August 17, 2012
Eliza Kurtz is a freelance producer and editor whose clients include Major League Baseball (MLB) Productions and VH1’s “Behind the Music.” She’s been nominated for two primetime Emmys for her direction on A&E’s “Biography” series. She’s won a sports Emmy and a Telly award. She and her daughter Haley, a college sophomore, have lived in Leonia since 2007.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: My family lived in a pre-war apartment building on 92nd Street on the Upper West Side in New York City. My parents were both Juilliard grads so my childhood was filled with culture: classical music, chamber music parties and concerts. They bought me a violin and hoped that I too would become a classical musician. But my older brother and I were more interested in baseball and harmonizing on Beatles songs. When I was 15 I told my parents I wanted to play guitar, and have been happily playing the Beatles ever since.
Q: What was the first rock concert you attended as a teen?
A: The Grateful Dead at Madison Square Gardens, in 1978. I went with a friend, Adam Yauch, who later formed the Beastie Boys. Sadly, he recently passed away from throat cancer.
Q: Where did you attend college?
A: I completed a year at Emerson College in Boston, majoring in Communications. After growing up in Manhattan, Boston was a culture shock for me – it seemed like such a small town. I transferred to Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, where my father taught music and the tuition was free. My parents rented a tiny apartment for me on East 91st Street, across from the 92nd Street Y.
Q: How did you spend your college years?
A: I was a DJ and engineer at Fordham’s 50,000 watt radio station WFUV. I was exposed to lots of new music. Our playlists included anyone from REM to They Might be Giants. I also had an internship at NBC, and worked as a hostess at the comedy club, Catch a Rising Star. There I saw many of the great comedians get their start: Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Joy Behar, and Roseanne Barr. A lot of established comedians like Rodney Dangerfield also came in and tried out new material.
Q: How did you get involved with Major League Baseball Productions?
A: I’ve always loved baseball. I’m a big Mets fan. In high school, I attended a party where I met a group of people who worked for MLB productions. I begged them to let me hang out and learn about their jobs. They let me help with projects, taught me how to edit clips, and I later became an MLB intern. I went on to work with them after college graduation. Before ESPN was on the air, Mel Allen hosted a TV program called “This Week in Baseball,” a weekly sports highlight show. He was in his seventh decade as a Hall of Fame broadcaster. I was only 22, yet I was routinely sent to ball parks around the league to do interviews and put together highlight packages for his show. I also worked on World Series films.
Q: What was your most memorable MLB experience?
A: I was on assignment at Yankees Stadium on a rainy April day, when I saw George Steinbrenner and asked him for an interview. As we headed toward the dugout stairs, I slipped and fell on my face in the mud. Without breaking stride or acknowledging my fall, Steinbrenner grabbed my raincoat with one hand and lifted me up and we continued the interview as if nothing happened.
Q: Who’s your favorite baseball player?
A: Tug McGraw, a relief pitcher for the Mets and Phillies. His son is the country singer Tim McGraw.
Q: How did you go from MLB to A&E documentaries?
A: In 2002, A&E network hired me to produce, edit and write the initial script for a documentary on Mama Cass of the Mamas and the Papas. I was in heaven! I got to interview all her friends and my heroes – Graham Nash, Dave Mason, Tommy Smothers and David Crosby to name a few. After that, George Roy, a documentary producer, asked me to produce a two-hour biopic on Cher. I followed her and her entourage on tour, going from city to city interviewing people from her life. I have produced two other “Biographies” – Celine Dion in 2005 and Eddie Murphy in 2008. When I go on shoots I take my own props, such as fancy scarves and pillows, to dress up the set. I have a “Hitchcock pillow” that I always place in my productions.
Q: What documentaries have you worked on with VH1’s Behind the Music series?
A: I produced episodes on Jennifer Hudson and Mary J. Blige. I recently interviewed Smokey Robinson for a “Behind the Music” R&B documentary on Ne-Yo, a singer/songwriter who’s written big hits for Beyonce and Rihanna. It’s great fun to be in a constant orbit of creativity.
Q: Favorite person you interviewed?
A: Will Lee, a bass player in David Letterman’s band and leader of the Fab Faux, a band that plays nothing but Beatles songs. Not only is he one of the best bass players on the planet, but he’s also a music historian, with a wealth of information about bands and musicians popular when I was a teenager. Another favorite is Meryl Streep, who co-starred with Cher in the movie “Silkwood.” She’s a real down to earth gracious actress who arrived to the interview in a cab – sans entourage.
Q: What project are you working on now?
A: Between documentary gigs, I do freelance editing for MLB and have done promos for HBO’s Special Markets Division. I’m also about to start work on an episode of “Hook, Line and Dinner” for the Cooking Channel.
Q: What’s your favorite place to visit?
A: I enjoy taking road trips to visit friends in Pennsylvania and New Paltz, N.Y. I also love the Adirondacks. I have great memories of spending summers in our family cabin there – hiking, mountain climbing and visiting the local ice cream shop. I listen to music and sing along while I drive.
Q: What music do you listen to?
A: My current favorite singers are Ruthie Foster, soul; The Black Keys, rock; and Susan Tedeschi, blues. I also listen to classic books on tape. I’m rediscovering books like “Great Expectations.”
Q: What’s on your wish list?
A: I want to win my own primetime Emmy. I’ve been nominated, I’ve worked on shows that got awards, and I’ve walked down the red carpet. But I really want to hear my name called and give my own acceptance speech.
Q: What made you decide to move to Leonia?
A: My daughter and I were living in Edgewater and when she came here for middle school she became close friends with several Leonia kids. Their families were friendly and welcoming. I wanted her to be able to easily go to their houses after school and to participate in after school activities without taking the bus. I also love the trees and the charm of the older pre-war homes. We bought “the Muzio House” on Glenwood. Now it’s the “Kurtz House.”
Q: What do you most like about Leonia?
A: The architectural variety among homes, inside and out. I’m never bored when I walk Leonia’s streets. It’s the best of both worlds. Quiet and tree-filled, but near the city.
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