Have you seen the shows, 24, Revolution, Fringe, Person of Interest, or Criminal Minds? Most of you probably have, or you’re well aware of how popular they were and are (though we're still sad Revolution was cancelled). Jon Cassar was the exec producer and director of multiple episodes on all of those shows! He’s a two-time Emmy award winner with his work on 24 and the mini-series, The Kennedys, and Jon was cool enough to sit down with Max Timm, Director of Community Outreach with the ISA, and talk about the TV industry, how to work your way up as not only a young writer, but a budding filmmaker, and to give a reality check as to just how difficult this industry really is.
It was kind of funny when Max asked him how a new writer can attempt to open doors. He was very real with his answer – he didn’t know exactly how! He reinforced that this industry is one of the most difficult to get into and much less make a living – as if we didn’t know that already - but with that reality check came an inspirational breakdown of his own rise through the ranks as a camera operator to now being a sought-after TV director. He’s also directing his own features with a movie coming out in the fall of 2016. He basically told us to stick to our guns, be persistent, and do whatever you can to knock down doors. Giving up is not an option. Enjoy the interview and as always, thanks for listening.