Interview with Jamie Waese

Q: What exactly did your job entail?

A: My title was Manager of Current Programming, which meant that I was a creative executive at Walt Disney TV Animation. My job entailed keeping a creative eye on the production on behalf of the company, and reporting back to my bosses if everything was on track or if any issues needed to be addressed. Because Disney owned the network our shows were broadcast on, there weren’t any network notes like you’d get on other productions. So part of my job included reading all the scripts from pitch to outline to first, second, polish and record draft, reading all the storyboards, and watching rough cut episodes. This was a terrific job for a young man recently out of film school, as it gave me a seat at all the story sessions and production meetings, and an opportunity to work with some of the most talented people in the business.

Q: What was it like working on the show - was it a fun process, or was it stressful/difficult?

A: As I recall, the schedule was fast and furious. Did we make 65 episodes in one mad dash? Ambitious, to say the least. Most shows take it one season at a time, which gives the creative team an opportunity to think about the direction of the show. I do recall towards the end feeling the whole bad-guy-for-the-week thing was getting old. But that’s television!

One detail that stands out for me is that the production was too large to fit in our building (we were also making Recess, Pepper Ann, House of Mouse / Mouseworks, and half a dozen video movies at the time) so it was set up in a rather generic office building a five minute drive away from the lot. Being off site gave the team a lot of independence. There was a nice vibe in the office and I recall a lot of laughing and joking around.

Q: How involved were you with production?

A: I was the most junior guy in the room, but I was in the room and contributed what I could. I was the first person outside the core team to read / see their material, so they treated me like a fresh pair of eyes and occasionally listened to what I had to say. I wasn’t responsible for making the show, but I helped the show get made.

Q: I understand you oversaw scripts and storyboards. This is part of the production process we are particularly interested in, and for awhile now we’ve been trying to track down any scripts that might be available. Unfortunately, even producer Bob Schooley was unable to help us as he no longer has any of the scripts. I realise this is a longshot, but do you still have any of the scripts or storyboards, or know where we might find them?

A: Sadly, I didn’t keep any of these. There were so many episodes, and so many drafts of every stage of production, at some points my in-box would be two feet tall. We must have killed a small forest if you consider how much paper the show consumed.

Q: There are some gaps in the episode production codes. We asked Tad Stones about the missing numbers, and he explained the 65 episodes that were produced were the only ones planned, as 65 was the number needed for syndication. Can you shed any light on these unused production codes? Were they for episode ideas that were scrapped before they were produced?

A: I don’t recall the specifics, but sometimes we’d get to leica reel stage and for one reason or another decide to scrap the show. I left the company before 9/11/01, but if we were part way through an episode that involved a plane crashing into a building for instance, the episode would be dropped.

Thank you for taking the time to help us out, it is greatly appreciated!

My pleasure. Thanks for continuing to watch!