Contributed by Adam Kaloustian
vice president for current series at 3 Ball Productions/Eyeworks USA. The company produces shows for networks. At any given time, he is overseeing five to eight programs and is responsible for all creative aspects—from casting and directing to monitoring the budget. In a major coup, TLC picked up a new show he’s producing featuring “Super Nanny” star Jo Frost. It’s set to air this summer. As a show runner and co-executive producer at Shine America, he produced several shows including the hit NBC series, “The Biggest Loser,” the spin-off “Losing It with Jillian” and Bravo’s “Blow Out.” He arrived in Los Angeles without a job and immediately began cold-calling production companies and taking leads from friends. “Once you get your foot in the door, and you’re willing to work twice as hard as the other guy, someone is going take notice,” says Kaloustian, who has made Southern California his home with his wife, Kimberly (Moreau) Kaloustian ’02, MPT ’04, and his toddler children, Sophia and Sadie. He is the son of Ken Kaloustian, professor of biology at Quinnipiac. “Production requires thinking on your feet,” he says. On a reality show, he has had to improvise when a location doesn’t work, a participant drops out, or worse, a participant isn’t interesting. “Ultimately people get picked because we think they are going to be great on TV, and sometimes they aren’t.” He redirects their attention from the cameras and helps them focus on authentic experiences that will resonate with audiences. While he guides storylines, he is careful to not create them. “I can always tell when something is overproduced, and it never feels right,” he explains. He is well aware of the criticism aimed at reality TV, but counters that there’s good and bad in every genre. Kaloustian says he’s fortunate to work on shows that change lives, such as “The Biggest Loser.” He was with contestants during months of sweat and tears, watching some lose half their body weight. “You’ve been to hell and back with them,” he says. “Some of these people I will know for a lifetime.”
“Once you get your foot in the door, and you’re willing to work twice as hard as the other guy, someone is going take notice.” —Adam Kaloustian ’02
Adam Kaloustian ’02, left, with boxer Sugar Ray Leonard on the set of “Biggest Loser.”
MD FOR TV elping people is what Michelle Lohr ’08 appreciates most about her job as an associate producer on “The Dr. Oz Show.” “It is so inspirational seeing the reach the show has and how it can impact someone’s life,” says Lohr of Long Island, N.Y. “For some people, the show saved their lives.” She has met guests who discovered they had cancer or found solutions to health problems and others who lost more than 100 pounds, thanks to the show’s topics. Lohr is one of the producers who sift through emails and letters to find ideas. She interviews and books guests, researches topics and consults with the show’s advisory board and medical producers. “You are not only learning how to do good television, but you also are learning about life,” she says. As one of the founding members and executive producers of “Morning After” on Q30 at Quinnipiac, Lohr learned to think fast. She gained hands-on technical skills broadcasting the student-run program. “It began as an extracurricular activity, but it really became one of the most crucial parts of my time at Quinnipiac. It became a major source of knowledge.” The Ed McMahon Mass Communications Center staff, especially director Mike Calia, helped her land her first job as a production assistant with “The Tyra Banks Show.” Now he sends interns to her. “My interns work on the ‘Morning After,’ so it has come full circle for me,” Lohr says.
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SPRING 2013
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