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Who is Steve Hirsen? Just a regular man who's directed/ produced news stations, produced a few episodes of ET (Entertainment Tonight), and has directed America's Funniest Home Videos (yes, the original with Bob Saget).
Luckily, Mr. Hirsen is a professor here at Chapman University in the Dodge College of Film and Media Studies. Professor Hirsen was born in Chicago and attended school at the University of Illinois where he received his B.S. in Communications. He later got a job right after college at a local news station and then years after he decided he wanted to start focusing on entertainment, moved to LA. You can find a short bio of Professor Hirsen here.
Luckily, Mr. Hirsen is a professor here at Chapman University in the Dodge College of Film and Media Studies. Professor Hirsen was born in Chicago and attended school at the University of Illinois where he received his B.S. in Communications. He later got a job right after college at a local news station and then years after he decided he wanted to start focusing on entertainment, moved to LA. You can find a short bio of Professor Hirsen here.
1. How did you get started in your teaching job at Chapman?
When I was directing America’s Funniest Home Videos I had a friend who taught at USC so I started teaching as an adjunct once a week at USC. I taught the same kinda course I do at Chapman, Studio Television Multi-Camera Course, and I had a friend who I knew from a basketball game who worked at Chapman as a professor and I knew USC wasn’t going to hire a TV guy so I said if he thought Chapman might have an opening and I started teaching adjunctly here almost 10 years ago and I did one semester. It went well, and then about 5 years later, I got a call saying if I wanted to teach again. I said "I don’t know, is it possible to teach more than one course" and she said "I think I can get you 2 courses on the same pace so the drive down would be for 2 courses" (Hirsen lives in Sherman Oaks) and while I was teaching those two courses one of the professors was about to retire and they said if I was interested in teaching full-time next year and I said yes and I interviewed and got the job and here i am so I’ve been here about 4 years now full-time.
When I was directing America’s Funniest Home Videos I had a friend who taught at USC so I started teaching as an adjunct once a week at USC. I taught the same kinda course I do at Chapman, Studio Television Multi-Camera Course, and I had a friend who I knew from a basketball game who worked at Chapman as a professor and I knew USC wasn’t going to hire a TV guy so I said if he thought Chapman might have an opening and I started teaching adjunctly here almost 10 years ago and I did one semester. It went well, and then about 5 years later, I got a call saying if I wanted to teach again. I said "I don’t know, is it possible to teach more than one course" and she said "I think I can get you 2 courses on the same pace so the drive down would be for 2 courses" (Hirsen lives in Sherman Oaks) and while I was teaching those two courses one of the professors was about to retire and they said if I was interested in teaching full-time next year and I said yes and I interviewed and got the job and here i am so I’ve been here about 4 years now full-time.
2. How long have you been doing working on news/ television?
How many years? I’ve got 40 years; that’s scary to say. I’ve been doing that pretty much since out of college but yeah I’ve been doing this for 40 years
How many years? I’ve got 40 years; that’s scary to say. I’ve been doing that pretty much since out of college but yeah I’ve been doing this for 40 years
3. Since you have a B.S. in communications did you know right away you wanted to go into TV?
No, I luckily went to a very large school I was doing liberal arts and had no real directions If I wanted to take a political science course I would say I was a PolySci major, if I wanted to take an english course I would say I was an english major. I kept going through this school, The College of Journalism, and the day I had to apply for a major I just said yeah that’s what I want to do and I applied and I got in. I knew I liked it, and I kinda dabbled and did a little theater, I worked on the campus radio station as just an extra curricular, not for credit or anything and became a manager and just kinda knew I liked that. And I think when I was in high school, I remember going to Downtown Chicago for a high school academic team I was a part of, and we went down to tape a show at NBC CHicago and I just thought that was really cool
No, I luckily went to a very large school I was doing liberal arts and had no real directions If I wanted to take a political science course I would say I was a PolySci major, if I wanted to take an english course I would say I was an english major. I kept going through this school, The College of Journalism, and the day I had to apply for a major I just said yeah that’s what I want to do and I applied and I got in. I knew I liked it, and I kinda dabbled and did a little theater, I worked on the campus radio station as just an extra curricular, not for credit or anything and became a manager and just kinda knew I liked that. And I think when I was in high school, I remember going to Downtown Chicago for a high school academic team I was a part of, and we went down to tape a show at NBC CHicago and I just thought that was really cool
4. What was it that interested you in the entertainment industry?
I guess I just liked entertainment, it looked like fun. It looked like it would be more fun, at least academically; it would be more fun to shoot a television show then write a term paper. When I really knew, I interned at a TV station in Chicago the summer after my junior year but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do but I liked production, I liked being in the studio and all that stuff. I worked for a documentary unit and the producer who was the head of this unit had won dozens of EMMY’s and his director was this guy who directed the 5 and 10 o'clock news and we were usually done at work at 5 and he would let me watch. And when I started watching him do the news I was hooked on live news.
I guess I just liked entertainment, it looked like fun. It looked like it would be more fun, at least academically; it would be more fun to shoot a television show then write a term paper. When I really knew, I interned at a TV station in Chicago the summer after my junior year but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do but I liked production, I liked being in the studio and all that stuff. I worked for a documentary unit and the producer who was the head of this unit had won dozens of EMMY’s and his director was this guy who directed the 5 and 10 o'clock news and we were usually done at work at 5 and he would let me watch. And when I started watching him do the news I was hooked on live news.
5. Have there been any famous people you have got to work with or have met through your work?
When I was in NBC, David Brinkley was still there; John Chancellor was still there. I worked with Dan Rather in terms of news. But celebrities, I mean Bob Saget of course. I did award shows, Jon Stewart hosted, Ellen Degeneres did a stand up set for a show I produced. I worked with the late Phil Hartman who was an excellent comedian on SNL but was tragically killed by his wife in his sleep. And there's just been a bunch.
When I was in NBC, David Brinkley was still there; John Chancellor was still there. I worked with Dan Rather in terms of news. But celebrities, I mean Bob Saget of course. I did award shows, Jon Stewart hosted, Ellen Degeneres did a stand up set for a show I produced. I worked with the late Phil Hartman who was an excellent comedian on SNL but was tragically killed by his wife in his sleep. And there's just been a bunch.
6. Any advice for anyone who wants to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
If you think you’re interested and you don’t know exactly what you want to do, get inside somehow and just be like a fly in the wall. Do whatever they ask you to do with a good attitude and work hard but watch the editors, the director, the camera operators, the audience, all these different jobs and if you observe something and say that’s what I want to do then you go for it but don’t be disappointed if it goes another way. You gotta do the work before you get there, like pre-production and just try it. It’s better to try it and fail than to never try it and say I wish i would’ve. Here at school you make mistakes but not out there so try not to make them more than once. So be patient but try to figure out what you want to do and go for it.
If you think you’re interested and you don’t know exactly what you want to do, get inside somehow and just be like a fly in the wall. Do whatever they ask you to do with a good attitude and work hard but watch the editors, the director, the camera operators, the audience, all these different jobs and if you observe something and say that’s what I want to do then you go for it but don’t be disappointed if it goes another way. You gotta do the work before you get there, like pre-production and just try it. It’s better to try it and fail than to never try it and say I wish i would’ve. Here at school you make mistakes but not out there so try not to make them more than once. So be patient but try to figure out what you want to do and go for it.