Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen J. Cannell
Stephen Joseph Cannell /ˈkænəl/was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainmentand the Cannell Studios...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionProducer
Date of Birth5 February 1941
CountryUnited States of America
county grade grew
I was born in L.A. County Hospital, but I grew up in Pasadena. I married my 8th grade sweetheart, Marcia.
shows
I really hesitate to say that any of my shows influenced other writers.
battles carrying cast create darkness energy gets grudges guy involved kinds moral people righteous themselves tons waste
So many people get involved with carrying grudges and having these moral battles with people, where they cast themselves as the righteous and the other guy is the dirtbag. They waste tons of energy on it, create all kinds of darkness around themselves and the other person. It gets you nothing.
finally hardly hit matured mind sit
I finally get to the place where the book has matured in my mind and I can hardly wait to start writing it. Then I just sit down and I start. I hit the go button. I have an outline, which is 70 pages, but I don't look at it. I never have to look at it.
believed best dad life success worshipped
My dad was my best friend. I worshipped him. All of my success in life really comes from him. He believed that you get nothing from negativity.
morning
I've been very successful at selling my things, but I've also been getting up at 4 in the morning for 40 years.
dad design four furniture tv
My dad was an interior design and furniture person. I started working with him for four years before my first TV writing break.
fairly good happened people shows starts ten trying
Everyone starts out desperately trying to make a hit, but some people are just more mistake-prone than others. I happened to be fairly mistake-prone. Of the 40 shows I made, I'd say ten were hits, which is a pretty good average.
achieve anybody anyone believed concept harder life means ten work
I believed in the concept of over-performing. I believe anyone can achieve their goals in life if they over-perform, and that means you have to work ten times harder than anybody you see.
guy larger taught work
I'm a very conservative businessman. I don't work on credit. My father was the guy who taught me how to think straight, not to delude myself and think I was larger than I was.
fastest generally guy people
I'm generally a very happy guy because I'm doing what I want. I'm willing to tell you that there are people who are much better than I am in writing. I don't have to be the fastest gun in the West.
bad catch easiest everybody generally good hardest runs rut second third
The first act is the easiest to plot. The second act is always the hardest to plot. Generally a good, you know, sometimes the third act can be difficult because you can get into a rut in the third act - everybody runs to their Corvette, has a chase, and you catch the bad guy.