“Mad Men” Creator Matthew Weiner
Episode 5 : Media Mayhem
Episode Synopsis
Allison is joined by a very special guest this week, her brother Matthew Weiner, the creator and producer of the popular television series Mad Men. The audience gets a glimpse into Matthew’s childhood, family history and what events have influenced the show from the characters to the wardrobe. He discusses his approach to publicizing the show from its beginning as well as the role the media has played along the way. Allison and Matthew share some stories that only siblings would know about one another making this interview particularly entertaining.
Guest Bio
Matthew Weiner is the creator and executive producer of the hit AMC drama “Mad Men” and is the brother of Media Mayhem host, Allison Hope Weiner. Mad Men has been recognized with numerous awards including garnering four Emmy Awards in a row for Outstanding Drama, three Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series and a Peabody. Matthew and the show have been honored around the world with a plethora of awards. He’s also won an Emmy for writing while working on The Sopranos.
Matthew was raised in Los Angeles and graduated from Harvard school before getting his B.A. at Wesleyan University and graduating from the USC School of Cinema and Television. Matthew has written for such TV shows as, The Naked Truth, Becker and Andy Richter Controls the Universe. He is married to Linda Brettler and they have four sons, Marten, Charlie, Arlo and Ellis.
Episode Breakdown
00:00-01:00 Introduction
01:00 Guest Intro, Matthew Weiner creator/show runner of Mad Men
02:00 Family history overview, old family photos
06:00 When you were creating the show, did you see how the people would be dressed?
07:00 How did you go about doing the casting?
10:28 When you saw John Hamm you knew he was the guy, right?
10:50 The media often looks for stories, anything since we are off air.
13:20 You see similar stories coming out in regards to breaking bad and walking dead.
14:40 It is a common tactic, the same happened to Gandolfini with the Sopranos
15:00 Discussing American attitude towards labor of the individual vs. the corporation
17:15 Is the attitude towards labor a recent thing?
21:50 Is there any way to get the media to cover these events in a more balanced way?
23:00 Discussion in regards to the Emmys
26:14 Could you have studied acting as opposed to going to film school?
27:30 Did you have that feeling of spending your day not finishing anything?
30:45 What do you read to stay current?
34:30 Do you google yourself and read about yourself?
34:50 What do you think of the LA Times coverage of your show?
37:20 Did everyone assume you were a New Yorker?
38:30 How did you go about publicizing the show?
41:15 How deep did you go in the initial interviews?
42:50 So you had your own idea of how you wanted to sell it? You wanted to sell it to yourself?
44:50 More family photos from the 60’s. Matthew’s parents etc.
45:27 Not revealing anything worked for you (despite seeming like it would be a disaster)
47:15 How did the shift in acceptance happen?
49:00 The importance of being open to new things.
51:15 Relevant news and historical accuracy.
55:21 MEDIA MAYHEM ROUND with NICK GUERRA
56:45 Hypothetically you are doing a show in 30 years set in the first decade of the 21st century…what culturally relevant things would you include?
60:00 Are there any characters on the show that you particularly identify with?
61:02 Have any of the plot lines ever happened to you?
67:00 Show wrap up.
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Hosted By
Allison Hope Weiner
Allison Hope Weiner was a Century City entertainment litigator before she began writing about Hollywood as a journalist. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Southern California Law Center, she joined the legendary firm of Wyman, Bautzer—where she represented entertainers and corporate media clients.
