Made in America Blog

Researching America by Show Researcher, Elaine White

2008-04-07T13:34:38Z

So, in my first week as a member of the MIA team, I was sent out in the field to get a feel for the layout of the show, to 'research' they called it.

]]> I was on location for the Cal Portland Cement and Hobie Cat shoots. Having spent time on every type of set, from music videos, to hit shows, to major features, I thought I had seen it all. I had never gotten paid to spend a day in the sun, 'testing' one of the top ranked kayaks; a Hobie. I was instructed to strap on a life vest, board a brand new Hobie Kayak and take her for a spin in the waters of Oceanside, California. Being the adventurous type, I was ecstatic. That week, my first week, definitely foreshadowed the events to come in the making of "John Ratzenberger's Made in America", season 5.

From the Driver's Side by RV Driver, Chase White

2008-04-07T13:32:09Z

We drove 20,000 tough road miles this season, the hardest of which came in December.

]]> Mike and I traveled from Raleigh, North Carolina to Seattle, Washington in one straight shot -- 3,200 miles in the dead of winter. Ouch. Putting down 500 miles day in never ending snow, then rain, then more snow was the toughest challenge to date. The electrics burnt out on my rig, and our water systems froze into blocks of ice. Finally, 6 days later, a mere 45 miles from our destination we get buried in the Snowqualmie pass and have to go back down the mountain. The only chains available were MADE IN CHINA, and of course they snapped just miles after being installed, chewing up the wheel wells, and forcing us back outside into the frigid storm to put them back on. I thought I would never make it home for Christmas. I never imaged that after the break I would have to scale that icy mountain 3 more times....

From the Director's Chair by Director, Tom Kramer

2008-04-04T21:00:55Z

Directing "John Ratzenberger's Made In America" is as close as I could ever come to my dream job of working on "Charles Kuralt's On The Road".

]]> The best part of the job was traveling to new places and meeting new people. I'll always remember standing on top of the 109th floor of the Sears Tower with no railing, climbing to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, or up the top of the twenty story wind turbine in Washington, and driving a school bus at the Thomas School Bus factory in North Carolina. But the people we met were the greatest. They were always proud of their job, their product, and their company. On many occasions I asked if they were hiring....just in case I needed a job when the series ended.

Most interesting to me is how differently the crew members packed for long road trips which usually lasted about ten days. Recio Young, our Production Assistant packed a different pair of pants for each day. He was sure never to wear any pants twice. On the other hand, he would only pack a few pairs of socks and re-use them many times. Kevin Brown, our audio engineer told us that he would only bring a few pair of briefs along and wash them in the hotel room sink. Everyone thought I was crazy for bringing four pairs of pants but had a belt already in place on each pair. My plan was to save thirty seconds each morning by not having to put a belt into my pants.

We'd get up awfully early on some mornings and every second of extra sleep counted. Riding in the RV was the best part of the job...seeing the country and getting to know the other crew members like Ami (makeup) and Wes, (DP). Wes was also a technological wizard and had the RV set up so we could do internet while driving down the freeway. I most loved sitting up front with our driver Mike and sharing stories about all the different types of food we'd hope to eat during the trip.

I think the entire crew and John would agree that working on the show gave us memories we'd cherish for the rest of our lives.