On the Line with Eileen Heisler - Part 1

Eileen Heisler and writing partner DeAnn Heline, currently Executive Producers on the hit ABC freshman sitcom The Middle, may not attribute all of their successes to luck, but it certainly was a stroke of something that led the talented duo down a path that has included work on Doogie Howser, Rosanne, Murphy Brown, How I Met Your Mother, and Lipstick Jungle.

The pair met when they were neighbors in a dorm at Indiana University.  “I think my cosmic purpose for going to Indiana was to hook up with DeAnn,” said Heisler, who took time out on this Saturday morning to talk to me about her current work on The Middle and how she’s come to be one of the top female showrunners in television.

Heisler began her career at Indiana as a voice major.  By her sophomore year, knowing she never thought she would become a professional singer or muscian, she transferred to NYU, where she studied theater at the prestigious Circle in the Square Theater.

But that wasn’t quite it either.  “One day, I was lying on the floor in an acting class and I had an epiphany that I did not want to do that,” said Heisler.  “My classwork consisted of ‘pretend you’re eating an orange’ – this is not what I want to do.”

So Heiser made the call to her parents to announce that she was switching majors…again.  However, this time, it was to something that stuck:  film and television.

It was at NYU that Heisler discovered her passion for writing and was encouraged by her professors to develop the skill for which she clearly had much talent.

With a few PA jobs and a New York internship on the 80’s hit show Kate & Allie under her belt, Heiser, shortly followed by Heline, made the move out to Los Angeles.

“I just wanted to get a job,” said Heisler.  “I knew I had to just get in there with the hopes of eventually writing.”  She hit up all of her connections, which she said “didn’t really lead to much,” and eventually found an unexpected break through a temp position on the Doogie Howser pilot.

“I didn’t even understand how ‘temp’ the job was supposed to be,” said Heisler, laughing.  She just thought to herself, “I’ll just keep my mouth shut and keep showing up until they tell me to stop.”

Fortunately, they didn’t tell her to stop, and she was able to parlay the stint on the pilot into a more permanent job on the show working for the producer.

“Having that temp agency book that job that day was lucky,” she said.  “I could even hear in the background, ‘Hey did you place that job?’  It could have been if I hadn’t picked up the phone I wouldn’t have gotten that chance.  That was a huge opportunity.”

Her next big break came courtesy of a car salesman.

One day, while sitting at her desk at the Doogie production office, a guy came in and said to Heisler, “I’m looking for some scripts to read because I’m going in to pitch for Steven Bochco.”

Heisler, incredulous said, “Really, how did you get in to pitch?”

“I was selling Steven Bochco a car,” replied the man.

And with that Heisler got on the phone to her longtime friend DeAnn and said, “Look people who are selling cars to Bochco are getting in, we’ve gotta just ask.”

And ask they did.  They reached out to the show’s executive producers, with whom Heisler had developed a good relationship over her two years with Doogie, and it workd – they let them pitch.  “That was a huge break,” said Heisler.

Now, nearly two decades after that career changing moment, Heisler and Heline are approached by people wanting to pitch to them.

“I think it’s a big mistake for people to just write quietly in their apartment until the perfect job comes along,” said Heisler when I asked if it all really comes down to being in the right place at the right time.  And while, she does agree there is an element of luck responsible for some of her success, she attributes a great deal more to being responsible for getting yourself in the right place.  “You should PA, you should get coffee, you should just get yourself there.”

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Check back soon for more from Eileen Heisler on her current job, working with network executives, and her opinion on the Jay Leno Experiment!