The following is the fourth and final part of The Hollywood
Sentinel’s exclusive interview with the most well connected
producer in the world, A.C. Lyles, conducted by Bruce Edwin. Part
One, Two, and Three, can be read here in previous issues of the
Hollywood Sentinel.
BRUCE EDWIN: What advice do you have for
producers starting out regarding funding?
A.C. Lyles: There are a lot of producers who
work independently, who are subject to raising financing, and
that type of thing. I have been here for 80 years, 81 years
actually now in the business, and I’ve been at one major
studio - Paramount, all my life, and done dozens of features,
television features, specials on television, and every thing, and
I’ve never had to raise money, because it's always been
Paramount. And when I do it for a network, they finance it. So I
wouldn’t know how, if I were away from Paramount, how to go
about raising money, I wouldn’t know that at all, because
I’ve never had that, almost like an obstacle, to overcome .
But I have great admiration for people that know how to do that,
but I’ve never had to do that or any thing, and I’ve
never taken the time to find out how because I haven’t had
to.
Bruce Edwin: That’s good, that's certainly
easier
A.C. Lyles: Well I would certainly hope
so!
Bruce Edwin: But you’ve dealt with
attachments and getting talent attached...
A.C. Lyles: Oh sure, well that’s a part
of the business.
Bruce Edwin: A producer I work
with mentioned something about Paramount and some of the other
studios working on re-exploiting their older titles in their
catalog (...)
A.C. Lyles: My being here (at Paramount) is like
living in an apartment building that has 40 apartments. I have no
idea what the people in apartment 412 are having for dinner
tonight, and really, it doesn’t bother me, so I don’t
care. I read something about that in a trade paper, but whether
or not that is true or not I don't know. If it is, I am sure
Paramount has many qualified producers here that can work on that
(...)
Bruce Edwin: One of the things I love and
respect about you is you never have a bad word to say about any
body.
A.C. Lyles: Well, how could I? I’ve been
blessed all my life, so many people have helped me over the
years, they still do, and I have no animosity towards any one. I
have nothing but tremendous admiration for this business. Tommy
Lasorda loves the Dodgers. I love Paramount. There’s
nothing unkind that I could say even if I wanted to, because I
don’t know anything unkind to say about any body. I have
trained for so long, and I just don’t remember a bad
experience that I’ve ever had in this business, I really
don’t. It’s been a long time.
Bruce Edwin: Can I ask your thoughts on Sumner
Redstone? (owner of Viacom which owns Paramount)