Interview With Philip Garvin
Interviewed by Keith Justice

Philip Garvin, founder and owner of Colorado Studios, has produced national television programs since 1974 for PBS, CBS and several cable networks.  Colorado Studios is Denver's leading production and post-production facility.  The TV mini-series The Shining and several independent features were filmed at their studios, and they have held the contract for shooting and editing worldwide for PBS' Newshour since 1983. In addition, the company is involved in the production of over a thousand hours of nonfiction and sports television programming per year. 

How did Colorado Studios get its start?

Colorado Studios used to be called Norac Productions. I founded Norac in 1974 in Connecticut, initially as a documentary film distribution company. It evolved into a small independent news and documentary production company in 1978. Then, in 1983, I moved it to Denver and started growing it into a larger facilities production company. 

Tell us a little bit about your new sitcom that you plan to produce.

There are few requirements for the sitcom pilot we will produce. Good writing and character development are essential, but after that we are open.  This is to be a multi-camera videotape production.

The television industry is dominated by Los Angeles or New York productions. What might the advantages or the disadvantages be to producing outside of these two cities?

The biggest advantage of producing a sitcom in Colorado is cost. We expect to be able to produce sitcoms for about 30% less than on the coasts.  We also hope that our attitudes and approach will provide some original work.

You're offering an open invitation for writers to submit their pilot scripts. What advice can you give to writers looking to impress you with their comedic genius?

When I read a script I am drawn by comedic lines which are integral to the situation, further define the characters, and advance the story. A funny line or gag by itself is less compelling to me.

On the other end of the spectrum - what might a prospective writer do that immediately eliminates him/her from consideration?

If you don't include a submission form with your script, I won't read it - or even open it up. 

Outside of the sitcom, anything else on the horizon?

Colorado Studios is involved in over a thousand productions a year mostly in the sports, news, documentary, and industrial areas. We've also worked on several films and movies for TV. But sitcoms is the only new, major form we expect to try in the foreseeable future. We are not interested in developing
theatrical film projects except insofar as such projects can use our facilities.
 
Where do you hope to take Colorado Studios in the near future?

The big motivator at Colorado Studios is to get creative and interesting projects that challenge our highly skilled staff. Although we have grown quite a bit in the last 6-7 years, growth itself is definitely not our ambition.

Colorado Studios is currently seeking a pilot script for a sitcom planned to be shot in January, 2000.  Details are available at their website. 

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