It’s Not TV, It’s Brand Management TV By Denise Mann

The Collective Author(s) of the Lost Franchise

Presentation by Zack Renschler

What is a Show-Runner?

Manage multi-platform “transmedia franchise”

Run the writer’s room Oversee Post-Production (editing,

music) Supervise web content Deal with any other platform

concerning characters and storyline

Lindelof and Cuse

Best Friends Forever

A Show-Runner must have…

A high stress tolerance Organizational/ Managing skills A creative thought process “Implicit understanding of the

corporate ethos inherent in creating and selling a successful multiplatform TV brand”

Cultural Impacts on Production

Heightened Demand

Content vs. Promotion

Authorship

Heightened Demand

Multiple Roles Networks demand

film quality series Fan Interface High cost of shows

often pairs show-runners with inexperienced writers

Content vs. Promotion

Successfully create meaningful content that simultaneously tells a story and promotes both the show and other products

Not only have brands in scripts but create a branded entertainment

“Stealth advertising disguised as a story”

Multi-platforms of LOST

Four official tie-in novelizations Fake Oceanic Airlines and Hanso

Foundation websites Lost Experience- Internet based

game and Lost: Via Domus for consoles

Lost: Missing Pieces mobisodes Mysteries of the Universe webisodes

Authorship

Media obscures authorship process Cannot limit authorship to just

writer, show-runner, director or even Executive Producer

Horace Newcomb and Robert Alley gave writer-producer title of ‘creative artist’

“Six-pack of executive producers”

Management of LOST

EP/co-creator/show-runner Lindelof EP/show-runner Cuse EP/co-creator Abrams EP Bryan Burk EP/director Stephen Williams EP/co-creator Leiber

Problems with Such

Abrams is usually given creative credit even though his biggest recent contribution was writing Season 3 premiere

Leiber is given credit and money for his original, yet unused pilot script

People play off each other and roles are switched

Live together, Die Alone

-Jack Shepherd, quoted by Cuse when talking about show-running