April 30, 2017: The inside scoop on some local productions!

Being in this business makes you automatically privy to the inside scoop on various film and television productions, mind-blowing accounts of egos run amok, exorbitant cost overruns, professional ineptness, and just plain bad behavior on the part of people in power.  Anecdotes of these ongoing disasters always command a great deal of attention but, occasionally, amid tales of clueless idiots hiring clueless idiots to mismanage multi-million dollar projects or the atmosphere on certain productions becoming so toxic and tightly wound that it reduces many a cast and crew member to tears, come stories of just the opposite – shows that receive a lot of love by fostering an onset sense of family and collective professionalism.

So rather than discuss the shitshows, let’s instead focus on these beloved locally shot productions that have made fast fans of the guest stars, directors and crew fortunate enough to spend time on their set.

These are the shows I hear great things about…

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Murdoch Mysteries: Every so often, someone will work on our show for the first time and compliment us by drawing comparisons to their experience on Murdoch Mysteries.  Heading into its eleventh season, Murdoch Mysteries is clearly doing a lot right and much of it has to do with a supportive and friendly atmosphere, and an overall positive tone set by the show’s producers and star Yannick Bisson.

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Kim’s Convenience: I’m a little biased here because stars Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Jean Yoon guested on Dark Matter’s third season and were an utter delight to work with, but truth is I’d heard great things about Kim’s Convenience well before they graced our awesome Ishida research station set.  As counter-intuitive as it may seem, comedies can often make for the most unpleasant of work environments – but everyone I know who has spent time on Kim’s Convenience has come away mightily impressed.

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Orphan Black: Number 1 on the call sheet sets the tone, for better or worse.  If your lead is a jerk, then chances are your production will be hell to work on.  If, on the other hand, you have someone like Tatiana Maslany headlining your show, you should consider yourself very, very lucky because word is, besides being insanely talented, she is also a wonderful person – and that positivity translates to the rest of the production.

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Schitt’s Creek: Word is star Eugene Levy is a prince.  But he’s Canadian, so what did you expect?  From everything I’ve heard, this one is a blast to work on.

Tagged: Kim's Convenience, Murdoch Mysteries, Orphan Black, Schitt's Creek