Jon Kroll is the man behind some of your favorite unscripted television shows. From Big Brother to The Amazing Race, he’s been in the industry for over 25 years. He’s here today to share his secrets to success and amazing career advice. Like the students he teaches in the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC, you will learn so much from Jon today. Just like we did when he guest-lectured at a course we took, back when were were trying to break in the industry. Jon shares his his take on how to find a great character, the must haves of every pitch, and what NOT to do to break into Hollywood. Plus, behind the scenes stories from his newest show on CBS, Pink Collar Crimes. 



Success Secrets From a Total Pro, Jon Kroll
Jon Kroll has done it all. He’s an Emmy award winner for his work on The Amazing Race. Jon continues to develop and produce acclaimed TV shows. At the same time, he teaches at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Jon was one of the first people we met when we were breaking into the industry years ago, and we’re thrilled to have him for you today.

With so much experience under his belt, we knew Jon would have some great take-aways for you. And he delivered! Just some of his top tidbits from today’s episode:

* Working with some of the youngest and brightest in the industry at USC
* How to find and work with the biggest and best TV characters. Like Joke’s favorite, Dr. Will Kirby from Big Brother 2
* Pitch must haves, plus how Jon puts together his own materials.
* What do The Jinx, Desperate Housewives, and I, Tonya have in common?
* Breaking into Hollywood DO NOTs, a list that spans longer than the DOs.
* Turning your Hollywood break into a long-term career – the secret you need to know!
* And…Pink Collar Crimes on CBS – an exciting true crime docuseries with no violence and the perfect amount of Marcia Clark.

Helpful and Related Links
In case you’ve never seen one of the most infamous reality TV characters of all time, here’s The Best of Dr. Will Kirby on Big Brother 2
Jon’s new show Pink Collar Crimes on CBS
Follow Jon on Twitter and Instagram
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram 
Let’s Make Some TV Together
Are you looking to pitch your own unscripted television project, true crime documentary series or reality TV show? Maybe you have the next great family-based docuseries? Want us to take a look? Here’s what to do next:

Amazing Career Advice From Legendary Producer Jon Kroll

The Podcast That Hears Listeners’ Reality TV and Documentary Series Pitches.

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Are you ever too young — or too old — to chase a dream? Is success in the entertainment industry possible when you don’t know anyone? Can there be one setback that’s just too daunting to get past? Today, prolific composer and all around great person Todd C. Burns is here to share hard-earned advice on overcoming adversity to be successful in the entertainment industry. Like us, Todd came into this crazy business not knowing anyone, hustling to make things happen, and facing some obstacles so big they could have seemed impossible to overcome. Today we talk with Todd about the courage to chase your dreams, how to define your own success, and standing tall and proud when fate tosses you the ultimate curve ball. If you’re a creative person chasing a dream on any level, today’s episode is for you. Todd’s not only successful, he’s a great guy with a big heart, and very open and honest when it comes to giving advice. You’re gonna love him!




Todd C. Burns – Music To Our Ears
Like some of you listening to this podcast, Todd C. Burns is a working professional in the entertainment industry. And, like many others listening, Todd, like you, was once a young, aspiring creative who knew no one in Hollywood. 
On today’s podcast episode we have a wide-ranging conversation with Todd about the journey we all go through. From just starting out, to becoming a pro, to becoming the “wise old wizard” who pays forward what they’ve been taught in life. It’s a ride every single one of us probably wants to take, and we’re all at our own pit stop on that wild adventure.
Just some of what we discuss today:

* Getting started when you don’t know anyone in Hollywood
* Overcoming inevitable setbacks
* Reframing “luck” and making your own
* Defining your own success and happiness
* Facing imposter syndrome – and why it’s not a bad thing
* Embracing mentorship – from both sides
* Turning what is terrifying into pure motivation
* Why the biggest obstacle in Todd’s life gave him new perspective
* How Joke landed an early internship with Hollywood’s biggest female producer
* And…what it means to be “THE DUDE” – and that is NOT gender specific!

Hit that giant play button at the top of this page to listen now!

Filmmaking Chops – Sound Design
On a more hands-on, practical note, Biagio discovered Todd’s YouTube channel when looking for inspiring sound design tutorials in prep for our new series Unraveled. Todd has a great channel packed full of tutorials on creating sound design and composing music for TV and film.
One of the cool things Todd does is turn every day items into crazy sound effects that are very useful to filmmakers. He does the same with sound effects of wolves and other recordings your probably already have access to. While Todd uses music software to get this done, many of these same effects can be achieved right in Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro, so no filmmaker should shy away from trying to create a few unique, signature sounds for their projects. Here’s one to get you thinking:


Production Music Club – Make Your Own Music?
Now, most of you probably don’t know that Biagio writes a lot of the music for our shows, and loves brushing up on his composing skills with online tutorials. 
So another reason we were so into what Todd was doing is that he’s also teaching how to write music for film and TV, both on his free YouTube channel, and also in his great online course at Production Music Club (more below, NOT an affiliate link).

Sound Advice on Dreams and Success from Todd C. Burns

Jon Kroll is the man behind some the biggest unscripted TV shows of all time. From Big Brother to The Amazing Race, he’s been in the industry for close to 30 years. (Not to mention he is a mentor to the two of us, and one of the first industry people we ever met. Plus a super nice guy!) Now, he’s here to share his incredible experience producing UNCHARTED. It stars one of the greatest reality TV personalities of all time, famous chef Gordon Ramsay. Oh…and this globe-trotting action adventure cooking show filmed…during a world-wide pandemic.  Learn how Jon takes on the impossible, makes shows look larger than life, and works with Gordon Ramsay. Plus a deep dive into his production process, and more. Get ready to have your mind blown. 




Uncharted: Epic TV from Nat Geo
If you haven’t seen Uncharted from National Geographic, you are missing out. This incredible series stars Biagio’s favorite reality personality of all time – Gordon Ramsay. Every episode, Gordon journeys to some of the most incredible and remote locations on Earth. Why? 
Well, of course, in search of culinary inspiration! Epic adventures and unique cultural experiences. Plus, you know, Gordon hangs off cliffs and jumps out of planes and stuff. It’s pretty great. New episodes premiere Sundays at 9/8c on Nat Geo, and play five days later on Disney+. (By the way, a treasure trove of past episodes are waiting for you on Disney+ if you want to binge.)
Oh, and the last two seasons of Uncharted filmed during Covid-19! As if the show wasn’t difficult enough to make already! Luckily, this show had one of our favorite producers and personal mentors at the helm…Jon Kroll. 

Uncharted: How the Heck did Jon Do It?
Jon Kroll has executive produced three seasons of  Uncharted. He never guessed when he started season two that things would get so…complicated. World-wide pandemic complicated. So picture this. You’re traveling the globe with one of the most recognizable celebrities on earth. There’s action, sweating, travel, and COOKING? Could there be a crazier combination of TV to produce during Covid-19? 
Today Jon shares amazing inside info about how he did it, did it safely, and still delivered every episode of this challenging show. 

Uncharted: Small Crew, Huge Show
Uncharted feels epic, yet Jon manages to produce the show with just a few cameras. His crew is tiny compared to what he had on Amazing Race. Schedule is tight. And backup plans are a must. After all, on a world-wide jaunt with unpredictable weather, and a killer virus, you never know what will happen. 
Jon goes into some of his tricks for super-sizing Uncharted despite these obstacles. 

Action, Adventure, and…Menudo?
Well, if you want to know what ‘s all about, you’ll just have to listen to today’s episode!
Just some of what Jon discusses today:

* Working hand in hand with Gordon Ramsay to make TV magic
* Making a show with a small crew feel larger than life
* Rethinking an entire show’s schedule when disaster hits
* Safely planning and filming spine-tingling stunts
* Placing cameras when you want to shoot 360 degrees of action (but not the cameras!)
* And…who gets to eat all those amazing leftovers?

This episode goes deep. Today you’ll get some advanced producing tips you’re not likely to hear anywhere else. Plus lots of laughs, a few secrets, and the greatest story you’ll ever hear about getting through customs. So sit back and let Jon’s deep, wisdom-filled voice teach and inspire. Hit that giant play button now!

Helpful and Related Links

Uncharted: Jon Kroll Produces Gordon Ramsay Awesomeness

It’s an exciting time to be a content creator – for all of us! Not long ago, documentaries were gloomily known as the “D” word…since no one wanted to buy them. Now they’re hot as ever thanks to streamers like Netflix and cable networks who’ve followed suit. On the flip side, podcasting was once thought of as a geeky pass time (hello, Biagio!) It’s now exploded in popularity. In some cases podcasts have even beaten TV at the game of winning pop culture buzz. Being TV producers and filmmakers, networks have begun asking us to find ways to marry the two worlds. Along the way we’ve learned a bunch, and today we’re sharing 3 ways we see podcasting changing how television is developed and made. We’ve got the answers you need, some landmines to look out for, and real-world advice for this new frontier where TV gets married to podcasting. 




Knee Deep in TV and Podcasts
We’ve been doing this podcast, Producing Unscripted, for a long time now (since 2013!) It’s a small little thing we record on Biagio’s iPhone and put up when we can during production “breaks.” (Which have been less and less lately – thankfully we’ve been in production non-stop, but we miss you all!) 
This is a really a personal endeavor. It’s something we do for fun and to meet new people. For the most part, it’s been a really positive experience. Plus a way for us to talk about what we do at our company Joke Productions. 
But we never considered ourselves “pro podcasters.” Then, to our surprise, podcasting would suddenly become a much bigger part of our career. 

Unmasking Podcasting & TV
Several years ago, we were making a series for CNN and HLN called Unmasking a Killer. They approached us about producing and hosting an Unmasking a Killer Podcast with the series. It was an eye-opening experience, and we learned some valuable lessons we discuss on today’s episode. 
And if you want to hear the two of us doing material that’s far more serious, you can check out the Unmasking a Killer podcast.
That was our first glimpse into where it looks like the worlds of TV and podcasting are heading. Networks everywhere were exploring how they could participate in the podcasting space.

Unraveling Podcasting & TV
On our current series, Unraveled, podcasting has become even more crucial. We developed the series itself as a hybrid. Rather than making a TV show and producing a podcast “on the side” we’re filming a TV series about podcasters who are investigative journalists. The project captures them actively tracking down leads and interviewing people, all while making a podcast. Each two hour TV episode has an accompanying seven hours of podcast eps. That’s a lot of content! 
To get an idea of how deep the it goes, check out the Unraveled Podcast.
For you editors and techie-types, Adobe wrote a story about Joke Productions and how we edited the podcast in conjunction with the TV series.

The Future of Podcasting and TV
It’s become clear that if you’re a st...

3 Ways Podcasting is Changing TV

The lure of the entertainment industry, and of course, Los Angeles. It’s something many of us dream about. If you’re a kid from Cleveland like me (Biagio) or a girl from Belgium like Joke, it can seem larger than life, like a fantasy world that’s a million miles away. Many of us come. Some stay. Some move on. But one thing is for sure – L.A. has its own special kind of magic. Now, TV Producer extraordinaire and best-selling author Troy DeVolld has taken the time to really explore why so many of us belong nowhere else but the city of Angels – and he’s done it in the most surprising way! Get ready for a completely unique discussion about life, dreams, work, and the reality that is showbiz and Los Angeles. There are valuable tips and insights here for you that will help you not only chase success, but frame it in a healthy way. What Troy has to say honestly just might change your life for the better, so read on!




Troy DeVolld: Loving Life
If you’ve been around the unscripted television world at all, you’ve heard of Troy DeVolld, including on this podcast. He literally wrote the book on Reality TV (literally.) 
Try not to stare too hard at the amazing IMDB page for Troy DeVolld. He’s not only a best-selling author. He’s also a prolific TV producer, and has helped guide some of the biggest unscripted TV shows in history (The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Basketball Wives, and The Surreal Life just to name a few.)
Last time Troy was on this podcast, we discussed the notes process (a must listen if you ever plan to work in this industry.)
But recently, Troy went through a life event that affected him deeply…

Reframing Life
On today’s podcast, Troy talks about why 2020 changed his life (and it’s not because of Covid.) He went though something scary, but as he says, if you’re gonna live in Los Angeles, “you have to learn to turn lemons into steak.” 
This turn of events inspired Troy to really think through his time living, working in, and loving the city of Angels. He took pearls of wisdom and great advice and wove them into two…POETRY books! 
Now, we know some people are like, “Poetry? Uhhh…” But if you have an affinity for L.A., showbiz, or just chasing dreams in general, this is some of the most fun, rewarding, and insightful reading you’ll do…as evidenced by Joke’s copies of the books. She’s marked up a favorite poem or two:
The poems are short, inspirational, funny, and manage to say so much in so little space – kind of amazing, honestly. If you’d like to pick them up, they’re available on Amazon…and somewhere else very special…
100 Poems about Los Angeles
Another 100 Poems About Los Angeles
For the persnickety among you, those are NOT affiliate links. But we hope you’ll pick them up, they’re great! And Troy DeVolld is just awesome. 
Now, as for the other very special place you can get these inspiring books – Troy says if you track him down on his Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/realitytvtroy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" t...

Troy DeVolld: Sheer Poetry – Life, Dreams, Work and Reality in Los Angeles

It’s 2021, and we all know it can be near-impossible to stay motivated in this most challenging of times. If you’re anything like us, things like quarantine, no social interaction, and global pandemics tend to slow down the old creative juices. It’s been hard for us, and probably for a lot of you, too. So today we’re breaking down how we’ve managed to stay at least semi-productive and almost sane. Plus, the four-and-a-half year journey to our new 10-hour anthology TV series…which, or course, we’re producing from home! Join us in taking on 2021 with gusto—or at least breathing deeply all the way through it.




Throw the Rules Out the Window
We’d be lying if we told you we had a roadmap for navigating the entertainment industry in today’s world. 
Does’t matter if you’re a top studio executive or an aspiring filmmaker. There are question marks everywhere, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
In today’s episode, we discuss how we’ve stumbled our way through it so far. That includes producing our new 10-hour anthology TV series Unraveled with a host of people working from their homes…including us. 
Hopefully we offer some thoughts you’ll find useful, or at least supportive as you continue on your creative endeavors while staying safe and healthy.

Unraveled: Our New TV Series
Unraveled is our latest TV series, which also includes seven 1-hour companion podcast episodes for each 2-hour TV installment. It’s hosted by investigative journalists Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen. 
Listeners will remember Alexis Linkletter as a long time collaborator with us over at Joke Productions. She’s been on this podcast several times, and we’re thrilled to give her the opportunity to appear in front of the camera on this new series.
We still can’t say a lot about the show, other than our first episode is about the Long Island Serial Killer, and a revealing deep dive into the investigation behind it. 
However, the podcast is already live! 

Listen to the Unraveled Podcast Now
The Unraveled podcast with Billy and Alexis is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you stream your podcasts. 
It would mean a lot if you could rate, review, and subscribe!

See the TV Show Soon
The first televised episode of Unraveled premieres on Discovery+, the new streaming platform, March 9. It will then play on Investigation Discovery later in the year. We hope you get to check it out. It’s the most in-depth, explosive series we’ve ever made.

Helpful and Related Links
As we all work to stay calm and creative, we think this episode about Showbiz and Your Mental Well-Being feels appropriate!
What a difference a year makes. Here was our Welcome to 2020 episode for filmmakers pre-pandemic. Ah, we were so excited for the new decade! A lot of the advice still stands, however.
Our previous look at Making TV in Quarantine – seems like forever ago! And of course, our kids commented on the whole situation.
We did a whole podcast episode on our new favorite TV show – and how it relates ...

Amazing Career Advice From Legendary Producer Jon Kroll

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