A Passion for Television: “13 Reasons Why,” “Unprisoned,” and more with Joy Gorman Wettels
Los Angeles, CA (December 6, 2023): In this captivating episode of Hollywood at Home, innovative producer Joy Gorman Wettels gives listeners an insider’s look at how the best-selling book “13 Reasons Why” was turned into a binge-worthy series, collaborating with the extraordinary Selena Gomez, the secrets behind the show’s massive success, and her experiences working alongside Hollywood heavyweights, Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo, on the groundbreaking series “Unprisoned.” Join Wettels and Hollywood at Home Host, CEO of The Creative Coalition Robin Bronk for Wettels’ behind-the-scenes anecdotes that will leave you craving more.
Hollywood at Home is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more.
Listen now at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-and-mental-health-with-guest-joy-gorman-wettels/id1521900273?i=1000637593131
For planned coverage, please link to:
http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast
Highlights from Hollywood at Home featuring Joy Gorman Wettels:
Adapting “13 Reasons Why” from the best-selling novel: “A friend of mine had the rights . . . with Selena Gomez and her mom, Mandy Teefey, who’s now become a close friend. Even from the very beginning of that development process, we were calling psychiatrists, calling parent survivors who were speaking in the press about losing a child. We did so much outreach from the very beginning because we knew we were treading.”
On the impact of “13 Reasons Why”: “It created empathy and awareness. Completely changed the culture and the conversation around sexual violence and suicidal ideation and mental health.”
On Selena Gomez: “Selena was going through a lot of huge important things in her own life and she still found a way to be supportive and come to set each season and visit…She [has] been so central to the conversation around mental health for young people and she’s making such a difference in the space.”
On Kerry Washington and “Unprisoned”: “Tracy McMillan . . . created the show and Kerry plays a fictionalized version of Tracy in the show . . . The first meeting with Tracy and Kerry was so beautiful where Kerry said, ‘Tracy, you’re a miracle…to have your level of success and talent and when you have been through what you’ve been through.’ And [we] want to reach the 80 million Americans and their loved ones who have a criminal record. And Kerry as a producer, as an actress, as an activist . . . honestly, there aren’t enough words to explain how incredible she is.”
On bringing Delroy Lindo onto “Unprisoned”: “Kerry and Delroy really wanted to work together . . . we hadn’t seen him do a comedy. It would be a breakthrough. And, so we went to Delroy and attached him as an EP and the lead before we sold it to Onyx . . . it was an undeniable package with both Kerry and Delroy playing father daughter.”
On her favorite episode of “Unprisoned”: “I think I love the TED Talk episode the best because . . . the more you learn about where Paige comes from, the more you learn about her generational trauma . . . Paige’s wounds are pretty deep. And, you want so badly for her to save her father because we all want to save our father. We all want to save our mother. We all want to save the people that we came from. And most of our parents want us to surpass them and not have the same struggle and pain that they had.
More about Hollywood at Home:
Hosted by The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk, “Hollywood at Home” brings listeners intimate portraits, key moments of discovery, and “art and soul” conversations with iconic entertainment industry personalities from the big screen to the boardroom, from L.A. to D.C. Listen now at http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast.
Previous guests include Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), Marlee Matlin (“CODA”), Jason Alexander (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Alan Cumming (“Schmigadoon!, “The Good Wife”), Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Middle”), Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace”), Willie Garson (“And Just Like That…”), Colman Domingo (“Euphoria”), Kerry Ehrin (“The Morning Show”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), Ken Olin (“This is Us,” “Thirtysomething”), Anthony Rapp (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Grace Caroline Currey (Shazam!), and Alfre Woodard (Clemency, “Luke Cage”), among others.
More about The Creative Coalition:
Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization of the arts and entertainment community. The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance. The Creative Coalition also creates award-winning public service campaigns, including #RightToBearArts, to promote the efficacy of the arts. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s President. For more information, visit https://thecreativecoalition.org.
Media Contact:
Max Jordan
mjordan@thecreativecoalition.org
C: 240-506-7913
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