ALUMNI INTERVIEW: MILES LEICHER 

What was your major and when did you graduate?

I started out as a Film Production major, but switched to Television Production and Broadcast Journalism after my freshman year. I received an honorable discharge (graduated) in May 2007.

Where do you work now?

For most of the year I work on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” I’m an Executive Assistant, which means I do whatever people tell me to do. At the moment, I chiefly handle web content for HBO.com, as well as graphics for the show (usually doctoring photos for various punchlines).

When Real Time isn’t taping, I also work as a freelance cameraman for sports, concerts and reality shows (gross), such as Big Brother. Hey, it pays the bills.

What do you like most about your job?

My favorite thing about Real Time is that it’s a great work environment. Aside from being surrounded by some of the smartest comedic writers in the business, my bosses are generous with their praise and, perhaps even more importantly, with their time.   

I think it’s important to find people who can give honest, constructive feedback, and who are open to giving me the chance to prove myself capable in new ways. Some jobs tend to feel like there’s little or no room for advancement, but it’s great when you find a place willing to give you additional responsibilities if you earn them.

The post-show open bar isn’t bad either.

What is your ultimate career goal?

Ultimately, I’d like to be a comedy writer. Something in the talk or variety world would be great, but my real passion is in sketch writing. I’d also like to continue studying and performing improv. If, one day, someone is foolish enough to put me on camera, so be it.

What classes and learning experiences at Chapman were the most valuable in building toward your current job?

I would say that every class contributed in one way or another to my present situation. Except for Film Aesthetics; that crap was booooooring. Just kidding (sort of). For serious, though, the most memorable classes at Chapman were the ones that put equipment in my hands and let me go out and make my own mistakes.

Nightcap, in particular, was one of my favorite experiences, because it put me right in the middle of the type of show I wanted to work on. This was a college TV show born from the minds of a couple of students over ten years ago, which melded the late-night talk show format with bits of sketch comedy. Looking back, most of what we did wouldn’t have been considered “funny” or “watchable” by outsiders, but we enjoyed the heck out of it. It was probably our only real chance to make the type of weird television that we wanted to make, before we entered the real world of studios, ratings and focus groups.

Speaking of studios, ratings and focus groups, I wouldn’t have known what any of those were if it hadn’t been for Ross Brown’s Business of Television class. I’ve managed to avoid giving many a blank stare, thanks to the industry knowledge I picked up in that course.

What kind of things are you learning on the job that you couldn’t learn in school?

Being on the job has shown me how much the little stuff matters. My first few television jobs out of school often involved me doing lots of menial tasks, most of them involving dirty dishes and/or labeling devices. It didn’t exactly feel like I was making “TV magic” when my hands were covered in soapsuds and sticky tape, but I washed and I labeled like it was the best thing I’d ever done.

Soon it became apparent to me that, not only was that stuff actually useful to the production, but also that my bosses noticed when things were clean and organized. That made them feel confident that I could handle more responsibility, so they gave it to me. To quote Otto from The Simpsons, “Look at me, man! Now I DRIVE the school bus!”*

*I am not actually qualified to drive a school bus

Would you recommend the Television program at Chapman to others who want to work in the field?

I had such a good time learning about television production at Chapman that there may still be scratch marks on the walls from when they handed me my degree and dragged me kicking and screaming from Knott Studios.  That being said, nobody (except for my mom) has asked to see my degree since.

I can honestly say, though, that I haven’t held a single job that wasn’t directly or indirectly a result of the connections I make during my time at Chapman. At least as important as the actual skills I developed as I pursued my degree were the relationships I built with my fellow students. My friends were how I got my foot in the door of that first job, and then I used all the stuff I learned at Chapman to stay there.

Also, generally speaking, the students in the Television program smell much better than those in the film program. That’s just my opinion, but it’s true.