Decorating the Set (Directing Episodic TV with Special Guest, Mark Tinker)

Welcome to Decorating the Set: From Hollywood to Your Home with Beth Kushnick!  This week, Caroline and Beth sit down with legendary television producer and director, Mark Tinker, to discuss […]

Welcome to Decorating the Set: From Hollywood to Your Home with Beth Kushnick!  This week, Caroline and Beth sit down with legendary television producer and director, Mark Tinker, to discuss Mark’s career working on episodic television and the relationship between director and set decorator.

After graduating from Syracuse University in 1973, Mark Tinker secured an entry

level position as a production assistant at Lorimar Productions where he worked on

such shows as THE WALTONS and APPLE’S WAY His next opportunity was as

associate producer at MTM Productions on various programs including THE BOB

NEWHART SHOW where he was given his first shot at directing. In 1978, Bruce

Paltrow offered Tinker the job of producer on THE WHITE SHADOW. That

pairing led to a decade-long producing relationship highlighted by the long running

medical drama ST. ELSWHERE. Tinker wrote, produced and directed episodes for

both series.

In 1990, Tinker began his first working relationship with the inestimable David

Milch, producing and directing CAPITAL NEWS. Following a fifteen-year run at

MTM, Tinker directed several pilots and movies-of-the-week before landing at

20th Century Fox as executive producer for Steven Bochco’s acclaimed divorce

attorney series CIVIL WARS. He then executive produced and directed the final

season of L.A. LAW before rejoining Milch for nearly twelve years as executive

producer and frequent director of NYPD BLUE.

Executive producing and directing HBO’s DEADWOOD and JOHN FROM

CINCINNATI were followed by six years doing similar double duty on Shonda

Rhimes’ ABC medical drama, PRIVATE PRACTICE and four years as Executive

Producer/Director on NBC’s CHICAGO P.D.. Most recently he served in the same

capacity on the final season of AMERICAN GODS from Starz.

During his nearly fifty year career in television, Tinker has been nominated for the

Emmy Award sixteen times, taking home four — one for producing (NYPD BLUE,

1995) and three for directing (ST. ELSEWHERE, 1993; NYPD BLUE, 1997;

BROOKLYN SOUTH (Pilot), 1998). Additionally, he has been nominated seven

times for the DGA Award and has three George Foster Peabody Awards and three

Humanities Awards.

Follow Mark on Twitter at @MarkCTinker and Instagram at @wrongcoast!

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For over 35 years, Beth Kushnick has created character-driven settings for countless award-winning television series and feature films. As a Set Decorator, she’s composed visuals that both capture and enhance any story. Now, she wants to help you capture and enhance YOUR story.

Join Beth and her co-host, Caroline Daley, each week as they go behind the scenes of Hollywood’s magic, and give you approachable, yet sophisticated tips to realize the space that best expresses who you are.

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Credits:

“Giraffes” by Harrison Amer, licensed by Pod Clubhouse.

This is an original production of Pod Clubhouse Productions, LLC. Produced, engineered and edited at Pod Clubhouse Studios. For more information, visit our Website.