Nicole Holofcener

FEATURES:
I Could Never Be Your Woman (2006)
Loser (2000)
Clueless (1995)
Look Who’s Talking Too (1990)
Look Who’s Talking (1989)
European Vacation (1985)
Johnny Dangerously (1984)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

SELECTED TELEVISION SERIES:
The Office
Clueless
Fast Times

AWARDS:
National Society of Film Critics, Best Screenplay, Clueless (1996)

Dawes: I’ve heard that about John Wells, Stephen McPherson at ABC, Don Ohlmeyer at NBC, and David Kelley. Have these guys been important in any of your paths?

Gordon:  David Kelley was my mentor. He gave me my first job. I didn’t leave his side for years.

Sanford:  I’ve worked there a lot too. He doesn’t really hire the directors. But he encourages it.

Gordon:  He saw a short film that I had done. Tom Skerritt had seen it, and he brought it to David. So Picket Fences was my first show. And David was one of those guys who, if you did well for him, he was loyal, and he had a million shows on the air. You would do a Picket Fences, then you’d do a Chicago Hope, then you’d do an Ally McBeal, then you’d go do a Practice, then a Snoops. And you’d never leave.

Glatter:  Most of the big producers tend to find their group of people, and certainly John Wells is one of those.

Leder:  John and I came up together. We produced China Beach together. We produced ER together. I’ve directed a lot of first episodes that he has written. John has been one of the best male producers in town in terms of bringing women and minorities into his group. And Steven Spielberg—he obviously gave me my first picture, The Peacemaker. He was a huge supporter of mine. His company was producing ER, and that’s where he found me. I’m sure there were a lot of people saying, ‘You’re out of your mind. You want to hire her to direct the first DreamWorks movie? You must be crazy.’

Gordon:  He must have had to really fight some battles.

Leder:  But he just persisted and hired me, because he believed that I was the right director for the project. So there are a lot of great men who hire women. We just need a lot more of them.

Glatter:  I think that’s important to remember, that there are a lot of great men. I’ve been based at John Wells for four years. It’s an incredible place for a director. People are given respect for the job that they do. You’re telling the story the way you want to tell it. That should be how it is. You set up a harmonious work environment for people to do their best work...

Sanford:  And there should be more female executive producers who might hire more female directors. Because there are not that many female executive producers.

Leder:  No, there are not. I just hired Helen Shaver to direct three of my shows, and she just kicked ass. She’s a phenomenal director. There are so many. And there will be more.

Dawes: In the summer issue of DGA Quarterly, there’s an article quoting Dana Walden, president of Fox Television, where she says, ‘We’re constantly searching for women to fill director slots. Our difficulty has been finding women, not overcoming a reluctance to hire them.’

Gordon:  I can’t believe Dana said that. I can’t believe it.

Leder:  I’m going to fix that, because I’m producing a Fox show, Vanished, for Dana. We’re going to bring in a lot more women.

Dawes:  Mimi, at what point did producing become part of your strategy for your career?

Leder:  It just sort of fell into my lap. I’d been directing for about a year when I was hired to direct two episodes of China Beach. Then John Sacret Young called and invited me to join the staff. I said, ‘what would you like me to join the staff as?’ He said, ‘We want you to produce the show and direct as many as you can.’ It was in those days when there weren’t any director showrunners, or director-producers. I became one of the first director-producers doing dramatic television. I hired the directors, prepped them, and really learned my craft.

Dawes: As a strategy for creating a longer career, do you think that’s an important way to go?

Sanford:  I’d like to do it, because at this point in my life, I’d like to have a place to be. As a director, I go from show to show. The good news is, I don’t have to have that many clothes. [everyone laughs]