Producer Paul Feig has an `unheard of' hit rate
LOS ANGELES >> Some will remember Paul Feig as biology teacher Mr. Pool on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” but his real adventures in pop culture began with the creation of “Freaks and Geeks,” which launched his career behind the camera. Afterward better known as a director of film (“A Simple Favor,” “Bridesmaids,” “Spy,” the gender-flipped “Ghostbusters”) and television (notably “The Office,” “Arrested Development” and “Nurse Jackie”), he has been recently busy as a producer of both, through his FeigCo, and of digital content, via Powderkeg, an “incubator” he co-founded with Laura Fischer, “dedicated to elevating female and LGBTQ creators and filmmakers of color.”
Though he has not had a show of his own creation since the 2015 sci-fi comedy “Other Space,” Feig's production company, which was also behind “Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist” and “Love Life,” recently had two series premiere on the same day. Fox's faux documentary “Welcome to Flatch,” developed by Jenny Bicks (“Sex in the City,” “Men in Trees”) from the BBC's “This Country,” stars Sam Straley and Holmes as cousins, immature yet striving, proudly critical residents of an eccentric Ohio small town. “Minx,” on HBO Max, is a period aspirational workplace comedy from Ellen Rapoport, about the first erotic magazine for women, sort of like “The Deuce” crossed with “Good Girls Revolt” crossed with “GLOW.”
It's worth exploring the Powderkeg productions as well. These include the short films produced under the banner Powderkeg: Fuse and set among less-represented communities of Los Angeles, among them Talia Osteen's “Shabbos Goy,” Thembi Banks' “Baldwin Beauty” and Lizzy Sanford's “Freckle and the Shih Tzu.” The company also has produced the Snapchat series “Everything's Fine,” about a young woman with bipolar disease trying to make it in the music business; and “East of La Brea,” which can be seen on Powderkeg TV's Instagram account, about the friendship of two young Muslim women, one Black, one Bangladeshi. Powderkeg also is producing “The Doctor Is in,” a comedic drama in podcast form, starring Alison Pill as a veterinarian dealing with supernatural creatures.
I recently spoke with Feig about his approach to producing.
Q : It seems natural to begin talking about your producing career by talking about Judd Apatow, who produced “Freaks and Geeks.” What did you learn from him? A : What I learned with Judd is that a good producer has creative thoughts, helps dig you out of holes that may occur either through feedback from the network or when you get tied up in something you can't figure out. They're good protectors of your vision, willing to fight the battles on the front line so you as the creator can do your thing and not get overwhelmed by politics; they're supportive and keep the train moving. As a producer you want to balance your ideas with the creator's and not just dictate a different voice to the show.
A good producer teaches you the realities of the business, and is good at tamping down the natural instinct of someone who's a firsttime showrunner or creator — or is just on fire about their ideas — to explode at any moment. Someone gives you a note: “How dare they!” And a good producer's like, “All right, calm down. There's something in that note, let's listen.” It's not to compromise your vision, but you're in a business. If you're just a person that says no no no to the people in charge, you're not going to work anymore. I tell students or anybody I work with, “Look for the germ of truth in the note.” If it's, “We don't understand this, we think it could be stronger,” that's a valid note, usually. Sometimes it's not, but let them have a few victories.