Newhouse Outsider: Sally Young, Emmy-Winning Producer On Modern Family
It’s not every day you get to speak to an award-winning producer for one of America’s most beloved comedies. On October 19th 2017, I had the pleasure of connecting with Sally Young, a producer for Modern Family. She kindly agreed to a Skype guest-speaking opportunity for Professor Chase Clifford’s TRF 400 Production Management course, and her career advice and positive energy were well received by the students (I am the current Instructional Associate in case you didn’t know). Young demystified the production management industry eloquently for the class, homing in on key skills they should build while at Newhouse.
“Bring your best with you on an interview. Ask questions if there is a specific job you are interviewing for that relates to the position,” Young told me in an online interview. “Sign up for a background or extras service who hire extras for shows. It’s a great way to get on a TV or movie set and get more people to network with. Offer to work on a student film. You might be working with the next Spielberg!”
Young was brought onto the Modern Family set as a production manager before eventually being credited as Producer, and she certainly loves her esteemed job. However, I would be remiss to not enlighten you all on the journey she took to eventually earn this role. Young decided to pursue a dream of becoming a producer long before her time on Modern Family, so she carved her own path in the industry, becoming a freelance independent producer to fulfill one of 15 goals on her own wish list of milestones. She struggled throughout this entrepreneurial experience, but she persevered and eventually found the means to accelerate her career to astronomical heights.
“Taking a low paying job for a studio in 2001, put me on a track that led me to meeting the producer who hired me for Modern Family,” Young told me. This executive producer probably recognized Young’s ability to work hard and problem-solve, traits most entrepreneurially motivated people carry. You can hear more about her amazing story in the video below:
Given her expertise and experience as a media entrepreneur, I had to pick her brain on what it takes to make a breakthrough in today’s digital media landscape.
“The entertainment industry has changed so much since I arrived 42 years ago and there are so many more companies and contributors of content to those companies, it’s amazing” said Young. “There are so many areas that did not exist in the 70’s when I arrived. This is a good thing for entrepreneurs.”
“My advice would be to be sure you have at least 6 months of living expenses in the bank before you go full force into starting your company or trying to sell something in the industry,” continued Young. “Put yourself on a budget and live by it. Be sure you have a source of income stream until you or your company provides one. Make sure you do something to further your career every work day. Whether you are paid or not, you should ‘go to work’ every day.”
I appreciate her sentiment on securing yourself financially when venturing into entrepreneurial grounds, especially in the sector of media making. Money will always seem limited when working on a tight budget, but this penny-pinching mindset can also be complimentary to entrepreneurs, at least according to chapter 4 of Effectual Entrepreneurship, authored by Stuart Read, Saras Sarasvathy, Nick Dew, Robert Wiltbank, and Anne-Valérie Ohlsson. The authors “encourage you to try to think about ‘not having money’ as an asset in itself- an asset that challenges you to build a more robust business, forces you to be more creative in how you deal with customers and partners, and allows you to maintain more control over your venture” (p. 31).
Overall, Sally Young provided invaluable insight to both Professor Chase Clifford’s class and myself. She has such a humble attitude about her career success but is very proud to be working on Modern Family, a show that brings many people together through humor and touching family moments. She grew up loving comedies, including older programs from All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show to other sitcoms such as Seinfeld, Cheers, and Murphy Brown. Her experience as a producer was a pleasure to learn about and share with all you dedicated Newhouse Insider readers.
He has been published across a wide variety of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, SportTechie, Clutchpoints, Cavs Nation, the Cornell Chronicle, and many more.
Tobe has a plethora of hobbies, including writing, athletics, drawing, acting, and collaborating with others about ideas and startups working in the multimedia space.