Behind the Scenes of The PEAK TV

Rachel Moyer of Social T Marketing & PR sat down with Director of Photography, Katie Santana, and Associate Producer, Katie Pressler, for a behind the scenes look at Emmy® award-winning television production. 

Q: What are your roles in the production of The PEAK TV & how long have you been working on the show?

Katie Santana: I’ve been involved with The PEAK since its inception in 2012. I am the Director of Photography, was the main editor for many years, and also co-created the show with Ashley and Ken Szydlow. 

Katie Pressler: 2 years and I currently produce and edit the show.

Q: Katie Santana, since you’ve been there from the start - can you speak a bit about how it’s changed over 15 seasons? 

KS: Compared to the beginning, we really have the production of the show down to a science. When we started out, we were kind of winging it but now we have so many systems in place and I feel like we are a lot more focussed and professional. The format of the show and the stories we’ve shared have evolved over the years to engage new audiences. We’re now making quick content that works better for social media so we can reach more people.

Q: How many different sets have you had for the show? 

KS: “One… Two… Three... Four. Four sets!” 

Q: And were they all different locations or did you have different sets in the same building? 

KS: No! The first set was in our old office, and it was beige and greenish and not super flattering. But then Dave McCormack and Dru Thomas from American Hairlines helped us remodel! We used the same set, painted it a pretty blue color, added beautiful gray chairs, upgraded the furniture, carpet and added wall decorations. That’s still my favorite set! 

Next,  we moved to PBS39 and repurposed one of their existing sets that had a faux brick wall and windows - it had a really cool artsy feel. It was also great to have higher ceilings, more lighting and a green room!

Now we use a space at WFMZ and have a different set there. It is very clean and modern and has helped keep us on the cutting edge.  I think we may be losing the whole idea of a set next season - you’ll have to wait and see! 

Top Row L - R: 2012, 2015 Bottom Row L - R: 2016, 2018

Q: Let’s go behind the scenes - what are the different roles needed to produce a TV show?

KS: It’s a lot easier to keep things running smoothly in Season 16. But at the beginning, we had to first visualize what we wanted the end product to look like. We love saying “paint it done” and that’s what we did. What is The PEAK TV, really? Ashley and I literally put pen to paper and wrote out how to fill every second of our 24 minute block of time. We block the show into categories of content to keep it organized. So now, once we have some ideas in mind, Katie Pressler (KP) works on producing all those different segments. Not only do we have to book and film each segment, but she also schedules guests for studio day. Additionally, KP writes the scripts for studio day in advance, books the studio, and works with WFMZ to coordinate everything. Then our production crew films and edits everything. We usually film anywhere from 3 to 5 shows in one day

Q: What is everybody doing when you’re at the studio?  

KS: KP manages the scripting and what’s happening with our hosts, Ashley and Mike. Then I’m directing the cameras and Dylan (Sweeney) is on audio making sure everything sounds good. I make sure that we are getting all the right angles, capturing all of the footage that we need while managing the lighting. Luckily with WFMZ, we use the lights that are already in the studio. Shout-out to Zane, Joel, and the crew at WFMZ for helping make our lives easier! On our first set, we used to rent the lights. I would have to drive, pick the lights up, take them to the studio, film all day, then drive them back at the end of the day. It was exhausting!

First Emmy Award - 2013

KP: We also have to manage wardrobe and make-up for Ashley and Mike. They both bring their own clothes and we spend time at the beginning of the day matching up which outfits go together and should be worn for each episode. We also usually have craft services - snacks and drinks for our guests. And when it’s time for the interviews, either myself or Krysta (Gunderman - Project Manager) meets our guests at the door and escorts them back to the green room. It’s my job to ensure we stay on schedule and nothing runs behind. 

Q: Okay so let’s talk about the timeline. You premiered Season 15 in December. How far in advance are you filming the segments for Season 16, booking guests and booking studio time? How do you plan your schedule?

KP: Now that Season 15 has aired, planning for 16 has begun. There are already four stories for St. Luke’s University Health Network in the schedule. Now I’ll start to get busy - planning shoots and getting ideas - some of which have carried over from last season. We’re always brainstorming fun stories and sometimes they have to be put on hold. In terms of timeline, we do not have official air dates for this summer yet.

KS: Not officially, but the summer season usually begins to air in June or July. We share airtime on Monday’s at 630pm with St. Luke’s other health programming  - Talk with Your Doctor (produced by WFMZ) and Health NOW, produced by us, ASR Media Productions. 

KP: But we’re constantly planning and thinking about show content. If we film a corporate video for a client with a cool story that works as a PEAK segment, it gets added into the lineup. This happens all year. It’s hard to have a concrete plan for the show really far in advance, because you never know what interesting new story might pop up that would be perfect to include! There’s no specific “okay, so now that it’s this month we are going to do this.” Something is always happening. 

KS: We also try to keep the content timely. Sometimes things are shared on our social media and delivered to the client but we don’t actually air it until a different season - when the content may make more sense.

Season 1 Episode 1

Season 15 Episode 6

Q: How many hours of work do you think goes into one episode? Not the whole season, but a single episode.

KP: Months. Years! I don’t even know if you could measure it, haha! 

KS: HA! Each episode is probably three weeks of collective work hours. And if you really broke it down by man hours it becomes even more complex. Some shows are more complex than others - I’m always happy with ones that seem to come together seamlessly.

Q: How do you find your stories? At this point do they just come to you? 

KS: For the most part clients and stories are finding us now, and that’s a really cool evolution from the early days.

KP: “We’re lucky to have such a strong partnership with St. Luke’s, who is always finding new and interesting patient stories to tell. We also work closely with Discover Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Valley Style, American Hairlines and many nonprofits who share amazing stories of hope and success.

Q: When you are talking to someone that seems so personable, but as soon as they get on camera, they just turn to stone... What do you do? How do you make them more natural?

KS: That’s where having a strong interviewer is important. Being able to make the subject feel comfortable is key.

KP: I’d say it’s a mix of a skilled interviewer that can get the answers they want, and editing to make it sound like a cohesive conversation. Making them laugh and feel comfortable is a really important part of the process. Telling them ‘it’s not live’ is a really big security blanket for people. The best way to ease nerves on set is when they see Ashley make a mistake and they realize it’s ok to not be perfect. Plus it provides great clips for our blooper reel - my favorite part of the show!

Celebrating The PEAK’s 150th episode at Black River Farms

Q: Do we have anything else you want to add on the inside look on TV production? 

KS: Organization and communication are critical to success. 

KP: There’s a saying in carpentry: measure twice, cut once. I think that also applies here. Check twice before you do anything. When you’re packing equipment or dumping footage, you should check it more than once. You might forget the microphone, or you might dump footage into the wrong place and things can get lost. So being organized and being mindful are extremely important.