Foundations of Filmmaking

Instructor: Phoebe Tisdale

Born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, Phoebe Tisdale got a job and bought a car the day she turned 16. After juggling several jobs at once throughout her school years, she headed out to New York City to attend Hunter College. Within two weeks, she landed a full-time job working for the Joan Rivers Show, where she began as the receptionist, later promoted up to production manager. After six years, Phoebe moved on to work for the Ricki Lake Show, The Dating Game, and the Jon Stewart Show.

Phoebe then decided to switch her career path and try her hand at producing. She took a job as an associate producer and talent booker for CNBC’s America’s Talking. Although she found the news environment to be very exciting, she knew that she was much more attracted to talent-driven entertainment. In 1995, she accepted a job across the country in Los Angeles for the early morning talk show, Mike and Maty, and then moved on to work on another morning show with the “Mommies,” Caryl and Marilyn. Capitalizing on her strong industry relationships, she also booked talent full-time for E! Entertainment and Quincy Jones’ pilot VIBE. She then dabbled in freelance gigs as a producer and unit manager for such shows as Tim Reid’s Save Our Streets and Match Game. She went on to be a producer at Helios Productions that produced scripted movies for network television.

Phoebe then went on to land a job as the production manager for a new department at MTV Networks under Brian Graden. Starting with only a few small shows and budgets, she gradually advanced over the next six years to Senior Director of the West Coast, overseeing such big hits as the Osbournes, The Newlyweds, Punk’d, Pimp My Ride, Meet The Barkers, Making The Video along with other scripted shows, game shows, stunt shows, spring break specials/events, multi-camera concerts and tours, and clip shows.

Phoebe spent the next five years at the Fox Broadcasting Company as their Vice President of Production, overseeing the American Idol franchise. She also oversaw the budgets and production for such shows as Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Master Chef, So You Think You Can Dance, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader, Teen Choice Awards, Emmy Awards, and the NAACP Awards. She was actively involved in the new HD digital technology along with the delivery of programming to the mobile, web, and iTunes platforms.

Eager to get back to hands-on production, Phoebe reunited with longtime friends and the Co-Founders of Katalyst Films, Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg. She oversaw various pilots and digital projects, also acting as the EIC for MTV’s returning series, PUNK’D II. In 2012, she jumped at the chance to line produce the multi-camera crew for Eric Idle’s (Spamalot and Monty Python) Broadway play, What About Dick. She reunited with old friends from MTV to do Fashion Star for NBC, and Brian Graden to start up his new production company and Emmy Award-winning series, Hit Record on TV with Joseph Gordon Levitt. She traveled weekly as the EIC on A&E’s Duck Dynasty series and shot with the family in Scotland. She went on to help the Robertsons start their production company and shoot a special covering the Duck Dynasty Broadway Musical in Las Vegas. In 2015, Phoebe returned to FOX and served as the Senior Vice President of Production and Strategy, working on some of the company’s top initiatives. She has worked with 20th Century Fox studios on scripted hybrids and live scripted musical events such as A Christmas Story and Rent. She also worked with Seth McFarlane’s production company and Ann Druyan (Carl Sagan’s wife) on the scripted series, Cosmos. Phoebe currently consults, oversees, and EICs for shows on a freelance basis for television and live music events (Live Nation/Insomniac).

Phoebe was previously on the Board of Advisors for the Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy in Chicago. She has a Production 101 website, and she teaches classes on production, interviewing, and resumes. She has also served on the board for Women @ Fox. With over 31 years of experience in the television industry, Phoebe not only has a stellar reputation amongst her peers, but she also maintains strong relationships with talent, executives, production companies, agents, and managers on both coasts. She believes that attitude outweighs assets and that you can achieve anything you want to in the entertainment business – or life for that matter.

Course Creator: Amy Barnes

Amy Beth Barnes is a seasoned television producer with over 18 years of experience in the entertainment industry.  Originating from the suburbs of Baltimore, Barnes earned her degree in Film and Television from Stevenson University and began her career on HBO’s The Wire. Barnes’ career has been profoundly shaped by her decade-long tenure within The Walking Dead universe, starting on the pilot of The Walking Dead.  Her contributions expanded across multiple facets of the franchise, culminating in key roles within the producing teams of The Walking Dead: World Beyond and Tales of the Walking Dead. Her portfolio also includes work on TV pilots, TV shows and feature films like Marley and Me, What Happens in Vegas, and Moon and Me. Currently based in Los Angeles, Amy Beth Barnes remains dedicated to pushing creative boundaries and crafting compelling narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide.