Ken Levine: Talks Zach Braff, Kickstarter, MLB Announcing and TV

Alley Oop podcast

Emmy-Award winning TV writer, director, producer, screenwriter and major league play-by-play announcer Ken Levine is my guest. Ken has packed in a few lifetimes of dream-chasing and it's all paid off; from writing on TV shows like MASH, Cheers, Frazier to announcing baseball games for the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres.

Paul talks to Ken about his recent blog post on www.kenlevine.blogspot.com in which he challenged actor/producer Zach Braff's use of kickstarter to raise funds for his movie. Ken believes things like kickstarter should be for the up-and-comers, not merely as a pubicity machine for millionaires to raise more millons. The two discuss that and also Ken's early success with his TV writing partner David Isaac's on shows like MASH and Cheers.

Paul gushes about one of his favorite movies, Volunteers- starring Tom Hanks, John Candy and Gedde Watanabe---- which Ken Levine wrote the screenplay. Ken talks about chasing his dream from doing by play by play by himself into a tape recorder at Dodger stadium, to the Syracuse Chiefs, to the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles.

Ken also discusses the current state of television, comedies of the past, and the future of sitcoms. Are 3 camera sitcoms going to be extinct? Ken says not so fast.