by Team TVWriter™ Press Service
First, let’s get our feelings out of the way:
Hooray, Herbie J!
Okay, now that that’s settled, onto the very cool facts:
Decades Network, the TV network from Weigel Broadcasting Co. and CBS Television Stations, has ordered six monthly episodes of “Then Again with Herbie J Pilato,” a 30-minute talkfest dedicated to classic television and TV stars.
Host and author Pilato, and his Television, Ink. shingle, along with Joel Eisenberg and Steve Hillard (“The Chronicles of Ara”), under their “Mirkwood Partners” banner, will be Executive Producing. Program will be directed by former actor Steve Akahoshi (“Tour of Duty”). Akahoshi’s “Unstructured Plans” will produce the segments, along with Lorie Girsh Eisenberg and Len McLeod.
Gilbert Adler (producer of features “Valkyrie” and “Superman Returns,” and television’s “Tales from the Crypt”) is also an executive producer on the project.
“I know of no one in this industry more connected to, or passionate about, the world of classic television than Herbie J Pilato,” says Adler. “We want this program to become a historically important document in the world of both art and culture.”
Geek Nation’s Brian Keathley and Clare Kramer (“Glory” in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) round the creative team as Production Executives.
Pilato is a prolific author, who has written 11 pop-culture-themed books including “Glamour, Gidgets and the Girl Next Door,” “Twitch Upon A Star,” “The Bionic Book” and “Dashing, Daring and Debonair: TV’s Top Male Icons from the 50s, 60s and 70s.”
Pilato, also the Founder of the 501(c)3 Classic TV Preservation Society, will host the monthly specials and interview pop-culture subjects from the world of classic TV in each episode. The format will closely mirror Pilato’s successful weekly “Throwback Thursday” live events in the Los Angeles area.
Says executive producer Joel Eisenberg: “Steve and I are thrilled to be in business with Herbie J. The interests of Mirkwood Partners, as always, lie primarily with the artistic journey. While celebrating classic TV, we want to know what a television personality, who may no longer be working within a regular forum, does today as an artist. We want to understand the reality of the business, and we aim for this program to speak to everyone who aspires to make a living in the arts, as well as classic TV fans, everywhere.”
Adds Herbie J: “Our team is comprised of amazing talents and visionaries. We all cherish the classic TV wheelhouse, and to partner with them on a project that will resonate with so many fans of classic TV and beyond, is nothing less than an honor. We are very pleased the show will be presented on the Decades Network and appreciate the opportunity to share the show with their audience.”
Project will begin airing on Decades Network multiple times weekly, beginning in January, 2017. The broadcast network presently maintains 55% clearance in the U.S., and currently has 50 affiliates, including many major market stations owned by the CBS Television Stations.
Decades is a network with a unique “time capsule” programming focus on news, history, pop culture and entertainment. Then Again is a show that promises to take viewers back and reconnect them with actors and series from decades past.
Joel Eisenberg and Steve Hillard, and Mirkwood Partners, are repped by CAA.