Interview with Steve McCarthy
Steve McCarthy
APRIL 3, 2024 | 00:42 | Episode 2
Steve McCarthy's family business for filmmaking
In this conversation, Steve and I discuss the involvement of Steve's children in the family business. We also talk about the production of Eva's Promise, the challenges of independent filmmaking, and the importance of authentic storytelling. The conversation touches on the difficulties of selling a show, and the potential for reviving our previous show. We also discuss the editing process and the importance of preparation in presentations and talks.
ABOUT MY GUEST
Steve McCarthy is an Emmy Award winning network TV news producer and documentary filmmaker. A former staff producer for 60 Minutes, Dateline and CNN, he formed McCarthy Productions, Inc in 2001 and produced projects for 60 Minutes, Dateline, Charlie Rose, MSNBC, PBS, BBC America, Reuters and others. In 2006 he directed an independent documentary film Finding Paddy, a documentary about 9/11 which aired in more than 20 countries. In 2016 he co-produced the documentary The One That Got Away which aired on PBS. In 2019 he co-directed and co-produced an HBO documentary about journalism through the life stories of Pete Hamill and Jimmy Breslin called Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists. (Winner 2019 National Emmy) In 2019 he also co-produced the documentary feature “Life with Layla” about a New Jersey family caught in the grips of the opioid epidemic. In 2022, he directed and co-produced Eva’s Promise, about a Holocaust survivor’s promise to her brother to share his art should he not survive the concentration camps. Eva’s Promise is being distributed on PBS stations in the spring of 2024 by American Public Television.
McCarthy teaches documentary film and journalism at Montclair State University.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Personal Background
00:11 Steve's Love for the Grateful Dead
01:16 McCarthy Productions as a Family Business
03:22 The Production of Eva's Promise
04:12 Doing Corporate Videos
05:09 Passion for Journalism
06:29 Journalism Trip to the Border
08:01 Collaboration on Can Do Productions
08:58 Participating in the Sports of the Show's Subjects
09:07 The Fun and Challenges of Filming
11:07 The Difficulty of Selling the Show
17:40 The Importance of Authentic Storytelling
19:55 The Potential for Reviving the Show
23:44 The Story of Eva's Promise
27:25 The Holocaust Museum and the Importance of Remembering
31:05 The Editing Process
