Experienced TV writer runs the show Brian Behar speaks of career to those in attendance

BY CHRISTIAN CASTELLANOS Reporter

With his booming baritone voice, TV writer and showrunner Bryan

Behar took command of the Pierce College Great Hall on Wednesday.

With 30 years of experience working on shows such as “Andy Richter Controls the Universe,” “Wilfred” and “Fuller House,” Behar, an Emmy-nominated producer, shared his history with the audience and offered some advice for success.

“You just gotta be ready because you never know when the opportunity is gonna come,” Behar said during the presentation.

Initially afraid of low turnout, Behar was glad to see seats filled up and recalled an old saying in comedy. “You don’t want to tell jokes to an empty room. That’s what my fear was,” Behar said. “The more people you have, the more people who might laugh at something you’re going to say, and it’s a little harder if there’s a lot of empty seats.”

Behar’s presentation titled “Bryan Behar: From Valley Boy to Hollywood Producer” illustrated his life, starting with his childhood and Jewish upbringings in the San Fernando Valley in the 1960s, to his first job as an advertiser and ultimately writing for TV. It also featured advice with such titles as “Write, Write, Write. But Definitely Finish,” and the two parter “Develop Your Own Voice,” followed by “Then Be Ready to Mimic Someone Else’s Voice.”

Behar, who is currently a professor in television writing at Chapman University, hopes students gain a better understanding of what a professional writer does and how to start out, keep the first job and sustain a lengthy career.

“I just wanted to give some insight [with] stories that reflect a lot of things they might be feeling: Fear, fear of rejection, writer’s block,” Behar said. “[They] are all normal and par for the course and things that can be overcome.”

Cinema professor Ken Windrum said it is good for students in general to hear from working professionals and Behar was no exception.

As someone with a long career in writing for TV, Behar ended it as showrunner of the Netflix show “Fuller House” for two seasons “which is a pretty big deal,” according to Windrum.

“He has a lot of experience to offer to our students who are hopefully–many of them–trying to work in the media industry,” Windrum said.

Behar’s presentation marks the second in a series of events hosted this semester by the Media Arts Department in which professionals in the media and entertainment industries talk to students about their work. It was also sponsored by the Associated Student Organization (ASO).

For film student Mariah Chavez, it was inspiring to hear from someone who inhabited the same space.

“It's always really nice to see someone who grows up in the same area that you did and seeing just how someone in the same neighborhood, the same kind of background and same family can basically fulfill their dreams and then come back and give back to the community,” Chavez said.

Biology and film major Heaven Trusty said Behar’s presentation was very informative.

“It gave me a lot of insight on where he was at the time and I learned a lot of stuff that’s probably going to benefit me throughout this career,” Trusty said. “I really respected it and found it to be an amazing opportunity.”

Behar offered one last piece of advice titled “If You Can Do Anything Else, Do That!” As he put it, “it sounds harsh and punitive. I swear it's not meant to be.”

He described a career in television as a need that has to be fulfilled and if someone finds happiness elsewhere, then they should do that instead.

“It's a hard career, but if you love it and have to do it, then you gotta do it,” Behar said. “If you think I'm not gonna be happy unless I'm a writer and I have stories to tell and I have an authentic voice that needs to be heard and I'm not gonna be satisfied with my life choices unless I’ve given it a try, then you have to do it.”

Behar concluded his presentation by saying there are no shortcuts with a career in TV and having success on the first try is really rare.

“The far more common path is to work hard, learn your craft and hone it.” Behar said. “With a little luck and a little talent, it's something I think all of you can do.”

Behar said he reached a point when the writing opportunities weren’t as fruitful as they were in the past, referring to an old Hollywood cliche of being “retired for seven years before you realize it” before becoming a teacher.

In Behar’s case, three years had already passed since his last job in the entertainment industry.

“The opportunities weren’t necessarily coming and it was an intentional decision to, rather than continuing to feel bad not being able to pursue what I wanted to do in writing, to start feeling good about doing something else and giving back,” Behar said. “So why not sort of make it official and pivot into something that was going to give me joy.”

For Behar, teaching has given him a tremendous amount of joy.

“In fact, arguably a lot more than the writing,” Behar said.