Dear Friends and Family,
So many of you write me and ask about things that happen “behind the scenes” on my cooking show. Funny to hear that because in all my years of being a TV producer I never ever thought that I would be the one standing in front of the camera and that there would be a “behind the scenes.” I always knew I could cook, heck, my entire family can cook, but I never dreamed I would have the amazing opportunity to stand in front of the world and be showing people how to become an EASYWAY GOURMET. Yes, yes, it is fun, a very fun job, but it’s not always just a barrel of laughs. The gearing up to where the lights finally go on and the cameras roll is a hard, tedious job, especially where I come from. You see, I work as an independent producer for PBS. You are PBS viewers and I know you have seen the pledge drives that go on PBS several times every year. This is how they raise money to stay on the air and believe me IT AIN’T EASY! I truly admire all the people at PBS who work in that department because as they sometimes say, “It is like throwing pasta against the wall to see what sticks.”
I am going to tell you what it is really like being an independent TV producer for PBS. Many viewers write me and confuse the Food Network with our shows. It is not like the Food Network at all. As I write, please, please do not think I am complaining, I just thought it might be fun for some of you to take the journey with me as I embark upon it and try to put together my third series for PBS. Maybe you have some helpful hints for me and maybe you just want to see how it all works behind the camera. In any case, let’s just have some fun with it because isn’t that what I always say? Make cooking fun so that you can always have a great meal and a Wonderful Life! And, yes, some of you have asked, my father-in- law was Frank Capra.
Let’s get started. Being an independent producer for PBS I have to raise all the money for my shows myself. I try to sell “spots” which are like commercials but with stricter guidelines. This is an enormous task, many companies have a “no PBS policy” because they do not want any restrictions even though the restrictions are quite simple.
I also have to find and create recipes for the show and I test them out on my family and friends constantly. I don’t have a huge test kitchen behind me like the Food Network, designing and testing things out for me. I do have two great sisters who can cook and they help me. A couple of cousins throw in their two cents and it seems to work. My daughter is my assistant and she does a lot of research for me and finds out the names of the marketing directors and brand managers I have to talk to to try to convince them to buy a “spot” on my show. I also have to write the shows and put everything into perspective. I have to write the lists for the prepping on every show and every item that goes into the refrigerator or on the shelves for every show. I have to write the budget and hire the crew and find the locations.
I have to contact all the PBS stations to make sure the shows get picked up and I spend hours on the phone and the computer. This time around I hope I can afford to hire a Stations Relations Manager to help me out with this part because it is very time consuming. In one year my show has gone from being on only two stations in California to being seen in over 34 states. That was a lot of work! I also try to write back to all my viewers who send me emails myself.
I will try to write several times a week to let you know what I am doing and if you want, you can write me any comments you like. If you do write me, please know that I may or may not share your ideas with the other viewers. I will let you know what my food testers have picked for some of my new shows and what went absolutely wrong, how it works trying to raise the money, and how I feel about the world outside this crazy industry. If you want to come along for the ride, you are all welcome. Learn what it takes to be TV producer and host and just have some fun.
I started working on the new series a few months ago testing new recipes and looking for sponsors to buy my “spots.” This is only the beginning and there is a long road ahead before we get to the really fun part, when I first stand in front of the cameras and hear the director say the word “ACTION.”
Thanks for your support,
Kris Capra
The easy way to cook is to have fun with it and use easily accessible ingredients. If you’re not having fun then you are missing something from the experience. I feel that cooking should challenge you but not overpower you. Enjoy.