Project Category: Network Television, Documentary
About: American Greed is a long-running CNBC docu-series that details American financial crimes.
Position: Production Assistant
At Bill Kurtis Productions we worked on small teams, and as a production assistant I wore many hats . For six episodes across two series, I was responsible for in-depth research of episode topics, participant outreach including incarcerated individuals, props and set sourcing, location scouting, travel and crew booking, and re-creation casting. In post, I worked with the producer to edit the script, fact check, and offer discreet observations in final cut screenings to ensure compliance with legal and network requirements. This was a foundational experience in my career, and it set the tone for my journalistic approach.
Production Secret: Story over ego.
For some participants of the show, discussing the crimes of their loved ones can be an emotional process that requires a lot of trust. During filming for a key interview, the producer noticed that our participant kept looking to me after answering questions. She realized that the interviewee was simply more comfortable with me after all of our communications during the booking process. So, the producer handed me her interview notes and we traded places. This type of teamwork and humility is important in the documentary format, and the episode benefitted greatly from it. With the nervous participant finally at ease, we were able to capture the beats we needed for the story. The ability to read your subject with this amount of clarity is important, and I learned a great lesson from our seasoned producer that day.
