SW Alum Andrew Carter

His music preference is dark, his sport of choice hails from Canada, and his humor is refreshingly self-deprecating. He formerly represented the death metal band Raging Speedhorn and worked at Terrorizer Magazine in the U.K. before flying back stateside to enter the ranks of jurisprudence. Read the full story

Six years out of SW, and Matt Laviano is the chief operating officer of a booming TV production company responsible for “Joe Millionare 2,” “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance” and “Temptation Island,” among other popular reality shows. The Commentator recently joined Laviano for a chat about his path to this prestigious position, the future of reality TV, and the power of a J.D.

Laviano, like many sadistically committed entertainment attorneys, turned down several cushy positions at tort litigation firms for random small jobs at entertainment firms as an independent contractor. As long as it was entertainment related, he claims “no opportunity was too small to hear about.” For almost an entire year after graduating he looked for work while counting pennies and shrinking under the weight of his school loans, until a small, low-paying production company, brought to his attention by our very own Prof. Robert Lind, offered him an assistant job in business affairs. Within a few years, Rocket Science Laboratories produced several wildly successful shows for the Fox network, and Laviano rose up the ladder through business affairs to his current position where he coordinates the operations for the entire company, gets two weeks paid vacation, and even has time to entertain his hobbies such as Bocce and ‘80s movies music montages. His job consists of managing all production activities, overseeing business and legal affairs, and working intricately with development both on set and in the office. His duties include determining where to pitch ideas, structuring deals, and developing each season’s slate.

Although he may be somewhat biased, Laviano believes that reality TV is an underdeveloped art form in the United States, and that it “is a genre that is not going to be going away and has not yet reached maturation.” He cites to the fact that European countries and India air far more reality programming than do the networks in the U.S. The rest of the world has become so indoctrinated to reality programming that in contrast, “America’s Next Top Model” looks like a heartwarming coming-of-age tale. Accordingly, Rocket Science Labs, closing the gap, has 15 projects in development at any given time. Corroborating Laviano’s belief in the longevity of reality TV is the growing public demand: 40 percent of all households watching TV tuned into Fox to watch “Joe Millionare 2,” which beat out “American Idol” at 30 percent during the same season. If you happen to be one of the aforementioned reality junkies, make sure to tune in to Fox next spring for Rocket Science Lab’s new project, “When Women Rule the World.”

Laviano said he is always looking for ways to expand the reach of Rocket Science Lab’s content. According to him, the internet will play a very pivotal role in the expansion of reality television, because companies who recognize the profit potential of sites such as YouTube.com are responding by throwing a large influx of ad revenue dollars over online space. Advertisers are bringing attention to brands by creating mini content that highlight them, such as the two-minute webisodes on budtv.com.

Another untapped revenue source is mobile content, which has the potential to very quickly move beyond wall papers and ring tones. “Soon we will see original creations built for the mobile space that have the possibility to be a great advertising revenue,” says Laviano, his enthusiasm contagious. “This is one of the most exciting times to be in television,” he says.

When asked if he wanted to leave the SW student body with one piece of advice, he responded, “I think that a law degree is a great foundation to do whatever you want to do in the entertainment business but particularly in the television business. … [It] gives you a great base and a great platform to really get into whatever you want.”

Written by Alexis Quinones, 3L