BTS of TV Production

Christine Johnson has worked as an Associate Professor with a specialty in TV Production for The State University of New York for fourteen years and at Western Kentucky University for two years. Before her academic work, Christine was a Producer/Director in the TV industry for over fifteen years, producing live sports entertainment programming worldwide, first for WWE and then for AOL/Time Warner. In addition, Christine had several other opportunities, producing packages for: The Jay Leno Show, Extra, and the feature film “Ready to Rumble: starring David Arquette and Oliver Platt.

During her tenure at The State University of New York, she produced two video projects in conjunction with the Geology Department that was recognized and distributed to conservatories nationwide. In addition, she ran the University Television Station for 12 years.

In the summer of 2015, she had the privilege of working as a Field Producer with the Les Paul Foundation for their red carpet event, “The Les Paul 100th Anniversary Celebration," at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square. The project and Christine were awarded a Bronze Telly. (https://vimeo.com/133774005)

She has served as an advisor to the National Broadcasting Society Chapter for nine years, and during that period, her students won over 80 Regional and National Awards. In addition, Christine served as Marketing Director for the National Office of NBS and, in 2014 and 2018, was awarded "Professional of the Year."

Christine has established and continues a trusted relationship with various recruiters/department heads of different national television companies throughout the years. As a result, many of her students have benefited and secured positions with these production companies as full-time employees or interns.

Education

MFA​Reinhardt University​​In progress

​   (Creative Writing)

MA​Texas Christian University​2003

​   (Media Arts)

BS​Texas Christian University​1988

​  (Radio/TV/Film)

Teaching and Research Area

Basic and Advanced TV Production​​Field Production

Television Station Management​​Television Station Operations

Producing​​​​​Directing

@thechristinejohnson

@ihaveathingforshoes

www.marlanasemenza.com

Audio : Ariza Music Productions

Transcription: Vision In Word

Marlana: Christine Johnson has an impressive resume and TV production, producing live sporting events, packages for the Jay Leno Show extra and a feature film. She was also a field producer for the Les Paul 100th anniversary celebration, serves on the National Broadcasting society chapter board, among other things, and has helped many students go on to have careers in the industry. Welcome, Christine!

Christine: Thank you, Marlana.

Marlana: So, here's the thing, a lot of people think TV production, movies, all that kind of stuff, it's got to be a glamorous world, is it? Are you going to burst our bubble?

Christine: I'm going to burst your bubble, it's glamorous that you get to travel. But unfortunately, my travel kind of was hotel, arena, airport. There were occasionally, we got to go in early, I would go into like San Francisco early so I can visit my friend Allison, and my brother lives there at the time. So, there were like some perks to it, but two productions very hard, very long hours. We're talking 12 to 15 hour days, and you know, you're crawling around on the floor. Well, in my case, if you're at an arena, like you're crawling around trying to find places to shoot. So, it's definitely not glamorous, I can kind of sum it up the way my mom used to say to me, why don't you ever buy nice clothes? Because I crawl around on the floor and get dirty while I'm not. So, I'm not getting nice clothes. 

Marlana: When you first started out, what about the industry surprised you? And were there stuff that you weren't really prepared for?

Christine: I would say the majority of it, I wasn't prepared. I mean, I absolutely love my alma mater, I have two degrees from there, but they did not prepare me for what this industry was like at all. You know, it was like, Okay, we know it's a lot of work, but they didn't really get into what happens, like if you're not agreeing with people, you're working with people you don't care for. You'll work three weeks without a day off, and you'll get treated not well sometimes. Gosh! I started in the late 80s in production, and I basically became a first woman that produced professional wrestling. So, for me, it was kind of different because nobody prepares you for being around all men. Not that I was like, oh my god! I'm the only woman around all these men, but they don't really prepare you for what kind of an environment that would be, let's put it that way.

Marlana: Was it difficult to establish , you know, as a producer, this is kind of your domain with all these men that you're working with?

Christine: Difficult to establish? Um! yes and no. I mean, I think you always have people that you work with that, you know, are very nice and professional, then you have people that you work with that are the greatest people and basically, they just treat everybody like crap. So, for me, that was an eye opening experience because there was a lot of kickback that came my way because some of the boys didn't really respond to a woman telling them what to do. And you know, it's still a good old boys world, it's male dominated. You really don't see a woman working in that unless on the ring.

Marlana: Right! In general, how do you think things have changed for women in the world of television production? Or have they?

Christine: Gosh! I really can't say because I don't think it's changed in some ways. I still think women are definitely singled out. We have to work twice as hard. Boys will be boys’ attitude still seems to prevail, which is very disheartening. So, I think in that way, things have gotten a tiny bit better with the need to movement but not where we should be, let's put it that way. So, in wrestling I've been backstage a couple of times since I was fired because our company was sold. So, there you do see women backstage, I'm not really seeing a lot of women in the upper tiers of that. So, as far as wrestling goes, I'm not really sure. I mean, I think it was two years ago, NHL had the first all women crew. Why did it take that long for it to happen? 2019? So, stuff like that is, when you see things like that, and you're like, Oh! Well, this is the first all-woman crew. Why didn't that happen before? Why does it take until 2019 for that to happen? It's that whole thing, like girls don't know sports, So, In that way, I think it's starting to change, but it's changing in a way that's like, Look what we did, so it's not so much. We're trying to progress and we're trying to better ourselves, it's like, we're trying to put a band aid on it as quickly as possible. So that people will say that we're being progressive.

Marlana: Because I know you've dealt with a lot of students over the years and things like that. Have most of your students been men wanting to get into the industry? Or has split?

Christine: No! For a while, I think it was like 60-40, and then it kind of evened out, and then it was like a little bit more women than men, and then it kind of went back to the 60-40. So, I also think in university, it depends on what teachers you have. I think if you have teachers that are discouraging women to go into the industry or to be in production and that kind of stuff, that kind of sets the tone. And I think for me, I'd have to say I was a little bit harder on the women in my class because we would have talks like there's no crying and TV, we don't do that, if you're gonna do that, go do it in the bathroom, because men perceive that as weak. I'm not saying crying as a weakness, because it's not, I cry when I get frustrated. I'm like, Okay, I'm done. So, when we were carrying flats around and stuff, I would tell the girls like, Don't tell me you're gonna break a nail or anything, because we don't want to set that precedent. We don't want anybody to have any kind of, you know, hold every so to speak. Like, don't play the oh! I'm a girl! I am not lifting anything. So, in that way, I have a lot of really, really successful students, which is amazing. I mean, I have Emmy Award winners, and I have kids that have started their own production companies, two that have their own ESPN radio station, I have a student I taught that's going into the Olympics for the fourth time. One of my girls just dropped her first single. So, that was kind of exciting, and she did her first music video. I have another student that for the first time I taught he works on Broadway and has works of this Shubert Theatre. So, I have a lot of students, they were very, very driven, which was amazing, and it was great to work with them. But I think the thing that they always appreciated even though I was really hard on them, they would always say, but we knew that you were hard on us because you cared about us, and you wanted us to succeed because I always tell them "I'll never set you up to fail". That's just a bad teacher to do that. 

Marlana: And I think that especially back in the day, I can't speak to it so much now that what you were doing was actually a service to them because I feel like more stuff got thrown at us as women. At what point we would break?

Christine: Absolutely! When I got promoted, it was almost like oh, well she's starting over again. So, we have to test her again which to me was just like soul crushing. I've been doing this; I've been working my ass off. Why am I at this point once again? So, that was icky feeling, because then you start to question the relationships you have with people, like, Are these people really my friends? Or are they just sitting here waiting for me to fail? And when people are waiting for me to fail out, I'm bound and determined to prove them wrong every step of the way.

Marlana: So how did you navigate all of that?

Christine: I cried in the bathroom. I have a very strong mother who unfortunately hurt a lot of the stuff that I went through. She didn't hear everything, but she heard my tales of the road when I was on the road, I needed somebody to talk to. So, I had a good support system with that. There were a few females on the road, that we can kind of commiserate, kind of go off on around and do our own thing. So, when I was in WCW, if I need to just get away for like, 10 minutes, I'd go hide in the girl’s locker. The Knights or girls are like, Oh, okay, you just need a rest from it. I'm like, Yeah, I'm just gonna sit over here. They're very sweet. So, for me, it was more like I was in constant survival mode, and that I was in constant survival mode for about 15 years, which took its toll on me, and it still does. That's something that I battle with, because you're in that fight or flight constantly, you're always waiting for the other student drop, or you're waiting to come back at somebody who's making some nasty remark about you. It was like a crapshoot; you just didn't know what was gonna happen from one day to the next. So, it's really a lot of rolling with the punches and that puts you in that fight or flight, you have to survive. I've always been a survivor. So, I think whether that was good or bad, I don't know. 

Marlana: So, if women are going through that now, what would be your advice to them?

Christine: I would say, don't lose yourself, because I did. So, I think staying grounded as much as you can, and whatever people in your life keep you grounded. That's really the best way to go, you always have to remember where you came from. So, for me, I was always the PA, that got suit thrown at her and was called bench over the intercom system. So, I always remember that. I'm not like, Oh! I'm the life of Easter now. I'm a big personal, I don't like to pull rank on somebody. A bad manager does that, that I think sometimes when it comes to the point where you're being disrespected, I've done it twice, I think in my lifetime, and it doesn't make me feel good. So, because I don't feel like I really should have to do that, because I don't think a man would have to be like, Hey! Listen! I'm producing this show. So, I hate doing that. I think it puts you in that hysterical woman category, which is horrible. So, I'm saying that women are hysterical, but that's the word that men like to use as the head. Your head being hysterical. 

Marlana: I'll show you hysterical. 

Christine: Yeah, exactly. 

Marlana: So, what would you say are the best and worst parts of TV production?

Christine: Gosh! I think the best part as well, I didn't realize I was an adrenaline junkie until I started doing live TV. So, I guess I was not that I'm going to go parachute out of a plane or anything, because I would never do that. But I think the best thing was the people because we were like a family, maybe like a highly dysfunctional family. But it was a family, I loved them, and they saw you at your best tonight, you're worse, and they loved you anyway, or they hated you, whatever week it was, you know. So, everybody was pretty passionate about everything. I think when I was working, I was always criticized. You know, "Christina" that's what they would always say on my review. Christina is extremely passionate about what she does. Is that a bad thing? Apparently, they thought it was, I don't know. So, I think I loved what I was doing. I didn't exactly like the content I was producing. I didn't even know anything about wrestling when I got involved in it. So, I liked what I did, I liked travelling, that was really awesome. I met some awesome people that I'm still friends with, which is amazing. The cons, there's very long hours, you have no personal life, I was on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It becomes obsessive and takes over your life. And was the only job I allowed to do that, and I will never do it again. So, I think the good thing I learned out of that was saying, "No", I think that's a powerful word to learn. And I still struggle with that sometimes because I always want to help everybody. So, I'm like, Sure! I can help, but so, the best thing was, I got a degree in TV and film, I got to actually use it. That was fantastic. I did it for 15 years, I travelled all over the world. I think that was amazing. It was a creative outlet for a while, I did special projects for a while where I basically went out and shot packages and put stuff together to kind of build a character's persona. So, I liked that part of it. I didn't like going to the airport every week. I mean, I would be so exhausted, literally, I would cry on the way there. Or sometimes I'd be like, I just want to stay home. But I think anybody gets frustrated like that with a job. So, it's like a love hate relationship. That makes sense.

Marlana: Tell us some of the things for people that don't know, what's the difference in producing, let's say a live thing for TV versus a taped something? 

Christine: Well, if we're talking about live events, period, so from my experience, we did live to tape, which of course, they don't use tape anymore, but we still call it that. So, I have to say, it's like film, we use filming, we're alive today, if you're just shooting it in the order that it's going to appear, and then you're leaving holes so that you can plug stuff in. So, I did one show that was live to tape. And then I did pay per views that were live. I think anyway, I mean, the live to tape is like, Okay, if something screws up, I can go fix it in editing, hopefully, even though that's the evil word to use fixing editing, you can't fix everything in editing.

Marlana: Same thing with photography. 

Christine: Exactly! Whatever is there is there. I think in that way, live to tape is a little easier when it's live, you're on the hot seat and anything that you screw up, it's like, well, your walk out of the truck, you're like, I'm done. There's nothing you can do about it; you just have to keep rolling with the punches. So, I think I was good at that, because that's kind of the way I lived my life. So, I was just like, okay, you know what's coming next. So, for me, I enjoyed it, and it was definitely something I felt I was good at. I really liked that. Live sports is different from producing a TV show because when you're producing a TV show, it's all about money. I mean, although I did deal with budgets, I had a budget for each. So, I was more like dealing with creative stuff, and like, we need this to look this way. The director dealt with more of the technical stuff. So, I enjoyed it, it was definitely a rush, it was a lot of fun. And it was a lot of pain sometimes.

Marlana: But it seems like producing a live show would be a lot of stress. 

Christine: I'll tell you what I always used to tell my students, if you're not feeling nervous before a show, you're doing something wrong. The very first pay per view I produce, I start at the bottom of the steps, and I literally thought I was gonna throw up all over the place. I was like, I can't do this, I can't do it, but I had that voice in the back of my head going, "everybody thinks she can't do it", and I walked up the steps. As soon as I counted from 10 down, I was fine because you can't do anything after that. You're in the hot seat, so, you have to let it go. Once I got over that, I saw butterflies in my stomach every time I did a show and you should, you don't know what's going to happen, and I don't know everything by any means. So, every show that I did, I learned something, or I like to think I learned something. In that way, I don't know. I mean, in that way, I think that's a good thing to feel that way.

Marlana: Does a crew help make or break it? Or is it still pretty much on the producer?

Christine: I definitely feel the crew helps make or break it. I mean, it's not just like a producer, it's not like my show, it's our show. If there's one piece of the, we'll miss it, there's like a little spoke in the wheel messing, it all falls apart. So, if I don't have good camera guys or if I don't have a good director, or good Chiron or whatever we're working with, we can't do anything. So, it's never my show/this's my show, that is our show, and it's a team effort. It takes everybody to make the product. 

Marlana: what would you say is the craziest thing that you've ever had to do as a producer? Because I know there has been a lot of crazy.

Christine: Wow! There's been a lot of crazy. So, craziest thing I’ve had to do as a producer though. God! I don't know.

Marlana: How about your career in general? 

Christine: In my career? Well, I mean, having to go into the girl’s locker room to check this one girl shorts because they were too short. And I was the only woman so they're like, you have to go in and check her shorts. And I'm like, what? And they're like, Yeah! You have to go check her shorts, to make sure they're not too short. So, when she bends over, I'm like, Oh my God! And they're like, Oh come on! You have to do it. Yeah, I'm like, fine. I'm gonna go do it. So, I would go do that. And I walked in, and I just remember this girl was just crazy. No, I won't mention her name. But I would walk into the locker room, and she would just be totally naked in stripper heels. And I'd have to talk to her like that. Can you please put on your costume so I can see what it looks like? I don't need that stuff. Just like I don't need to see the boys running around naked either. Like Yuck! I just don't need that. So, I mean, in that way, it was very much a weird environment, because you're like, I don't know. I don't even know how to explain it. You keep thinking like, Oh! This is wrestling, but it's still a company. It's like your office and all these wackadoo things are happening at your office that are totally inappropriate. 

Marlana: It's like a mix of company, circus, and reality. 

Christine: It's a carnival. That's what my mom used to call it (the carnival). And it is definitely a carnival. I mean, they speak Kearney for God's sake. So, it definitely is. I always tell people, it's far more interesting backstage than it is what's going in front, what's going on in the ring. I mean, there was so much stuff going on backstage. At one point, they were trying to put hidden cameras backstage and shoot a reality show, and we found out about it. That kind of got nixed really quickly because they were gonna do insider knowledge set. Oh! I guess they could because we had, signed a waiver when we went into Turner. So that would have been really interesting. Yeah. 

Marlana: how do you think the television industry has changed over the years at all?

Christine: the technology has totally changed. I mean, you think about it, you could edit all your stuff on a laptop in your house if you wanted to now, we're back then, you're worried about the quality, and You can't do this. Nobody cares anymore, I mean, for God's sake, they put videos on that have the low rez, they're awful. And so, I think it's totally changed in the way we see things, and because we've got all this streaming now, I think, and YouTube with people creating their own content and Tik Tok, they're creating their own content. So, I think now it's so much more accessible, and basically people can create their own brand, and do what they want to do, and they don't have to worry about, Oh! am I going to be hired over here? Because they can become an influencer? Or they can just say, Hey! I'm gonna have my own YouTube channel, that kind of stuff. So, it's, just different. It's a lot different. 

Marlana: So, if somebody wanted to get into the industry now, how would they do it? What would you tell us? 

Christine: Wow! It’s funny! I just had somebody ask me that. So, I mean, I think there's so many ways of getting into it. What I always used to tell my students is if you have the fire in your belly, you're gonna make it, if you don't, buy it, if you're somebody who just wants to put props up behind you like clapboards and stuff, and like, look, I'm playing at being in film, and you're not willing To put the work and then forget it, you don't need to be in this field. I'm not saying that in a cruel way, but if you want to get into the field, I think this has to be something that you absolutely love, and that you will go the extra mile, the absolute extra mile to do what you want to do. So, I think, there's a bunch of things you can do now, like, I'm in Atlanta, so they have Staff Me Up, which they have all over the country, but Staff Me Up, you can go on there and get a gig for like, two days or five days, depending on what gig you're looking for. And then there's stuff like, Mandy, and Indeed, the list stuff. And, in Atlanta, they're, the Georgia phone commission, they have a job line that you can call, and they have an EQ, they'll tell you when they need extras, and all this kind of stuff. So, I think it's become a lot more streamlined. I mean, you just have to search it out. And honestly, I hate to say this, but I think nowadays, younger people, for some reason, don't know what Google is. Get on Google and look, "how can I get a job and TV production". And once, there'll be a ton of stuff that pops up. I think you really have to search, and you have to really network, and you have to make connections. If you decide, like, Hey! I'm going to go to PA for two days on this show, make sure you talk to people. Obviously, you're not going up to the director being like, Hey! what's going on? Make sure you talk to people like that are working with you and around you and like, chat with them when you have lunch like, hey! how did you get your start? My dad always used to tell me when you're asking, always ask for advice. Never ask for a job, because if you ask for a job, that's an automatic turnoff. So, if you can network and get yourself going with some other people, that's the way most people get their job, and I think that the more you network, it's like, you don't even apply for a job anymore. Somebody's like, Oh! Hey! You're finished with this movie or this show? Okay! well, there's another one coming up in two weeks, do you want to work on that, too? And you're like, yeah, absolutely! And you book that. So, I think sometimes some people are afraid of that, and some people are like, okay, I can do that, but I think it's a matter of being very, you know, like, I was a very shy person. So even if you're shy, it's just like, hey! If this is something you really want to do, go for it, figure out every way you can talk to somebody about it, network. Google stuff, make sure that you're saying you want to do the job that you actually want to do, and you actually know what that job is because I've found a lot of people say, oh! I want to do this. Like somebody told me they wanted some produce a TV series, and I said, Oh! So, you're really good with money? And they're like, No, I'm a creative and I'm like, producing is money in filming TV series. So, people need to know what exactly they're talking about, and you know, the way to do that is you start at the bottom, and you pay your dues, and I find sometimes people are not willing to do that.

Marlana: I completely agree with you. So, with all that, Christine, I just have four final questions for you. 

Christine: Okay!

Marlana: So, what was the best piece of advice you're ever given?

Christine: Well! It was from my dad, and he told me, you can't complain about something until it actually affects your job. When it's affecting your job, then you have to go and complain about it. But if it's not affecting your job, you can't complain about it. And also, if you're going to complain about something, you need to go in with a solution, not just walk in with a complaint. So, I kind of do that.

Marlana: Love that. What’s one thing on your bucket list.

Christine: Oh! There's so many. I'd like to go to *Eastern Bowl*, that’s one thing I’d like to do, and it's mostly travel stuff, I'd like to go to Rome. I've been all over Italy and I never got to Rome, so I would really like to go there someday.

Marlana: So, when the toy companies finally get around to making an action figure of you, what to accessories will it come with? 

Christine: A closet and lots of shoes.

Marlana: And the last thing Christine, how do people find you?

Christine: So, on Instagram you can find me at @thechristinejohnson, or you can find me on Instagram at… I have a thing about shoes. All my shoes with a bunch of shoes, I call it shoe forum. 

Marlana: And on a sidenote I know that eventually you are going to be working on a book, and hopefully a screenplay because now I’m gonna hold you onto it. 

Christine: Yes! Actually, I am working on a book right now, I’ve got 225 pages done. So, I’m working on that, hopefully I will have the first draft done by December and then translate it into revisions through years, so yeah. 

Marlana: Does it have a title yet?

Christine: It does, but I don’t wanna say it now. 

Marlana: Okay! Alright, everybody stay tuned for Christine’s book.

Christine: Yes, absolutely!

Marlana: Thank you so much for being here.

Christine: Thank you!