The TV Campfire

Achievement in Television eXcellence Awardee and legendary director/producer James Burrows joins Jim Halterman for a conversation spanning his one-of-a-kind career as the co-creator/director of Cheers, winner of 11 Emmy Awards, and director of more than 1,000 episodes of television, including iconic sitcoms Taxi, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, and many, many more.

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELIST:

• James Burrows (Director / Producer / Creator / Author)

MODERATOR:

• Jim Halterman (TV Guide Magazine)

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For almost three decades, actors and spouses Ted Danson (Cheers, The Good Place) and Mary Steenburgen (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, The Last Man on Earth) have independently built two of the most iconic resumes in TV (and film), while also appearing together on series such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Place, and Mr. Mayor. Tune in for their latest collaboration - this conversation - as they reflect on meeting & working together for the first time, the roles that have shaped their careers to this point, and navigating industry as two married creatives working separately and together.

This conversation is presented by Variety, and was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• Ted Danson (Actor)
• Mary Steenburgen (Actor)

MODERATOR:

• Emily Longeretta (Variety)

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Actors and spouses Dave Annable and Odette Annable join us for an honest and vulnerable conversation about building a career outside of LA, making Austin home, and finding "your people" and creative spark in unlikely places.

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• Odette Annable (Actor, Walker)
• Dave Annable (Actor, Walker, Lioness)

MODERATOR:

• Sara Osburn Light

SUBSCRIBE to youtube.com/ATXTV for more panels, conversations & events with your favorite TV creatives and casts.

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A conversation about series finales, and writing towards The End. How & when do you start breaking a series finale? What is the process of finding a natural and satisfying conclusion for your characters, the story, and yourself as the writer? How do you move on from a story once it’s concluded and belongs to the audience?

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• Dave Andron (Co-Creator / Showrunner / EP, Snowfall, Justified: City Primeval)
• Maril Davis (Executive Producer, Outlander)

MODERATOR:

• Ben Travers (IndieWire)

SUBSCRIBE to youtube.com/ATXTV for more panels, conversations & events with your favorite TV creatives and casts.

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PodCo Co-Founders Brendan Rooney & Christy Carlson Romano, President Calvin Robertson, and special guest Annaliese van der Pol join us at Season 12 for a conversation about the creative and business aspects of launching a podcast company and new podcast, and what makes PodCo’s video-forward vision unique.

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• Brendan Rooney (Founder & CEO, PodCo)
• Christy Carlson Romano (Founder & Host, PodCo)
• Calvin Robertson (President, PodCo)
• Anneliese van der Pol (Co-Host, Big Name Bitches) 

MODERATOR:

• Jennifer Birn (Austin Life Magazine)

SUBSCRIBE to youtube.com/ATXTV for more panels, conversations & events with your favorite TV creatives and casts.

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At 34 seasons (751 episodes) and counting, The Simpsons holds the rare distinction of being the longest running American sitcom, scripted primetime series and American animated series. Of course, a lot can change over the course of 34 seasons, both inside and outside of a series — from animation styles, casting, and comedic voice, to the culture in which the show exists (and satirizes). In this conversation from Season 12, showrunner/executive producer Matt Selman's provides an inside look at what it means to showrun one of the most pop-culturally significant series of all time, and how The Simpsons continues to evolve 24 years into its run.

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• Matt Selman (Showrunner / EP - The Simpsons)

MODERATOR:

• Trevor Scott (We Are Austin, CBS Austin)

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From rehearsal and choreography, to recording sessions and performing live, having musical elements in a series adds a whole new layer of preparation, skill, and meaning to hitting your mark. Join Kevin McHale and Ashley Fink (Glee) for a conversation about the hard work and fun that goes into creating these musical magic moments.

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• Kevin McHale (Actor, Glee)
• Ashley Fink (Actor, Glee)

MODERATOR:

• Trevor Scott (We Are Austin, CBS Austin)

SUBSCRIBE to youtube.com/ATXTV for more panels, conversations & events with your favorite TV creatives and casts.

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Creator/executive producer Aaron Benward joins us for a deeper dive into Freevee's original docuseries God. Family. Football. to discuss the project's years long development process, what drew him to the story of Evangel, the unpredictable nature of unscripted TV, drawing inspiration from Friday Night Lights, and more.

God. Family. Football. features the rich, diverse personal stories of Evangel’s players, coaching staff, and the broader Shreveport community, set against the dramatic backdrop of the 2022 Louisiana high school football season. With the perennial high school football powerhouse—14 state championships in the last 20 years—coming off their worst season in school history, redemption is everyone’s goal.

Pastor Denny Duron has returned to the head coaching position to lead this talented group of kids, with dreams of playing in college and the NFL, into prominence on the field, while molding them into future leaders off of it. As the team faces struggle and triumph on and off the field, they are united by coach Duron’s formula for success: “God first, family second, and football third.”

Stream God. Family. Football. now on Amazon Freevee & Prime Video. Watch the trailer HERE!

PANELISTS:

• Aaron Benward (Creator/Executive Producer, God. Family. Football.)

MODERATOR:

• Emily Gipson (Co-Founder & Co-President, ATX TV)

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The team behind the independent comedy series Everyone is Doing Great gathered their friends, raised money, and shot a full 8-episode season of high quality TV. Twice. Hear how they made it work... their way.

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• James Lafferty (Creator / Writer / EP / Actor, Everyone Is Doing Great)
• Stephen Colletti (Creator / Writer / EP / Actor, Everyone Is Doing Great)
• Alexandra Park (Writer / EP / Actor, Everyone Is Doing Great)

MODERATOR:

• Sara Osburn Light

SUBSCRIBE to youtube.com/ATXTV for more panels, conversations & events with your favorite TV creatives and casts.

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As "prestige" TV continues to trend towards more and more morally ambiguous characters, the space between hero and anti-hero has become less clearly-defined, raising questions of whether the characters we love to watch are "good" or "likable," and if that should affect whether or not we root for them.

Join eOne executive Jacqueline Sacerio and producer Sarah Timberman as they unpack this topical trend, discuss why we're drawn to morally unsavory characters as much as (if not more than) saintly ones, and attempt to answer the question: How much does likability really matter?

This conversation was recorded live at ATX TV Festival Season 12 (June 1-4, 2023) in Austin, TX.

PANELISTS:

• Jacqueline Sacerio (Co-Head, Development, Scripted Television, eOne)
• Sarah Timberman (Executive Producer, Justified: City Primeval, Fleishman is in Trouble)

MODERATOR:

• Laura Rice (Texas Standard)

SUBSCRIBE to youtube.com/ATXTV for more panels, conversations & events with your favorite TV creatives and casts.

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