Mike McGuff: So you are producing cable shows now...what have you worked on/working on now?
Johnathan Walton: Yes, I'm producing cable shows now. I just wrapped on a live action series for the Cartoon Network called "The Othersiders" it's kind of like a teenage ghost hunters type show. During the past 2 years I've produced 2 seasons of "UFO Hunters" for The History Channel and one season of "That's Impossible" for The History Channel as well.
MM: How did you land this?
JW: I got a job as a PA for a production company and worked my way up. Los Angeles, as I have learned, HATES outsiders. The mentality here is: If you don’t work in LA, you must not know anything. So even though I had 8 years of TV producing experience working at KHOU, KABB and WSVN, it meant nothing to the production companies here. So I had to start at the bottom as a PA… along with all the college kids.
Luckily I was able to move up pretty quickly because I had one major advantage over all the college kids: 8 years of TV producing experience at KHOU, KABB and WSVN.
MM: What are the differences for you between working cable and local TV?
JW: A lot of travel. I’ve traveled all over the world producing shows. My crew is usually 15 people. So that’s 15 plane tickets, 15 hotel rooms and 15 people I’m responsible for. It’s very stressful because things NEVER go according to plan.
One of my most difficult shoots to date was for a UFO Hunters episode. My crew and I had to hike up a 10,000 foot mountain range in the dead of the night. I had about 90 lbs of gear on my back. I nearly fell off that mountain 1000 times. We had an 18 person crew that day. Two people in our crew never made it up the mountain. One fell during the climb, tumbled down, tore his clothes, cut up his face, arms, legs and F-ed up his ankle. The other one just freaked out when the oxygen concentration in the air dipped and he couldn't go any further. Somehow I was able to push through. The air was so thin. It was hard to breathe. I was literally crawling on my hands and knees for 4 hours while loose rocks fell all around me. I wanted to quit. But I was in the middle of nowhere Nevada, hundreds of miles from anything. I begged God almighty to give me strength to finish in one piece. It was treacherous. If something did happen, like me tumbling off the mountain, no one could have rescued me. Thankfully I got what I needed content-wise and the show turned out great. I will NEVER do anything like that again though. Unless the money's right.
MM: Last time we talked you were attempting a stand up comic career, is that still on or have you moved on to TV show producing permanently?
JW: I still do stand up. But lately in my spare time I’ve been mainly focusing on producing webisodes for “Some Stupid Show” It’s my opus. I’m trying to develop a web following so when I get the opportunity to pitch the show to the right exec at the right network it’ll be obvious it can work. Just go to the website somestupidshow.com for the hijinks.
MM: What do you predict you will be doing next?
JW: Producing another TV show.
MM: Do you miss TV news?
JW: Yes and no. I was so fortunate at KHOU. During my 5 year tenure I was able to witness 11 News This Morning go from the 4th rated morning news show to the number one rated morning news show. I remember during my final days at Channel 11, the station actually threw a party to celebrate being number one in the morning. It was the first time in station history that KHOU’s morning news was ever number one. I’m so grateful to have been a part of that. It was a wonderful and magical experience. But I don’t miss waking up at 3am.
MM: What about Houston?
JW: I miss Houston a lot. For starters, Los Angeles doesn’t have an HEB. I literally have to go to 3 different markets to get everything I want… when HEB used to have everything under one roof. No plug intended. There are no Taco Cabanas here either. Finding a good breakfast burrito in LA is like locating water on the moon.
I miss my Houston friends a ton. I miss the Art Car parade, the Water Wall, the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Houston is an amazing city and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
MM: Anything else you want to add?
JW: Life is beautiful. Camryn Manheim. Not so much.
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