Transcript: Season 4, Episode 4
Traci Blackwell
Georgette Pierre:
What does it mean to make it big? Well, it depends on who you ask and we did. Welcome to Making It Big in 30 Minutes, a podcast for, by and about, the Emerson community. You're about to meet an Emersonian, who's making it. Making a living, making a difference and sometimes, making it up as they go. I'm your host and alum, Georgette Pierre. If you like what you hear, subscribe and share with your friends and meet me and other Emersonians over on Emerge, the only digital platform exclusive to the Emerson community. Go to emerge.emerson.edu for more.
Traci Blackwell is a creative executive working in scripted television. Her career began at UPN, working on the production of sitcoms, like The Parkers and Moesha. She rolls up the ranks and eventually became the Senior Vice President of Current Programs for the CW Network, where she oversaw creative production of shows, including Jane The Virgin, The Carrie Diaries, One Tree Hill, 90210 and Everybody Hates Chris. She later let her talents of ICOM CVS and it's streaming service, BET+, working on development, casting and ongoing production elements of their scripted series.
But the work of a creative executive is never a straight path. As two Black women navigating this industry, we also got real about some of the challenges that we continue to face and how Tracy continued to rise above it all. I'm excited for you to hear the magic yourself. I give you Traci Blackwell on making it as a scripted television executive. Hi Traci.
Traci Blackwell:
Hi. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
Georgette Pierre:
Oh, I'm so glad. I'm so glad. How do you explain what you do to people, right? I know I live in this world with you as far as TV production is concerned, but when someone hears, "I am a scripted television executive," or that is in your title, what does that even mean?
Traci Blackwell:
I'm actually really glad that you asked me that because I think a lot of people, they hear these titles and they're like, "What the heck does that mean? What does current programming mean? What does development mean?" So I'm really glad you asked me that, because I think, particularly students or people coming up in the business who are interested in entertainment and scripted entertainment, have no idea that some of these jobs actually exist. So the quick version of how I'd like to describe it, is development is the process of basically creating the idea for the show. So a writer will typically come in, either independently or through a studio, and you have to remember studios or buyers, networks are... I'm sorry. Studios are sellers, networks are buyers and distributors. Typically, writers come to platforms or networks. A lot of times they're called platforms now, because we have streaming services and not just traditional broadcasted cable networks, to pitch their ideas, to potentially sell a show to that network or platform.
If they're lucky enough to have it bought, they go through a process that we call development, and they're developing that idea into a potential scripted show. If it all goes well, the show gets picked up to pilot, you shoot a pilot, it goes to series, if you're lucky enough to get a series on the air, and that's really the development process. It goes from the actual pitching of the... The inception of the idea, the pitching of the idea, through the pilot, or sometimes it goes straight to series. That is what we call development.
Current programming is the part that actually happens after that, because once a show become a series, it has to have that management of day to day, and it typically shifts, we say, down the hall, to the current programming department, which is what I did for years. So we like to say, "Do the development department basically, they get impregnated with the idea, the gestation process happens, they birth the baby and then they give it up to adoption. Give it up for adoption to the current programming department."
Now we will tell you that a lot of networks and platforms now actually merge these two departments, so the people who develop the project also stay with the project in terms of the current programming. Some networks and studios have them completely separate, so it really just depends on the place, but basically current programming is the day to day, I saw the raising of the child. Once this project is been given up for adoption to the current programming department, it's just the day to day. They hear all the pitches for episodes. They're the ones who get all of the stories. They're the ones who get all the scripts. They're the ones who get all the rough cuts and they basically manage the day to day of scripted series.
That's what I did for 14 years at the CW. It was literally my dream job because you get to work with actors, show runners, writers, directors, every single day. You get to hire writers, you get to hire directors. You basically get to be... You're like ground zero for a show and you get assigned a certain number of shows, and so I've had the blessing of working day to day on all of the shows and many more that you've already mentioned. It's amazing because you get to break directors, you get to break writers. To actually have been, to have worked on eight years of Girlfriends, three years of The Game. I probably did 10 or 11 of the 15 seasons of Supernatural. All five seasons of Jane The Virgin. All the seasons of Everybody Hates Chris. Eight years of Vampire Diaries. Five years of The Originals.
I mean, I've worked on some of the most amazing shows. Four years of Supergirl. I mean just really, really wonderful series, and you don't have to leave it. And the great thing about current programming is in the network space, if a show gets canceled, you don't lose your job. You just get assigned another show, and an executive probably gets assigned anywhere, depending on the platform, between five and eight shows a piece. And so you really get to work on a real wide range of series, whether they be dramas or comedies.
Georgette Pierre:
When people hear all these fun shows that you worked on. A lot of times, they don't actually see the process and the things that you're working on day to day, or any of the challenges. Explain some of the challenges of seeing a show from its inception to us seeing it on screen, right? Now it's sitting in your department, but what are some of the things that could potentially come up that you had to navigate through as you were coming up in that space in your career?
Traci Blackwell:
Well, I mean, I think obviously the challenge of working day to day on series is just making sure the show stays strong creatively, not just throughout the process of the season, but from season to season. So it used to be, back in the day, as I like to call it, that the goal for any series was to get to a hundred episodes, because of syndication. Because networks basically operate, they get a lot of their revenue on most of their broadcast networks from advertising. But studios, since they are the sellers of the show, often operate in the deficit until they can begin to make money on the show, and a lot of times that doesn't happen for years. One of the ways they generate a lot of income is through, is through syndication, because what happens is a network will basically license a show, it's almost like you're renting it for a certain period of time, and after that period is over, the majority of the revenue goes back to the studio. So it's really in everyone's best interest that the show stay on as many seasons as possible.
Now some of that has changed because we have different models for creating shows, different models for revenue. Now we have a lot of what people call, limited series, so it literally is the intention for a show to only go a certain number of episodes, and then that's really the end of the story. It's created that way. But for a lot of shows, particularly shows that went on to be huge successes, like a Girlfriends, like a Friends. I mean, shows like that, that went on for seasons and seasons and seasons, they made so much money for the studios and, often time, for the actors and all the creatives involved in syndication.
Now things are a little changed because it's just different. They had to come up with different models and different ways of making money with content, and now, because content is king, you can literally create a show and its intention is to only go for 10 episodes, and that's really just the end of the story, as opposed to it going on for a hundred episodes. It's best for the creator that you just end it that way, that you don't try to push it beyond what it was really intended to be.
Best case scenario, particularly in the broadcast world, creating shows that can go for many seasons really is the goal. Creatively, keeping a show strong is your number one priority, but also, there's all kinds of things that come up. Keeping a writing staff that's stable, because sometimes writers come and go. Sometimes showrunners come and go. Being able to hire quality directors year to year, the CW had one of the distinctions of breaking new writers and directors. Very, very proud of the number of female directors we broke at the CW, and directors of color that we broke at the CW, and showrunners too, that have gone on to do some of the biggest shows on television. Who, after the first couple of seasons, we had trouble hiring back, because they became so popular on other platforms- [crosstalk 00:10:23].
Georgette Pierre:
Not a bad problem to have.
Traci Blackwell:
But at the same time, having the distinction of being part of the village that helped turn those creatives into superstars is really wonderful. But being able to keep that stable of people sometimes is difficult. Also, by the way, there's always... Managing the show day to day, there's all kinds of fires that come up. You have fires on set, you have fires with show runners that you have to put out, there are all kinds of creative things that come up. Sometimes creatively, you get a series arc for the season that may not be as strong as you want it to be, and everybody has to band together to go back sometimes and regroup on episodes, or the arc of the season, or certain characters that we feel like we want to make stronger, and it's a collaborative process. Network executives should ever take credit for the writing on a show. It's the writers and the show runners and the producers that make that magic, but we all work as a team to make the best and strongest show possible.
Georgette Pierre:
I love that. No, it's inspiring me too. Helps with the clarity on not knowing what that looks like, right? We're usually on the outside looking in, thinking it's like, "Oh, I could do that." Or, "I can get in that way," but just to hear that it's no different than managing the day to day of like another type of corporation in another industry. I think it just, it feels different because it's TV, but it's still a business.
Traci Blackwell:
It's still a business. It's still people, it's still personalities. It's still managing up to bosses. It's still, "Are we spending our money properly? Is this the best possible team we can hire to do this project?" I mean, it's all of those things that I think are common in business.
Georgette Pierre:
Right. Absolutely. Now I know for us being Black women and just even people of color in this industry and any industry comes with some level of self-doubt at times, not all the time. Have you ever dealt with imposter syndrome or something similar, and if you did, how did you navigate through it?
Traci Blackwell:
I think that one of the unique, or maybe not so unique depending on who you talk to, aspects of my career is that I started, and this is always one of the messages that I give to the students that I'm mentoring, I started at the bottom and I worked my way up. I think a lot of people now, and people will accuse millennials or Gen Zs of wanting everything to move much faster, to the instant gratification of it all. And I suppose that's true of some and not true of others, but for us, there was no such thing. You had to literally start at the bottom and work your way up. There is no quick way to become an creative executive at a broadcast network, platform, studio, streamer in Hollywood.
It takes a particular kind of skillset that you must acquire, and if you don't acquire those skills, it is very difficult to do that job successfully on a day to day basis. The traditional way to come up in the business on the creative side, is to start off as an assistant, and I did that. I was an assistant for many years and I think you suffer less of that when you come up that way, because you've seen this job at every single level. You've been on those phone calls, you've gone to table reads, you've read scripts for your boss, you've contributed your notes, you've listened and learned from your boss how to do notes, how to acquire those relationships, how to deal with showrunners. All those things, day to day, you're listening for and you're watching other people do, and then you begin to do them yourselves, as you get more and more responsibility, and eventually you get promoted, and I had a steady climb.
I started off as an assistant. I became a coordinator, I became a manager. I became a director. I became a VP. I became a senior VP. I became an EVP. So by the time I got to where I wanted to go, I felt like I had the skills to do it. I may have been nervous about doing it, and I don't know if I was always a hundred percent confident doing it, but I just think that's with any leadership position and new responsibility that you take on.
Now the other side of what you're talking about as a person of color, very often, I was the only person of color and almost for the majority of my time, before I got to BET, I was the only Black person in senior management. My 14, 15 years at the CW was the best time of my life. I had amazing bosses who did not look like me, and majority of them were men, and I had a great experience. I always felt seen, I always felt heard. I was never made to feel like I could not voice my opinion, and I realize that not everybody has that experience.
There were tough days where you had to challenge leadership, but I tried to always do my best to challenge it respectfully. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't have hard moments. That would not be an accurate representation as a woman of color, as a Black woman, where you're, the only, they call it. Right? I had my days. I really did have my days, but I will tell you, the majority of those days were met with an open mind and an open heart to hear what my issues were, and I honestly could not have asked to work with a better set of people, considering that many of them did not look like me at all.
Georgette Pierre:
Right. No, it's interesting because I, with the point, at least from the millennial standpoint, it does feel like long gone are the days where you start from the bottom and work your way up, because now the world is, "Well, you could grab a camera and do it on your own," or, "You could grab this and do it on your own," or, "You could build a business, build a social network," right? So there is something to be said about some things are missed, like emotional building or just some type of exercise, like emotional, mental exercises, that came from the generation that did start from the bottom and had to work their way up. So that's actually an interesting tie in that you saw every piece of the position, because I haven't been in that type of position in a long time, to start from there and go through the motions.
Traci Blackwell:
Yeah, and just the emotional maturity to figure out how to deal with conflict, how to do-
Georgette Pierre:
Yeah.
Traci Blackwell:
Because you come up against every... You have showrunners that are very easy to work with and you have showrunners that are very challenging to work with. If you spend that time, not rushing the process, then you develop the skills and the emotional maturity to navigate that world. And if you're thrown into it, not really... Because you'll flame out. It's a lot of pressure. Also, if you don't have the skills, because you either have the skills and the disposition to do the job, or you don't, and if you don't, you're found out very quickly, because it's a very stressful job.
Development and current are stressful. You work seven days a week, you often work late at night, you work all day, current programming you work all day, you go home and you work all night, because you have to do a majority of your reading in the evenings and so it's nonstop. You don't get a whole lot of breaks because we're on this cycle now of year round development. It never really ceases, but I will tell you that the other thing that you hopefully learn is what your style of leadership is. So when it's time for you to sit in the boss' seat, you have an idea of how you want to do it, and so when I decided to make that transition to take that big job at BET, to leave CW, which was a huge decision for me, because I loved working there so much.
But when the opportunity came up to run four departments, and to finally be the EVP and the head of scripted for that network, I'm not going to say I wasn't nervous. Of course you're nervous, it's a huge responsibility. Not just for yourself personally, but for the culture, because you're working at a network that your culture, the African American culture, is the target, and you want to do well. But by that time, I had a very specific idea how I wanted to lead, how I wanted to treat people, how I wanted to grow.
Georgette Pierre:
Oh, I love that. Now, if you could go back in time to your younger Emerson self, and your younger self, what would you say?
Traci Blackwell:
Candidly?
Georgette Pierre:
Yes.
Traci Blackwell:
Spend more time focused on my personal life.
Georgette Pierre:
Hmm.
Traci Blackwell:
I had some amazing mentors coming up in the business. I had, specifically two African American women. There were not a lot of Black female network executives when I was coming up. Some of their best advice to me was, "Hunker down and do the work. There's not that many of us, and you don't necessarily know the spotlights on you, you don't necessarily know what a huge responsibility and an opportunity that this is, but it is that, and you need to represent."
They weren't intentionally trying to apply pressure, but they wanted me to understand that this was rare air and this was sink or swim, so they were like, "Put your head down and do the work," and that's exactly what I did. And I say, I put my head down and I felt like I put my head down when I was 25 and I lifted it up and I was 35, and I was like, "What happened? Literally, where the time go?" And people were telling me, "Worry about your personal life later. Worry about your dating life later. Worry about all that later. You have a rare opportunity here. Do the work." And I did not create balance for myself.
Georgette Pierre:
Hmm.
Traci Blackwell:
And it's funny, that's ended up being what my master's thesis was about, when I finally finished my thesis at Emerson. It was about what that means and what that actually is, and I didn't have balance in the beginning. If you desire to have those other pieces in your life, they require time and attention. That's not to say everybody wants to get married. That's not to say everybody wants to have a family. But if you do, you must give that part of your life attention.
Georgette Pierre:
So I know you went to both Spelman and Emerson and no matter what we do, our experiences at these schools have influenced who we are today. Any institution leaves a fingerprint on us, whether we use it or acknowledge it. What mark do you think Emerson left on you?
Traci Blackwell:
Well, I always say who I am today, from a career standpoint, is really a combination of both places.
Georgette Pierre:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Okay.
Traci Blackwell:
The mark that Spelman put on me was massive, as a young Black woman, and standing in my power, understanding my value and having a spirit of excellence, Spelman is the best of the best, as far as I'm concerned. It's the number one HBCU in the country.
Georgette Pierre:
I was with HBCU for undergrad.
Traci Blackwell:
Top of the list on most of the polls. Just saying.
Georgette Pierre:
Yes. You're so funny.
Traci Blackwell:
And so I'm unbelievably proud of being a graduate of Spelman college, but Emerson taught me... I would literally not be here talking to you.
Georgette Pierre:
Hmm.
Traci Blackwell:
Not just because, "Oh, but you both went." No, it's not about that, it's about the fact that Emerson prepared me to sit in the chair. Without the LA program, I never would've even come to LA, to get the internship, to meet the people, to find the mentor that told me about the job at that company that I stayed at for years, until it became the CW, to be where I am right now. Emerson was the gateway, taught me those fundamentals of the entertainment business, how to succeed and how to be an amazing intern. All of the things that I needed, in terms of those basics that we learned during our Emerson education, prepared me to get that very first job.
There were certain skill sets that I acquired at Emerson, certain things, certain knowledge that I had about the business, before I came and got that very first job. It gave me the edge that I needed. So for me, Emerson, 100% prepared me to take that step into the work world, and I know it's a little more challenging now. I know a lot of students are having challenges finding that first job, but I will say during that time, Emerson completely prepared me to take the next step. I would not be where I am today without the Emerson experience.
I got to tell you, at the time, I was choosing between two schools. It was Syracuse and Emerson. The thing that put Emerson over the top was the LA program, because Syracuse didn't have that. They have that now, but they didn't have that then, and I think Emerson was so ahead of it, understanding that, at that particular moment, the majority of careers that existed in the entertainment industry were in Los Angeles. They were some in New York. I did the LA program my second semester of my graduate program, so all I had left to do was write my thesis and the plan was to get a job before the semester was over, so I could stay. Because I was like, "If I never have to go back to that snow.." Because the winters in Boston are brutal.
Georgette Pierre:
They were brutal. They were brutal.
Traci Blackwell:
I was like, "If I never see another snowflake again, it is so cold." And exactly that happened. I got offered a job. I actually got two job offers, and so I took one of them and I stayed and I never went back to Boston. I kid you not. I didn't go back. I was like, "I can finish the thesis from here." I can do that.
Georgette Pierre:
Damn, we good over here.
Traci Blackwell:
Yeah.
Georgette Pierre:
Yes.
Traci Blackwell:
And so I got a little distracted, but eventually... Again, the distraction is a different part of the story, but eventually I got back on track and finished my thesis.
Georgette Pierre:
I love it.
Traci Blackwell:
But, yeah. Yeah.
Georgette Pierre:
My last question to you is what does it mean for you to make it and how will Traci know when she gets there?
Traci Blackwell:
Wow. That's a really good question, I don't know that I'm going to answer it the way you think I will, so I'm going to give you a practical answer and then I'm going to tell you how I really feel. When I think back to when I was an assistant and when I first got to LA and I was trying to make my way, because this whole thing was particularly, and I want to say this too, because the whole concept of making it big. Again, I'm going to repeat this. For me, and I think what a lot of people need to understand particularly if they're students listening to this podcast, there's no easy way. This whole thing is a straight hustle. It's a straight hustle.
Again, I want to repeat, I know finding jobs in the industry right now are really tricky to find. The pandemic is not making anything easier, so I want to acknowledge that. But the resources and the things you all have that we did not have, it's the exact reason why I co-created and co-founded the CAN Advisory Network and myself and Jen O'Connell and Paul Morra and some other Emerson alumni created this mentoring organization to specifically help ELA students who are coming here and trying to figure out and how to navigate their next steps.
We also wanted Emerson alum to have an opportunity to serve. What is a practical way to give back to the school, that doesn't necessarily involve writing a check? Although writing a check and supporting the school financially is unbelievably important. We wanted to also put a value on service and a lot of times alum are looking for ways to give back, besides just contributing financially, and in addition to contributing financially, how do I do that and is there anything organized that does not demand all of my time and my bandwidth? And so that is why we created CAN, because we wanted students to have access to that information, because it's not easy.
It really isn't easy, but I got to tell you, I've gone farther than I thought I... I couldn't even imagine where I am now. I never imagined that I would become the Executive Vice President of Scripted of an... It wasn't for a lack of ambition. I just think at the time, no one was doing that, when I was first coming up, right? And now you have Channing Dungey, who was the first Black president, female... First Black president at ABC Network, and now she's the Chairman in Warner Media. You have Pearlena Igbokwe, who is now the first Black chairman of NBC Universal.
These women broke the glass ceiling, but that didn't exist when I was coming up. And so I've already gone farther than I thought I would. I'm happy about that, but the truth is, for me, success is defined by me living purpose and that doesn't have anything to do with a job. That has to do, for me, with there is a purpose and a plan for my life. That's Jeremiah 29:11. That God has a plan for you, has a plan for every single person on the planet. Every single person who is listening to this podcast, there is a purpose and plan for your life. That you are valued and loved because you were born and because you are here. End of story.
To me success is about me getting to that moment where I stand before God and Him saying, "Did you live out the purpose that I gave you?" And me being able to say, "Yes." And him being able to say, "Well done." What I'm going for is a well done from God to me. And that has changed. That's evolved. I've evolved to that place, so it doesn't have anything to do with the job. It doesn't have anything to do with money. I have made more money than I ever thought I would. I had more position than I ever thought I would. I've had more material success than I ever thought I would, so for me, it's really about, am I treating people with respect? Am I leading with respect? Am I operating from a place of integrity?
I may sound very goody two shoesy to a lot of people, but I have learned not to care. That's the other thing I've learned, is to stop worrying about what other people think about me, and you get to that place as you get older. But for me, success and making it big, doesn't have anything to do with work. I'm sorry, that may not be the answer you were expecting, but it's about-
Georgette Pierre:
Its the perfect answer, actually.
Traci Blackwell:
It's about living a life that honors God. To me, that's success and making it big.
Georgette Pierre:
I love that you just really tied it back to what made sense for you and what success looked like for you, and for some people, it may be material things. It may be success, and then for others, just like yourself, it doesn't have to be. I love it. I love it. Thank you so much, Traci. Thank you so much.
Traci Blackwell:
Thank you so much for inviting me, Georgette. It's a pleasure to talk to you.
Georgette Pierre:
Making It Big in 30 Minutes is sponsored by the Emerson College Office of Alumni Engagement and supported by the alumni board of directors. Stay in touch with the Emerson community. Join us over at Emerge, a digital platform where Emersonians go to connect. Go to emerge.emerson.eu for more.
