Martini Shot: The 'Produced-By' Guy
theankler.com
Nov 2, 2022 • 14M
Martini Shot: The 'Produced-By' Guy
Rob Long remembers an unsung hero of TV sitcoms
Appears in this episode
Rob Long
When you’re filming a movie or a television show, when it’s the last shot of the day, the first assistant director will call out, “This is the Martini Shot!” I call these stories “Martini Shots” because they’re exactly the kinds of stories we tell — and lessons we learn — after we’ve wrapped for the day. - Rob Long
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When Rob’s credit card was declined this week, he hopped on the phone with card security, and then — thanks to the sober reality check — decided he didn’t really need to buy that expensive toy. And thus, the benefit of “a service that interrupts you while you're in the process of buying something expensive and unnecessary.” On a set, that’s known as the line producer. And today, Rob pays tribute to one of the best, Steve Grossman, a 35-year industry veteran (Newhart, Hope & Gloria, George and Leo, Love & Money, Lateline) who was the secret weapon for sitcom success — and to whom the industry recently bid farewell.
Martini Shot: The 'Produced-By' Guy
That was really lovely. Line Producing can be a very polarizing job, and yet I've never heard anyone express an unkind thought about Steve Grossman. His legacy is greater than the dozens of great television shows he Produced, but the many coworkers whose careers he promoted, and who were influenced by his kindness and professionalism. My condolences to his friends and family.
line producers are the unacknowledged (by the general viewing public) heroes of the production world. They are your hand holders, your slave drivers, your geniuses who make things happen when they told you they couldn’t —because they actually lied to you a little and saved a bit of extra money in the budget because they thought you would need it for just this thing… I’m sorry I never worked with him. I’ll bet he was the best. Condolences to his family and all who knew him: