Aaron Spelling's Influence on My Path
Bruce B. Gordon
“THANK YOU”! - A Musical Tool for Practicing Gratitude (An EDM Song of Gratitude to the Universe) - On All Digital Platforms - ADD IT TO YOUR PLAYLISTS TODAY!!
Aaron Spelling (1923 - 2006) was hands-down the most influential figure of the journey towards my ultimate goal of running my own studio to produce films, TV shows & music.
Although he was lost to this world 13 years ago on this date (June 23), with over 218 credits, 5,000 hours of TV & more than 70 series bearing his name— as well as dozens of made-for-TV movies and a smattering of feature films— Spelling is STILL recognized by Guinness World Records as the most prolific TV producer of all time. He would have been 96 years old today.
When I was a kid, I worked for Aaron Spelling Productions in the Production Accounting department, processing checks for the millions of dollars of talent payroll and other labor & materials expenses required to make his TV shows, mini-series & feature films.
“Uncle Aaron” (as some of us affectionately referred to him) created SUCH A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT, with teams of executives, producers, directors, writers & heads of all the 35 or so crafts that generously invited me to hang out with them on sets and study confidential financial & legal documents after work, becoming my de facto filmmaking graduate school after getting my BA in Economics from UCLA.
As a producing observer, I was allowed— and encouraged— to study product development processes for network TV shows, features films, MOWs and mini-series for multiple shows over the years. And besides having an open invitation to spend my free time after work hours on the closed sets shadowing directors, I was also encouraged to express my own creativity toward his shows. While learning how to write TV scripts, high-level writers & producers mentored my beginnings. And casting executives were open— and welcoming— as I performed independent talent scouting, resulting in day player casting on three ABC-TV network primetime shows… some becoming recurring roles based upon my “discoveries” of acting professionals out in the public space.
Mr. Spelling was such a generous guy, engendering employee loyalty with his smiles, waves, awesome gifts, and hugs at holiday and wrap parties. Seeing him walk in his track suits between his chef-equipped office, various show soundstages & dailies projection rooms, it was easy to forget that he was a multimillionaire, as he “stirred the pot” of his shows… all the while letting his teams of creative collaborators for each show or film do what they do best.
Although seldom a darling of critics, and despite the fact that some shows were created by other writers & producers, Spelling was associated with nurturing a dizzying roster of commercial successes to fruition, including such long-running series as "Dynasty," "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "Charlie's Angels," "Melrose Place," "Beverly Hills, 90210" & "7th Heaven."
Despite his reputation as a purveyor of fluff and what the producer himself called "mind candy," Spelling's career also included several tonier projects. They included the Emmy-winning TV movies "Day One" (about the first atom bomb) and the HBO movie "And the Band Played On" (dealing with the AIDS epidemic) in 1989 and '93, respectively, as well as the Emmy-nominated dramatic series "Family" in the late 1970s.
Some of his feature films included “Mr. Mom” (Comedy, 1983) - Michael Keaton & Teri Garr (written by John Hughes), “'night, Mother” (Drama, 1986) Sissy Spacek & Anne Bancroft and “Soapdish” (Comedy, 1991) Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Cathy Moriarty.
There isn’t a day that goes by without Aaron Spelling’s shows being aired— even today— because of networks like TV Land and MeTV… as well as current remakes of shows like “Dynasty,” updated for 2019 audiences.
_________________________
The current state of my Bruce Gordon Media studio owner journey:
* https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/bruce-gordon-media-studio-start-up-bruce-b-gordon/
* https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6515539699736678400/
Bruce Gordon Media on the Web: www.BruceGordonMedia.com
_________________________
Article references:
Aaron Spelling: God of guilty-pleasure TV: https://ew.com/article/2009/08/31/aaron-spelling-melrose-place-90210/
Aaron Spelling’s Credits: https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/aaron-spelling/credits/194046/
Television series by Spelling Television: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Television_series_by_Spelling_Television
The Best Aaron Spelling Shows and TV Series: https://www.ranker.com/list/aaron-spelling-tv-shows-and-series-created/reference
When Aaron Spelling Ruled Television: An Oral History of Entertainment’s Prolific, Populist Producer: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/aaron-spelling-ruled-television-an-823391
TV Mogul Spun Fluff Into Gold: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-24-me-spelling24-story.html
Magazine Owner of Stack NYC Magazine
5 年What spectacular knowledge you must have learned!
Director, Adv Analytics & Arch at NBCUniversal | Creative Writer | MPTF Volunteer | Space Enthusiast
5 年Bruce B. Gordon - I just read your dedication to Aaron Spelling and his influence on much of your career direction. Of resonance for me in your piece, among his many shows, was the one-hour drama FAMILY. This authentic, bold-for-the-time TV series had perhaps the most impact on my life as a child. My crush on Kristy McNichol was the entryway into a world where a family could deal with the most trying of times, yet maintain its loving, nurturing core. I needed to see that example growing up, and this TV series met that need. I escaped to it routinely, and as of a few weeks ago have been re-watching it on my set of DVDs (seasons 1 and 2 only). The show also planted the seed for me to live in LA (in fact the first place with my wife was South Pas in '94, not far from the show's fictional home). FAMILY set the stage for my appreciation of future one-hour dramas -- like LA LAW, HILL STREET BLUES, and THIRTYSOMETHING -- and for dramatic films that don't shy away from hard issues, like ORDINARY PEOPLE. I am glad I went back and found your article, so I could share that thought to affirm your dedication to his influence (keeping in mind the creatve success of a show far exceeds one person).
Writer, Producer, Actress
5 年I worked with Aaron Spelling on several TV shows. He was a very interesting man.?