Marc Summers Can Still Get the Crowd Going
Marc Summers, 56, was both informative and entertaining at the Media Inforum Oct. 12 held in the Jule Collins Smith Museum Auditorium. His 9 a.m. “A Career On-camera” session included stories about how he got into broadcast TV, hilarious clips from his shows and tips for students.
Auburn University alumni Micheal Young (’74) introduced Summers to the 80 or so students and faculty members in the audience. Young served as moderator for Inforum guests Tony Blake, Kathy Armistead, Kay Fuston and Matt Crisci. After graduating with a degree in Theatre and Mass Communication, Young became a producer, actor and host for several Emmy winning shows. Today he is a producer of TV specials for women’s magazines such as Vogue, Lucky and Allure.
Summers is the producer of “Mission Impossible” and “Unwrapped”, which he also hosts, on the Food Network. He is also producing another Food Network show called “Ultimate Recipe Showdown.” Many know Summers best from his first major on-camera job as the host of “Double Dare” on Nickelodeon. It ran for 525 episodes before he hosted “What Would You Do?”, which ran for only 90 episodes.
“I came out of the womb knowing what I wanted to do,” said Summers referring to his dream of being on camera. He started doing magic tricks on kid shows around four years old. He finally moved from Indianapolis to Los Angeles in 1973, where he struggled for 13 years before landing “Double Dare.”
Of the three funny clips he showed, the one where he appeared on “The Tonight Show” was most astonishing. Burt Reynolds and Summers get into an awkward food fight, with Jay Leno watching helplessly as his show spins out of control. A shortened, edited clip can be found by clicking here.
Summers said the most important thing for students to do was to start building their contacts and experience early. By seeking out jobs and internships as early as freshmen year, students can begin their portfolio to show prospective agents and producers before they graduate.
“It’s all about relationships,” said Summers. “Keep connected.” He recounts how he wrote a thank-you letter to his producer even after being fired from a show on Lifetime. This producer later worked at the Food Network, and she got him in the door with the “Unwrapped” show.
Summers said that the business is 80% luck and 20% talent in the early years of a new talent. Then it’s the reverse after a few years. He also said that no one has ever asked him about his formal schooling, only “what have you done?” He ended his session with another funny clip and a round of questions.
Summers revealed a secret to the audience. When asked about his plans for the future he said, ” I have a secret desire to be on Broadway.”
Please visit www.aumediainforum.com for upcoming events and speakers. Students and alumni can also register their contact information on the Web site.
“The goals of the media forum are to provide current students with advice and contacts within the communications industry- print, television, radio, film, theatre, advertising, etc., and to offer an opportunity where media professionals interact with students to provide inspiration, define possibilities, and advance networking opportunities.”
Click to launch pop up and have the text portion read to you.
