Grady students and recent graduates work with Deborah Norville on “The Perfect Line”

Throwing a line to students and young alumni for their first on-set job experience was the goal when alumna Deborah Norville (ABJ ’79) reached out last spring looking for production assistants, or PAs, to work on her new game show, “The Perfect Line.”

The show hired six PAs with Grady College ties who worked throughout the summer on “The Perfect Line.”

“This was one of the best summers of my life,” says Nico Surita, a fourth-year Entertainment and Media Studies (EMST) student.

It didn’t take long for Norville, who retired in May after 30 years as anchor of “Inside Edition,” to pick up a new job as a host of “The Perfect Line.” Since production for the game show took place in Georgia, it was the ideal scenario to hire local students.

“When I realized we would be shooting at Trilith Studios…I knew it was a no brainer to try to get students hired and paid during the summer when we were shooting,” Norville says. “I am thrilled it all worked out.”

“The Perfect Line” invites contestants to play a series of games testing their knowledge by arranging events, items or people in the correct order to create “the perfect line.” The show will premiere on broadcast television, including WPCH in Atlanta on Sept. 8, and also on the Game Show Network starting Sept. 15.

Production Assistants help with everything under the sun

It didn’t take Caroline Roshelli, a third-year EMST and Spanish major, long to describe her responsibilities as a PA.

“We did everything under the sun,” Roshelli says, only partially joking.

Nearly 180 episodes, or six to seven episodes a day, were filmed over the summer. Several of the students also worked on the second season of the game show “Flip Side” prior to “The Perfect Line.”

The PAs who were hired from UGA were EMST students or recent graduates and were hired to help with a range of tasks from coordinating audience participation, assisting in the judge’s booth and troubleshooting set issues, to creating production reports, serving as Norville’s assistant and hosting dance breaks to keep the contestants energized.

Surita, who aspires for a career in front of the camera or in music entertainment, found his summer to be fulfilling not only working on production reports where he recorded the timing of everything that happened on the show, but also serving as the dance DJ between shows. One of the PA roles was to keep the contestants energized and dance breaks were Surita’s calling.

“I felt this was such an authentic experience for me,” Surita says. “It made me feel celebrated because here I was coming in with no knowledge, and I was like ‘This is who I am.’”

Roshelli, who grew up watching “Jeopardy” and likes trivia, enjoyed working in the game show environment. She aspires to be a producer of a scripted series and this summer proved to her that she will thrive in an organized and task-focused role after graduation.

 

“I like to anticipate problems as they start and fix them fast,” Roshelli says.

When Roshelli says she helped with everything under the sun, she means it. One day she would be troubleshooting what was wrong with the printer or standing in as the host during rehearsal, while the next day might include calling Sephora stores all over Atlanta looking for a specific foundation (then driving to Macon to pick it up) or cataloging hundreds of wardrobe pieces for Norville.

Roshelli appreciated the encouraging atmosphere and advice the production crew provided. She was able to shadow different roles and ask a lot of questions.

“There were so many established and respected team members on set,” Roshelli says, envying those on set who had just wrapped filming on the latest season of “Stranger Things.” “This was a really unique opportunity to work with people in all walks of the industry who have so much knowledge and talent. I felt like I was seen and given time to talk with anyone on stage. I was really proud to have worked on this all summer.”

Roshelli says she would not have wanted to work on this project with any other team. The camaraderie and celebrations, ranging from the dance circles that at times included the crew, to a visit by Dan Cathy, chairman of Chick-fil-A, Inc. and an investor of Trilith Studios,  who serenaded Deborah Norville by playing Happy Birthday on his trumpet, were special.

Surita agrees and appreciated being able to talk with the line producers and share ideas.

“When they said things like ‘I see your passion and potential,’ that just pushed me further,” Surita says.

Surita and Roshelli especially appreciated the leadership Norville provided on set.

“Deborah provided me guidance,” Surita says. “‘Don’t hold back,’ she said, and she encouraged me to start producing my own content…and to take advantage of social media. She was very sweet and professional.”

Roshelli admired the way Deborah was prepared, on time, and interacted with all the PAs, learning their names and joining them for lunch on several occasions.

For Lizette De la Peña (ABJ ’25), the offer to work on “The Perfect Line” could not have come at a better time since she graduated in May. It was a tough adjustment waking up to a 5:15 a.m. alarm to make an 8:30 a.m. call each morning, but she was grateful for the experience. She especially appreciated the networking opportunities, skills she learned through the Grady LA program, which according to De la Peña, was essentially a networking bootcamp. That confidence enabled her to ask the showrunner of “The Perfect Line” for a half-hour informational interview to learn about his job and career path.

“Emphasizing relationships and building relationships, that aspect of Grady, was what helped me the most be successful as a PA on this show,” De la Peña says.

Providing opportunities for today’s students

Norville said she had an amazing internship during her Grady College days and wanted to return the favor by providing a good experience for current students and recent graduates. She has worked with several Grady College alumni over the years on “Inside Edition,” as well.

Norville was impressed by the Grady College PAs on “The Perfect Line.”

“They crushed it,” says Norville of the students. “There were execs who, tongue in cheek, suggested some of the students not go back to finish their degrees and instead stick with the producers. They far surpassed any expectations. They were prepared, respectful and were more than competent. As a result, they were given far greater responsibilities than was initially expected.”

Norville, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Daytime Emmy Awards in October, said she encourages any alumni with a short period project to consider hiring  Grady College students.

“My advice to anyone bringing a production into the Georgia area is to reach out to Grady College and see if you can hire some of our amazing students.  You will be thrilled at the caliber of employees you will get.”

While Norville was forthcoming with advice for the PAs, she offers the following advice for all students.

“Become an efficient one man band,” she says. “Be able to research, shoot and edit yourself.  Become articulate at describing your vision to encourage others to invest in your concepts so you can produce them. When others see your talents, they will want to partner or bring you into their organization.”

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Author: Sarah Freeman, freemans@uga.edu