For those of you who don't have AOL, here's the interview. It's not an article just an interview with two of the camera crew men from GUG.
Lenid and Nick took the time to talk to us and give us a personal look on who is ...working in the TV industry, what it takes to get there and how you can make your ...career dreams come true.
RED: Hey guys, thanks for talking to us. First we want to know how you got started ...working in television.
Lenid: "I've always known that I wanted to do it. I started doing documentaries in high school and then I went to Emerson College, which is a school for film. My first ...job was at CBS Entertainment in the programming department. I worked on shows like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and I was on the set of that twice a week. Then I started working on reality shows. I worked on 'The Real Roseanne.' I also directed 10 episodes of a show called 'Switched.' It's about kids trading lives and it was really cool working with kids."
Nick: "I first got involved in television when I was a junior in high school. We had a television in each classroom, so my friend and I hosted a daily morning news show. ...After high school I attended the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. It was there that I became interested in documentaries. I made a few short films in college and then began working with MTV. At MTV I worked on different shows including 'High School Stories' and 'True Life.'"
RED: Wow, you guys got started early. So, how did you finally end up on 'Growing Up Gotti?'
Lenid: "I had worked with one of the co-executive producers before and he had called me when I was working on 'Switched.'
Nick: "A friend of mine was working on 'Growing Up Gotti' as the show runner. A show runner is someone who, well, runs the show. My friend and I had done some good work together at MTV so he asked me if I would like to work on this show. The family seemed really interesting and I was excited to work on a show that I could tell was going to be such a big hit.
RED: What exactly is your title on the show and what do you do?
Lenid: "Supervising producer. My job requires being attached at the hip with Victoria (Gotti) and overseeing the field, making note of what is actually going on in the field and making sure we get everything going on in the story without interfering. That we're there to capture the real events as they happen. Keep everyone happy, make sure that the crew eats. Also, work closely with the editors and post-production people to make sure that they are aware of what is going on at all times, because they put the shows together as they shoot them.
Nick: "Producer. My job requires me to be in constant touch with everyone in the immediate family as well as much of their extended family and friends. I speak to them about their filming schedule and about what's going on in their lives in general. My job also requires me to make sure that we are filming the best stuff with the family as possible. There is always a lot going on in the house and its up to me and Lenid (with the help of some great cameramen and sound crews) to make sure that were getting it all on camera.
RED: Sounds like you both have really cool jobs. What is your favorite part of your job?"
Lenid: "Interacting with Victoria and the boys. They have a lot of energy and it is fun to be around the energy. It is fun to be around an interesting family. To see how another family interacts. The boys' friends are really fun. Seeing the way that they have a close knit group of friends. I never had that as a kid. Also, It's nice to work with a passionate group of people who love coming to work every day."
Nick: "My favorite part of my job is definitely all of the interesting people I get to meet along the way. I also really enjoy watching some of the funny things that go on around the house. Sometimes when we are filming at the house and my boy Luigi is talking to Victoria, Carmine, Frank or John, I have to go in the other room because I'm laughing so hard. I love my job because it keeps a smile on my face."
RED: There must also be some parts of job that are not 100% fun.
Lenid: "I live in Los Angeles and it's hard to be away from home for months at a time. I miss my friends, my apartment and my dog. Part of my job is ...travel. I've worked all over the country as well as London and Berlin. I know this sounds fun and exciting but it's a lot of work."
Nick: "My least favorite part of the job is, without question, the long and unpredictable hours we work. When you're working on a documentary or a reality TV show, you want to be filming with your subjects as much as possible because you never know when something great is going to happen. While working long hours is an important part of the job, sometimes it can get a little crazy."
RED: Even with it's bad parts, your job seems awesome. Is working on the show what you always wanted to be doing? What did you always want to be when you grew up?
Lenid: "I always loved playing with a video camera. My parents are immigrants from Russia and I didn't grow up with any connections at all. When I moved to America I didn't even know how to speak any English. I thought I would be interested in the entertainment world because I spent a lot of time watching TV. My guidance counselor said that I should I have realistic aspirations. I think adults talk down to kids and don't really understand a kid's potential."
Nick: "When I was younger I wanted to be on TV as opposed to producing it. I always thought it would be a lot of fun to be a VJ or a talk show host. I would still like to try it someday, but right now I'm focused on being behind the camera."
RED: Any advice that you can give to RED members who are interested in working in TV or other aspects of the entertainment industry?
Lenid: "I don't think you need to step on people's toes to succeed. You just need to be passionate about what you want to do. Figure out what your passion is. Also, you don't need to have a great high school social experience to be successful. Just know as you get older that you can definitely have the power to make your life what it is."
Nick: "My advice to teens who want to be involved in entertainment is to find out if their town, high school or college has a TV or radio station and get involved. Working and getting comfortable in this industry is all about experience and the more you get different things you try, the better it will look on your resume and the more at ease you will be when you get an opportunity to work in the business."
RED: One last question for you both. We want an insider tip. What television shows do you love?
Lenid: "I love 'The Simpsons.' 'South Park' is my favorite TV show. I love HBO programming. In reality TV I love 'Big Brother' and 'Amazing Race.'
Nick: "Right now my favorite show besides 'Growing up Gotti' is 'Boiling Points' on MTV. It always makes me laugh and my roommate watches it 24/7. I also like the show 'Street Ball' on ESPN. I'm a big basketball fan and working on the AND 1 tour as a production assistant was one of my first jobs out of college. But let's be clear on one thing, if 'Growing Up Gotti' is on, I'm not changing the channel."
Do you have any more questions for Nick and Lenid?
Send them to us!
WritetoRED@aol.comThe second season of
'Growing Up Gotti' premieres Monday, January 10th.