MY TV JOURNEY

Week by week the TV53's studio space was being built literally from the groud up in a detoriated space with crews working overtime.  I was given an edict from Bob our Prez.  “You must have severn days of 9AM to Midnight programming by June 1.”  And he made it very clear that this was written in stone - if we didn’t go the air for the summer at our seashore resort home all would probably be lost.  Little by little I hired the production staff as I improvised a I hired away from NJPTV a former (and great help to me) production assistant who was now an Assistant Director.  Frank S. inserted several “political appointees” into the organizational chart - and all had zero TV experience and I inherited his insurance company partner’s daughter - I made her an production assistant and her learning curve was going to be steep. By the way I was going to do these 12+ hour days 7 days a week commuting 140 round trip which took me 1 hour 30 mintues if the wind was right and ...

Where to begin?  That question weighed heavily on me as I made my commute through the pines to the shore.  I had proposed and produced many programs but always had the tools and the crew waiting for my directions.  On my first real workday on my own was at hand - the prep had ended and it was time for me to be the program manager - so I went to work.       My philosophy since high school was "always take my strengths with me!"  What this meant for me was that everything I did was a product of what I had done and learned before and that I should not try to invent but use the tools I already honed.  And so I began like I had many times in the past by breaking down the very complex into its parts.  I made a list of what I needed to produce programs based on how NJPTV was built around me: Production Staff - As our engineer began to solicit technical staff I focused on the creative personnel needs. I produced a press release that focused th...

 Thousands of shows… 18 Documentary films…Live Specials..Network hits and in a wink I was well into my ninth year at NJPTV.  I always had a plan in every job I had - if in 5 years I wasn’t promoted I would move on and promoted myself.  After the first five at the network I was ready to move but to my surprise I was promoted to Senior Producer/Director with an excellent raise in my salary.  Near my tenth anniversary I was ready to start looking but I was elevated to Executive Producer for Cultural affairs.  And so I stayed.  And then one day we got an memo announcing that our Chief Engineer Dan Merlo was leaving to head the technical department of a new commercial UHF station in the revitalized by gambling mecca Atlantic City.  At his going away party I wished him well and he said,  “My new boss  is looking to fill a bunch of production department jobs you should come and check it out.  I’ll get you an appointment with the president.”...

     SHEPHERD'S PIE was and remains my best achievement of my 20 years of telling stories for a living. There were some really hilarious moments, for instance - When a best dressed couple came to the NJPTV studio one evening to have dinner at our fictitious Palm Court Dining Club stands out. With lots of laugh and a bit of chagrin they enjoyed the tour of our set for that segment and I gave them directions to a great nearby restaurant.  The fan letters were amazing too.  People assumed Jean would like having stuff that they thought was worth memorializing (thinking he was the master of nostalgia which he hated) or just plain fun. The best was from a lady that sent a rubber dagger with a note that read, "Dear Mr. Shepherd, Here's another rubber dagger for your collection  as I assume that last one I sent several years ago must have worn out by now!"  We got dozens of letter each day - more than the station would get in a month for all the other shows. ...