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9 months ago
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Some producers will say it’s hard to be a producer in today’s world of streaming vs. theatrical; heck, even post-pandemic, but Gail Berman provided a lot of inspiration at tonight’s PGA Awards in accepting the Norman Lear Award.
At the aorta of her acceptance speech was how she got Buffy the Vampire Slayer off the ground, born out of a 1992 B-rated summer movie.
“Not a single person was interested in buying that television show. I mean not a single person on this Earth was interested in buying that television show. I couldn’t ignore my gut. An empowerment story with a young woman at the center. We got no, after, no, after no. Then one day, we finally got a ‘yes.’ And I gotta say it all comes down to resilience,” exclaimed Berman.
How does Berman do it? A Broadway producer in her early 20s, who blossomed into a female TV studio head at Fox Entertainment and then eventually development boss at Paramount.
“Very early in my career, I was 24 years old, I was running around looking for financing for my show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After a time, I didn’t accept the reality of a ‘No’ and that was a really good thing. I just kept going, there was no other choice, there was no plan B. We came to understand that ‘No’ is a real. No matter what side of the business you’re on, no matter how successful you appear, we always have to fight for that ‘Yes’.
Berman’s sizzle reel showed off her greatest hits from series such as Angel, Roswell and American Idol to movies such as the recent Austin Butler Warner Bros pic Elvis.
In watching that reel, I was struck by how many hurdles had to be jumped,” remarked Berman.
Providing advice to the producers in the room: “We must take time to lick the wounds, but we must come bouncing back. You must ultimately find the strength to keep going.”
Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, delivered a heartfelt introduction for Berman, who described her a huge mentor in her career.
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