Jeff Eastin, showrunner of one of the best series on TV – USA Network’s White Collar, is one of a growing number of showrunners who are using Twitter to interact with their fans and garner interest in their series. Eastin does it by sharing on-set photos of the actors and little tidbits of what the cast is up to, as well as teaser pages from his scripts. It’s a great way to keep your fans interested, especially in the months when you are filming but your show is not on the airwaves.
I first became aware of Eastin’s Twittering when he and Matt Nix, showrunner of another great USA Network series -- Burn Notice, had a mock competition to see who could garner the most twitter followers for their shows. They would tweet ‘complaints’ over who was doing better and who was taking unfair advantage by pairing up with other USA shows to advertise theirs. It was very amusing and certainly got my attention, especially when Eastin offered to make a donation to animal causes, which are close to my heart.
In the pressroom at San Diego Comic Con2010 this July, Jeff Eastin talked about interacting with the fans on Twitter as well as other aspects of his show. He admitted to being on Twitter regularly, because it was a way for him to get accurate data on how each episode goes over with his audience. For him, it is better than the traditional studio way, which is to do a dial test, where a hundred random people are put in a room with dials. While they watch, they dial up or down depending on their likes and dislikes.
He does admit that there are some problems with taking Internet comments to heart. “For the most part, you get a hundred good comments, and then one person who says, I hate that. And that’ll hit you a little harder.” It puts him in the position of wondering how much credence to give the lone voice. “For me, if someone has a problem with the show and says something nice and calmly in a tweet, like hey I like Marsha’s character but I didn’t like that, I’ll find it does affect me in what I’m writing and I’ll take it into account.”
Diahann Carroll Stings with Matt Bomer
One Comic Con revelation I haven’t seen tweeted online was about an upcoming episode giving Diahann Carroll a larger role to play than just Neal’s landlady, June. “We actually got a great episode coming up,” Eastin enthused. “I think we’re shooting it in two weeks. It’s going to be a big June episode where she and Matt will sting together. We’re really excited about it.” It involves a dinner party at the house and a piano, but Eastin insisted that “It’s not going to be a musical. We’re not doing Glee suddenly. I think it’s pretty well integrated into the show. That one is going to be pretty big.”
To which, co-executive producer Jeff King, sitting next to Eastin, piped up proudly, “And we’re going to be shooting in the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, which is about as old school as you can get for jazz and blues.”
Doing things old school is an important part of White Collar. “For our show,” Eastin explained, “we made a very early decision, along with the Rat Pack sound and stuff like that, to really go retro with everything. We really tried to stay away from anything as far as computers and Photoshop technology.”
Whether it’s Neal forging bonds or making 17th century bottles, they try to avoid using the FBI’s big computers in favor of older ways. “We use paper files more often than not,” Eastin pointed out. “Unfortunately, with Photoshop, some of the art has come out of it, some of the fantastic feel of the caper and things like that.”
According to Eastin, the network calls these their “dusty” episodes. He insisted that not only did it add a little more to the show, but, “People did really embrace it. They seem to like the old stuff.”
Jeff King In Identity Theft
Jeff King elaborated on the subject with a personal story. “I was caught up in an actual identity theft case and I had to go with a subpoena to testify. And the reality is, anyone, almost anyone, can pull a crime in Photoshop and that’s what modern identity thieves use. What’s unique about our show, what’s great about Neal is that old school technology. He’ll carve a statue to hide a hammer, to get a drill, to find a music box. It’s that elegance of process in a real visceral, physical, Newtonian world that’s kind of fun and interesting. I think it sets this show apart and certainly makes Neal a very different character.”
Eastin and King are certain that the modern day conman “wouldn’t go through all the trouble that Neal and Mozzie do.” But for them, that’s part of the fun of doing the show. Just as twittering to the fans is. Neal and Mozzie might be doing things old school, but the two Jeffs aren’t.
White Collar will return to the USA Network in January with new episodes.
For related articles on Suite 101, start with White Collar: At the Core It's About the Relationship of Two Men.
Crystal Taylor - I'm a writer of TV one-hour scripts, screenplays, novels, short stories, articles, and poetry. I'm most proud of a story (episode outline) ...
