Women Behind Bars III Summer 2010

The third season of Women Behind Bars profiles another 24 riveting stories of women convicted of major felonies. Of the 24 cases, 21 were convicted of murder and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences. The reasons for their crimes are varied. Some claim they are innocent. Some say they regret their actions and some admit prison saved their life.

http://www.womenbehindbars.tv/

http://www.wetv.com/women-behind-bars/index.html

Women On Death Row IV Premieres Sunday April 5th 8-10pm on WE TV

Women On Death Row 4 explores the lives, experiences and mind-set of four incarcerated women sentenced to death in the United States, along with the controversy surrounding capital punishment. All of these women are convicted murderers, but are they really cold-blooded killers? We'll take an in-depth look at the unique circumstances surrounding each crime, investigation and trial. Find out what drove these women to lose control, and what will be their ultimate fate on death row!

I served as the supervising producer for part of the production and also had the opportunity to travel to North Carolina to produce the Faye Brown segment. Visiting the women in prison is truly an amazing experience. Faye has been incarcerated since 1979 so the majority of her life has been behind bars. I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting the State FBI officers who covered the case as well as the wonderful family of the Victim. Thanks to everyone for their participation on this story. In addition to producing, listen to see if you recognize the the voice of the narration.

Women Behind Bars II premieres Tuesday April 7th 10-11pm on WE TV. The series will air every Tuesday

Women are supposed to be the gentler sex, the softer side of humanity. But some women do kill, and when they do, we want to know why. What drove them to kill? Was it an abusive husband? Was it drugs? Was it envy…fear…lust? Back for a second season, this WE tv original series takes us behind the killings to try and answer all of the burning questions of why they did what they did.

I specifically produced episode 11 of the series, which will air later in May, but I did the voice over for the entire series.

Women Behind Bars 2007-2008

I have often been given experiences to dive off the high dive of life. In the moment I say "Yes", I don't often know how deep the water is, but as the saying goes, you either sink of swim. Taking on the role of supervising producer was definitely such an experience. Although I had been a manager of my team at E! for several years, I had never managed an entire staff. To be honest, I felt overwhelmed in the beginning, but I went back to some wonderful advice a dear friend of mine gave me right before I did the Big Ride across the United States. She said, "Ash, just think of it as you're going on a little bike ride. Forget the 3500 miles, just think about a ride around the block." The most basic of advice that transformed my experience of riding my bike across the country also helped me manage, create the teams, the schedules as well as a supportive communication style to deliver 12 episodes of Women Behind Bars. Break it down one thing at a time and all the pieces will fall into place.

The series would follow the format of the highly successful specials Women On Death Row. We would profile two women per hour giving the facts of both sides by allowing the inmates to tell their stories as well as that of the prosecution and or the victim's family. In addition to the interviews, we would use crime scene photos, recreations, local news footage and family photos to bring the cases to life.

I was a little daunted by absorbing the lives of 24 female murderers, but our role was not to judge these woman, but to do everything we could to be fair and objective. Certainly there were moments where I felt the horror in my gut, but I always tried to go back to our mission which was to stay neutral and seek to understand what led these woman to the place where they pulled the trigger.

As we dug into the lives of the 24 women, I noticed astonishing commonalities. In my opinion, none of these ladies just woke up one day and were overcome by the urge to kill. Their life experiences all contributed to that fateful day. These included childhood abuse, dropping out of high school, early marriages, divorce, more abuse, drug addiction and mental illness. And most women fell into several of these life situations. Certainly nothing that happened in the women's past condoned killing, but the fact that so many came from shockingly similar backgrounds was an intense realization.

While I missed being out in the field interviewing the inmates, the cops, and the attorneys, I found tremendous satisfaction in creating an efficient work flow and doing my best to support the staff.

In the end we delivered 12 hours of riveting stories. The series premiered and maintained excellent ratings and became one of the networks most successful shows. This project was most definitely a huge team effort. From the PAs to the producers, to the editors and everyone in between. Although the subject matter was intense, it was the friendships with the staff that connected us all and that will be with me always.

Women On Death Row III - 2007

In July 2007, I left E! for an exciting new challenge – supervising producer for the two hour special – Women on Death Row III and the 12 part series of Women Behind Bars both for WEtv. My job responsibilities would include hiring the staff, creating and overseeing the schedule, supervising scripts, coordinating edits, ensuring notes were implemented and keeping the network happy as well as the rest of the staff. I looked at my job as an air traffic controller – getting the planes in the air, making sure they landed and addressing any crisis that occurred along the way – big or small.

Normally I wouldn't be going out in the field for this position, but when an interview opened up and the producer couldn't be at two prisons at once, I volunteered. I had never visited a prison before or conducted an interview with a inmate. I had covered numerous stories involving crime and murder, but walking the halls and courtyards of a prison would be a first. Many people asked me if I was afraid. I didn't feel fear. I was more fascinated by an aspect of society we see very little of. I cannot imagine being confined to a five by six foot cell or having to ask permission for everything. My job was not to judge the inmates, but to get their story and try to understand their side.

The interviews would take me to Oklahoma where I would interview a husband and wife team who were allegedly hired to kill a former employee who was black mailing his boss. We visited the medium security men's prison and signed in at the office. I had followed the strict list that prevented us from wearing denim or open toed shoes. We had to keep all money and cell phones in the car. The guards went through all of our equipment and then a female guard came out to frisk me. Wow, is all I can say. Every inch of my body was touched and padded down. No contraband found on me!

We did the interview in the reception room. There were some tables and chairs enclosed by steel doors and glass. The main command center was behind the room so guards monitored our every move. After the interview we were granted permission to walk around the prison and see the inmate's cell. We went through bolted door after bolted door and then onto the quad where men of every size lined the benches. I could feel the pent up frustration and aggression as I passed the group. We walked to see his cell which was barren aside for a few books and personal belongings. The stainless steel toilet next to the bed was the ever present reminder that in prison there is no privacy. We then walked through the rest of the yard and to the cafeteria. It was crowded and extremely loud. It felt like at any moment violence could erupt so we turned around after just a minute. On the way out, men whistled at me. I said to the guard I guess that's a compliment, but he said, "Oh, they weren't whistling at you, they were whistling at you the blond audio guy." Damn, if you can't get a whistle at men's prison where can a girl get some attention?

The next day we visited a maximum security women's prison deep in the Oklahoma woods. We walked to the gate where razor wire stretched as far as I could see. The gate buzzed and opened. The grounds were kept flawlessly clean. I even noticed a butterfly, but the vibe was ominous. We went through the security checks again and finally gained entrance.

After the interview we toured the grounds and visited her cell. It was a very different feeling from the men's prison. I asked the guard who was escorting us if there was a lot of violence and he explained that scuffles happened, but it was rare. He said that the women form family groups where they all take on roles of the mom, aunt, child, grandmother and then look out for each other.

Her cell were sparse with the exception of a television she had saved up enough money to purchase from her daily job as an office assistant. The TV set was see through so there was no place to hide any potential weapons. I asked the inmate what were some of the more common rules that were broken. She told me how some inmates made prison wine by saving up their fruit cups, placing the fruit in a bucket, filling the container with water and then putting bread on top and covering it for a couple weeks and voila prison hooch. The PIO said whenever a laundry bucket goes missing they knew there were some intoxicated ladies. The punishment was time in solitary confinement or as she called it, the hole.

Her stories were fascinating though also tragic. As we drove away with the miles of fences and razor wire becoming smaller, I said a prayer of gratitude and enjoyed an authentic beer that evening made by Amstel.

E! True Hollywood Story 2003-2007

In the fall of 2003, I received a call from former professor and friend Gretchen Goldsmith. She was the supervising producer at E! True Hollywood Story and they were looking for segment producers. I was a little skeptical at first as I wasn’t sure if telling the story of Pam Anderson was for me. I came in and interviewed and got the job for a three week stint to finish the Douglas Dynasty.

I came in during the editorial stage of the project, working from 6pm to 2am. I barely knew where the bathroom was much less the edit bays, but once in the dark room, it all came back to me – telling compelling stories.

That three week stint magically morphed into a much longer gig and before I knew it, I was off to Washington D.C. to do interviews for the next show, Arnold and Maria. I was thrilled to dig into the research on the Kennedys and the opportunity to interview Maria Shriver's good friend from childhood, her teachers and work colleagues. They all told fascinating stories leaving me feeling "I can't believe I get paid for this."

The True Hollywood Story of Rock Star Kids sent me on another mind blowing adventure to a small island off of Vancouver to meet Randy and Tal Bachman. Randy Bachman was the guitarist for The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive, among other great bands. His hits like "Taking Care of Business" was a Canadian anthem. But, getting to Randy and Tal was not quite as simple as a non-stop flight. From Vancouver I made arrangements to take a seaplane to the small island where they lived, but the stormy weather prevented flying. Instead I would have to take a combination of bigger flights and ferries. I dashed to the airport in just enough time to get aboard a flight to Victoria. I grabbed a cab and we sped to the ferry docks as if we were in the Amazing Race. Astonishingly, I got there just as the ferry was about to depart and found my crew. The passage through the great islands was majestic with bald eagles soaring in the skies and killer whales cruising the waters below. After a couple hours, we docked in the sleepy harbor and then headed to Randy's home.

Randy had converted his barn into a state of the art recording facility and made a perfect backdrop for the interview. After telling tales of living the rock star life for some 30 years, he played "Taking Care of Business" with his son and fellow singer Tal. I felt so grateful and just took in every moment as the father son duo jammed. The cameraman literally shed a tear telling me it has always been a dream of his to meet him. As a journalist, it is our job to remain objective, but sometimes there are moments that touch you and you are just human and that was one of those.

After chronicling the lives of rock star kids, we took on a more somber topic of the life of John Ritter. Threes Company had been a mainstay of my teenage years so the opportunity to get to know more about Jack Tripper was awesome. John died of an aortic dissection in September of 2003. His death was a shock and hit his friends, family and the public to the core. In the interviews, his friends and family spoke passionately of John's love of life. There were tears and laughs - John would never be forgotten.

After segment producing for a year and half, I felt ready to take on the role of producer. Finally a position opened up and I was given the chance to step up and go for it. I was assigned to produce the Brooke Shields story. At the time, Tom Cruise had just gone on the Today Show and spoke out against anti-depressants and criticized Brooke for taking them after she was suffering from postpartum depression. The story made headlines around the world and while the country debated the issue, I had the great opportunity to interview both Brooke's doctor and a psychiatrist that worked with her on her book. The interviews were fascinating and gave me deep insight into Brooke's struggles and how she overcame that time in her life. One of the aspects that I love about documentary is the chance to learn something everyday and working on Brooke's story was incredibly eye opening.

Another project that was particularly interesting was a two-hour investigates on lottery winners who lost everything. Many people play the lottery thinking that if only they scored that magic ticket all their problems would be solved. For some winning the lottery does give them a greater freedom, but for others, it just brings on an entire new set of problems. Delving into these existential questions proved fascinating. I traveled to Kentucky, Florida, West Virginia and Texas to meet with family members, and friends who witnessed their loved ones who won millions fall victim to the one thing they thought would fix all their problems. The show was thought provoking on so many levels and a reminder that finding happiness is not as simple as winning the jackpot. The subject clearly struck a nerve, as the show was one of True Hollywood Story's highest rated investigates.

Over the next two years I went on to produce seven more True Hollywood Stories including Sean Diddy Combs, America's Next Top Model and Steven Tyler and Liv Tyler. I continued to learn something every day, improve my writing skills, and gain an in depth knowledge about post production and seeing projects through to final delivery. I made some wonderful friendships during my nearly four years at E! and loved working with my teams, but it was time to move on and gain some new skills and take on new challenges.

The True Story of Black Hawk Down - 2001 - 2002

After completing a Headliners & Legends on Stephen King for MSNBC, I had the amazing opportunity to work on a project people only dream about. The 92 minute History Channel special would chronicle the battle of Mogadishu, a deadly two-day assault involving American Special Forces in Somalia.

I vaguely remembered seeing the bloody events on television in 1993 and now I would be researching every book, every article and getting first hand accounts from Rangers and Delta Force soldiers who bravely fought during the two day stand off.

Dave Keane was spearheading the project. His passion for the subject was admirable. Our first task was to get Dave into Somalia. I recall doing some internet searches for travel and I quickly realized there were no working airports in Mogadishu - even in 1999. We would have to fly him to Kenya and then once there he would have arrange entry into the lawless country.

There was a high risk to Dave's safety and although we joked about kidnapping insurance, it was no laughing matter. Several journalists had been murdered in Mogadishu, but his desire to return to the scene of the events was truly a testament to his commitment to tell both sides of the story.

While Dave prepared for his trip to East Africa, I started trying to track down the soldiers involved in the bloody battle. Delta Force specialize in not being found so my usual tricks were proving futile. Eventually I got a lead on Lee Van Arsdale. He was in charge of the operations in Mogadishu and helped lead a rescue to extract some of the other soldiers taken captive and or who were trapped. Mr. Van Arsdale was one of the nicest men I had ever met and the smartest. He was committed to having the truth be told and eventually agreed to be interviewed. He then led us to other brave men who would eventually interview for the documentary.

When I pre-interviewed some of the men by phone, I was shocked to hear in their confessions that many had never really opened up about what they witnessed or experienced on those infamous days in October. I felt comfort in knowing that perhaps providing a safe place for them to tell their stories would somehow be cathartic.

Meanwhile, Dave and his team safely arrived in Kenya and then secured a spot on a plane carrying the narcotic called Khat into Mogadishu. His fixers paid for a small militia to accompany him and the cameraman. He literally had 4-5 young men carrying automatic machine guns traveling with him and as I recall, some may have been as young 14 years old.

Mogadishu was still ruled by various militias and gangs. Violence was a daily reality and Dave was truly risking his life to get the truth. He found men, women and soldiers who witnessed and fought against the American forces and got their first hand account of what had happened. He walked through corridors where rangers hid out and were dragged through the streets. He also shot hours of haunting footage - there would be no faking it in this amazing project.

I then starting tracking down archive footage. After getting clearance from the American military, I visited a base a couple hours outside of Los Angeles. I filled out pages of paperwork and then started going through the hours of footage. Cameras mounted on Black Hawks or other military planes had recorded some of the brutal images. So often in documentary, it's tough to get the actual footage due to cost, rights and clearances or it just didn't exist, but for this project we were lucky to have true first hand accounts. We debated what we would use. 18 American soldiers died and another 73 were injured. There were an estimated 500 - 2,000 deaths suffered by Somali men and women. Dave had no desire to exploit what had happened so we all tried to be as sensitive as possible given the events.

Dave arrived home safely, but had many stories to tell including a very close call in a soccer stadium with another militia. Over the next month Dave conducted the remaining interviews. One that particularly stood out was with Black Hawk helicopter pilot, Mike Durant. Durant was flying his MH-60A with three other soldiers on board when the helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade causing it to crash to the ground. Two Delta Force snipers bravely held off the ensuing Somalis, but were eventually killed when they ran out of ammunition. The three other Americans on board were also killed. The Somalis captured the badly injured Durant and held him for 11 days. He was eventually freed and continued to fly with the Special Operations Aviation Regiment. His story of bravery and heroism was truly inspiring.

The final documentary was a incredible investigation into the battle of Mogadishu. Dave's interviews with both sides gave the viewer an objective take on those two days. The art direction and recreations were visually stunning. In addition, the archive footage and photos made this special unlike anything I had ever been given the opportunity to work on. Projects like the True Story of Black Hawk Down don't come around every day, I feel very blessed to have been a part of it!