The MFJS Reporter — Winter 2020 T-R

“There’s no such thing as typical,” said Susan Leventhal. “But then it’s fun, because so often you’re doing something you’ve never done before.”

Susan Leventhal is the Vice President and Executive Producer of History Channel programming at A + E Networks in New York City. She and her team at A + E are responsible for non-fiction television and filmmaking that document some of the most special parts of history.

She is sixty years old and has been with the company for nearly forty years.

“I originally wanted to be a writer and when I went to college at NYU I went as a journalism major, but I quickly realized it wasn’t really up my alley and transferred into film and television, which was a very cool thing that many years ago,” said Leventhal. “Cable television was just getting started.”

Today, Leventhal has created content that has been nominated for Emmy’s. “Biography” is a non-fiction documentary series that was in contention for “Outstanding Non-Fiction Series” in both 1998 and 2001. She has created national conventions, like Aliencon and Historycon, for crowds of eager Americans who just love history. She’s even uncovered the life and stories of fraternity brothers as told in her 2003 film “Frat Boys.”

“This past Saturday we had an event at Carnegie Hall celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the History brand and the content we’ve created. We had a whole day’s worth of people, like Presidents Bush and Clinton, along with just a good New York crowd,” said Leventhal. “It was pretty great, and was for sure one of my most memorable projects.”

Film and television production an incredibly complicated enterprise. It’s not just storytelling, but people management, marketing, finance and legal studies. It’s a creative platform, but also an elaborate business.

The entertainment industry, specifically in the realm of film and entertainment broadcasting is an incredibly competitive one. Most people in this industry are here because they want to be, not because they need to. Everyone is enthusiastic and passionate about this line of work; to distinguish yourself, chances need to be taken and opportunities must be grabbed with both hands.

A degree alone is far from enough in this business. Real life experience is extremely key. College internships are vital for breakthrough in this enterprise. Such internships generally involve a great deal of grunt work in the mail room, but with this kind of work comes the opportunity to foster relationships with some very knowledgeable people in the business.

This kind of networking requires excellent communication and intrapersonal skills. Much of this kind of work is built on the shoulders of collaboration between production companies, agencies, network channels and of course, among co-workers.

“Get out there and do not be afraid,” said Leventhal. “The only way to get here is to start from the bottom and work your way up.

At the entry level position of assistant producer, one is expected to make a median salary of $68,440. Many, however, fall far below that number. After years of experience, however, and depending on the caliber of the business (i.e, Walt Disney Company versus Sirius XM), salary can range $59,000 to $226,000.

These mountains to climb, however, are only few of many more that come on in this business.

“One of the most important and difficult things in this business is marketing and finding the resources. Creating the content requires financing and raising money, and getting the word out is vital once that happens,” said Leventhal.

For the History Channel, however, that can be difficult considering the biggest audiences are more of an older demographic.

“That’s when we tap into fan bases, like old fans of Aliencon are big fans of Ancient Aliens and Star Trek. Marketing is also a matter of understanding niches,” said Leventhal. “But if they are our fans, they will find us.”

But history is so diverse, there is no one crowd to attract or one story to tell.

“General history is much more like religion, it’s like what do you believe in, what don’t you believe in, what do you care about and what don’t you care about, so production is really all over the map,” said Leventhal.

The endgame, however, as strenuous, stressful and hectic as it can be, is beyond rewarding.

“I also make films for museums, so I’ve got a handful of productions up in the Smithsonian, and the beauty with them is they never go away. Some of my stuff has been up for twenty years. And that is really special.”

The steps along the way though, are just as important to Leventhal.

“Running a team, delegating, supporting people and seeing their growth is one of the most satisfying things to do. Then it’s a matter of creating a legacy,” said Leventhal.

The industry is a very supportive one, once you are in it. It can be challenging to get there, but the biggest think for prospects is experience. For this field in particular, the classroom can only teach you so much; most of it comes from internships and really engaging with the material.

“It takes time, to really move up the ladder,” said Leventhal “You will start from the very beginning, possibly in the mail room or as a desk assistant. It is there people will begin to trust you and see your assists in the business. Be creative in terms of problem solving, sharp and hardworking and someone is sure to notice that.”

The industry itself, however, is everchanging. Leventhal started in this business when Cable television was just being born. Today, the film and television are facing one of the biggest internal shifts with the rise of streaming networks. Theaters and cinemas are facing the exact same thing.

“Everyone is beginning to cut their wire in their home. Slowly, cable TV is becoming obsolete. Most people subscribe to streaming services, like Netflix or Hulu, but a full transition to streaming services is probably not realistic. People don’t want to subscribe to 10 different services and pay ten different bills. We don’t really know where these changes are taking us, but it is going to be interesting regardless,” said Leventhal.

Streaming services are getting the funding like most feature film production companies. The History Channel in particular has started striking deals with companies like HBO and Netflix in order for their content to be exposed to the market. These days, there are far more players in the business than one would have originally suspected.

Even with more current problems, the film and television industry faces issues. Film is a medium that is profoundly influenced by the environment and happenings in society.

“Even just with the coronavirus things are changing. Being the first global pandemic we’ve had in a time, everyone is facing problems with it here. Stories are being delayed, some locations are off limits… the future is uncertain, and its going to be interesting,” said Leventhal.