Meet Brian Herskowitz
We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Herskowitz and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Brian, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I knew early on that I wanted to be in entertainment. I started acting when I was nine or ten and was working as a “pro” by the time I was 11. The other formative event was studying judo. I began training with Sensei Karl Geis at the age of six.
Acting taught me empathy, and judo gave me a strong work ethic, discipline, and a competitive spirit.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was twenty years old when I moved from Texas to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor. After a few minor roles in TV, films, and onstage (I was the drummer for Willie Aames rock band in an episode of Eight Is Enough, for example), I found myself at a crossroads.
I had met and fallen in love with the woman who would become my wife. She was a successful actress and a regular on the series Mork and Mindy with Robin Williams. I wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire as an actor, and I needed to start making a living.
A friend of mine from acting class was a working producer. He was starting a new job on Tour of Duty, a series about the Vietnam War. He hired me as his assistant, and I became the post-production supervisor. In the second season of the show, I was promoted to Associate Producer.
In the meantime, I was starting to write screenplays. My first produced script was a low-budget slasher titled “Darkroom.” Knowing that I wanted to write, the producers of Tour of Duty gave me a script to shoot in the third season of the show.
That moved me from the technical side of filmmaking to the creative. I continued to work in TV for a few years. I wrote for HBO’s Dream On and then landed a staff position on NBC’s Blossom, where I was mentored by Allan Katz. Allan and the staff made that a dream job and certainly a highlight of my career. Sadly, the show was canceled after that season.
I worked freelance writing episodes of Renegade and four episodes of The Legendary Journeys of Hercules for Sam Raimi’s company. I was also starting to get the directing bug. I decided to shoot a short film titled Odessa or Bust. This was a 12-minute long movie with Academy Award winner Red Buttons as an old man looking back on his acting career. Jason Schwartzman, hot off of his debut in Rushmore, played Red as a young man. Jason Alexander from Seinfeld, Merrin Dungey from Alias, Rachel Chagall of The Nanny, and George Wendt from Cheers rounded out the rest of the cast. The movie won a few festivals and I was hooked on directing.
Around that time, Actor Jeffrey Tambor, who had also been in my acting class, joined a production company out of New York. That company, Artists Media Cooperative (C0-Op for short), hired me as a writer, but I was soon made a producer and partner in the company. That company made The Guitar. They also produced a web series written by Candace Bushnell of Sex and the City fame titled The Broadroom.
I went on to write or co-write and produce low-budget films. I produced Bucky and the Squirrels for my mentor Allan Katz, and two films in New York, Musical Chairs, and Tio Papi. The latter I co-wrote with the films’ star.
By this point, I had experience in a variety of production and creative roles. I learned that the assistants who worked their butts off for little pay should be treated with the same respect as the star who was making a million bucks. As a producer, I learned to problem solve and think outside the box. Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned from my film experience was related to finance.
I watched passionate filmmakers focus on getting their movies made without thinking about the investor. I quickly realized that if you don’t take care of the investor, if you don’t do all that you can to return a profit and ensure a good experience, then they will never reinvest in the industry.
I made it my mantra to mitigate risk for the investor as often and thoroughly as I could.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I started studying and competing in Judo at the age of six… then about a dozen years ago I began practicing Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu. Today I am a black belt in both (5th degree in Judo and 1st degree in BJJ). If you’re interested in either sport, you don’t have to look far to find a dojo in LA. Hollywood Judo Dojo is my go-to for Judo. The instruction is first class and it’s mindful of the individual’s needs and concerns. Judo can be pretty brutal and sensei Philippe Morotti (sixth-dan) does an excellent job with both instruction and safety.
I can say the same for Brent Burniston (4th-dan) at Subconscious BJJ in North Hollywood. Excellent instruction and a keen sense of safety for the students.
Coming back from a workout at Subconscious I like to stop at Something Vegan on Riverside. This isn’t just good Thai Vegan food, it’s good – period. Their Dynamite Drumsticks and Pad Thai are some of the best in LA. Another regular for me is Doomies. Doomies is an all-vegan comfort food restaurant. Their fried “chicken” can’t be healthy,, but it sure is delicious. Oh, and if you’re looking for a decadent dessert, try their brownie. It’s fantastic.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who have helped me become the person I am today. My father, Mickey, gave me the genetics of a writer. My brother Steve is the most disciplined, hardworking person I know. My first judo teacher, Karl Geis, was like a second father to me. My late mother dedicated time to traveling around the country with my brother and me to tournaments.
That’s a small fraction of the people who changed, influenced, and informed my life.
Website: www.brianherskowitz.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianherskowitz/?hl=en
Twitter: https://x.com/Bherskowitz
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