2010: The Directors and Writers Thread

[Toups]

Writers and Directors over 40 episodes in 2009

Writers

1. DAYS: Richard Culliton: 69

2. DAYS: John S. Newman: 63

3. DAYS: David Cherrill: 60

3. GH: Michele Val Jean: 60

3. AMC: Chip Hayes: 60

3. Y&R: Amanda L. Beall: 33 (BDW)/Y&R: Amanda L. Beall: 25 (SW) [some episodes were 1 episode]

7. AMC: Rebecca Taylor: 58

8. GH: Mary Sue Price: 57

9. GH: Karen Harris: 55

9. ATWT: Gordon Rayfield: 55

10. GH: Susan Wald: 52

10. Y&R: Janice Ferri Esser: 52

13. ATWT: Lisa Connor: 11/Y&R: Lisa Connor: 9 (BDW)/Y&R: Lisa Connor: 30 (SW) [some episodes were 1 episode]

14. OLTL: Katherine Schock: 49

14. Y&R: Paula Cwikly: 49

14. Y&R: Sandra Weintraub: 49

17. AMC: Joanna Cohen: 48

17. OLTL: Aida Croal: 48

17. OLTL: Elizabeth Page: 48

20. AMC: Kate Hall: 47

21. ATWT: Susan Dansby: 45

22. OLTL: Melissa Salmons: 34/Y&R: Melissa Salmons: 10 **

22. ATWT: David A. Levinson: 44

24. Y&R: Jay Gibson: 43

25. Y&R: Teresa Zimmerman: 42

B&B: John F. Smith: 61 (divided by 2 = 30.5)

B&B: Tracey Ann Kelly: 52 (divided by 2 = 26)

AMC: 4

ATWT: 4

B&B: 2

DAYS: 3

GH: 4

OLTL: 3.5 **

Y&R: 6

Directors

1. DAYS: Albert Alarr: 92

2. Y&R: Dean Lamont: 72

2. Y&R: Sally McDonald: 72

4. GH: Scott McKinsey: 67

5. AMC: Conal O'Brien: 66

6. GH: Phideaux Xavier: 61

7. GH: William Ludel: 60

8. DAYS: Grant A. Johnson: 49/Y&R: Grant A. Johnson: 8

9. ATWT: Michael Eilbaum: 56

10. GH: Owen Renfroe: 53

11. AMC: Casey Childs: 52

12. OLTL: Larry Carpenter: 51

12. DAYS: Herb Stein: 51

14. AMC: Steven Williford: 49

15. OLTL: Jill Mitwell: 46

16. Y&R: Mike Denney: 45

17. ATWT: Jennifer Pepperman: 44

18. Y&R: Andrew Lee: 43

19. ATWT: Habib Azar: 40

20. OLTL: Gary Donatelli: 40

B&B: Michael Stich: 79 (divided by 2 = 39.5)

B&B: Cynthia J. Popp: 67 (divided by 2 = 33.5)

Y&R: Deveney Kelly: 1/B&B: Deveney Kelly: 49 (divided by 2 = 24.5 +1 = 25.5)

AMC: 3

ATWT: 3

B&B: 3

DAYS: 3

GH: 4

OLTL: 3

Y&R: 4

[ClassicsSoapFan]

Thanks for this list Toups!

No surprise to me for the first three SW's and Albert Alarr!

[Khan]

I hope Gary Tomlin's compensating his scriptwriters at DAYS justly for working them to death.

[Toups]

LOL I know. Alarr gets so many episodes because, I believe, he directs shows that are taped on Fridays and DAYS tapes 3 episodes on Fridays. That's why he has so many back-to-back and back-to-back-to-back episodes.

Richard Culliton gets 69 episodes - I ain't complaining! Richard's probably the best SW in daytime right now.

For sure. Culliton and Cherill have got to be the #1 and #2 highest paid SWs - for writing so many episodes and for being veteran writers. It amazes me that on such a small overall budget, DAYS probably has the highest budget for a writing staff. I'm surprised John Newman gets so many episodes because he's young and only started writing in daytime in 2003. I always wonder if he complains to his mom, Fran Myers, whenever she gives him 3 episodes in a row to write. LOL

[Jonathan]

Gasp! Could this be the secret to their success?

[Toups]

OLTL:

- Carolyn Culliton last listed as Script Editor on January 25

- Katherine Schock first listed as Script Editor on January 26

[R Sinclair]

Hyperbole.

[Mitch]

Say hello to Davey Kreizman and goodbye Pine Valley.

[bellcurve]

I don't understand why B&B's SW/Directors were only counted for half.

A half-hour show does not imply half the effort, nor does it imply that its half of what a show should be.

But hey, you're gonna do things the way you want anyway.

[R Sinclair]

Tell that to script writers who have to church out anywhere from one to three 85 page, seven act scripts a week and the directors who have to submit production plans for them on time as well. When soaps started going from 30 minutes to an hour, writers have said that the additional half hour taxed them and they had to increase their writing staffs to accommodate.

[Toups]

Richard's the best.

Because I counted 2 half hour shows as one 1 hour show.

[NYC123]

Hey Toups I am with you.

I like Richard Culliton. He had a nice run at AMC as HW and also his scripts aren't that bad.

[Khan]

You have to be, if you can turn Jean Passanante and Leah Laiman's ish into gold.

[Adam]

I know alot of people around here had issues with him, but he was a breath of fresh air following Passanante. His AMC was a little on the campy side at times, but I still felt he grasped what AMC was all about. The writing for Greenlee and Leo was probably his strongest attribute and I also enjoyed the way he reintegrated Kendall back into the canvas. I also loved Vanessa under him... he really let Marj shine, despite the several inconsistencies in the Proteus storyline. He wrote for vets in a respectable way and I felt the show was a collective whole rather than a bunch of disconnected people much like it was under the majoirty of McT's reign and definitely under B&E. Pratt tried to recapture it, but even he failed. I really was disappointed when Frons fired him shortly after taking over as ABC Daytime Prez.

[Khan]

His earlier work (in the late '90's) at WORLD TURNS proves Culliton can head-write a soap. In this day and age of network micro-managing, however, it's likely that Culliton has to fight just to get the less thrilling stuff on-air!