Stephen J. Cannell
PMP Network presents:
Stephen J. Cannell, a prolific television producer and writer, shares insights into the process of creating TV series. He discusses the financial aspects of television production, including network funding and deficit financing. Cannell also touches upon his work in publishing books.
TV Producer / Writer
Stephen J. Cannell
(“Rockford Files”, “A Team” & “21 Jump St.”)
About Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell was a prolific television producer and writer who created or co-created numerous hit series including The Rockford Files, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, The Greatest American Hero, and Wiseguy. He founded Cannell Entertainment and The Cannell Studios, pioneering the deficit financing model in television production. Cannell won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1978 for The Rockford Files. Beginning in 1995, he authored 18 novels, including 11 featuring detective Shane Scully.
In this interview
- Explained how networks funded pilots while he carried the deficit and owned the negative.
- Discussed financing television production through network money and European pre-sales.
- Talked about publishing books and selling them to studios or major stars.
- Described the business model of his studio and ownership of show properties.
“The networks would give me the money to manufacture the pilot, then I would make the pilot and I had to carry the deficit.”— Stephen J. Cannell, in this interview
Since this interview
Stephen J. Cannell died on September 30, 2010, at age 69 in Pasadena, California, from complications associated with melanoma.
