- Social:
television producer, director and writer
PROFILE
Ilene Chaiken
Guest
FROM Ilene Chaiken
The Business
Showrunners Ilene Chaiken and Michelle Ashford Fox's hit series Empire has just resumed its second season with a ratings bang. That means Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard are back as Cookie and Lucious Lyon, now trying to regain control of their record label. We're bringing you a conversation with two showrunners -- Ilene Chaiken of Empire and Michelle Ashford, creator of Showtime's Masters of Sex. The two sat down to talk about their different paths to success, how they deal with the daily pressures of putting out strong shows, and the state of diversity in television with Michael Schneider at this year's meeting of the National Association of Television Program Executives.
The Spin-off
Showrunners Ilene Chaiken & Michelle Ashford Michelle Ashford, creator of Masters of Sex and Empire showrunner Ilene Chaiken sit down with Michael Schneider to talk about their process of becoming TV writers and executive producers, and why they don’t typically call themselves "showrunners."
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The Treatment
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Design and Architecture
Farewell LA freeways, Peter Shire is back Angelenos don't want more freeways but we seem not to want mass transit either. Metro has killed the 710 freeway extension, and bus and train ridership is down across the region. What's the future of getting around in LA? And, Peter Shire is having a comeback. What attracts a new generation to his playful ceramics and furniture?
Bookworm
Morgan Parker: There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé Morgan Parker says that the poems in her book There Are Things More Beautiful than Beyoncé take a stand against the clichés of the dominant culture.
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."