Director/Writer Brian Levant.Award-winning comedy director and TFTV adjunct instructor Brian Levant was recently interviewed by the Arizona Republic to discuss his career, all things Arizona, his upcoming book, and the live table read of FAMDEMIC.
FAMDEMIC, the result of the third annual UA Sitcom Boot Camp that Levant leads, was influenced by current events. “I wanted to deal with the moment, we touch on real economic issues and family issues and the ability to communicate and how people get on each other’s nerve,” said Levant. “We try and draw on people’s experiences in the pandemic.”
The table read will take place online on Wednesday October 28 at 7:30pm and is open to the public.
In the article Levant also discusses his impressive collection of toys, which are often featured on his Instagram account (@brianlevant). The collection will be on display for the first time in his book My Life and Toys, which will be published by Insight Editions in the spring. Reflecting on the process of the book, Levant says it required learning “how to talk about the things that have always driven me and the intersection of my toy collecting and my work, which is not a casual overlap. You go to work on Happy Days when you’re 23 and now I’ve got 200 Happy Days toys. It’s like a perfect marriage.”
An alumnus of the University of Arizona, Brian Levant’s name appears on over 400 episodes of television and pilots as a writer, show runner and director. He started his long television career in 1977 as a writer on The Jeffersons, and worked as writer, supervising producer, story editor and story and program consultant on Happy Days. Other television credits include Mork & Mindy and Married with Children. He is best known for directing the comedy films Beethoven, The Flintstones, Jingle All the Way, Are We There Yet? and The Spy Next Door, starring Jackie Chan.
Read more at the Arizona RepublicWatch the Live Table Read of 'Famdemic'