HOLLYWOOD BOOKERS SEEK PITCHES  

By George McQuade, MAYO Communications

"If you want to do a story about grapefruit, we don't do it. If you want to do a story about Julie Roberts eating grapefruit, I'll make a miniseries out of it," Steve Sunshine, senior producer of "Extra," told an Entertainment Publicists Professional Society and International Cinematographers Guild workshop in Hollywood on May 18. The panel was moderated by EPPS Board member Laurel Whitcomb, vice president, Marketing Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Sunshine talked about how the celebrity-driven program demands exclusives and honesty from PR people. "We don't expect to be blindsided and find out that somebody else has it or has virtually the same thing, and that I forgot to ask you a question or two that might have prevented the situation. It's a two-way street," he said.

Along with his wife Madeline – a children's author and a writer for Sesame Street – Sunshine wrote and produced the ABC hit series "Webster" for Paramount Studios and produced the "Julie Andrews Show." He has also written feature films like "The Son of the Pink Panther" with Italian star Roberto Benigni, which he wrote with Blake Edwards. He prefers email: steve.sunshine@extratv.com.  

"I want email pitches and please know the show," said Susan Gold, senior producer of the AMC original series "Sunday Morning Shootout." "Also, know your talent availability. Often times I will get pitched and the publicist doesn't know our tape recording date and they'll push and push, and then the talent won't even be around for the next six months," said Gold.

The Shootout is an industry talk show hosted by Variety editor-in-chief, Peter Bart, and Mandalay Entertainment's, Peter Guber. It features conversations with Hollywood's elite including Denzel Washington, Hilary Swank, Jude Law, Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Ashton Kutcher, Adrien Brody and Morgan Freeman.

Gold is a veteran of top talent agency, ICM in New York. She formed Celebrity Talent and convinced Andy Warhol to do an ad for Pontiac, persuaded Donna Rice – on the heels of the Gary Hart fiasco – to endorse No Excuses Jeans, and coaxed Aretha Franklin to sing for Kinney Shoe Corp. She prefers email: Sos12@aol.com.

"Email is really the best way to pitch, followed by another one a few days later," said Luke Sader, talent producer for Tavis Smiley's program on PBS. "I'm happy to talk to people, too, but it's always nice, I find, that if I'm familiar with the pitch or the email pitch rings a bell with me. I try to respond to as many pitches as I can."

Connections, relationships and friends are the key to making it in Hollywood, according to Sader: "We know it becomes a smaller and smaller town the older you get."

Sader started his career at CBS News in New York and then moved west to join "Entertainment Tonight," where he worked in many capacities including researcher, segment producer, show writer, and field director. He then went to CNN and became coordinating producer for "Showbiz Today." Sader was a talent executive at "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" and "The Wayne Brady Show," and has been with Smiley" since hiss premiere in January, 2004. Sader also likes email pitches: isader@kcet.org. 

Pam Hyatt is talent executive for "Soap Talk" on the SOAPNET cable network. The program is hosted by three-time Emmy nominated, Lisa Rinna and Ty Treadway. It has more than 50 million loyal viewers who tune in to see their favorite daytime stars including Susan Lucci and Deidre Hall.

"You can get hits before 50 million viewers," said Hyatt, "Soap Talk tapes six shows in two days, and I get pitched a lot, and often pass them on to our segment producers. Many people think we book only soap stars and often forget about the stars from such shows as 'Lost,' 'Greys Anatomy' and others that have appeared on the show."

Hyatt, president of PG Artists, also handles celebrity bookings for CMT (Country Music Television), Peter Tilden's "Hollyville" on KZLA Radio and "The Dr. Phil Show."

She booked President and Mrs. Bush for a special "Parenting" program with Dr. Phil as well as Bill Cosby, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Kelsey Grammer, Marcia Cross and SpongeBob. Hyatt prefers email pitches: MYBRS549@AOL.com.