ABSTRACT
Michael Katleman talks about his first jobs in the film industry, and how he worked his way up from production assistant and “gofer” positions to jobs as a second assistant director and first assistant director. He discusses his work as an AD on the television series China Beach, and how that led to his first directing job. Katleman then talks about how difficult it was to get his second job, on Quantum Leap, and how that experience was different from the assignment on his first show. He explains why he prefers the producer-director role to that of being a journeyman director who jumps from show to show, saying that he likes the deep dive into one particular story that being a producer affords. Katleman then goes in depth into his visual approach to the series Zoo and talks about working with animals and special effects on that show. He explains how he collaborates with directors who are working for him as a producer, and tells what he looks for in the directors that he hires. Katleman finishes by discussing common mistakes he sees directors make, and by examining how the television business has changed since he started.
