With Thanksgiving just a couple days away, DCTV creator Daryn Strauss spoke with Lauralee Bell about her hilarious dysfunctional family comedy Family Dinner! Learn how the actress/writer/director/entrepreneur/mom manages it all! And with her television legacy [her parents created both The Young and The Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful and she starred on The Young and The Restless for eighteen years after all], we asked for her insight into the future of digital TV!
photo credit: CharlesBush.com
DARYN: First of all, congratulations on Family Dinner. It is absolutely hilarious. What was the inspiration for the show?
LAURALEE: I came up with the idea a few years ago. I just modified it to what I thought would work best now. For the online viewer, you get a fun show where you can completely escape; for the production, it’s a more cost-effective schedule for the crew; for the actor, it’s enticing to make their schedule quick and flexible. Most importantly, you are getting unlimited opportunities from an advertising perspective.
DARYN: A lot of soap opera stars are making their way on the web, and many of them are doing online soaps. You chose to do a family comedy. Have you always been attracted to comedy, or were looking specifically to try something different?
LAURALEE: I come from a very busy and very funny family, and we always go for the laugh. It’s always been my personality, even if my previous roles were all very different from me. Everyone has a family, and everyone tends to roll their eyes at their own experiences at a family holiday dinner, so that is totally relatable. Yes, we are extreme in FAMILY DINNER, but it leaves you feeling that your OWN family isn’t as crazy as you thought and that can sometimes be comforting!
DARYN: Many people know you from your role on The Young and The Restless. Have you always written?
LAURALEE: I think I started writing at 16. I wrote something in 1999 that is finally going to come out in the next few months. I think it’s impossible to grow up watching your father at a typewriter everyday without picking up a diary or legal pad (which is what I wrote a lot of things on) yourself.
DARYN: Major icons have guest starred on Family Dinner like Cloris Leachman, Phyllis Diller, Shirley Jones. Did you write those characters with those actresses in mind?
LAURALEE: When I wrote the grandmother role, I knew my mom was friendly with Phyllis Diller but NEVER thought she’d agree to do the show. My husband and I really appreciate Phyllis not only for her humor and talent but also because she was our guinea pig in terms of our first day of shooting FAMILY DINNER. We didn’t have it down to the compact schedule like we did for Cloris, and even more so for Shirley. I keep pinching myself that we’ve already had 2 Oscars winners!
DARYN: The kids are great too. Where did you find them?
LAURALEE: The kids are great. We are going to see Zach Cumer’s stand-up show tomorrow! He’s so great and talented! You would never know that Makaela Golden hadn’t done much prior to this. She fell right into the part, and since we’ve started, she’s already worked on a few other projects, and I have no doubt she’ll keep on working. Of course, our sweet Maxim Knight, who was in episodes 1-4, is now working with Steven Spielberg. I can’t imagine him going from me to Speilberg, that’s just crazy! All the kids were found by Jason Woods, our amazing casting director.
DARYN: Let’s talk about the decision to change cameras. You went with the Canon 5d mark ii for the latest episode. Did you find that changed the way you shoot?
LAURALEE: The camera change was made by our DP/cameraman/editor, David Gil and what a great choice he made! These cameras are simply amazing and gave us such a cool look for this episode as we were trying to step it up along with our outstanding cast of musicians, Rick Springfield, Jordin Sparks, Richard Marx and Chad Smith and of course, Shirley Jones.
DARYN: What is the process like directing yourself? Do you watch playback between takes?
LAURALEE: Luckily I only have a few lines each episode otherwise I think it would be harder to direct myself. What’s fun about directing around a dinner table is that I’m totally in it, and I see everyone super close-up on our 8′ round table. It works well. Again, I have total trust in David Gil but he always turns the camera around to show me the shot.
DARYN: As a director/writer/actress myself, there is nothing more empowering as an actress than making your own projects. It takes the onus off of being hired. You were raised amongst a very accomplished family. Both of your parents were working parents with very active careers in entertainment. [They created The Young and the Restless and The Bold and The Beautiful, both of which are still running to this day.] Were you raised with this idea that as a creative person, you should also be a smart businessperson?
LAURALEE: My parents are/were amazing. They never pushed my brothers and I into the business, but we did just gravitate to it, and I think both the creative and the business genes came with it. My brain can never stop thinking of new ideas.
DARYN: Over the past year in particular, the digital world has been trying so many tactics to monetize online video. I read something recently that said cable subscription is down, and people may be watching their content exclusively online now. What do you foresee as the business model for digital programming? Could we do something like they did in the early years of soaps where a brand sponsored a show?
LAURALEE: It’s a bit strange for me to think everything will go online because I come from such a TV family, but clearly I’m gearing myself up for it already and excited by webisodes and everything that the future holds. I think sponsorships of online shows has already begun, and it will only continue to grow more in that direction since it’s easier to digest information if it’s being slipped in as part of the entertainment.
DARYN: For the working moms out there, how do you manage mommyhood and your career?
LAURALEE: There are days when it’s a big struggle to be a mom and still work. I’m someone who gives everything 100%, so if I have to learn lines while the kids are around or work on writing until the moment I hear them calling me, I go to them and stop what I’m doing which, at times, makes it impossible to finish what I’m trying to do for myself. Every mom can relate to that. I guess that’s why it took me so long to get FAMILY DINNER up and running.
DARYN: Lastly, when should we expect the next episode of Family Dinner?!
LAURALEE: I don’t know when the next FAMILY DINNER will be. We are thinking about moving into a 1/2 hour format. Of course, after this episode, now people say they like this pace, so we are just trying to find a home for it and the right combination of products/restaurants/sponsors because it has endless potential for product placement (and guest stars). With the right partners, we can get them out far more quickly and frequently. STAY TUNED!
Watch the most recent episode of Family Dinner below.
