“Breaking Bad”, “Better Call Saul” and so many other television shows are credits belonging to mega producer, director, writer, production manager and assistant director Stewart Lyons. Lyons has worked on over 33 television series and has extensive experience working with Netflix, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Brothers, Amazon, HBO, NBC, and CBS. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of Arts, Lyons received a BFA degree and later a MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business. He spoke candidly to us about his career in television and how he enjoys sharing what he has learned with the next generation.
Q: You seem to enjoy sharing your professional journey with students interested in television and film. Tell us more about these talks.
A: I’ve talked to students in probably 20 to 25 different institutions. Many in California, New Mexico, Maryland, Germany (in Stuttgart) and London. Some of these lecture are conducted via Skype and others in person. I lectured at Chapman College, USC, UCLA, New York Film Academy and high schools as well. I teach on average, once a month. If I can add something to the class: I am happy to come speak.
Q: Many in our audience are aspiring filmmakers, actors, writers and producers. Tell us about your experience executive producing “Breaking Bad” and any production challenges that you had to work through and the lessons learned from it.
A: The thing about Breaking Bad is… I’ve done thirty-three TV series and there’s no question that Breaking Bad is the most significant credit that I have and the one for which I’ve gained the greatest amount of both personal knowledge for myself and then also my professional reputation. In terms of production challenges… aside from doing the pilot, when I was trying to assemble a crew and shoot in a place that I literally knew no-one, which was New Mexico. I never worked there before Breaking Bad, that was a huge challenge to get that pilot crewed up, the office staff set up and ready to go, build sets, find warehouses – because there were no sound stages available at the time…those were huge challenges. But in terms of logistical planning on set – the challenges presented while filming the train episode, in which the main character had to off-load chemicals from a train. We had to deal with railroad accessibility and also make sure everything was safe. It took us almost two months. We were working with a very ambitious script. We had a first time director, who did a brilliant job, George Mastras. But getting all of those pieces together was quite difficult. And what people don’t realize about TV shows is that you don’t just do an episode and then stop and do another one. You’re always working. So, while that show was taking well over one hundred percent of our energies we were also prepping other episodes coming up. So that was a uniquely difficult, exhausting and rewarding at the same time.
Q: Talk to us about the importance of being organized to producing a show?
A: I’m the kinda Chief Operating Officer. I am helping the directors achieve what the showrunners – the executive producers, have set out in their scripts to make sure that it’s the very best that it can possibly be. And that’s what I bring to the table. It’s figuring out all the planning so that you limit last minute surprises and if they happen you want them to be pleasant ones rather than “oops, somebody forgot to do something very important. Keeping track of all those details is my responsibility as an executive producer.
Q: People have different paths to getting their first assignment or first opportunity. Can you tell us about your first opportunity working in the industry?
A: Well, I went to NYU Film and so in a way I started professionally even before I got out of school because I was arranging other student’s senior films and other projects. So, that’s hitting the ground running. I went through the Assistant Directors training program at NYU Film. It’s a program open basically to any college graduate. And, they will pay you. It’s not one of these internships where you have to somehow figure out how to keep a roof over your head while somebody’s exploiting your efforts. They will pay you to go through that program. It’s highly selective program and at the end you become an Assistant Director. Hopefully along the way you have impressed people with your energy, determination and abilities – that they will give you real work and then you expand it from there.
Q: Tell us about that your childhood and when you decided you wanted to work in television.
A: Well, I was somebody who wanted to be part of the theatrical experience. So, the question is, what do you like to do? What gets you scared in a good way? Where do you think you can excel? So, very quickly I realized it wasn’t going to be acting either for me. But I’ve always had a knack for organization and I just started organizing student plays in high school and went on to organizing student movies in college. Now, I’m organizing television on a very high professional level. But in a strange way, although in my career, like anybody’s career, I’ve had my ups and downs. You know, there have been some side detours in directing and writing. But my organizational skills is what I’m hired for.
Q: It is great that you figured out what you wanted to do early in life and you’re still doing it…
A: Well, you don’t always know that you’ve found it… There are times when you go “what the hell is going on?” But, it all worked out. There were a lot of times where it felt very lonely and scary and there is no guarantee to success. I mean, I look at a lot of people who I thought were going to have significant careers who didn’t and vice versa. Some of it is luck. And some of it is who that person really is. But you can’t negate the luck there. This is not a world that operates completely fairly and or fairly at all. And there’s no question. I mean… I didn’t get Breaking Bad because I was the most amazing person out there at the time. I knew some of the people involved at the studio level. I knew none of the creative people; but I was later introduced and we hit it off…the next thing we knew four or five years later we were sitting on top of this cultural and artistic phenomenon that’s truly changed my professional career and has given me a great amount of recognition. I’m totally appreciative of that opportunity. But, this was not a part of any grand design. You just keep banging your head against enough doors and somebody will open them. You have to keep banging. And, you have to be ready when the door finally opens.