Par. They really felt, 'OK, he hasn't chosen to retire. He really wants to pursue this.' "
After all, some industry players simply have a hard time believing that these former honchos are serious about setting up shop.
"It's important to establish what your ethic is," says Littlefield. "I'm tremendously turned on by this next chapter in my life. I haven't taken up golf."
