I had lunch with a friend from grade school today. He is Preston Beckman and he is in charge of scheduling at Fox. The job really goes beyond a simple description, but that’s a good start.
Preston and I first met in 1957 back at PS 163Q. He was smart and intense back then. No change there. He was tall and thin.
He and I are in the same business but in a very tenuous way. His is the side of the business people are really interested in. He’s involved with American Idol, Glee, 24 and every other show on Fox. He’s got the good gossip–none of which I’ll reveal here.
Preston deals in a business of high stakes and short careers. Luckily (or maybe skillfully) he and I can both laugh at the number of bosses we’ve worked for over the years.
He took me to lunch in the executive dining room on the Fox lot in Century City. Fox is nowhere near Hollywood, but this movie and TV factory is what people think about when they think Hollywood.
I’m not sure how much is done on the lot’s massive sound stages anymore. It’s often cheaper to shoot elsewhere. Still as I walked out from the garage there was an urban neighborhood with streets and stores. It was unused today.
I wish I could explain it, but there’s enough energy you can feel it as you walk through this place. Creative people, or at least people who think they’re creative, walk the paths talking up ideas and plotting minor coups.
The stories behind TV can be as interesting as those on it.
